CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For the first time since 2013, Illinois Women's Basketball has received votes in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 rankings. Now out to a 13-2 start under Shauna Green, the Illini are coming off their biggest win yet - a New Year's Day upset of No. 12/10 Iowa.
The last time the Fighting Illini appeared in the Top 25 was Nov. 27, 2000, when the team was ranked 24th in the AP poll.
Illinois came in as high as No. 20 on two voters' ballots and ultimately appeared on 12-of-28 ballots. The Illini came in at No. 20 (2), No. 21 (1), No. 23 (3) and No. 25 (6) by the voters who recognized them.
The complete Jan. 2, 2023 AP Rankings can be viewed HERE.
NOTES (AS OF 1/2/23)
- Illinois is off to the best 15-game start in program history with a 13-2 record.
- With a 3-1 start to Big Ten play, Illinois owns its best start conference play since a 6-3 B1G start in 2012-13 (finished 9-7 vs. B1G).
- With 13 wins, the Illini have more wins than any season since 2014-15 (15-16).
- As of the day of the poll, Illinois owned a NET ranking of 29th – up 194 spots from a year ago.
- Illinois is already 8-0 at home this season - matching the sixth-longest home winning streak in program history.
- The Illini have seen notable success on the road as well, owning wins at Pitt, Butler, Missouri and Wisconsin for the program's most road wins since the 2014-15 campaign.
- Shauna Green has implemented a defensive mentality that has helped lead the program's resurgence – opponents are averaging 59.6 PPG (95th NCAA, 4th B1G), 28.0% rate from 3-point range (79th NCAA, 3rd B1G), and 36.4% from the field (58th NCAA, 1st B1G).
- The Illinois offense has been just as lethal – UI is averaging 81.1 PPG (20thNCAA, 5th B1G), 41.9% rate from 3-point range (1st NCAA, 1st B1G), and 47.9% from the field (14th NCAA, 6th B1G).
- The Illini's scoring and rebounding margins have been remarkable under Shauna Green so far. Illinois' rebounding margin sits at 11.1, which ranks 12th in the nation and 1st in the Big Ten. With a scoring margin of 21.5, Illinois ranks 17th overall and 4th in the Big Ten.