December 6, 200421 yr Weber: "It puts us in an exclusive group." (AP) A rout of ex-No. 1 Wake Forest was enough to vault Illinois past three unbeaten teams to the top ranking in the latest AP poll. Coach Bruce Weber and the Illini (5-0) return to action Monday against Chicago State. Illinois took an unusual route to the top of The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll. The Illini, riding their impressive win over then-top-ranked Wake Forest, vaulted from fifth to No. 1 on Monday, moving past three unbeaten teams. It is the third time in school history Illinois reached No. 1 and this appearance at the top came following the 91-73 victory over Wake Forest, a game in which the Illini (6-0) led by as many as 32 points in the second half. ``It's definitely important because I think it gives you recognition, which fans love, and you hope it helps recruiting,'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said Monday. ``It establishes you as one of the better programs in the country. When you watch the top of the polls, the teams that get to the Elite Eight and Final Four are usually the teams that are there. It puts us in an exclusive group and hopefully we can maintain it.'' The Illini didn't have to wait long to play as a No. 1 team, hosting Chicago State on Monday night. Illinois, which also won at Arkansas last week, received 25 first-place votes and 1,717 points from the national media panel. Kansas (4-0) held second with 23 first-place votes and 1,700 points after wins over Nevada and Pacific. Illinois' two previous trips to No. 1 lasted just one week each, but they both came in seasons when the Illini reached the Final Four. The first No. 1 appearance was on Jan. 22, 1952, and the second was on Jan. 24, 1989. ``That's really wild,'' Weber said when told of the other No. 1 rankings, both during Final Four seasons. ``We felt since the beginning that we had a chance to be a Final Four team and we're in that elite, special group. Each year there are four to 10 schools that maybe could get there and we felt that since the start so there's no added pressure. ``We've tried to play different schools early to prepare us for later on. We're looking at the big picture and think we have the capability to get there but there are so many factors from now to April that could change plans. But barring injuries or something crazy, we think we can be one of those teams.'' Team Record Votes Last Week 1. Illinois (25) 6-0 1,717 5 2. Kansas (23) 4-0 1,700 2 3. Georgia Tech (12) 5-0 1,632 4 4. Syracuse (9) 7-0 1,607 3 5. Oklahoma St. (2) 5-0 1,479 6 6. Wake Forest 6-1 1,397 1 7. Connecticut (1) 3-0 1,383 7 8. North Carolina 6-1 1,354 9 9. Duke 5-0 1,276 10 10. Kentucky 4-1 1,075 8 11. Pittsburgh 5-0 987 13 12. N.C. State 6-0 909 16 13. Louisville 4-1 697 17 14. Texas 5-1 692 18 15. Arizona 5-2 698 21 16. Washington 5-1 524 14 17. Iowa 6-1 496 23 18. Alabama 6-1 495 22 19. Virginia 6-0 481 24 20. Michigan St. 4-2 434 11 21. George Washington 5-1 423 ? 22. Mississippi St. 6-2 417 15 23. Maryland 4-2 405 12 24. Wisconsin 4-1 343 25 25. Gonzaga 5-1 267 ? Others receiving votes: Florida 136, Notre Dame 128, Cincinnati 103, Creighton 81, Boston College 35, Oklahoma 29, Marquette 23, S. Illinois 17, Memphis 8, New Mexico 7, Wis.-Milwaukee 6, Charlotte 5, Oregon 5, UAB 5, Hawaii 4, Miami 4, Michigan 3, Pepperdine 3, Arkansas 2, Ohio 2, Pacific 2, Indiana 1, Santa Clara 1, Stanford 1, Vermont 1. (Wow the Media picked Illinois #1? In what world? Wow.. Then I guess it should be unanimous when the Coaches poll comes out too.. )
December 6, 200421 yr IU still gets a top 25 vote.... they love us 628344[/snapback] George Washington is on the verge of becomign top 10 in a few weeks. The new St. Joes.
December 6, 200421 yr IU still gets a top 25 vote.... they love us 628344[/snapback] George Washington is on the verge of becomign top 10 in a few weeks. The new St. Joes. 628353[/snapback] yea they are, they were alot of fun to watch yesterday
December 6, 200421 yr I'm absolutely shocked! On a more serious note, congrats to the Illini. Let's see now if they can hang on. Miami 4628326[/snapback] Did someone mess up or something? That's pretty cool.
December 6, 200421 yr Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes. Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier.
December 6, 200421 yr FSU deserves some love. 628423[/snapback] Miami 4 votes FSU 0 votes :mischief Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes. Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier. 628431[/snapback] They've come quite a ways since then. Beating UF in Gainesville for the first time in I think 39 years isn't too shabby I'd say, considering they are the biggest vote getters not to be ranked.
December 6, 200421 yr Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes. Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier. 628431[/snapback] u shouldve stopped at South Carolina State they stink nonetheless
December 6, 200421 yr Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes.? Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier. 628431[/snapback] u shouldve stopped at South Carolina State they stink nonetheless 628436[/snapback] What do you mean? Xavier sucks too. I respect what they did last year, but they ain't much this year.
December 6, 200421 yr Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes.? Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier. 628431[/snapback] u shouldve stopped at South Carolina State they stink nonetheless 628436[/snapback] What do you mean? Xavier sucks too. I respect what they did last year, but they ain't much this year. 628437[/snapback] they lost a buttload of players, and they stink but to compare Xavier to South Carolina St. is unnecesary
December 6, 200421 yr Duke should be #1! In other news, Miami got 4 votes.? Even though they lost at home to S Carolina St and Xavier. 628431[/snapback] u shouldve stopped at South Carolina State they stink nonetheless 628436[/snapback] What do you mean? Xavier sucks too. I respect what they did last year, but they ain't much this year. 628437[/snapback] they lost a buttload of players, and they stink but to compare Xavier to South Carolina St. is unnecesary 628443[/snapback] Oh, well...no doubt. There's still a big difference there.
December 6, 200421 yr FSU deserves some love. 628423[/snapback] Texas A & M Corpus Christi & Kent State might say otherwise. The wins over Ole Miss and Minnesota were kinda respectable though. UF needs a little while out of the top 25.
December 6, 200421 yr Meh, Ole Miss and Minnesota are conference bottom dwellers and FSU just squeaked past both of them.
December 6, 200421 yr Meh, Ole Miss and Minnesota are conference bottom dwellers and FSU just squeaked past both of them. 628452[/snapback] Yeah, I was just trying to avoid a rival conflict. Plus I can't say much about UF because they FREAKIN LOST to Miami... Ole Miss actually has one of its worst teams in years.
December 6, 200421 yr Yeah, I was just trying to avoid a rival conflict. Plus I can't say much about UF because they FREAKIN LOST to Miami... 628453[/snapback] *laughs childishly in corner* tee hee hee...
December 6, 200421 yr Yeah, I was just trying to avoid a rival conflict. Plus I can't say much about UF because they FREAKIN LOST to Miami... 628453[/snapback] *laughs childishly in corner* tee hee hee... 628454[/snapback] :banghead Gator Basketball: It's almost as frustrating as Gator football.
December 7, 200421 yr FSU deserves some love. 628423[/snapback] Texas A & M Corpus Christi & Kent State might say otherwise. The wins over Ole Miss and Minnesota were kinda respectable though. UF needs a little while out of the top 25. 628450[/snapback] They lost to TCU, not TAMU, methinks. Yeah, FSU is garbage without Tim Pickett... Leonard Hamilton can recruit like it's going out of style though.
December 7, 200421 yr It was Texas A&M CC Not even TAMU. Tim Pickett was the heart and soul of FSU. They've got some solid young players though. So does Miami unfortunately.
December 7, 200421 yr Van Wafer won the Minnesota game by himself 628488[/snapback] he's gooooooooooooood
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