Illinois Basketball Rises in recent Bart Torvik Rankings

Illinois basketball has made a notable rise in the recent Bart Torvik rankings. With the roster more or less set, outsiders can now do a deep dive into how the Illini stack up against the rest of the country. It seems that more and more media and national analysts are taking note of the immense talent on this roster. Previously, Bart Torvik held the Illini at number 44. However, after an update to the talent portion of the rankings, Illinois basketball has risen all the way to number 17. That means that Illinois Basketball is the number two team in the Big Ten only behind reigning national runner-ups Purdue. The teams that are ranked directly below Illinois from the Big Ten are Michigan State and Rutgers. In fact, the Illini rank second in projected effective talent only to the reigning national champions, UCONN.

However, it must be noted that the rankings are rather flawed. Bart Torvik currently ranks the Illini with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 33 and an adjusted defensive efficiency of 11. I do not think that there will be 32 teams ahead of Illinois on the offensive side, and I also believe that defense will not be the strong suit of this young squad

A rising intrigue

CREDIT: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois Basketball is going to be one of the most intriguing rosters in the entire country. To start, the Illini have added ten newcomers to their roster and only have two returning scholarship players. The first half of the ten players are brand new to the college game, though one (Jason Jakstys) likely will not have a role on the team. The remaining half are division-one transfers looking to settle into their new home. Because of the amount of newcomers, it is difficult to project how well this season will go. On top of that, two of the newcomers are international prospects. Though they are immensely talented, not much data can be used to speculate how well their games translate.

As the season approaches, however, the intrigue seems to be rising. Illinois Basketball will certainly have everyone’s attention as the 2024 season starts.

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