Chambana Sun

Illinois women's basketball team has re-entered the national rankings, securing the No. 25 spot in the Week 16 Associated Press Top-25 Poll. The team is currently on an eight-game winning streak, boasting a 21-5 overall record and an 11-4 mark in Big Ten play.

The Fighting Illini hold the longest active winning streak in the Big Ten and are ranked in the AP Top-25 Poll for the fifth time this season. This marks their most appearances since the 1999-2000 campaign when Illinois was included in 13 polls.

Under head coach Shauna Green, Illinois has been ranked in ten combined AP polls. In recent years, they appeared in four Top-25 polls during the 2022-23 season, followed by preseason rankings for 2023-24 and Week 2 through Week 5 polls for this season.

"After receiving votes in each of the previous two AP polls," stated a source, "the Illini have now entered the rankings as one of six Big Ten teams."

Historically, Illinois has appeared in a total of 73 AP polls across eleven different seasons. Coach Green joins Naismith Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as one of only two coaches to lead their teams to AP Top-25 ranking appearances for three consecutive seasons. The last such occurrence spanned five seasons from 1996-97 through 2000-01.

The current season also marks Illinois' third consecutive year with a win over a ranked opponent—a feat not achieved since campaigns from 2005 to 2008. During their ongoing slate, they have defeated No.19 Florida State (Nov.7), No.23 Iowa (Jan.9), and No.14 Maryland (Feb.2).

No.25 Illinois will travel to Los Angeles later this week for games against higher-ranked opponents: No.3 UCLA on Thursday at 8:30 p.m., airing on Big Ten Network, and No.4 USC on Sunday at 3 p.m., broadcasted on FS1.