No, we are not the worst team in Illinois!

I am going to borrow this from Bob Asmussen's blog on Illini Headquarters posted on the 24th. He ranked college basketball by the state, and Illinois didn't turn out too well, coming in 41st. 


The good news? SIUE is 12th following his research, not 14th. This is progress folks. 


HQ's Bob Asmussen researched all 345 Division I men's programs in order to rank which state is producing the best basketball this season (hint: it's not Illinois). We'll continue our countdown until we reach No. 1.


41. Illinois


1. Illinois                          
2. Northwestern                  
3. Loyola                            
4. Southern Illinois             
5. DePaul                           
6. Illinois State                   
7. Bradley                          
8. Illinois-Chicago          
9. Northern Illinois             
10. Eastern Illinois              
11. SIU-Edwardsville        
12. Western Illinois             
13. Chicago State                




Best player: Demetri McCamey, Illinois. In an inconsistent season, he is among the nation's Top 10 in assists and is hitting 48 percent of his three-point tries.
Best coach: Bruce Weber, Illinois. A former national Coach of the Year, he rebuilt Southern Illinois and won at least 21 games in six of his first seven seasons at Illinois.
Best team: Illinois. Hold serve in the final month, and maybe win a game in the Big Ten tournament, and the team will still be going to the NCAA tournament. In the nonconference, the Illini beat North Carolina, Gonzaga, Maryland and Oakland.
Why Illinois is No. 41: Only Illinois and Northwestern seem likely to earn postseason berths. The bottom five schools in the state are among the worst in the nation.


How much Illini bias there is here is too be determined. Although Illinois is struggling, he is probably right. 

Posted in: Archives,Men's basketball