AP Top 25 basketball rankings: Illinois up to No. 4, Michigan passes Baylor

Illinois is one of the top four teams in the country. Whether that remains the case when the actual Final Four crystalizes later this month remains to be seen. Illinois moves up to No. 4 in the latest AP poll, released Monday. Will this give them a fighting chance at a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament? It’s possible, but to get there, Illinois needs to take care of business this week. A huge game in Ann Arbor against No. 2 Michigan looms Tuesday. Another tough road test lurks Saturday at No. 7 Ohio State. Three of the top five teams in the country hail from the Big Ten (Iowa is at No. 5). Loyola-Chicago moves into the top 20 while Oklahoma State, Purdue and Colorado make up the three newcomers this week. Here are the rest of this week’s rankings:
BY  Joe Collins  - 
USA Today
Illinois is one of the top four teams in the country. Whether that remains the case when the actual Final Four crystalizes later this month remains to be seen. Illinois moves up to No. 4 in the latest AP poll, released Monday. Will this give them a fighting chance at a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament? It’s possible, but to get there, Illinois needs to take care of business this week. A huge game in Ann Arbor against No. 2 Michigan looms Tuesday. Another tough road test lurks Saturday at No. 7 Ohio State. Three of the top five teams in the country hail from the Big Ten (Iowa is at No. 5). Loyola-Chicago moves into the top 20 while Oklahoma State, Purdue and Colorado make up the three newcomers this week. Here are the rest of this week’s rankings: