It was easy to discount Illinois' loss at Marquette last week because, you know, the Illini were without Kofi Cockburn, and any team missing its best player (who doubles as a consensus All-American) is susceptible to being upset on the road.
That's basketball.
But what happened Monday night was a different deal. This wasn't a road game without Kofi Cockburn. This was a neutral-site game with Kofi Cockburn against a Cincinnati team picked to finish sixth in the American Athletic Conference. So the fact that the Illini were blown completely out qualifies as a super-surprising and troubling development.
Final score: Cincinnati 71, Illinois 51.
The Illini were 9.5-point favorites. They lost by 20.
"[Cincinnati] played harder than we did, which is very unacceptable for me to stomach," said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. "They were the more physical team."
The Illini were a total mess offensively against Cincinnati. They took 57 shots, missed 41 of them and finished with just two more field goals (16) than turnovers (14). They shot 28.1% from the field and 13.6% from 3-point range. Trent Frazier finished 0-of-9 from the field with zero points in 33 minutes.
So Illinois is now 2-2 with no quality wins and a pair of losses to teams ranked outside of the top-70 at KenPom. That's a dismal start to this season and reason enough to remove the Illini from Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. They've been replaced by Ohio State, which beat Seton Hall 79-76 on Monday. The Buckeyes' next game is Wednesday against a Florida team that's ranked 22nd in the Top 25 And 1. OSU is 24th.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Monday's 107-54 win over Central Michigan. The Zags' next game is Tuesday against UCLA. | -- | 2-0 |
| 2 |  | Peyton Washington got 19 points off the bench in Monday's 75-62 win over Bellarmine. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against Gonzaga. | -- | 2-1 |
| 3 |  | Ochai Agbaji made four 3-pointers and finished with 25 points in Thursday's 88-59 win over Stony Brook. The Jayhawks' next game is Thursday against North Texas. | -- | 3-0 |
| 4 |  | Zach Edey finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 80-74 win over Villanova. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Nebraska Omaha. | -- | 3-0 |
| 5 |  | Villanova allowed Purdue to shoot 52.7% from the field in Sunday's 80-74 loss to the Boilermakers. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against La Salle. | -- | 2-2 |
| 6 |  | Jalen Duren finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks in Friday's 74-62 win over Western Kentucky. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 2-0 |
| 7 |  | Paolo Banchero finished 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Monday's 108-81 win over The Citadel. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Gonzaga. | -- | 2-1 |
| 8 |  | Timmy Allen finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 79-45 win over San Jose State. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday against Cal Baptist. | -- | 2-1 |
| 9 |  | James Akinjo finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 86-48 win over Stanford. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. | -- | 2-1 |
| 10 |  | Connor Vanover finished with 14 points and five rebounds in Monday's 72-64 win over Kansas State. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against Cincinnati. | -- | 1-1 |
| 11 |  | Jaden Shackelford finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Friday's 86-59 win over Oakland. The Crimson Tide's next game is Thursday against Iona. | -- | 3-0 |
| 12 |  | Fabian White Jr. finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 70-52 win over Butler. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Wisconsin. | -- | 1-1 |
| 13 |  | TyTy Washington finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Monday's 86-61 win over Albany. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against North Florida. | -- | 3-0 |
| 14 |  | Caleb Lohner finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 97-61 win over Central Methodist. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Texas Southern. | -- | 2-0 |
| 15 |  | Christian Koloko finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 80-62 win over Michigan. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Sacramento State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 16 |  | K.D. Johnson finished with 15 points off the bench in Friday's 58-52 win at USF. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against UConn. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 17 |  | Tyrese Martin finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 87-63 win over Binghamton. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Auburn. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 18 |  | Kennedy Chandler finished with 14 points and eight assists in Sunday's 89-72 win over North Carolina. The Vols' next game is Friday against Tennessee Tech. | 2 | 2-0 |
| 19 |  | Jaren Holmes finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 70-54 win over Marquette. The Bonnies' next game is Saturday against Northern Iowa. | 2 | 2-0 |
| 20 |  | Justyn Mutts finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 72-43 win over Merrimack. The Hokies' next game is Wednesday against Memphis. | 2 | 3-0 |
| 21 |  | Boogie Ellis finished with 19 points and five rebounds in USC's 98-71 win over Dixie State. The Trojans' next game is Thursday against Saint Joseph's. | 2 | 2-0 |
| 22 |  | Colin Castleton finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 80-60 win over Cal. The Gators next game is Wednesday against Ohio State. | 2 | 3-0 |
| 23 |  | Paul Scruggs finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in Thursday's 71-65 win over Ohio State. The Musketeers' next game is Sunday against Norfolk State. | 2 | 3-0 |
| 24 |  | E.J. Liddell finished with 28 points and six rebounds in Monday's 79-76 win over Seton Hall. The Buckeyes' next game is Wednesday against Florida. | NR | 2-0 |
| 25 |  | Seton Hall missed 17 of the 22 3-pointers it attempted in Monday's 79-76 loss to Ohio State. The Pirates' next game is Wednesday against Cal. | 9 | 1-1 |
| 26 |  | Marcus Bingham Jr. finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 83-59 win over Eastern Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday against Loyola Chicago. | -- | 2-1 |
IN: Ohio State
OUT: Illinois
