College basketball rankings: Illinois survives overtime scare vs. Nebraska, remains No. 5 in new Top 25 And 1
The Illini rallied late to hold off the Cornhuskers' upset bid
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
During any long season, especially one being played in a global pandemic and largely without fans, a team is all but guaranteed to experience a letdown. (Even top-ranked Gonzaga had one at Pacific last week.) The only hope is that when it comes, you can survive it. And that's why, if for no other reason, Illinois coach Brad Underwood can feel good about what happened Friday night inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.
His Illini had a letdown — but they survived it.
"We escaped in a very ugly fashion," Underwood said following Illinois' 77-72 overtime victory at Nebraska. "Nobody, at the end of the year, is going to draw pictures of this one. But it's a W."
Indeed, it is. So now Illinois is 14-5 overall, 10-3 in the Big Ten. And the main reason is because Ayo Dosunmu took over in the closing minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard scored 22 of his 31 points after halftime to help the Illini overcome a six-point deficit with just 2:36 left in regulation. He scored Illinois' final 10 points in regulation and first five points in overtime.
"I told myself it was time to lock-in," Dosunmu said. "Trust in yourself. Believe your instincts. You got this. Let's try to will my team to victory."
That's precisely what he did. The result was Illinois, just barely, avoiding what would've been its first Quadrant 3 loss of the season. As it is, the Illini remain 10-5 in the first two quadrants with zero losses coming outside of the first two quadrants. The next game on the schedule is Tuesday vs. Northwestern.
Illinois is No. 5 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Illini are one of six Big Ten teams in the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 19 Iowa, and No. 25 Rutgers.
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Saturday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 10 West Coast Conference games by an average of 23.2 points. | -- | 17-1 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 10-4 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 14-0 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 8-1 in its past nine games with wins over Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Buckeyes lead the nation with nine Quadrant 1 victories. | -- | 11-4 |
| 5 | | Illinois is 10-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Illini will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Northwestern. | -- | 12-3 |
| 6 |  | Villanova is 11-1 in its past 12 games with wins over Texas and Seton Hall. The Wildcats are 5-2 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 12-3 |
| 7 |  | Houston is 10-1 in its past 11 games with nine double-digit wins in that stretch. The Cougars are 7-1 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss at East Carolina. | -- | 14-1 |
| 8 |  | Alabama is 12-4 in the first two quadrants with victories over Tennessee, Arkansas and LSU. The Crimson Tide's only loss outside of the first two quadrants is a December loss to Western Kentucky. | -- | 11-4 |
| 9 |  | West Virginia improved to 8-5 in the first two quadrants via Tuesday's double-digit win at Texas Tech. All five of the Mountaineers' losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 10-5 |
| 10 |  | Missouri's three-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday at Ole Miss. The Tigers dropped to 7-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 12-3 |
| 11 |  | Oklahoma is 6-1 in its past seven games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Texas Tech. All five of the Sooners' losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 11-4 |
| 12 |  | Texas snapped its three-game losing streak Tuesday at Kansas State. The Longhorns are 6-5 in the first two quadrants with all five losses qualifying as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 9-6 |
| 13 |  | Virginia is 10-1 since losing to Gonzaga with victories in that stretch coming against Clemson and Syracuse. The Cavaliers are 7-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 13-2 |
| 14 |  | Florida State's five-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss to UCF. | -- | 7-8 |
| 15 |  | Virginia Tech is 3-1 in its past four games after Saturday's win at Miami. The Hokies are 7-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 12-4 |
| 16 |  | USC is 5-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss coming at Oregon State. The Trojans' five-game winning streak features victories over UCLA and Stanford. | -- | 12-3 |
| 17 |  | Tennessee is 4-1 in its past five games with victories against Kansas and Kentucky. The Vols are 6-4 in the first two quadrants with only one loss coming outside of the first quadrant. | -- | 11-4 |
| 18 |  | Wisconsin is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Badgers are 2-1 in their past three games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Illinois. | -- | 10-5 |
| 19 |  | Iowa improved to 7-6 in the first two quadrants after Wednesday's double-digit win over Rutgers. Five of the Hawkeyes' six losses qualify as Quadrant 1 defeats. | -- | 12-3 |
| 20 |  | Texas Tech is 3-3 in its past six games after Tuesday's double-digit loss to West Virginia. The Red Raiders are 5-6 in the first two quadrants heading into Monday's game at TCU. | -- | 11-4 |
| 21 |  | Louisville's 8-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. | -- | 11-4 |
| 22 |  | Creighton is 5-1 in its past six games after Tuesday's double-digit win at Georgetown. The Bluejays are 10-2 in the first two quadrants with their other three losses coming in Quadrant 3. | -- | 10-6 |
| 23 |  | Loyola Chicago's 10-game winning streak includes nine double-digit victories. The Ramblers have zero losses outside of the first two quadrants. | -- | 5-11 |
| 24 |  | Kansas is 7-7 in the first two quadrants with all seven losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Iowa State. | -- | 11-4 |
| 25 |  | Rutgers' four-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday at Iowa. The loss dropped the Scarlet Knights to 7-7 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 8-8 |
| 26 |  | Colorado is 7-3 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses coming in Quadrant 3. The Buffaloes will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game at Cal. | -- | 12-3 |
