Illinois Fighting Illini in preseason AP poll Ayo Dosunmo in the postseason

Illinois Fighting Illini in preseason AP poll Ayo Dosunmo in the postseason Illinois basketball received votes in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, coming in with the 33rd most points (14) in the preseason ballot. The Illini, which went 12-21 last season (7-13 Big Ten), received the fifth-most points among Big Ten teams.

Casual college basketball fans likely haven’t even heard of Ayo Dosunmo. This could change in a hurry, however, if the guard has the season many expect.

That buzz took on a more tangible form when the Associated Press preseason poll was released Monday morning. Illinois wasn't among the top 25 teams in the country, but received votes that would nominally place them 33rd.

Dosunmo played for a 12-21 Illini team last season that didn’t come close to the NCAA Tournament. Although he was a 4-star recruit and 36th overall in his class per ESPN, he didn’t have a high enough profile to garner attention on a “bad” team (e.g. Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz).

Illinois' first game against a preseason Top 25 team is at 8 p.m. on Nov. 10 with a nonconference game at Arizona before the Illini play at Maryland on Dec. 7. Those two teams will also meet at State Farm Center in Champaign on Feb. 7, while the Illini play at Michigan State on Jan. 2 and host the Spartans on Feb. 11. Illinois only plays single games against Purdue and Ohio State this upcoming season, both on the road, with the Illini visiting the Boilermakers on Jan. 21 and the Buckeyes on March 4.

“I love the fact that we have expectations," Underwood said. "Illinois basketball is deserving of that. Our players are deserving of that. It’s time for us to grow into those. It’s not easy. Winning is not an easy thing, especially in the Big Ten.”

That ranking lasted exactly one week. The Illini followed up their wins in Las Vegas with a loss at No. 15 Miami and home victory against American and then dropped out of the poll before losing to No. 7 Villanova at Madison Square Garden and Oregon at the United Center the next week.

“The program is one that we keep striving to get back to that elite status. Nothing would make me happier than -- not just for our players, but for our fans to get back and get in the tournament, be able to make a great run and continue to lay the foundation for what should be an every-year experience for us, and that's being in the NCAA Tournament.”

Here's the first AP poll of the 2019 season:

1. Michigan State
2. Kentucky
3. Kansas
4. Duke
5. Louisville
6. Florida
7. Maryland
8. Gonzaga
9. North Carolina
10. Villanova
11. Virginia
12. Seton Hall
13. Texas Tech
14. Memphis
15. Oregon
16. Baylor
17. Utah State
18. Ohio State
19. Xavier
20. Saint Mary's (Calif.)
21. Arizona
22. LSU
23. Purdue
24. Auburn
25. VCU