1. Illinois State (18-13, 12-6 MVC). Last week: 2
Illinois State demolished Southern Illinois last week to take over the No. 1 ranking.
2. Northwestern (18-11, 6-10 Big Ten). Last week: 3
Northwestern dismantled Rutgers on Saturday to stay in the hunt for a Big Ten Tournament bye. The Wildcats finish the season against Penn State and Nebraska, which are also competing for a Big Ten Tournament bye.
3. Southern Illinois (22-9, 11-7 MVC). Last week: 1
Southern Illinois ended its regular season on a winning note, dropping Missouri State on Saturday. The Salukis will face a hot Northern Iowa team in the MVC quarterfinals.
4. Illinois (13-16, 5-11 Big Ten). Last week: 5
Illinois guaranteed itself a top-12 finish in the Big Ten with a win over Minnesota on Sunday.
5. Northern Illinois (19-10, 8-8 MAC). Last week: 6
Northern Illinois held on against Western Michigan on Saturday to end a two-game skid.
6. Loyola (14-16, 7-11 MVC). Last week: 4
Loyola finished the season with losses to Wichita State and Drake, handing the Ramblers the No. 8 seed in the MVC Tournament.
7. DePaul (9-19, 3-13 Big East). Last week: 7
DePaul ended a four-game losing streak with a win against St. John’s but then fell on the road to Providence.
8. Eastern Illinois (13-16, 9-7 OVC). Last week: 8
Eastern Illinois finished off the regular season with an 85-74 win against Murray State.
9. Western Illinois (11-16, 4-12 Summit). Last week: 9
Western Illinois held off South Dakota on Saturday to end the regular season on a winning note.
10. SIU-Edwardsville (6-22, 3-13 OVC). Last week: 10
The Cougars finished their season with a loss to Austin Peay. They do not qualify for the OVC Tournament.
11. Bradley (5-26, 3-15 MVC). Last week: 11
Bradley dropped a pair to Evansville and Indiana State but still gets the No. 9 seed in the MVC Tournament.
12. UIC (5-24, 3-15 Horizon). Last week: 12
UIC lost to Green Bay and Milwaukee last week during a final road trip in Wisconsin. The Flames will face Wright State in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.
13. Chicago State (4-26, 0-13 WAC). Last week: 13
Chicago State’s lengthy losing streak stretched to 17 games Sunday with a loss at home to UT Rio Grande Valley.
