KenPom is widely considered the king of all college basketball metrics – the Holy Grail of hoops analytics. To reach the top of the KenPom mountain is a feat many would desire to achieve, but few ever do.
Illinois hasn’t reached that prestigious status yet this year – although the Illini did recently make KenPom history on one side of the ball. But if the consolation prize is the No. 4 spot in the rankings, Brad Underwood and his crew certainly won’t be filing any formal complaints.
Illinois leaps into top five of KenPom after Purdue win
As of Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after Illinois’ thrilling tightrope escape act in West Lafayette, the Illini are rated the No. 4 team in the country, per KenPom – albeit by (literally) the slimmest of margins.
The top tiers of KenPom
Up at the top – in that crystal-clean, ultra-refreshing air at the peak of KenPom Mountain – stand Arizona and Michigan. The Wildcats lead the way with an adjusted efficiency margin of 35.95, but the Wolverines are hot on their tails with their own net rating of 35.91…