It came as a surprise to fans when Moussa Cisse, the No. 8 prospect in the class of 2021, put Illinois in his top 10 over the weekend. Though they were on the radar, there wasn't much Illini buzz surrounding the five-star big man.

Then Cisse rolled out his top 10, with Illinois making the cut. The competition is fierce, with some of the top programs in college basketball on the list, but making the first cut was a pleasant surprise for Illinois.

Orange and Blue New spoke to Cisse about his newly named top 10, and why he listed Illinois in that group.