Illinois’ season was rocked last Thursday by Terrence Shannon Jr.’s suspension. The Illini’s best player and leading scorer has been barred from all team activities because of a rape charge issued against him in Kansas.
It’s ugly stuff.
So it was reasonable to wonder, from a basketball perspective, how the Illini would respond to the development — by coming together in the face of adversity, or by falling apart in the aftermath of losing such a big piece? It’s early, but returns have been encouraging, especially Tuesday night’s 96-66 victory over Northwestern that pushed Illinois to 2-0 since Shannon’s suspension with the pair of wins coming by an average of 31.5 points.
“That was a butt-kicking in every sense of the word,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins. “[Marcus] Domask was fantastic [with 32 points, six assists and five rebounds] — but a lot of their guys were fantastic.”
It would be ridiculous, I think, to contemplate whether Illinois can be as good without Shannon as it was with Shannon considering the 6-foot-6 wing was on track to be a First Team All-American. The more reasonable question is this: Can Illinois, without Shannon, still be a legitimate contender to win the Big Ten?
My answer is … maybe?
Let the record show, I still want my money in the Big Ten on Purdue, which remains No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the 18th consecutive morning. But I can’t completely eliminate Illinois from contention, not when I just watched Illinois beat the only team that’s beaten Purdue.
Yes, the same Northwestern team that beat Purdue by four points five weeks ago lost to Illinois by 30 points Tuesday. The games were played at different places and different times, sure. But that’s still notable and a reason for Illini fans to remain cautiously hopeful.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
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