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
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 67-53 win at Maryland. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Illinois. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 86-67 win over Wichita State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against TCU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | LJ Cryer finished with 16 points and four assists in Saturday's 81-42 win over Penn. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Zakai Zeigler finished with 17 points and four steals in Tuesday's 87-50 win over Norfolk State. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 27-9 |
| 5 |  | Marcus Domask finished with 32 points and six assists in Tuesday's 96-66 win over Northwestern. The Illini's next game is Friday at Purdue. | -- | 29-9 |
| 6 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 85-56 win over DePaul. The Huskies' next game is Friday at Butler. | -- | 37-3 |
| 7 |  | David Jones finished with 19 points and three steals in Saturdays 81-70 win over Austin Peay. The Tigers' next game is Thursday at Tulsa. | -- | 22-10 |
| 8 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 15 points and eight assists in Saturday's 72-67 win over Creighton. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday at Seton Hall. | -- | 27-10 |
| 9 |  | Kylan Boswell was 2-of-11 from the field in Sunday's 100-82 loss at Stanford. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Colorado. | -- | 27-9 |
| 10 |  | Antonio Reeves finished with 27 points and six rebounds in Friday's 96-70 win over Illinois State. The Wildcats' next game is Jan. 6 at Florida. | -- | 23-10 |
| 11 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 70-57 win at Pitt. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Clemson. | -- | 29-8 |
| 12 |  | Jalon Moore scored 21 points and finished with six rebounds in Sunday's 72-56 win over Monmouth. The Sooners' next game is Saturday against Iowa State. | -- | 20-12 |
| 13 |  | Patrick Cartier finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 68-61 win over New Mexico. The Rams' next game is Saturday at Utah State. | -- | 25-11 |
| 14 |  | Noah Waterman finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 94-68 win over Wyoming. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Cincinnati. | -- | 23-11 |
| 15 |  | Allen Flanigan finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 95-79 win over Bryant. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Tennessee. | -- | 20-12 |
| 16 |  | Joseph Girard finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Friday's 93-58 win over Radford. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Miami. | -- | 24-12 |
| 17 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 86-66 win over Syracuse. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Notre Dame. | -- | 27-9 |
| 18 |  | Ja'Kobe Walter finished with 23 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 98-79 win over Cornell. The Bears' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | -- | 24-11 |
| 19 |  | Tyler Wahl finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 83-72 win over Iowa. The Badgers' next game is Saturday against Nebraska. | -- | 22-14 |
| 20 |  | T.J. Bickerstaff finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 82-65 win over Texas State. The Dukes' next game is Thursday at Louisiana. | -- | 32-4 |
| 21 |  | Devin Carter finished with 24 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 85-75 win over Butler. The Friars' next game is Jan. 3 against Seton Hall. | -- | 21-14 |
| 22 |  | Johni Broome finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 88-68 win over Penn. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Arkansas. | -- | 27-8 |
| 23 |  | Johnell Davis finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 79-64 win over East Carolina. The Owls' next game is Saturday at Charlotte. | -- | 25-9 |
| 24 |  | Henry Coleman finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 79-54 win over Prairie View A&M. The Aggies' next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 21-15 |
| 25 |  | Reese Waters finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Friday's 84-74 win at Gonzaga. The Aztecs' next game is Wednesday against Fresno State. | -- | 26-11 |
| 26 |  | Branden Carlson finished with 34 points and seven assists in Sunday's 95-90 win over Washington. The Utes' next game is Thursday at Arizona State. | -- | 22-15 |
