Through 18 games, No. 14 Illinois men’s basketball is standing proud with a record of 14-4. Three of the Illini’s losses came to AP Top 25 teams, with the only outlier coming against Maryland. The starters have been asked to elevate all season long but especially in the six games since fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
In the 11 games before his suspension, Illinois ran through Shannon. The Chicago native has since returned for one game, where he was one of five Illini in double digit (15). His 21.3 points per game still leads all Illini and it was done so on 50.7% from the field and 38.2% from distance.
Marcus Domask
A walking argument for the transfer portal’s existence, Domask has been excellent for Illinois. His season averages sit at 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game but standout nights have raised his status even further. In Illinois’ biggest win of the season, Domask notched a career-high 33 points over No. 11 Florida Atlantic. Domask has also been able to leverage his scoring prowess as a playmaker and execute on passes out of double teams. His career-high 11 assists against Fairleigh Dickinson came during a five-game stretch where Domask had five or more assists.
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Quincy Guerrier
Guerrier is another testament to the transfer portal. His season began with some rough shooting but that skill has begun to ramp up in recent weeks. After making just one of his first 18 attempts from outside, Guerrier has completely flipped into making 18 of his last 43 (41.9%). The former Oregon Duck led his team in making threes during the 2022-23 season and his 5-8 night against Missouri gave Illinois fans a taste of that ability. Guerrier has also excelled as a rebounder compared to past seasons, picking up six double-doubles as a result.
Coleman Hawkins
Similar to Guerrier, Hawkins had a bit of a rough start to the season but has been excellent ever since returning from an injury that sidelined him for three games. The defense is on another level for the California native. His awareness on that end allows him to notch monster performances such as a four-block and two-steal night against Michigan State at will. Hawkins’ most complete game was an excellent 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and six steals at Michigan, and was just the fifth time since 2010-11 that anyone has reached those numbers.
Ty Rodgers
Defense has been Rodgers’ bread and butter so far. It’s immediately apparent how hard he tries on that end and he has even added more offensive aggression to his game as well. Rodgers attempted a career-high 13 shots against Michigan en route to a career-high 15 points. His hesitancy to shoot has caused issues at times but his budding aggression is the best remedy.
Luke Goode
Since being asked to fill in for Shannon, Goode has played 30.3 minutes per game. Compared to averaging 20 minutes in 2023-24 before that point and his career 14.7 average, his role has dramatically increased in a short period of time. Curiously, he has cooled off from a distance while becoming a bit more effective inside the arc. As a reserve player, Goode made just two shots from inside in 11 games, compared to seven in seven games as a starter. On the flip side, Goode’s 40.2% overall mark from three is actually being weighed down by being 11-33 as a starter (33.3%).
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