After having three games in seven days, No. 14 Illinois men’s basketball got a bit of rest before its showdown with Nebraska. Four days between games is the longest break Illinois has gotten since its Jan. 11 game against Michigan State (5). This slower-paced schedule continues into the Illini’s next matchup, where they will once again play the Spartans after five days of rest.
Illinois has rebounded since dropping in overtime against Northwestern and carries a two-game win streak into Sunday afternoon. An eight-point home win over Indiana was headlined by a double-double from graduate student forward Marcus Domask while fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. returned to form with 23 points at Ohio State. As the Illini continue to march through their conference schedule, they remain in third place (7-3). Thanks to Nebraska, however, Illinois may be able to move up.
No. 2 Purdue and No. 6 Wisconsin have sat atop the Big Ten all season long. The Badgers had a firm grip on the top spot thanks to an 8-1 start to conference play but have since dropped to second. On Feb. 1, Nebraska celebrated the new month by giving the rest of the Big Ten an overtime win over Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers were led by CJ Wilcher, who missed only three shots and notched an impressive 22 points in their 19-point comeback. Illinois now sits just one game behind Purdue and Wisconsin in the loss column, meaning that the Big Ten title could be decided when those three schools meet in early March.
Illinois is trending upwards as it looks to avoid being Nebraska’s second straight victory over a ranked opponent. Shannon is coming off his best performance since returning from suspension, and sophomore guard Ty Rodgers had his second career double-double against Ohio State (13p/10r).
“We were really effective in transition,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “I thought we were really solid on Bruce (Thornton), on the defensive side, kinda taking him out of the game. I think we got them (Ohio State) into doing some things that they normally don’t want to do, a lot of isolation stuff.”
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The only short-term concern for Illinois is that graduate student forward Quincy Guerrier has been a little bit off, as he has attempted only five shots and grabbed six rebounds across his last two games. The Montreal native leads Illinois in rebounding (7.6) by a substantial margin (1.3) and has provided essential games on the offensive end as well.
“Got a very good Nebraska team coming in here,” Underwood said. “They’re one of the best teams in our league. A lot of veterans and then the addition of Rienk Mast has helped enhance that team. They’ve beaten Northwestern, they’ve beaten Wisconsin and Purdue; that immediately puts you in the upper echelon of this league.”
No. 14 Illinois men’s basketball will be opposite Nebraska at 5:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
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