Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini lineup with Terrence Shannon Jr

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Mar 24, 2022; San Francisco, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) reacts after dunking against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half in the semifinals of the West regional of the men’s college basketball NCAA Tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3 Guard

Starter: Terrence Shannon Jr.

The big fish in the transfer portal has arrived. Illinois was able to land Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. after a tough offseason recruiting battle. This wasn’t the first time the Illini pursued Shannon either. Shannon attended Lincoln Park High School in Chicago before transferring down to IMG Academy to finish out his high school career. Illinois still recruited him, but Shannon would end up with the Red Raiders.

Now Shannon finally found his way back to the state of Illinois with the decision to transfer to play for the Orange and Blue. This was a big get for the Illini. Shannon averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 38.4% from three-point range last season. He is coming to Illinois to be a starter, so I have him slotted in as the starting No. 3 guard for the team next season. With two years of eligibility remaining, Shannon should give the Illini a huge boost.

Backup: Austin Hutcherson

I firmly believe that Austin Hutcherson is going to pull his name out of the NBA Draft and come back to Illinois. He hasn’t had the proving ground to be noticed by the NBA scouts, but another year at Illinois would help with his draft stock.

Hutcherson only played four games with Illinois last season. He ended up missing the rest of the campaign with an injury, but he obviously has a ton of talent. I have Hutcherson coming back for one more season and showing the world he can stay healthy. He should get decent minutes off the bench at the No. 3 spot.

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