Illinois Basketball: 3 things to watch for in the Illini game against Alabama A&M

2. How will Terrence Shannon Jr. respond

After the terrible loss to Penn State, Brad Underwood kind of laid into the Illinois basketball team during his postgame press conference.

Underwood stressed in the press conference that the Illini have a lack of leadership right now. There is no one stepping up to take the reins of this program. Underwood was specifically asked about Terrence Shannon Jr.’s leadership during the press conference. He proceeded to make a “fart noise” with his mouth.

Seeing that press conference and having a week off between games, I am going to be watching to see how Shannon responds to everything that has happened in the past week.

Shannon has stuffed the stat sheet this season, as he is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, but his last six contests have not been the best showings for the star senior.

In the last six games, Shannon has averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. But he also averaged 2.6 turnovers per game during this time and is only shooting 22.8% from three-point range and 38.6% from the field. Those aren’t efficient numbers.

The pinnacle of Shannon’s struggles came against Penn State when he put up four points, two rebounds, and three turnovers while going 0-of-3 from three-point range and 2-of-7 from the field in 26 minutes of action.

The Underwood press conference and his struggles on the court could put a lot of pressure on Shannon. I am curious to see how he responds to everything. A good get-right game against Alabama A&M might be just what he needs.