Illinois Basketball: 3 things to watch for in the Illini game against Nebraska

Illinois basketball is trying to do something on Tuesday night that we haven’t done since late November; win back-to-back games.

The last time the Illini won back-to-back games was against Lindenwood and Syracuse on November 25 and 29, respectively. Since then, the season has been a massive roller coaster of emotions.

But Illinois looked good in their last game against No. 14 Wisconsin. We played a much-better brand of basketball, and hopefully, that transitions over on the road against Nebraska.

Here are three things to watch for in the Illinois basketball game against Nebraska.

1. Can Terrence Shannon Jr. show consistency

Illinois has a really good team with a ton of talented players. That isn’t up for dispute. Putting all of those players together and getting them to work cohesively with one another is the biggest hill to climb right now.

One of the best players on the Illinois basketball team is Terrence Shannon Jr. The former Texas Tech standout started the season hot but then hit a rough patch. Against Wisconsin, Shannon had a huge game as he finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while going 7-of-11 from the field and 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.

On Tuesday night when the Illini play Nebraska, I am going to be watching to see if Shannon can continue his great play. It has been difficult for him to be consistent this season.

Shannon has had some pretty good games this year. He shot 69.2% from the field and 88.9% from three-point range for 29 points in the win over UCLA. I am not expecting him to finish with those types of numbers every night, but we can’t get massive swings of inconsistency and still win games.

From the Maryland loss through the Missouri loss, Shannon was 2-of-22 from three-point range. That is the cold streak that we need to avoid. I want to see him have another good game against Nebraska. Shannon needs it for his confidence, and Illinois needs it for the win column.