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Illinois Basketball: 5 big questions for the Illini against Rutgers

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 23: Ty Rodgers #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts after a play during the second half in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center on February 23, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 23: Ty Rodgers #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts after a play during the second half in the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center on February 23, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Nov 17, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Valparaiso Beacons at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois basketball is set to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the first Big Ten game of the season.

The Illini have only played one real game this season, and that was against a top-five Marquette program. We hung tough in that game but came up just short.

While the competition has been weak, Illinois has been playing some great basketball as of late. Will this continue against tougher competition like Rutgers?

That is a big question that will be answered on Saturday. There are also a few other questions that I want answered as the game goes on.

Here are five big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Rutgers

1. Can Terrence Shannon Jr. keep the efficiency up?

I have been extremely impressed with Terrence Shannon Jr. this season. He really worked hard this offseason and developed his game to the point where he is one of the most efficient players in the country.

It has been a while, but the last time we saw Shannon on the court, he put up 19 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block while going 6-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from three-point range. He also only had one turnover in the game.

This efficiency is nothing new to Shannon this season, though. He has been incredible. Shannon is currently averaging 19.5 points and 2.8 assists while hitting 49.3% of his shots from the field and 43.9% from three-point range this season. Those are all career highs for the talented guard.

I want to see if Shannon can keep up this tremendous efficiency heading into the Rutgers game on Saturday. While it is all fine and dandy to tear apart the likes of Western Illinois, the Scarlet Knights are a different animal.

If Shannon can continue his great play, not only will Illinois win a ton of games this season, but I think Shannon would be on pace to be a first-team All-American. Let’s see how he does against Rutgers.

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