Final Penn injury report vs. Illinois fuels uncertainty about Quakers' upset chances

TJ Power never stuck at Duke or Virginia, but after transferring down to the Ivy League, the former five-star recruit has blossomed for Fran McCaffery at Penn. The 6-foot-9 shooter is averaging 16.8 points a game and looked poised to be one of the breakout stars of March after dropping 44 points in Penn’s overtime Ivy League championship win against Yale on Sunday. 

However, Power may never get the chance to have his Jack Gohlke moment in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after coming down with an illness ahead of 14th-seeded Penn’s first-round matchup with Illinois, the No. 3 seed in the South Region. In the official injury report prior to Thursday night’s 9:25 p.m. ET tipoff in Greenville, South Carolina, Power was listed as questionable. 

Penn star TJ Power officially listed as questionable for first-round vs. Illinois

The 6-foot-9 junior is one of the more prolific three-point shooters in the country, averaging 6.1 attempts per game and shooting 43.3 percent. In the win over Yale on Sunday, Power went 7-14 from the outside while also pulling in 14 rebounds. The win brought Penn back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, and Penn also became the fifth program that McCaffery has led to the big dance. 

Illinois is a 25.5-point favorite with Power’s uncertain status. If he’s able to go, however, his shooting, especially at 6-foot-9, could give Penn a chance of giving the Illini a scare on Thursday night. Illinois also has a serious size advantage over Penn, even with Power healthy, but if he can’t play, Illinois will have a huge edge in the battle on the interior. 

With the Transfer Portal, NIL, and now revenue-sharing, college basketball has never been as top-heavy as the last two years. Most players are going in the opposite direction of Power, who filtered down to a mid-major conference, and last year, that led to one of the chalkiest tournaments in recent history. Just one double-digit seed made the Sweet 16, and it was 10th-seed Arkansas with John Calipari. 

The gap between the top seeds and double-digit seeds, especially the mid-majors, is pronounced. Illinois is seventh in KenPom at a +32.10 net rating while Penn is 150th with a +1.36 net rating. Power or not, Illinois is not on upset alert. If he can’t go or is limited at all, Illinois can start looking ahead to a second-round matchup against either North Carolina or VCU.