Illinois basketball wasted no time on Tuesday night, as they crushed the Michigan Wolverines.
The Illini looked great from the jump. Michigan tried to stay close, but Illinois had too much firepower and the Wolverines are a really bad team. Hunter Dickinson is laughing somewhere saying, "Miss me yet?"
Everyone on the Illini looked great. We didn't have one single player who had a bad game. This resulted in an 18-point halftime lead. Illinois increased that lead to nearly 40 points in the second half, but Michigan cut the final lead down to just 29 points. Illinois came out of this game with a 97-68 win over the Wolverines.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Michigan
1. Have a night Terrence Shannon Jr.
It has been a bumpy path back for Terrence Shannon Jr. after he was suspended by the University of Illinois. As he awaits his preliminary hearing in May on a charge of rape, Shannon is lacing up the sneakers and is out there competing for the Illini.
Shannon’s return to the lineup was less than stellar. Leading up to Tuesday night, he had failed to shoot over 42% from the field and only had one game of shooting over 30% from three-point range in his last six contests.
Michigan felt the wrath of a great player ready to break out, though. Shannon didn’t just have his best game since returning from suspension, it was his best game of the season. He dropped 31 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one block while shooting 11-of-15, 73.3%, from the field and 5-of-8, 62.5%, from three-point range.
Why such a good game for Shannon? Well, I think it is pretty simple. He let the game come to him. He didn’t try to force shots or hold the ball and jack up bad three-point attempts. He let his teammates be a big part of the reason he had his best game of the season.
The ball was swinging around the court for the majority of the night. From the jump, Illinois had a plan to move the ball, as everyone touched the rock at least once in the first possession of the game. Most of the points Shannon produced came from great ball movement. His big game wasn’t a one-man show. It was a team effort.
If Shannon continues to let the team elevate him, then he will be a first-team All-American and Illinois can go deep in the NCAA tournament. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Illinois has won four of its past five games and you can win big if it wins its next game against Maryland thanks to FanDuel. All you have to do is sign up, deposit $10+ and then bet $5+ on Illinois to beat Maryland. If your wager wins, you'll get $150 in bonus bets! Sign up with FanDuel with this Writing Illini link today.