It is the final game of the 2023-24 regular season, as the Illinois basketball team travels to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday.
The Illini have had a great season. We are in a solid position for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament, but first, we have to take care of business on Sunday and in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
Illinois has a ton of firepower, but we have also seen quite a few flaws throughout the 2023-24 season. Some of those flaws reared their ugly head against Purdue just days ago as well. Let's see if there can be a correction against the Hawkeyes.
Here are five big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Iowa
1. Can Terrence Shannon Jr. get downhill?
Illinois has some of the best offensive players the program has seen in the past decade. I would put Terrence Shannon Jr. up there with anyone offensively.
Shannon can score at a high rate, and when he wants to get to the free throw line, he can do it on command. That is what makes him so dangerous to opponents.
So, on Sunday, I want to see if Shannon can accomplish this again. Can Shannon get going downhill and get to the basket?
In the first game between Illinois and Iowa back in February, Shannon didn’t have his typical game. He played 34 minutes but only had 12 points. He only had 10 shots in the game and got to the free throw line twice.
Shannon shrunk again this past game against Purdue. Illinois needed him to have a big night but he only had 11 points, 13 shot attempts, and five free throw attempts in the game.
Opponents fear Shannon, but they won’t if they don’t have to worry about him driving the basketball. Teams want him to settle for three-point shots. But when Shannon gets going downhill, he is nearly unstoppable. He has a little James Harden in him. Let’s utilize this weapon.