5 epic observations from the Illinois basketball win over Nebraska

Illinois basketball doesn’t make things easy, but when that switch is flipped, they are the best team in the country.

On Saturday, the Illini got into an 11-point hole at halftime against Nebraska. That deficit quickly turned into a 15-point hole early in the second half. That is when everything changed.

Terrence Shannon Jr. went off and played some incredible basketball, but the entire team started to play in the second half. Shots were falling, and Illinois was outhustling the Cornhuskers. One thing led to another and just like that, Illinois had the lead. We would end up cruising to a 98-87 win over Nebraska to advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game.

Here are five epic observations from the Illinois basketball win over Nebraska

1. Terrence Shannon Jr. just had a legendary game

I have been on Earth a long time, albeit not as long as some people reading this. My memory of watching Illinois basketball extends multiple decades. I was just talking about how in 1999, the worst team in the Big Ten, No. 11 Illinois, made it to the Big Ten Tournament title game. My power went out right before the tip-off, and we had to watch the game at my uncle's house.

My memory of Illinois basketball extends a ways back, and I can confidently sit here and say, that what Terrence Shannon Jr. did on Saturday afternoon was the most memorable single-game performance since I have been alive.

Sure, Brandon Paul can put up a big game and beat Ohio State in the middle of the season. There have been game-winning shots over the years as well. But when you do what Shannon did on Saturday, in the Big Ten Tournament, to go to the championship game, that is one for the ages.

From start to finish, Shannon was great. He elevated Illinois when no one was awake through the first half. He had a combination of being aggressive and perimeter shooting. I have never seen anything like what I saw from Shannon against Nebraska.

Shannon ended up dropping 40 points in the win over the Cornhuskers. That is a Big Ten Tournament record. He was 11-of-22 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range. He hit 13-of-16 from the free throw line as well.

On top of those incredible numbers, the one that makes my jaw drop is the fact he played 34 minutes, had the ball in his hands nearly the entire game, and he didn’t have a single turnover. Not one.

This was the most memorable single-game performance in the history of Illinois basketball. Period. Hard stop.