5 key questions for the Illinois basketball team against Nebraska

5. Does Illinois supporting cast show up to the game?

Terrence Shannon Jr. went off against Ohio State in what was a huge win for Illinois. We needed to beat the Buckeyes to secure what I believe is at least the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. A loss to the Buckeyes would have likely dropped us to the No. 5 seed.

Illinois’ other big-time player, Marcus Domask, didn’t do much, though. He had seven points on 3-of-16 shooting from the floor. With one of our two star players struggling, Illinois needs the supporting cast to show up.

So, against a high-power offense like Nebraska, does the Illinois supporting cast show up? Will we get some help for our stars?

Dain Dainja and Ty Rodgers came through for our stars on Friday night. Without their 30 points and 18 rebounds, Illinois probably loses by double-digit points. That is how crucial those two were to the team.

But I expect the other members of the supporting cast to show up. Quincy Guerrier failed to score a single point against Ohio State in 20 minutes of action. Justin Harmon came off the bench and gave us two points. Those were the first points he has scored in the last three games. Luke Goode hit a big three-point shot when he entered the game, but he only gave us those three points in nine minutes of action.

Those three players combined for 41 minutes on the court and gave the team five points. That is unacceptable. It is the reason Shannon had to put up 28 points, Dainja 18 points, and Rodgers 12 points for Illinois to win the game.

More of Illinois’ support cast needs to step up against Nebraska. We need the key role players to have decent games. We are coming down to the final stretch of the 2023-24 campaign. It is time to show up or ship out.