Multiple Illinois basketball players earn top marks in the Big Ten

After a great season, multiple Illinois basketball players are getting rewarded for their great play.

The Illini had one of the best seasons in 2023-24. Winning 23 games in the regular season for the first time since 2008-09 is quite the accomplishment. Illinois will also finish in the AP Top 25 for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Getting to 23 wins was not an easy trek for the Orange and Blue, though. This season has had some ups and downs, but at the end of the day, 23 wins is a great accomplishment, and there were a couple of Illinois basketball players who earned spots on the All-Big Ten first and second team.

Terrence Shannon Jr. finished the 2023-24 regular season averaging 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 46.9% from the floor and 34.9% from three-point range.

These great numbers not only helped Illinois to the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but they also earned Shannon All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media.

This is the second year in a row Shannon made the coaches’ All-Big Ten first team, and he went from being a member of the All-Big Ten second team to first team this year by the media.

Joining Shannon as one of the elite players in the Big Ten is Marcus Domask. He averaged 16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season. Domask also hit 46.0% from the field and 87.3% from the free throw line.

Domask’s incredible play earned him All-Big Ten first team honors by the coaches. He also made the All-Big Ten second team by the media.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has some unfinished business with the Illinois basketball program

The 2022-23 campaign was the first for Shannon with the Orange and Blue. He transferred in from Texas Tech, but in his inaugural season in Champaign, the Illini floundered at the end.

Illinois lost five out of the final nine games of the season. We then went into the Big Ten Tournament and laid an egg against Penn State. As a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Illini weren’t much of a match for No. 8 Arkansas, so it was a quick postseason exit.

Despite Shannon making the All-Big Ten first team last season, the ending wasn’t great. He returned for the 2023-24 campaign, and his game has improved greatly. Shannon is averaging more points, rebounds, and blocks while decreasing his turnovers per game. He has also increased his shooting percentage from the field, three-point arc, and free throw line this season.

Illinois is one of the best teams in the country, and we are looked at as a national title contender. Shannon has some unfinished business to take care of before leaving the college game. He has a chance to lead Illinois to heights we haven’t seen in decades.