Terrence Shannon Jr. notches greatest game in Illinois basketball history

Illinois basketball fans just witnessed the program come back from a 15-point second half deficit to beat Nebraska.

That alone is a great achievement for the Illini. Nebraska had our number in the first 25 minutes of this game. Things were looking pretty bleak until almost every player on the Illinois basketball team finally woke up and started to deliver.

I say almost because there was one player who was incredible throughout the game. From start to finish, Terrence Shannon Jr. was the best player on the court for either team, and I would argue the best player in the country. I mean, the leading candidate for the John R. Wooden Award couldn’t even make it to the Big Ten Tournament title game.

Shannon did some incredible things on Saturday against the Cornhuskers. But I think I am understating the significance of what Shannon accomplished for the Illini. I think the performance we saw against Nebraska needs to be elevated.

Yes, I am taking it there.

Terrence Shannon Jr. just had the best game in the history of the Illinois basketball program

I swear to you, this isn’t hyperbole. Let me explain why I believe this was the best game any player has ever had in the great history of the Illinois basketball program.

Let’s simply start with scoring. Shannon finished the Nebraska game with 40 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range. He also hit 13-of-16 from the free throw line.

Only four players in the history of the Illinois basketball program have had more points in a single game than Shannon. Dave Downey dropped 53 points in February 1963, Andy Kaufmann had 46 points in December 1990, Brandon Paul had 43 points in January 2012, and Dave Scholz had 42 points in February 1968.

There is one thing that is similar with all of the four records ahead of Shannon’s 40 points. All four games didn’t have significant meaning. Downey’s 54 points came in a loss to Indiana. Kauffman’s 46 points were in the fifth game of the season. Paul and Scholz’s performances were on teams that finished with records of 17-15 and 11-13 overall, respectively.

And that leads me to the meaning of Shannon’s 40-point game. He put up 40 points in a postseason competition. This was to get to the Big Ten Tournament title game. It wasn’t a middle-of-the-season contest where it is a bad non-conference opponent or a bottom-feeder Big Ten team or something of that nature.

Nebraska just came off beating Indiana by 27 points the night before. This was a Cornhuskers program that had not given up 80 points in any of the past eight contests, but Shannon’s 40 points elevated his team to a 98-point outing. 98 points is the most Nebraska has given up this season, and they have played three overtime games.

As I mentioned, Shannon’s 40 points are the fifth most in Illinois basketball history. But what makes this huge game even more special is the fact his 40 points are the most anyone has ever scored in a Big Ten Tournament game. Think about that for a moment. Just think about all of the great players to have played in the Big Ten since 1998. Shannon tops them all.

Lastly, I want to take the meaning of Shannon’s 40-point game to another level. Everything I talked about in the previous paragraphs still applies, but then you add the NCAA tournament layer to it all.

A loss likely keeps Illinois at the No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. This is an area where some teams can draw tough matchups and get upset in the first round. Shannon having his massive game propelled Illinois to the win over Nebraska. We now play in the Big Ten Tournament title game.

I believe there is a solid chance we are locked into a No. 3 seed for the NCAA tournament right now. Getting that victory over the Cornhuskers makes the road to the Sweet 16 a little easier. It also gives Illinois an outside chance at maybe even sneaking into the No. 2 seed if things go right on Sunday.

Shannon’s 40-point game against Nebraska was one for the ages. It was one of the greatest performances in any conference tournament history. At the end of the day, I would put it as the greatest single-game performance in the history of the Illinois basketball program.