It’s hard to say where Illinois‘ season will ultimately go after losing Terrence Shannon Jr. to a suspension following a rape charge against him in Kansas. But there’s no denying that the Illini have responded and performed well since their program was rocked by troubling news connected to their best player and someone who was on track to be a First Team All-American.
They won again Thursday.
Final score: Illinois 71, Michigan State 68.
The Illini outscored the Spartans 18-5 at the free-throw line to win the game by three points. They’re now 3-1 since Shannon was suspended with the lone loss in that stretch being an 83-78 loss to Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Illinois is 3-1 in the Big Ten.
Michigan State is 1-4.
So, yeah, the Spartans’ streak of 25 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament is very much in jeopardy (even if most computers are still projecting Michigan State to land on the right side of the bubble). Worth noting, this is the first time Izzo has ever been 1-4 in the Big Ten since replacing Jud Heathcote in advance of the 1995-96 season.
Illinois is No. 9 in Friday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the second straight day thanks to a 6-2 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities. For what it’s worth, KenPom.com is projecting the Illini as favorites in each of their next seven games. If they were to win them all, Illinois would be 10-1 in the Big Ten heading into a Feb. 10 game at Michigan State.
