Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. Will Not Play at Indiana on Saturday

Illinois leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. will not play on Saturday at Indiana after suffering a concussion at Penn State on Tuesday.

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Illinois will be without its leading scorer in Saturday's road trip to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported Friday night that Terrence Shannon Jr. will not play against Indiana after suffering a concussion on Tuesday at Penn State.

A 6-foot-6 senior guard, Shannon leads the Illini with 17.0 points per game. He also averages 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals with a 43.7 field goal percentage, 79.4 free throw percentage and a 32.3 3-point percentage. Shannon transferred from Texas Tech before the 2022-23 season, and he has started all 25 games for the Illini.

Without Shannon, Illinois coach Brad Underwood will turn to a pair of freshman guards to lead the backcourt. At 6-foot-2, Jayden Epps is fourth on the team at 10.0 points per game, and he's started seven games for the Illini in his first season. Sencire Harris, a 6-foot-4 guard, also has seven starts under his belt and averages 3.7 points in 14.1 minutes per game. 

Shannon's absence could also mean more minutes for wing players like freshman Ty Rodgers, who scored a career-high 11 points with eight rebounds on Tuesday. Sophomores RJ Melendez (5.7 ppg) and Luke Goode, who returned from a foot injury on Feb. 11, will be in line for more playing time as well.

Forwards Coleman Hawkins, Matthew Mayer and Dain Dainja are mainstays in the starting lineup.

Tipoff between Illinois and No. 14 Indiana is slated for Noon ET. 

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