Meet the Opponent: No. 10 Illinois Hosts Indiana After Overtime Loss

Now that Terrence Shannon Jr. is back from suspension, Illinois is hoping to contend for another Big Ten title and reach its first Sweet 16 since 2005. Coach Brad Underwood has a versatile team that embodies position-less basketball, creating a unique matchup for Indiana.

Illinois will be eager to rebound from a 96-91 overtime loss at Northwestern on Wednesday when it hosts Indiana on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

In coach Brad Underwood's seventh season, the Illini are back in the top 10 for the third time in the last four years. They have Quad 1 wins over Florida Atlantic and Michigan State, and a win over Indiana would help them stay in the Big Ten title race.

Here's a full breakdown of Illinois.

Key returners

(2023-24 stats)

• G Terrence Shannon Jr.: 20.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 37.0 3-pt FG%
• F Coleman Hawkins: 12.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 36.4 3-pt FG%
• G/F Luke Goode: 7.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 40.7 3-pt FG%
• G/F Ty Rodgers: 6.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.4 apg
• C Dain Dainja: 5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 67.1 FG%
• G Sencire Harris (redshirting)

Key departures

(2022-23 stats)

• G/F Matthew Mayer: 12.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 33.0 3-pt FG5
• G Jayden Epps: 9.5 ppg, 30.1 3-pt FG%
• G Skyy Clark: 7.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 33.3 3-pt FG%
• G RJ Melendez: 6.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 26.4 3-pt FG%

Key newcomers

(2023-24 stats)

• G/F Marcus Domask (Southern Illinois): 15.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 23.1 3-pt FG%
• G/F Quincy Guerrier (Oregon): 11.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 32.8 3-pt FG%
• G Justin Harmon (Utah Valley): 7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 41.3 3-pt FG%
• G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (No. 134 freshman): 3.1 ppg, 22.7 3-pt FG%

Schedule (14-5, 5-3 in Big Ten)

• W, 80-52 vs. Eastern Illinois
• W, 64-53 vs. Oakland
• L, 71-64 vs. Marquette
• W, 87-64 vs. Valparaiso
• W, 88-60 vs. Southern
• W, 84-52 vs. Western Illinois
• W, 76-58 at Rutgers
• W, 98-89 vs. Florida Atlantic (neutral site in New York)
• L, 86-79 at Tennessee
• W, 74-57 vs. Colgate
• W, 97-73 at Missouri
• W, 104-71 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
• W, 96-66 vs. Northwestern
• L, 83-78 at Purdue
• W, 71-68 vs. Michigan State
• L, 76-67 vs. Maryland
• W, 88-73 at Michigan
• W, 86-63 vs. Rutgers
• L, 96-91 (OT) at Northwestern

Mike Woodson's history against Illinois

• W, 71-68 vs. Illinois on Feb. 18, 2023, at Assembly Hall
• W, 80-65 at Illinois on Jan. 19, 2023, at State Farm Center
• W, 65-63 vs. Illinois on March 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• L, 74-57 vs. Illinois on Feb. 5, 2022, at Assembly Hall

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks to guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Enterprise Center / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Strengths

Illinois has a first-team All-Big Ten guard in Terrence Shannon Jr., who's scoring 20.5 points per game. At 6-foot-6, Shannon excels at driving to the basket and getting fouled. He's already attempted 99 free throws this year, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten, despite only playing in 13 games due to a rape charge. Shannon is attempting more 3-pointers than any season in his five-year career, 6.2 per game, and he's shooting an efficient 37%. 

While Illinois only has one traditional post-up center in Dain Dainja, it has six players listed between 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-10 who can handle the ball on the perimeter and shoot threes. This allows the Illini to switch everything defensively, and they have good length all over the floor. They also rank 16th in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage. Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask embodies this style as a 6-foot-6 wing who scored 33 points against Florida Atlantic and 32 against Northwestern. Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-10 senior forward, shoots 36.4% from 3-point range and has cut down on turnovers significantly from last season.

Weaknesses

Indiana is a unique matchup for Illinois because the Hoosiers play a 7-foot center in Kel'el Ware and a 6-foot-9 forward in Malik Reneau. Both shoot over 40% from three, but the bulk of their production comes in the paint. Though the Illini have good team height, Indiana coach Mike Woodson described their style as "small ball" because of their tall guards and wings. This makes their matchup against Reneau and Ware a potentially tricky one. Hawkins will draw the assignment on Ware to start, but that puts guys like Domask, Shannon, Luke Goode, Quincy Guerrier and Ty Rodgers at a height and weight disadvantage against Reneau. Underwood may have to play Dain Dainja increased minutes on Saturday, but his playing time has been cut in half from last season to now. 

Illinois had a tough time guarding Trayce Jackson-Davis last year as Underwood let Dainja and others guard him one-on-one and never brought a double-team. Jackson-Davis shredded the Illini for a season-high 35 points, along with nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the Hoosiers' 15-point road win. Reneau and Ware aren't quite at that level yet, but they could give Illinois similar problems. Illinois plays an eight-man rotation most games, with Dainja logging just 9.9 minutes per game, so it'll be important for Hawkins to stay out of foul trouble.

Season outlook

The Illini were picked fourth in the preseason Big Ten media poll, and it's looking like they could surpass that by a few spots. At No. 10 in the latest AP top-25 poll, Illinois is one of three ranked Big Ten teams, along with No. 2 Purdue and No. 13 Wisconsin. Illinois hasn't played Wisconsin yet, but it gave Purdue a tough game at Mackey Arena in a five-point loss. With Terrence Shannon Jr. back from suspension, this could be the year Illinois returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.

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