The No. 24 Fighting Illini are off and running in the Big Ten after opening league play with a valuable 76-58 victory at Rutgers Saturday.
Ahead of that game, coach Brad Underwood wondered if his team was prepared for its tough stretch of schedule in December.
“We’ve got to find out how tough we are,†Underwood said. “We’ve got to find out if our defense travels. We’ve got to find out who has the ability to elevate their game when we need to against top-level competition.â€
The Illini checked those boxes against Rutgers, but it doesn’t get easier from here. Next up is No. 13 Florida Atlantic Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
On Saturday Illinois faces No. 10 Tennessee in a showcase game on CBS. Their Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri looms on Dec. 22.
Terrence Shannon Jr. will get overshadowed by dominant Purdue center Zach Edey in the Big Ten, but he, too, is one of the nation’s elite players. He underscored that with 23 points, 10 rebounds and three assists at Rutgers.
People are also reading…
In the NIL era, polished veterans like Shannon can extend their college careers and rightfully cash in on their talents. That is a great thing for college basketball – and the opposite of the one-and-done phenomenon that had been diminishing the sport.
Missouri removed some of that ugly Jackson State stain by winning 71-64 at Pittsburgh in the ACC/SEC Challenge. If the Tigers can earn enough quality victories going forward to earn NCAA Tournament consideration, that pure road victory will bolster their case.
The Tigers followed that win by slugging out an 82-72 victory over much-improved Wichita State at home, using defensive pressure and excellent free-throw shooting to overcome 40 percent shooting overall and a troubling rebounding deficit of 16.
But their next three games are at Kansas, against Seton Hall in Kansas City and against the Illini at Enterprise Center in the STL. So we’ll find out soon enough if Truman has real postseason potential.
Elsewhere, the region SIU Carbondale added to SLU’s misery with its 101-62 thrashing of the undermanned Billikens and Missouri State’s roll slowed with a loss at Missouri Valley Conference power Drake.
Here is how the region’s Division I teams stack up:
ILLINOIS (6-1)
Marcus Domask was one of the all-time greats at SIU Carbondale. The 6-foot-6 forward did a little bit of everything there: He knocked down 3-pointers, posted up defenders, set up teammates with deft passes, made his free throws, and pulled down rebounds while playing 34 or 35 minutes per game. Rather than use his fifth season to add to his legacy with the Salukis, he decided to step up to the Big Ten level and test himself. He transferred to Illinois and wasted no time winning over Underwood. His game at Rutgers – 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists – was the sort of strong all-around performance fans in Carbondale became accustomed to. Domask looks like the glue piece for Illinois’ playing rotation.
MISSOURI (7-2)
Sean East II solidified his standing as the team’s go-to player by scoring 21 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing four assists at Pittsburgh. Missouri survived an off night by guard Nick Honor, who went 0-for-6 from the field (including 0-for-3 from 3-point range). The Tigers got a lift from Caleb Grill, who scored 10 points and got five rebounds while playing 26 turnover-free minutes. East followed up that performance with a 22-point, nine-assist gem against Wichita State. Grill was also a force, scoring 13 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and winning the fight for 50-50 balls. Connor Vanover scored a season-high 11 points and Mabor Majak took some defensive shifts as coach Dennis Gates got his bigs better prepared to face Kansas. Remember what the Jayhawks did to poor Jordan (Mount) Wilmore back in the Cuonzo Martin Era? Now KU has the monstrous Hunter Dickinson in the pivot.
MISSOURI STATE (6-2)
The Bears looked like a MVC contender during their encouraging 6-1 start. They took a good run at West Virginia in a 67-59 road loss and earned notable non-conference victories over Oral Roberts, Florida Gulf Coast and Kent State. They handled Evansville 90-78 at home, but then they got smacked 74-57 at Drake Saturday with leading scorer Alston Mason (15.8 points per game) sidelined by an ankle sprain. Missouri State shot just 35.5 percent overall and 22.7 percent from 3-point range against the Bulldogs. But when the Bears are healthy, coach Dana Ford has a solid rotation with Chance Moore (14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds per game), Donovan Clay (14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds per game) and Matthew Lee (13.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds per game) leading the way along with Mason.
SIU CARBONDALE (5-2)
The Salukis shrugged off their 77-48 clunker at Indiana State to put that beating on SLU Saturday. Guard Xavier Johnson went off for 31 points, seven assists and five steals against the Billikens. Forward Troy D’Amico scored 20 points and blocked three shots and center Clarence Rupert muscled up inside for 14 points and seven rebounds. Before Thanksgiving, the Salukis had a strong showing at the Cancun Challenge – testing then-No. 22 James Madison in an 82-76 loss before thrashing New Mexico State 81-54. Coach Bryan Mullins has his team on track despite losing Domask to Illinois and Lance Jones to Purdue via the transfer portal.
SLU (5-4)
Oof. The Billikens fell apart during that beatdown at Carbondale Saturday. They turned the ball over 19 times, missed 14-of-18 shots from 3-point range and missed 12-of-24 shots from the free-throw line. Gibson Jimerson had been doing his best to keep the Billikens viable in the absence of injured guard Sincere Parker. But after scoring 51 points in his previous two games, Jimerson scored just 10 against the Salukis. This loss came on the heels of an 81-76 loss at home to Utah State Tuesday. And making matters much worse, the Billikens lost key players Mike Meadows and Larry Hughes II to injuries in that game. And they have a tough game at MVC power Drake up next.
SIU EDWARDSVILLE (5-4)
The Cougars have banked solid mid-major victories over Denver, Nicholls and Detroit Mercy ahead of Ohio Valley Conference play. Their losses have come at Dayton, Missouri, South Alabama and Troy – so they remain on course for another strong season. In the latter game, an 83-60 loss Friday, the Cougars turned the ball over 15 times and earned just three assists. But the returning core group of Shamar Wright (16.9 points per game), Ray’Sean Taylor (12.1 points), Damarco Minor (11.7 points, 9.1 rebounds) and Lamar Wright (10.8 points) are all enjoying strong seasons and Milwaukee transfer Brian Taylor II has had big moments off the bench.
LINDENWOOD (3-5)
The Lions got 17 points and 11 rebounds from forward Keenon Cole, but they still fell at home to Utah State 73-66 last Monday. After scoring 25 points against William and Mary, guard Darius Beane, son of Lindenwood assistant coach Anthony Beane, followed that up with a solid 14-point, eight-rebound performance. Then the Lions fell 76-70 at Idaho State Saturday despite getting 19 points from Beane and 14 from Cole. They will try to get back on track this week against Kansas City and Avila at home.
SEMO (2-6)
A year after winning the OVC Tournament and punching their ticket to the Big Dance last season, the Redhawks have been driving coach Brad Korn crazy this season. SEMO misses guards Chris Harris, who exhausted his eligibility, and Phillip Russell, who transferred to Texas Arlington but failed to get an NCAA waiver to play this season. The Redhawks fell hard at Kansas City, 74-44, Thursday before making the most of their mismatch with Missouri Baptist with an 86-54 victory at home Sunday. They have serious work to do ahead of OVC play.