Illinois Basketball has the Best Wing In America

Illinois Basketball has the Best Wing In America

Illinois Basketball successfully flipped the script against the Missouri Tigers on Friday night. After being absolutely embarrassed in 2022, Illinois Basketball came out firing and with a purpose. Illinois dominated this game and beat the Tigers 97-73. Missouri may not be as good as last year, however, they have a history of taking this game to Illinois. That was not the case for 2023. Brad Underwood and his squad came out with an intent to beat the Tigers without a doubt in anyone’s mind.

Illinois was led by their alpha and their best player, Terrence Shannon Jr. The Chicago native was the best player on the court on Friday night. After an assertive and explosive performance, it is safe to say that Illinois Basketball has the best wing in America.

Assertive and Dominant

Terrence Shannon Jr showed flashes of brilliance in 2022-2023. Against UCLA, Shannon Jr scored 29 points on 8 3’s. Despite this performance, he struggled with consistency and had games where he failed to show up early. That has not been the case thus far in this current season. Terrence looks comfortable as the leader and “head of the snake” for Illinois. In a game where Illinois got drubbed last year, Shannon Jr made it personal and was outstanding from the jump.

He ended with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists on 9-14 shooting. We said before that this team needs an Ayo Dosunmu like jump and a consistent Terrence Shannon Jr. Last night was an All-American performance.

Turned on the jets 💨 Got the and-one 💪@Sn1per_T x @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/VqmBz4vIW4

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 23, 2023

Great company

Obviously, players like Zach Edey get a lot of attention for the NCAA Player of the Year. However, the argument for best perimeter player should be rather clear. Austin Kolek, Kevin McCullar and David Jones are in that same category as really good perimeter players on really good teams. Terrence Shannon Jr has an argument of being the best of that bunch. His impact on his team is second to none and his leadership has only improved.

Terrence is starting to enter that conversation as an Illini great. Between Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Shannon Jr, Illinois Basketball has been blessed with three great “alphas” in the past 6 years.

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