Illinois Basketball: Top 3 Epic Performances by Terrence Shannon Jr.

Terrence Shannon Jr is an Illinois Basketball legend. This week, Shannon Jr was found not guilty on charges of rape and sexual battery. Certainly, a huge storm cloud that would be life-altering and name-shaming for the rest of his life has dissipated. Illini Inquirer’s Derek Piper wrote an outstanding piece regarding the fact that Terrence Shannon Jr should have his jersey up into the rafters and many certainly agree with the sentiment.

The young man from Chicago can now finally be celebrated as the superstar who provided Illini nation with many epic performances. Through all the tomahawk dunks and ridiculous heaters from the perimeter, 3 epic performances by Shannon Jr stuck out above the rest.

3) Welcome to Illinois Basketball stardom: Vs UCLA

Shannon Jr’s performance vs UCLA confirmed that he is a premier player in college basketball. At the time, UCLA was ranked 8th in the AP polls and was considered one of the top teams in the country. Shannon Jr lit the Bruins up with 29 points on 8 three-pointers. He also contributed 10 rebounds. Though Terrence went on to have more epic performances, this really announced his start as an Illini legend.

2) 2023 Braggin’ Rights: Vs Mizzou

The Braggin’ Rights game vs Missouri has not been kind to Brad Underwood. Prior to this game, Underwood had lost four of the last five games vs Missouri. Not to mention, the losses sometimes involved major blowouts. In fact, the Illini dropped the 2022 game 93-71 in embarrassing fashion. However, Shannon Jr arrived at the 2023 game on a clear mission. The Chicago native dropped 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks and steals.

Throwback to these vibes after the Mizzou game pic.twitter.com/rfYGQ39pQ7

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) June 14, 2024

1) Confirmed Illini Legend: The 2024 Big Ten Tournament

Despite a life-altering case hanging over Terrence Shannon Jr, he held his composure and blocked out the noise of the entire world. On top of that, he performed like the best player in college basketball. The 2024 Big Ten Tournament was a clear example of where Shannon Jr was completely unstoppable. In fact, outside the UCONN game, he showed that he was an NBA player playing College basketball. In the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, Terrence averaged 34 points per game. Not to mention, Shannon Jr dropped 40 points against Nebraska.

Terrence Shannon Jr. in his last three games:

34 PTS | 8-15 FG | 3-6 3PT
40 PTS | 11-22 FG | 5-9 3PT
28 PTS | 3 REB | 3 AST

Shannon Jr. leads Illinois to their second Big Ten Tournament championship in four years🏆 pic.twitter.com/3lCFDNsTI4

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 17, 2024

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini. For more Illinois Athletics and Big Ten content from Armchair Illini, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email Alex Kyi at alexkyi13@gmail.com.