It's hard to say where Illinois' season will ultimately go after losing Terrence Shannon Jr. to a suspension following a rape charge against him in Kansas. But there's no denying that the Illini have responded and performed well since their program was rocked by troubling news connected to their best player and someone who was on track to be a First Team All-American.
They won again Thursday.
Final score: Illinois 71, Michigan State 68.
The Illini outscored the Spartans 18-5 at the free-throw line to win the game by three points. They're now 3-1 since Shannon was suspended with the lone loss in that stretch being an 83-78 loss to Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Illinois is 3-1 in the Big Ten.
Michigan State is 1-4.
So, yeah, the Spartans' streak of 25 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament is very much in jeopardy (even if most computers are still projecting Michigan State to land on the right side of the bubble). Worth noting, this is the first time Izzo has ever been 1-4 in the Big Ten since replacing Jud Heathcote in advance of the 1995-96 season.
Illinois is No. 9 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the second straight day thanks to a 6-2 record in Quadrant 1 opportunities. For what it's worth, KenPom.com is projecting the Illini as favorites in each of their next seven games. If they were to win them all, Illinois would be 10-1 in the Big Ten heading into a Feb. 10 game at Michigan State.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Purdue allowed Nebraska to shoot 50.9% from the field in Tuesday's 88-72 loss. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Penn State. | -- | 34-5 |
| 2 |  | Cam Spencer finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 80-75 win at Xavier. The Huskies' next game is Sunday against Georgetown. | -- | 37-3 |
| 3 |  | L.J. Cryer was 1 of 9 from the field in Tuesday's 57-53 loss to Iowa State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at TCU. | -- | 32-5 |
| 4 |  | Kansas' five starters combined to commit 16 turnovers in Wednesday's 65-60 loss at UCF. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 23-11 |
| 5 |  | Josiah-Jordan James was 1-of-8 from the field in Wednesday's 77-72 loss at Mississippi State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | David Jones finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 107-101 win over UTSA. The Tigers' next game is Sunday at Wichita State. David Jones finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 62-59 win over SMU. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against UTSA. | -- | 22-10 |
| 7 |  | Caleb Love finished with 23 points and six assists in Saturday's 92-73 win over Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Washington State. | -- | 27-9 |
| 8 |  | Rob Dillingham finished with 23 points and two assists in Tuesday's 90-77 win over Missouri. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 23-10 |
| 9 |  | Coleman Hawkins finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 71-68 win over Michigan State. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Maryland. | -- | 29-9 |
| 10 |  | RJ Davis finished with 16 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 67-54 win at NC State. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Syracuse. | -- | 29-8 |
| 11 |  | Max Klesmit finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 71-60 win at Ohio State. The Badgers' next game is Saturday against Northwestern. | -- | 22-14 |
| 12 |  | Kyle Filipowski finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-53 win at Pitt. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Georgia Tech. | -- | 27-9 |
| 13 |  | Jalen Bridges finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 81-72 win over BYU. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Cincinnati. | -- | 24-11 |
| 14 |  | Jaylin Williams finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 66-55 win over Texas A&M. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 27-8 |
| 15 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 17 points and five assists in Wednesday's 80-71 loss at TCU. The Sooners' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 20-12 |
| 16 |  | Jaedon LeDee finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 81-78 win at San Jose State. The Aztecs' next game is Saturday at New Mexico. | -- | 26-11 |
| 17 |  | Great Osobor finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 83-59 win over Wyoming. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at UNLV. | -- | 28-7 |
| 18 |  | Tamin Lipsey finished with 14 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 57-53 win over Houston. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 29-8 |
| 19 |  | Kenan Blackshear finished with 22 points and three assists in Tuesday's 67-54 win over Air Force. The Wolf Pack's next game is Friday against Boise State. | -- | 26-8 |
| 20 |  | DaRon Holmes scored 18 points and had four rebounds in Wednesday's 72-59 win at Davidson. The Flyers' next game is Sunday against UMass. | -- | 25-8 |
| 21 |  | Jaemyn Brakefield finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 103-85 win over Florida. The Rebels' next game is Saturday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 20-12 |
| 22 |  | Colorado State missed 12 of the 16 3-pointers it attempted in Tuesday's 65-58 loss at Boise State. The Rams' next game is Tuesday against Air Force. | -- | 25-11 |
| 23 |  | Marquette missed 26 of the 31 3-pointers it attempted in Wednesday's 69-62 loss to Butler. The Golden Eagles' next game is Monday against Villanova. | -- | 27-10 |
| 24 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 84-58 win at DePaul. The Bluejays' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 25-10 |
| 25 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 24 points and four assists in Tuesday's 90-73 win over Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Kansas State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 26 |  | Dylan Disu finished with 33 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 74-73 win at Cincinnati. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 21-13 |
