Illinois showing firepower & versatility early on

The Illini basketball team has begun the 2023-24 season with two impressive victories over Eastern Illinois and Kansas (exhibition). The Illini, ranked No. 25 in the preseason AP poll, have shown their offensive firepower and defensive intensity in both games, while also displaying their depth and versatility.

The Illini tipped off their 2023-24 season with an impressive 82-75 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in an exhibition game where they led most of the way. Playing in front of a packed crowd at the State Farm Center in Champaign, the 25th-ranked Illini showed they are ready to contend this season by knocking off the top-ranked Jayhawks.

Illinois was led by Terrance Shannon Jr, who scored 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting including 5 threes. Fellow NBA Draft entrant Coleman Hawkins poured in four threes of his own and finished with 14 points, creating frequent matchup problems for the Jayhawks in ball screen situations. The Illini had two other double figure scorers in Domask (11)…