A Look Back on Illinois Basketball's 2024 Big Ten Tournament Title

Terrence Shannon Jr. delivered three spectacular offensive performances to lead the Illini to a second championship in four seasons

Mar 17, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) removes the from the rim after defeating Wisconsin Badgers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Big Ten tournament title chase gets underway for Illinois on Thursday in Indianapolis against the winner of Iowa vs. Ohio State. The Illini (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) are seeking to become the first conference club to win back-to-back tournament titles since Michigan did it in 2017 and 2018.

With that in mind, we thought it would be worth rewinding the tape to a year ago to review the Illini’s superb run to a 2024 Big Ten Tournament Championship.

WE ARE THE 2O24 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 🏆 #Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/4YD2MaCCTM

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 17, 2024

Quarterfinal

Illinois 77, Ohio State 74

Despite facing a double-digit second-half deficit, the Illini clawed back and escaped with a three-point win to advance to the semifinal behind a “subpar” 28-point showing from Terrence Shannon Jr. – good for what would be his lowest-scoring output of the tournament. Big man Dain Dainja added 18 points and eight rebounds, while guard Ty Rodgers contributed a double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds).

Semifinal

Illinois 98, Nebraska 87 

Matters were tense when the Illini trailed again at halftime – this time 51-40 against the lightly regarded Cornhuskers. But Illinois had something Nebraska didn't: peak Shannon. Pouring in a career-high 40 points – which also broke the Big Ten Tournament record – Shannon pushed the Illini to a 58-point second half and helped hold the Cornhuskers to just 36 en route to a title-game appearance.

Championship

Illinois 93, Wisconsin 87

Against his home-state squad, Marcus Domask put together one of his best performances in an Illini jersey, exploding for 26 points on an uber-efficient 8-for-11 showing from the field, while adding seven rebounds and a game-high eight dimes.

Yet Domask’s 26 points didn't lead the game – or even his team. That’s because Shannon put on another otherworldly offensive display, scoring 34 points to bring his grand total on the weekend to 102 – the second-most points scored by a player in Big Ten Tournament history, despite Shannon playing only three games.

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Illinois Basketball's Kasparas Jakucionis Earns Multiple Big Ten Honors

Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year

Bret Bielema's Snarky Social Media Post on Illinois Basketball's AP Ranking