Terrence Shannon Jr. scores 40 as Illinois rallies to beat Nebraska 98-87 in Big Ten semis

MINNEAPOLIS — Ten points down? Fifteen down?

No problem.

Not yet.

Illinois’ men’s basketball team stayed in the come-from-behind business in the Big Ten tournament, advancing to the final with a 98-87 victory against No. 3 seed Nebraska. A day after rallying from 10 down to beat Ohio State, the No. 2-seeded Illini (25-8) roared back from a 55-40 deficit over a nearly 11-minute stretch of the second half, finally taking the lead at 71-70 on a banked-in three-pointer by Luke Goode with 8:22 to go.

With both feet on the gas pedal, the Illini went up 85-74 on a corner three from Terrence Shannon Jr., who broke the tournament’s single-game scoring record — set by Northwestern’s Michael Thompson in 2011 — with his 36th point. Shannon finished with 40 and, in the end, got the help he needed. Goode hit four threes. Marcus Domask had 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Ty Rodgers had seven offensive rebounds among his 13 total. All were cooking when it counted most.

“They played unbelievable the last 17, 18 minutes of that game,” Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg said.

That they did. But did the Illini really have to begin the game with 20-plus minutes of nonexistent defense? The Huskers (23-10) waltzed into halftime with a 51-40 lead.

“We didn’t have any life,” Illini coach Brad Underwood said. “We looked like we were still in bed asleep. My halftime [speech] wasn’t about any X’s and O’s. It was animated. Probably didn’t want to check my blood pressure.”

It’s not like the games ahead are going to get easier. Fifth-seeded Wisconsin awaits the Illini at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The Badgers have lost seven straight in the head-to-head series, but they’ve got AJ Storr in full breakout mode and Chucky Hepburn coming off a brilliant effort in a 76-75 overtime win against Purdue that was as intense down the stretch as the Big Ten tournament gets. No doubt, it was one of the better semifinal days in memory.

And then comes the really big stuff. Win or lose on Sunday, the Illini have an excellent chance at a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A program that hasn’t been past the first weekend of the Big Dance since 2005 can’t afford to be anything but dialed in from the get-go.

“We probably shouldn’t put ourselves in those situations,” senior Coleman Hawkins said.

“We can’t have first halves like that,” Underwood confirmed.

A minute into the second half, Huskers 6-2 guard Keisei Tominaga scored over the 6-10 Hawkins and gave the Illini senior the “too small” gesture, driving the Huskers bench and red-clad fans wild. But the Illini defense locked in after a timeout and allowed no baskets in a definitive five-plus-minute stretch as the longer, more athletic team asserted its superior gifts.

Shannon, the most dangerous driver in college basketball, was relentless. He drew 10 fouls and shot 16 free throws, making 13.

As has been the case since December, Shannon — still facing a rape charge in Kansas — was unavailable to speak with media. As more reporters and cameras are drawn to an Illini team with a Final Four ceiling, the policy of an All-American player not taking questions on any subject is going to become more awkward. According to sources, Shannon’s legal counsel is driving the policy, with Shannon being hustled out of the locker room in Minneapolis before media are allowed in.

“I just know my man had 40 points tonight,” Hawkins said. “So if it’s difficult for him, he doesn’t show it.”

Illinois has beaten Nebraska nine straight times and is 18-3 when scoring at least 80 points. The Illini have won the Big Ten tournament three times, in 2003, 2005 and 2021.