CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Fighting Illini star Terrence Shannon Jr. added two more postseason accolades Tuesday. The senior guard has been named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District Team for District V, covering the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Shannon also has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Second Team for District 7, which covers the Big Ten conference.

These are the latest honors for Shannon, who last week was named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and second-team All-Big Ten by the media.

Shannon has been one of the nation's top transfers this season, leading the Illini in scoring and ranking sixth in the Big Ten at 17.1 points per game. He stands second in the league in both free throws made (156) and attempted (197), and leads the Illini with 38 steals. He also is fourth on the team in rebounding (4.7 rpg) and second in assists (2.9 apg).

Shannon has scored in double figures 26 times this season, with 10 20-point games. He is averaging 17.8 points over the last five games, helping the Illini to a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Shannon and the Illini face Arkansas on Thursday in the NCAA first round, at 3:30 p.m. CT on TBS.

Just named Gatorade player of the year in Maryland!! Should be a great addition!!

Tipoff coming up on ESPNU.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After earning All-Big Ten First-Team honors one week ago, junior guard Makira Cook was named to the Associated Press' All-America honorable mention list, the organization announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Cook is the first Illinois women's basketball player to earn AP All-America accolades since Karisma Penn was named an AP All-America honorable-mention honoree following the 2012-13 season.

In her first season with the Orange and Blue, Cook has put together the best year of her career, registering career-best averages in minutes (33.2), points (18.2), assists (4.2), and field-goal percentage (41.5%). Her 18.2 points per game ranks first on the Illini squad and fourth in the Big Ten, while she has started all 29 games she has played in thus far.

Cook has scored in double figures 26 times and has tallied at least 20 points 14 times this season, including a career-high 33-point performance in her Big Ten debut on the road against No. 5/4 Indiana on Dec. 4.

Ranked fifth in ESPN's transfer rankings at the end of December, Cook was a unanimous All-Big Ten First-Team selection by the conference's coaches, and she was the first Illini to earn all-conference first-team honors by Big Ten coaches and media since Jenna Smith in 2010.

Cook is one of seven Big Ten student-athletes who earned All-America accolades. 21 players were named to the honorable-mention list, while 36 players earned AP All-American honors.

Cook and the Illini begin their NCAA Tournament campaign on Wednesday night in South Bend, Indiana, taking on Mississippi State in the First Four at 6 p.m. CT.

No moves today so far. Thought they would have looked for some more OL and DL help!

Doug,

I would assume the staff would be selling hard to the portal guys the success that TSJ and Mayer had this year correct? If so how much of a big deal is that for us?

To the portal

INDIANAPOLIS -- Illinois defensive backs Jartavius Martin and Sydney Brown were on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine on Friday. The defensive backs worked out for the first time during the week-long event, with both Illinois products producing record-setting results.

Projected first round pick Devon Witherspoon did not participate in the day's events due to an injury. His next opportunity to perform for scouts will be at Illinois' Pro Day on March 10.


Jartavius Martin - NFL Combine Results



Jartavius Martin had an impressive Friday at the NFL Combine, setting the Illinois Combine record in the vertical jump and posting the 8th-best 40-yard dash time in Illinois' history at the Combine. Martin's vert is currently the No. 1 mark in all of the Combine and ranks tied for fifth in Combine history. His broad jump also set an Illinois record and ranked tied for fourth at this year's Combine. Martin's 40-yard dash is the third-best by any safety.



Sydney Brown - NFL Combine Results



Sydney Brown's 40.5" vertical is the second-best vert in Illinois' combine history, behind only Martin's, and it was the 14th-best vertical by a safety in Combine history. It was also the 8th-best vertical at this year's Combine so far. Brown's broad jump was the second-best in Illinois history, behind only Martin again, and ranks in the top 15 of Combine participants to date. His 40-yard dash ranked fourth among safeties.

Expectations have been lowered so much with the men's basketball team that any win or wins the rest of this year are pure gravy.

Good luck to the women's team. They got Illinoised with their seeding into a playoff game, but I doubt anyone outside the team really thought they would even be in the tournament before the season started. Well done. More gravy!

I know many of you, including myself are disappointed that the men's BB team did not live up to their potential this season and coaching seemed suspect at times. And for those of you who do care about Illini FB, there are some that feel the team didn't achieve its full potential for losing some games we should have won despite most prognosticators were only picking us to win no more than 4 games last year.

Twelve years ago was the last time both the football team went to a bowl game and the men's basketball team went to the NCAA Tournament in the same academic year.

This will be only the 12th time in the history of two major revenue programs that this has happened. 51/52, 82/83, 83/84, 85/86, 88/89, 89/90, 92/93, 94/95, 99/00, 01/02, 10/11, 22/23.

Honestly, I wasn't high on the BB team this year when we were picked by the B1G media to finish 2nd. I had no problem with the talent I just wasn't sure about the leadership and the chemistry. On the FB side, even with the losses that should have been wins (thanks to some questionable calls by the refs and some head scratching plays) I was still pleased with the final outcome.

I think back to how our two major programs were an absolute joke (more FB than BB) under MAC Thomas's leadership and where both programs are now. It is a start for the future. Remember constantly getting smoked by the NUrds in football with Fitzee rubbing it in our face? Remember how we were losing to the one of the worst D-1 programs in NCAA history in Chicago State and had to rally to get a last second shot at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield in front of a very sparse crowd to win? Although it was after Thomas, remember an embarrassing exhibition loss to EIU at Lantz Gym?

We should now strive to be a Wisconsin. Anyone remember their FB and BB programs prior to Pat Richter taking over as AD? Remember when Ws were almost automatic against them on a regular basis? Since 2002, the FB and men's BB programs went to bowl games in the same academic year 18 times in a row. And since 1994, they have been to 3 final fours and was runner up in one of them. They have only missed the NCAAs four times (counting this year but not 2020) and only missed two bowl games since that time..

So overall for the two major sports, I am pleased for now. But it's time to become the next Wisconsin. With that said, beat the Razorbacks.

I spoke to Barry Lunney Jr. about the quarterback room on Friday.

I'll be at State Farm Center at 5 p.m. for an Underwood presser immediately following the release of the brackets.

Media is then invited to the WBB selection watch party in the Traditions Club at State Farm Center at 6:30, followed by Shauna Green press conference.

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Let's see here. I'm fairly comfortable we're somewhere between an 8 and a 10 seed. So we're playing against a 7/8/9 seed.

Who are they? Bracketmatrix today:

7:
Duke (won today)
Michigan State
Northwestern
Missouri
8:
Iowa
Maryland
Illinois
Florida Atlantic (won today)
9:
Arkansas (won today)
West Virginia (lost today)
Auburn (lost today)
Memphis (still playing)

I don't see any 6 seeds that look like they are dropping. 10 seeds still alive are:
Boise State
USC (currently losing)

Looks like it is basically Florida Atlantic or Arkansas.
I don't know the two rosters well enough to break down matchups but I'm pretty sure we don't want the team coming off back-to-back Elite 8 appearances with similarly rated teams.

Very decent chance we get moved a seed line just because of matchups, especially if Arkansas keeps winning and Michigan State, Maryland and/or Northwestern go down tomorrow.

I know Underwood has said that in the past, but I'm not seeing it.

- Ayo was going to be a pro no matter where he attended college
- Kofi was physically dominant from the time he stepped on campus. Didn't develop defensively at all, and is now playing in Asia.
- Adam Miller was a team USA kid. Ready to play right when he came on campus. Underwood wasn't able to keep him on campus and develop him.
- Andre Curbelo was another top 40 recruit. Looked good right away, and regressed in his sophomore year. The opposite of developing.
- Hawkins seems to be regressing in the middle of his junior year

Too early to say with some of the young guys, but Rodgers was another Team USA kid that everyone wanted. Now he looks like he has zero confidence, a trait seen in a lot of Illinois players.

Sucks to say this, but if you want your kid developed at a B1G school, I'd recommend Purdue. Ivey was ranked #79 by Rivals. Painter developed him in to a top 5 pick. Edey was unranked by Rivals, and now has a good chance at being the NPOY. Purdue is a top developmental program. Illinois, not so much.

This team is a woodchuck's wet dream. They can chuck. I've never seen anything like it. The seasons end is end is near. This offseason will be fascinating to follow. Kind of like new coaching hires ... Turnover is on the horizon.

Jayden Epps warming up.

Whether or not he's a go will depend on how he responded after the shoot around this morning.

Wednesday, March 8 (First Round)

Game 1 (#12 Wisconsin vs. #13 Ohio State) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)

Game 2 (#11 Nebraska vs. #14 Minnesota) – 25 minutes following Game 1 (BTN)

Thursday, March 9 (Second Round)

Game 3 (#8 Michigan vs. #9 Rutgers) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)

Game 4 (#5 Iowa vs. Game 1 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 3 (BTN)

Game 5 (#7 Illinois vs. #10 Penn State) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)

Game 6 (#6 Maryland vs. Game 2 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 5 (BTN)

Friday, March 10 (Quarterfinals)

Game 7 (#1 Purdue vs. Game 3 winner) – 11 a.m. CT (BTN)

Game 8 (#4 Michigan State vs. Game 4 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 7 (BTN)

Game 9 (#2 Northwestern vs. Game 5 winner) – 5:30 p.m. CT (BTN)

Game 10 (#3 Indiana vs. Game 6 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 9 (BTN)

Saturday, March 11 (Semifinals)

Game 11 (Game 7 vs. Game 8 winner) – 12 p.m. CT (CBS)

Game 12 (Game 9 vs. Game 10 winner) – 25 minutes following Game 11 (CBS)

Sunday, March 5 (Championship)

Game 13 (Game 11 vs. Game 12 winner) – 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS)