Niccolo Moretti dressed and going through warmups.

Amani Hansberry still listed as OUT on the Big Ten availability report.

The federal judge in the Terrence Shannon Jr. case is taking the case under advisement.

A ruling could come next week.

2026 guard Bryce Dixon from The Colony (Texas) will at State Farm Center on Sunday for the Maryland game.

Illinois recently offered.

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Moretti has been cleared to play and will be dressed for the Maryland game tomorrow

Saban has announced his retirement…will be interesting to see the dominos fall on this.

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So, Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C law firm out of Edwardsville is filing for a temporary restraining order to re-instate Terrence Shannon Jr. to the Illini basketball team.

They will also seek a more long term injunction to re-instate him.

This motion is independent of the criminal case. Shannon is still represented by Chicago area attorney Mark Sutter in that case.

According to attorney Mark Goldenberg, Shannon feels that the school has not treated him fairly in suspending him.

Nico Moretti and Amani Hansberry listed as OUT on the Big Ten availability report.

Go Big Red!

I try not to consider data that I don’t understand first. I really haven’t dove into the PFF grading mostly because it looks like I have to pay for it. But the lineman from East St Louis has some pretty high grades for pass pro and running blocking. But no Illinois offer yet which makes me question whether his grades are against his competition only. Or if they have a methodology to adjust for the level of competition he faced. With all the out of conference games against opponents at different levels it seems feasible to make adjustments. But definitely looks like they only base it on his actual performance.

As an aside it would be very nice to see another ESL kid in orange and blue…our version of those colors. Any idea what Priestly looked like in high school. Does that justifies the no offer yet?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois standout Marcus Domask (Waupun, Wis.) has been recognized as one of five Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week for games ending Sunday, Jan. 7 by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and was also selected Tuesday as the Associated Press Player of the Week. The honors come a day after Domask was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Week.

Domask averaged 29.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 59.4% from the field, 66.7% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free-throw line for the Fighting Illini in matchups vs. Northwestern and at No. 1 Purdue. Overall, he accounted for 49% of Illinois' offense during the week, combining for 58 points while assisting on an additional 27.

Domask posted the top scoring outing of any Big Ten player during the week, erupting for a game-high 32 points in Illinois' 96-66 victory over Northwestern last Tuesday at State Farm Center. He shot 11-of-15 from the field, and set his season high with nine free throws on 10 attempts. Domask also dished out a game-high six assists and added five rebounds and a block against the Wildcats.

In Friday's showdown at top-ranked Purdue, the Illini wing again earned game-high scoring honors with 26 points, making 8-of-17 from the field, and tying season highs for the second straight game with 9-of-10 free throws. He played all 40 minutes in the contest, scoring 20 of his 26 in the second half during the Illini comeback to cut a 21-point deficit down to three. Domask added five assists, three rebounds and a steal at Purdue.

Domask is the first Illini to earn the USBWA's weekly honor since Brandon Paul was tabbed Dec. 11, 2012.

Next up for Domask and the 10th-ranked Fighting Illini is a home game against Michigan State on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT at State Farm Center. Tickets are available online at FightingIllini.com.

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Two Illini football recruits named first team junior college All-American by JCGridiron.


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First, I don't have anything to say about TJ Shannon's guilt or innocence. I wasn't there when the alleged incident took place, and I don't take anything that I read from any involved party or media outlet with much degree of certainty. I've read all of the legal filings and I personally talked to one of Shannon's lawyers.

There has been virtually no clear evidence made public that should lead anyone to assume guilt or innocence. Assuming innocence is certainly engrained in the justice system, and in our culture. But nothing is certain. There has been an affidavit that lists the alleged sequence of events, and there has been an unequivocal denial by Shannon and his legal team. There has been no discovery presented, and that should come as no surprise. The case hasn't reached that point yet. Both sides will get their day in court.

I sincerely hope that Shannon is completely innocent of these charges and that he returns to play for Illinois this season. I don't have an opinion on the likelihood of his return to the court. Things can change rapidly in any legal proceeding. Multiple outcomes to both the TRO motion and the criminal case are possible.

The rumor mongering that has taken place over the last week or so is above and beyond anything that I've experienced in my 12 years covering Illinois sports. Some of the rumors have proven to be fairly accurate, and some have not only proven to be inaccurate but actually revealed something sinister about the individual pushing the narratives.

Finally, while there is certainly flaws in the systems that handle student misconduct at America's colleges, including Illinois, there is absolutely no way that Illinois can let Shannon play while he is formally charged with a sex crime. No way. Period. The temporary restraining order that Shannon seeks, if granted, would change things considerably, obviously.

Who you got?

The betting line is Michigan -5.5.

Pick it straight up.