Terrence Shannon Jr. returned to Illinois' rotation Sunday less than a month after being charged with rape. His legal issues remain unresolved. Regardless, the 6-foot-6 wing received a rousing ovation upon entering the game, played 28 minutes, scored 16 points and helped Illinois to an 86-63 victory. And did you see Shannon lead the Illini out of the tunnel? That suggests Illinois is going to be brazen about being the nation's only power-conference program to let a man facing a rape charge represent it in such a public way.
"Our team feels whole again," said Justin Harmon, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds Sunday for Illinois, which is No. 21 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. "We have our best player back."
Undeniably, that's true. But should they?
That's a question that will continue to be asked.
What some Illinois fans will tell you is that Illinois simply had no choice but to play Shannon 28 minutes Sunday after a federal judge granted an injunction in his favor on Friday.
Respectfully, that's not true.
Did the injunction put Illinois in a position where it had to reinstate Shannon to the program or risk facing legal consequences? Yes. And could Shannon theoretically sue the school if he were reinstated but still not allowed to play? Sure, I guess, if only because anybody can sue anybody for anything in America.
But no federal judge is in charge of a coach's rotation.
College coaches have historically refused to play players for any number of reasons -- for everything from committing crimes to taking bad shots or not diving for loose balls or missing curfew. It's totally up to the coach -- or, more broadly speaking, the school -- which players play and which players do not. So the idea that Illinois had "no choice" but to play Shannon 28 minutes Sunday is nonsense. Terrence Shannon only played 28 minutes while facing a rape charge on Sunday because Brad Underwood allowed him to do it.
Underwood can rationalize that however he likes.
But that's what happened.
So now, for the second straight year, one of college basketball's best teams will move forward with a cloud of controversy hanging above it. Last season, it was Brandon Miller and Alabama. This season, it's Terrence Shannon and Illinois.
The Illini's next game is Wednesday at Northwestern.
Shannon's preliminary hearing is Feb. 23.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 30 points and 18 rebounds in Saturday's 84-70 win at Iowa. The Boilermakers' next game is Tuesday against Michigan. | -- | 8-3 |
| 2 |  | Tristen Newton finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 66-65 win at Villanova. The Huskies' next game is Jan. 28 against Xavier. | -- | 9-3 |
| 3 |  | RJ Davis finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 76-66 win at Boston College. The Tar Heels' next game is Monday against Wake Forest. | -- | 6-5 |
| 4 |  | Dalton Knecht finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 91-71 win over Alabama. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 11-0 |
| 5 |  | L.J. Cryer finished with 16 points and four steals in Saturday's 57-42 win over UCF. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at BYU. | -- | 7-3 |
| 6 |  | Pelle Larsson finished with 22 points and four assists in Saturday's 77-71 win over UCLA. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Oregon State. | -- | 5-5 |
| 7 |  | Johni Broome finished with 13 points and three steals in Saturday's 82-59 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | -- | 10-1 |
| 8 |  | Max Klesmit finished with 26 points and two steals in Friday's 91-79 win over Indiana. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Minnesota. | -- | 9-3 |
| 9 |  | Johnny Furphy was 4 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 91-85 loss at West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Cincinnati. | -- | 8-2 |
| 10 |  | D.J. Wagner finished with 18 points and 10 assists in Saturday's 105-96 win over Georgia. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at South Carolina. | -- | 10-1 |
| 11 |  | Javian McCollum finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 69-65 win at Cincinnati. The Sooners' next game is Tuesday against Texas. | -- | 11-0 |
| 12 |  | DaRon Holmes II finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 96-62 win over Rhode Island. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday at Ls Salle. | -- | 10-2 |
| 13 |  | Baylor let the Longhorns shoot 51.9% from the field in Saturday's 75-73 loss at Texas. The Bears' next game is Saturday against TCU. | -- | 7-3 |
| 14 |  | Keshon Gilbert finished with 20 points and four assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at TCU. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Kansas State. | -- | 9-1 |
| 15 |  | Great Osobor finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 83-62 win over Fresno State. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Boise State. | -- | 10-1 |
| 16 |  | Duke allowed Pitt to shoot 50.8% from the field in Saturday's 80-76 loss to the Panthers. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday at Louisville. | -- | 9-2 |
| 17 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 15 points and 11 assists in Saturday's 73-72 win at St. John's. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | 1 | 10-2 |
| 18 |  | Nique Clifford finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 78-75 win over UNLV. The Rams' next game is Wednesday at Nevada. | 1 | 6-5 |
| 19 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 29 points and seven blocks in Saturday's 97-94 win at Seton Hall. The Bluejays' next game is Tuesday against Xavier. | 1 | 7-5 |
| 20 |  | Pop Isaacs finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 85-78 win over BYU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 21 |  | Quincy Guerrier finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's 86-63 win over Rutgers. The Illini's next game is Wednesday at Northwestern. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 22 |  | Jaxson Robinson was 3 of 12 from the field in Saturday's 85-78 loss at Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Houston. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 23 |  | JT Toppin finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 85-66 win at Air Force. The Lobos' next game is Wednesday at San Jose State. | 1 | 9-3 |
| 24 |  | Deivon Smith finished with 24 points and nine assists in Sunday's 80-77 win over Oregon. The Utes' next game is Wednesday at Washington State. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 25 |  | Kadary Richmond needed 32 shots to score 21 points in Saturday's 97-94 loss to Creighton. The Pirates' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | 1 | 5-7 |
| 26 |  | Jaedon LeDee committed four turnovers in Saturday's 67-66 loss at Boise State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday against Wyoming. | NR | 7-2 |
