There were plenty of positive takeaways from Tuesday night’s massive win over the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, including Matthew Mayer’s breakout performance, Terrence Shannon Jr.’s overtime awakening, and the overall impressive play by each of the Illini freshmen.
Not to take anything away from Mayer, Shannon, or any other Illini, but what I found most intriguing was the incredible performance by freshman Jayden Epps.
Off the bat, his stat line alone — 11 pts, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 1 block (of Texas’ potential game winning shot) on 31 minutes — will turn plenty of heads on the box score.