Terrence Shannon Jr. was a key piece to the Illinois basketball team, but he was recently suspended due to a sexual assault incident. Shannon Jr. has been out for the Fighting Illini because of it, but now, it looks like he's going to make a permanent return to the basketball court much sooner than people thought. His next appearance in court has been pushed back until after the Illinois season will end, so it's looking like he will be good to go for the remainder of the season. The Fighting Illini play at Northwestern on Wednesday night.

“Terrence Shannon Jr.’s next court appearance has been pushed back to May 10 at 9 a.m. in Douglas County, KS,” Bret Beherns said in a tweet. “His preliminary hearing is now well after the Illini season will ended, meaning if there are no further updates, he should be able to play the rest of the season.” 

So far this season, Terrence Shannon Jr. is having a monster year for Illinois basketball. He didn't play for a month because of his suspension, but he made his return to the court on Sunday when the Fighting Illini took on Rutgers. It didn't look like he missed a beat as he played 28 minutes and finished with 16 points, one rebound and four assists.

On the year, Shannon Jr. is averaging 21.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.7 APG. He is also shooting over 50% from the field. Shannon Jr. is the leading scorer for Illinois, and he is a huge key for this basketball team. His Fighting Illini teammates and fans are likely thrilled to be getting him back.

Illinois has a very good team this season, and the return of Shannon Jr. brings them to the next level. The Fighting Illini have had a lot of good teams in recent years, but they haven't been able to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. They will once again be a pretty high seed in the tournament, and with a team at full strength, perhaps this can be the year that they make a run.

The Fighting Illini are currently ranked #10 in the country and they are 14-4 overall with a 5-2 record in Big Ten play. Illinois has a shot to win the Big Ten and get a top three seed in March. Their Wednesday night game at Northwestern is a big one, and it will tip off at 9:00 ET on Big Ten Network. Illinois is a slight 3.5-point favorite.