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Back in July, Illinois coach Brad Underwood heard from his son, Tyler, the team’s director of recruiting and scouting, that the Illini’s newest import, Terrence Shannon Jr., wasn’t happy. A 6-5 senior guard from Chicago, Shannon had arrived on campus the week before after transferring from Texas Tech, where he had been a three-year starter. The reason Shannon was irked was because a student manager was supposed to meet him in the practice gym at 4:45 a.m. for a shooting workout. Shannon was on time, but the manager was late.

It didn’t take long before everyone inside the Illinois program understood that the new guy liked to work long, work hard and work early. Shannon had a lot of making up to do. He had put his name into the 2021 NBA Draft following a stellar sophomore season, but decided to return to Texas Tech to improve his stock. Shannon was bothered by a back injury last season which caused him to miss 11 games, and his scoring average dipped from 12.9 points per game to 10.4. Shannon had put himself through the early morning shooting workouts in the past, but having granted himself a fresh start, he decided to make the most of it and do those pre-dawn sessions consistently.

“I feel like I’m more rested in the morning, but I also know nobody else is doing it,” Shannon told me. “By the time I finish, most people are waking up.”

Given that Illinois was losing 10 players from last year’s Big Ten champs, those words — and those habits — were music to Underwood’s ears. “We knew there had always been a question about how good a shooter he is,” Underwood said. “He came in determined to change that. It’s amazing how success finds hard work.”

It certainly was amazing Friday night, when Shannon exploded for 29 points on 8 of 9 3-point shooting to lead No. 19 Illinois to a 79-70 upset of No. 8 UCLA in the semifinals of the Main Event tournament in Las Vegas. Shannon looked more mortal against Virginia’s vaunted pack-line defense in Sunday’s final, scoring nine points on 4 of 10 shooting (1 of 5 from 3) in a 70-61 loss. Still, given all the questions surrounding this totally newfangled roster, there was plenty of reason for the Illini faithful to be thrilled about how the team fared in the two games. (And major props to said fans for making T-Mobile Arena feel like a home game.)

“You guys rarely hear me sound happy after a loss,” Underwood told reporters after Sunday’s final. “But I’m in a fairly good place with what we can be. We’re not even close to our ceiling. We’re good right now, but we’re going to be really good.”

Shannon is the biggest reason for that optimism. He has set the tone with his work ethic, so much so that the coaching staff had to force him to dial it back for fear he would wear his body down. Shannon doesn’t do those early morning workouts as often, nor go quite as long. The team’s strength coach, Adam Fletcher, told Shannon he doesn’t want him lifting weights for a while because he was too bulked up. He’d rather Shannon take yoga three times a week to develop his flexibility.

There are other reasons to believe Illinois’ ceiling is so high. Underwood leaned heavily on his quartet of freshman guards at the Vegas tourney, and while their inexperience showed, each of them had their moments. Sencire Harris did not play a minute in the first half against UCLA, but he singlehandedly disrupted the Bruins’ offense in the second and helped ignite the Illinois spurt. Jayden Epps was absolutely fearless and led the team in scoring against Virginia with 14 points. The two transfers from Baylor, 6-9 sophomore forward Dain Dainja and 6-9 senior guard Matthew Mayer, also appear to have bought into Underwood’s team-first, defense-oriented culture. The floor-burned Glue Guy role is particularly striking for Mayer, who tended to be a one-dimensional outside shooter at his former stop. And 6-10 junior forward Coleman Hawkins, one of the few returnees, gives the Illini a much more active and mobile dimension at center than Kofi Cockburn did the last three years. Hawkins’ length and agility, combined with all the depth, speed and size at the wing positions, has convinced Underwood to scuttle his traditional reluctance to play switching man-to-man defense, while encouraging him to go back to the traditional full-court pressure he has deployed throughout his career.

Still, there’s no question who is this team’s best player and hardest worker, so it will be up to Shannon most of all to build on what went well in Vegas and improve upon what didn’t. Underwood was unsparing in his criticism after the loss to Virginia. “Good players don’t have off nights in big games,” Underwood said. “It just doesn’t happen. We’re counting on him to be really good.”

Shannon is not quite where he needs to be, but it’s a long season. The good news is, he got off to an early start.

Other Hoop Thoughts

• The Main Event had four top 20 teams in the field, and one of them had to go home 0-2. That ended up being No. 8 UCLA, and the reason was obvious: Defense. The Bruins blew a 15-point second-half lead to Illinois in the semifinal because they let the Illini shoot 52.9 percent from the floor and 48 percent from 3-point range while giving up 51 points after intermission. In the final on Sunday, UCLA allowed Baylor to shoot 44.6 percent and had no answer for the Bears’ high-octane guard tandem of Adam Flagler and L.J. Cryer, who combined for 50 points. Losing is never fun, but playing so soft defensively was especially irksome to UCLA coach Mick Cronin, who has always prided himself on having his teams play tough at that end of the floor. “When you shoot 48 percent and only have eight turnovers, you’re supposed to win,” he said after the loss to Baylor. “We’re just not good enough defensively right now. That’s my job to get us there.”

UCLA outscored Baylor in the paint, 42-20, but it only made four 3-pointers to the Bears’ 10. The Bruins were not terrible offensively, but they were imbalanced. Their veteran backcourt of Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell combined to take 45 shots against Illinois. That’s too many. Junior guard Jaylen Clark, who averaged 17.3 points the first three games, was a no-show in that game, although he did bounce back to score a team-high 23 on Sunday. The biggest concern is that freshman guard Amari Bailey has a long way to go to be an impact college player. He scored a total of six points on 2 of 10 shooting, and he has made just two 3-pointers all season. When your shooting guard can’t shoot … that’s a problem.

The other ballyhooed freshman, 6-10 forward Adem Bona, lived up to his reputation for having a high motor, but he only made a total of three field goals. Indeed, for all the hype about this team coming into the season, it’s easy to forget that it has eight true or redshirt freshmen. Cronin indicated after the game that he wants to force-feed 6-2 freshman guard Dylan Andrew more minutes, but that won’t make this team any older. There’s still plenty of talent on this roster, but it’s raw. Cronin has his work cut out for him, and he knows it.

• As for Baylor, aside from the first 10 minutes of the second half against Virginia, the Bears looked very much like the team everyone expected them to be. Scott Drew once again can throw a bevy of quick, high-scoring guards at the opposition. This enables him to mix and match lineups, look for hot hands, and exploit mismatches. Freshman Keyonte George led the way against the Cavaliers with 20 points on 3 of 6 3-point shooting despite being limited by foul trouble. George had a quieter day against UCLA, but Cryer and Flagler made up for that. Jalen Bridges, the 6-7 redshirt junior who transferred from West Virginia, never got into the flow of either game and failed to score a single field goal. He made 40.9 percent from 3 as a sophomore at West Virginia and averaged 16.0 points during Baylor’s first three games, although that came against weak competition. Bridges doesn’t have to be this team’s leading scorer, but he has to make timely buckets throughout the season, and I have little doubt that he will. Baylor is not going to beat good teams by throwing the ball into the post a lot, but that has never been in this program’s DNA. When you have guards like this, that’s more than enough to make noise in March.

• It looked like Florida State was finally going to get a win — and a meaningful one at that — on Friday against Florida. The Seminoles led by 19 points late in the first half, only to allow the Gators to open the second half with a 33-5 run and coast home, 76-67. Having previously lost to Stetson, UCF and Troy, Florida State is 0-4 for the first time in 63 years. The Seminoles were a borderline top 25 team coming into the season, but they’ve been decimated by injuries and only have seven healthy scholarship players. That would be a problem for any team, but for a program whose signature trait is depth and pace, it is lethal. The good news is that three of those injured players returned for Friday’s game, so Florida State still has a chance to be a factor in the ACC. But right now that feels like a long way away.

• I realize he’s a freshman and missed a couple of weeks of practice and the first game because of a calf injury, but I’m a little surprised that Duke freshman Dereck Lively II isn’t having more of an impact. The 7-1 forward from Philadelphia was the consensus No. 1 recruit, yet in the three games he has played, Lively is averaging 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes. The bigger issue is at the defensive end. Lively looked lost during some key possessions in the Blue Devils’ loss to Kansas, and he fouled out in 15 minutes during Friday’s 92-58 home win over Delaware. Just something to keep an eye on as the Blue Devils head to Portland this week for the Phil Knight Legacy, where they open with Oregon State on Thursday and could play Gonzaga in the final on Sunday.

• Interesting start to the season for Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa. The emotional and vociferous 6-3 junior had a triple-double (14 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) in a win over Southern on Nov. 11, and he has shot 11 of 16 from 3-point range after making 33.6 percent last season. Yet, Kriisa has made just one two-point basket. This has been a common theme for him as he did not make a single two-pointer as a freshman and made 20 last season compared to 80 3-pointers. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd told me in the off-season that getting Kriisa buckets inside the line was a point of emphasis in his development, but so far he hasn’t shown that. It’s easy to say it doesn’t matter as long as he’s shooting 3s at this rate, but Arizona is going to face much tougher competition, starting this week at the Maui Invitational.

• On the other hand, San Diego State guard Matt Bradley is in a mysterious slump. The 6-4 super senior averaged 17.7 points during his sophomore and junior seasons at Cal, and last season for the Aztecs he put up 16.9 points per game on 45.6 percent 3-shooting. Through the first three games, Bradley is averaging 7.0 points on 28.0 shooting from 3, and he is expressing frustration and confusion as to what the issue is. SDSU is getting terrific play from its two transfers, 6-9 senior forward Jaedon Ledee and 5-10 senior guard Darrion Trammell, so it hasn’t mattered much. But now the Aztecs are headed to Maui. If Brian Dutcher can get Bradley going offensively without disrupting the other two, this will be one very dangerous team.

• One of the real eye-popping scores from last week was Arizona State’s 87-62 drubbing of Michigan at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. That result came just four days after the Sun Devils lost in overtime at Texas Southern. ASU won with a four-guard alignment that used its quickness and guile to get open shot after open shot. The Sun Devils shot 11 of 19 from 3 and 60.4 percent overall. What’s most enticing is that Arizona State played minus three injured guys, including its best frontcourt player, 6-8 sophomore forward Marcus Bagley, who sat out the loss to Texas Southern and didn’t make the trip to Brooklyn because of a hip injury. Sophomore forward Jamiya Neal has yet to play this season because of a lower leg injury, and 6-10 sophomore forward Enoch Boakye was out with an illness. All three are expected back in the coming weeks. If the Sun Devils’ guards can keep firing the way they did against Michigan, then ASU could be a dangerous team.

• Finally, hats off to Miami coach Jim Larrañaga for getting his 700th career win on Saturday — against his alma mater, Providence, no less. Larrañaga is 73, but he’s still as effective as ever, and he’s got a really good team. I asked him a few years ago if he still enjoys coaching. “It’s the same as always,” he replied. “When you’re winning, it’s fun. When you’re losing, it’s not.” The Canes followed up the win with a loss to Maryland on Sunday, but this team is going to be winning a lot this season.

Mid-Major Top 10

1. San Diego State (3-0). The Aztecs only played one game last week, scoring an impressive 74-62 win at Stanford. They open play at the Maui Invitational against Ohio State on Monday. Last week: 2

2. Dayton (3-1). The Flyers were still missing starting point guard Malachi Smith and last year’s sixth man, Kobe Brea, when they lost at UNLV on Tuesday. Smith returned for Saturday’s win over Robert Morris, and Brea will hopefully be back for the Battle 4 Atlantis, where Dayton begins with Wisconsin on Wednesday. LW: 1

3. Saint Mary’s (5-0). The Gaels continued to steamroll their competition with a 76-48 drubbing of Hofstra on Saturday. Saint Mary’s has yet to play a game away from home, but that will change beginning Wednesday when it plays Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim. LW: 4

4. Saint Louis (4-1). The Billikens were dominated by Maryland, 95-67, at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Saturday, but they bounced back to beat Providence on Sunday, 76-73. LW: 3

5. Utah State (4-0). The Aggies won a wild one Thursday night when they edged San Diego in overtime, 91-89, despite a school-record 43 points from the Toreros’ 6-7 senior forward Eric Williams. Utah State has a dangerous home game Tuesday against Oral Roberts. LW: 9

6. Drake (4-0). The Bulldogs remained undefeated with wins in the Virgin Islands over Buffalo and Wyoming. LW: 10

7. Toledo (3-0). The Rockets beat Oakland, 112-90, at home on Wednesday, and they are looking like the team to beat in the MAC. LW: NR

8. Tulane (3-0). If the football team can make some noise, why not Ron Hunter’s hoopsters? The Green Wave have risen to No. 49 in Bart Torvik’s rankings, and they will put that to the test Monday beginning Monday against Nevada in the Cayman Islands Classic. LW: NR

9. Towson (4-0). The Tigers’ undefeated record includes a road win over a UMass squad that has wins over Colorado and Murray State. Fifth-year senior guard Nicolas Timberlake, who has played his entire career at Towson (a rarity these days), is averaging 21.0 points and 2.5 steals. LW: NR

10. Hofstra (4-1). The Pride looked pretty good during their 4-0 start, so it was surprising to see them get dominated at Saint Mary’s on Saturday. Or maybe Saint Mary’s is just that good? LW: 6

Dropped out: UC Irvine (5), Western Kentucky (6), Furman (7)

Games This Week I Hope to See

Normally in this space, I highlight upcoming games that are already scheduled. Since the next few days are loaded with Thanksgiving Week tournaments, I decided to check out some compelling match-ups that could happen if the games break the right way. (And if you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to all the Multi-Team Event action this week, you won’t find one better than this).

Creighton vs. Arkansas, Maui Invitational semifinal, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. You like buckets? These two teams will serve them aplenty. Creighton’s 7-0 junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner is off to a tremendous start, averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds through the first four games, and he’s even made a pair of 3-pointers. The Razorbacks are still waiting for their prized freshman Nick Smith Jr. to play his first game (he is nursing a balky knee), but in the meantime they’re getting tons of production from a pair of dynamic transfers, 6-6 junior guard Ricky Council IV (Wichita State) and 6-9 sophomore forward Trevon Brazile (Missouri). The winner could play Arizona in the championship, which would be another high-scoring affair.

Kansas vs. Tennessee, Battle 4 Atlantis final, Friday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN. Bill Self’s self-imposed suspension is up, so he will be back on the sidelines in the Bahamas to join a team that is undefeated with a win over Duke. The Vols are talented but far from a sure thing to reach the final. After they lost to Colorado by 12 points, Rick Barnes pulled 5-9 sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler out of the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against Florida Gulf Coast. Starting center Uros Plavsic missed that game because of a right ankle injury, but the team is hoping he’ll be ready to go for this tournament.

North Carolina vs. Alabama, Phil Knight Invitational final, Sunday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN. The Crimson Tide might have a hard time getting past Michigan State in their quarterfinal game on Thursday, but if they meet the Tar Heels it would be a fantastic opportunity for everyone to get a close look at Brandon Miller, the 6-9 freshman forward who is averaging 20.3 points (on 51.7 percent 3-point shooting), 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The Tar Heels have looked uninspired in the early going, so this tournament is a welcome opportunity for them to get sharp.

Villanova vs. UConn, Phil Knight Invitational third-place game, Sunday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN. These teams are scheduled to play twice during the Big East regular season, so this would serve as a tantalizing appetizer. Kyle Neptune’s first season on the Main Line has gotten off to a rough start, with a loss at Temple and a near-loss at home to Delaware State. His Wildcats found a spark late in their game at Michigan State on Friday, although they couldn’t quite pull off the comeback. Dan Hurley has a special player in the rapidly improving 6-9 junior forward Adama Sanogo, but the Huskies (4-0) have yet to play a top-200 KenPom team.

Duke vs. Gonzaga, Phil Knight Legacy final, Sunday, 3:30 p.m., ABC. When these two played last year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, it was a riveting instant classic, with Duke prevailing in the end, 84-81. Gonzaga’s point guard play has been suspect, so it will need another boost from 6-7 junior guard Julian Strawther and 6-3 super senior guard Rasir Bolton, who combined for 44 points in Sunday’s 88-72 win over Kentucky.

(Top photo of Terrence Shannon Jr.: Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA Today)