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The Illinois Fighting Illini will face the Penn State Nittany Lions in a crucial Big Ten matchup on Wednesday night. Illinois will want to maintain its positive momentum and secure its eighth win in 10 games.
The Fighting Illini (19-6, 10-4 Big Ten) have a 13-11 record on the road against their conference rival. However, the Nittany Lions (12-14, 6-9) have won the last three games in the series.
Illinois holds a 4-4 record on the road this season, whereas Penn State has been successful at home with a 9-4 record. This should be an absorbing encounter.
Let us look at both teams’ injury reports ahead of the game.
Illinois injury update
Amani Hansberry
Amani Hansberry sat out of a few games in January due to a recurring back issue. The freshman, however, returned with a four-minute cameo against Ohio State on January 30.
Despite the return against the Buckeyes, the forward was absent from the Fighting Illini's last three games. It is unknown if he will play against the Penn State game on Wednesday night.
Head coach Brad Underwood emphasized the team is ensuring Hansberry fully recovers and reaches 100% before returning to the court. Hansberry's lingering back issue remains a concern for the team.
Penn State injury update
Kanye Clary
Kanye Clary missed Penn State's last game for an unspecified reason, which was believed to be an injury. However, Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoads revealed the guard's status on Monday.
“Kanye is no longer with the team. Coach’s decision. We’re going to keep moving forward on the guys we got, the task at hand,” Rhoades said (h/t On3). “It came to a point where we’re at that I made the decision as the head coach to move on. I’ll leave it at that.”
Clary is Penn State’s top scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game. The sophomore guard has made contributions across the board, with 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Demetrius Lilley
Demetrius Lilley has missed the last three games for the Nittany Lions due to an unspecified ailment. It is unknown if the backup forward will play against Illinois on Wednesday night.
In his backup role for the Nittany Lions this season, Lilley maintains an average of 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg while playing 9.5 minutes.
