NU’s Shurna to play against Illinois
John Shurna passed his concussion test Friday, which means Northwestern’s leading scorer has clearance to play in Saturday’s game against Illinois (noon, Ch. 2).
For the first time since being shoved face-first into the basket stanchion Jan. 26 at Minnesota, Shurna dressed and joined the Wildcats for Friday’s practice at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“He can go a little bit today,” said Northwestern coach Bill Carmody. “Shoot around. No contact. Nothing. He’s just out there stretching, that kind of stuff.”
Though Shurna wasn’t allowed to ride a stationary bike or lift weights while he waited for his head to clear, Carmody isn’t too worried about his wind.
“He never had a stamina problem,” Carmody said. “I’m going to tell him it’s good for him, now that he’s got that rest. You got a week off. It’s like the All-Star break. Come back fresh.”
Illinois crushed Northwestern 88-63 on Jan. 6 at Assembly Hall. Saturday’s rematch gives the Wildcats (13-8, 3-7) another chance to earn their first win over an NCAA Tournament-bound team.
The Illini (15-7, 5-4) seek their first road win in more than five weeks as they lost at Penn State, Wisconsin and Indiana.
ŸFor more on Northwestern and Illinois, follow Lindsey Willhite on Twitter@WillhiteHerald and check his “Joe Sports” blog at dailyherald.com.