CHICAGO — Illinois fans have clamored for Tevian Jones this season. If there was one thing they wanted, it was more of the 6-foot-7 freshman guard, and through the first round of the Big Ten tournament it looked like the fan base was going to be left unfulfilled.
Jones played just two first half minutes in Wednesday’s opener against Northwestern. His stat line contained just a single missed three-point attempt.
But there was the Chandler, Ariz., native popping up off the bench Thursday night against Iowa early in the first half. Jones ultimately played 18 minutes against the Hawkeyes — more than his previous four games combined — and put up 11 points in Illinois’ season-ending 83-62 loss.