CHAMPAIGN — Just as it seemed the Illinois basketball team was getting back to full health, the injury bug struck again as center Mike Thorne Jr. suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during Saturday’s game against No. 4 Iowa State.
Thorne, the fifth-year transfer from Charlotte, will undergo surgery on the knee.
If he misses the rest of the season, under NCAA guidelines, Thorne could be eligible to receive a sixth year of eligibility because he had yet to play in 30 percent of Illinois’ scheduled number of games this season.
Through seven games, the 6-foot-11, 270-pound Thorne was second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.