Dec. 01--Just when Illinois finally had injured players returning to the active roster, another is on the sideline.
Forward/center Mike Thorne Jr., a 6-foot-11 graduate transfer from Charlotte, is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee, Illinois announced Monday.
Thorne underwent surgery Monday after suffering the tear in the first half of Saturday night's loss to Iowa State.
Since the preseason, the Illini have had six players hit by injury, which accounts in part for their unsettling 3-5 start to the season.
Illinois had welcomed back Kendrick Nunn (hand), Jaylon Tate (finger) and Leron Black (knee). Freshman guard Jalen Coleman-Lands missed preseason time with a stress fracture in his left leg, while senior guard Tracy Abrams is out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon.
In counting up the personnel losses, also take into account that the Illini expected to have forward Darius Paul available this season before he was dismissed from the team after an arrest.
Thorne had provided a strong force inside, averaging 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. Without him, more pressure and more minutes will be heaped on junior center Maverick Morgan and redshirt freshman forward Michael Finke.
After some early bumps in the nonconference schedule, Illinois was hoping to turn the page in its official home opener. The Illini open the doors to the renovated State Farm Center on Wednesday when they host Notre Dame in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.
