John Groce's team just can't seem to avoid offseason injuries.
Jalen Coleman-Lands, who just last offseason suffered a leg fracture ahead of the start of the season, suffered a broken hand during an offseason workout last week, the team announced Saturday, and will be sidelined the next eight weeks.
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The Illini have battled an unbelievable amount of injuries over the past two seasons, with numerous starting players missing significant time with various ailments Last year, the team's starting frontcourt of Mike Thorne Jr. and Leron Black missed the majority of the season.
Recovering from that leg injury, Coleman-Lands played in all 34 games for the Illini during his freshman season, averaging 10.3 points a game and leading the team with a 42.2-percent shooting percentage from 3-point range.
Coleman-Lands' shot could possibly be affected as he recovers from this latest injury.
The Illini start the 2016-17 campaign with an exhibition game against Washington University on Oct. 30. The first regular-season game comes Nov. 11 against Southeast Missouri State.