Illinois coach John Groce says guard Rayvonte Rice is out indefinitely after fracturing his left hand in practice.
The 6-foot-4 senior suffered the injury during practice Monday.
If surgery is necessary, Rice could be sidelined for as long as six weeks, or until about February 17th.
That period includes 11 games, including Wednesday's Big Ten home opener against No. 11 Maryland.
Rice leads the Illini in scoring (17.2 points per game) and rebounding (6.9).
He had 20 points of 7-of-8 shooting in Saturday's 77-61 loss at Ohio State.
Illinois (10-5) is off to an 0-2 start in conference play.
Rice suffered a groin injury early in the Big Ten season last year.