If you've been on Twitter this morning, you've likely already heard the rumors.

BREAKING NEWS: Rumors circulating that Rayvonte Rice has suffered a broken hand. More to follow. — The Illini Nation (@TheIlliniNation) January 6, 2015

Stuff like this happens all the time on the internet because, hey, it's the internet. So while we sat here waiting, hoping that this would be quickly debunked, it doesn't seem like that's going to be the case.

So far only able to confirm what many already know. #Illini Rayvonte Rice suffered hand injury and is in process of determining severity. — Marcus Jackson (@MarcusJ_NG) January 6, 2015

With Marcus Jackson confirming it, I'm finally comfortable enough to at least start this conversation. Word is that it's his left hand and that he'll require surgery on it. That has not yet been confirmed though. A broken hand generally takes about 4-6 weeks to heal. If he's in a cast for more than a month, there's going to be some physical therapy required. When we know more about the injury, I can go into more details about all that.

So what does this mean for the rest of the season? Nothing good, that's for damn sure. The Illini were already scuffling and losing the top player on the team won't help matters much. Everyone else is going to have to step up tremendously.