No. 23 Illinois leans on talented freshman class that can be a force when healthy
MINNEAPOLIS — The experienced team that Illinois men's basketball took to the Elite Eight last season after winning the Big Ten Tournament title needed to be replaced after most of the key players turned pro and scattered about.
Coach Brad Underwood decided to go young, and these first-year Illini have flashed plenty of potential. If they can keep everyone healthy down the stretch, they're good enough despite their age to be quite the presence in March.
'Our ceiling is really high,' Underwood said after 23rd-ranked Illinois beat Minnesota 95-74 on Saturday. 'These guys are really talented players. They're all, at some point in their careers, next level. I'm not afraid to say that, and I've said it since day one.'
The freshmen were out in force to help the Illini get back on track, following four losses in their last six games. Will Riley had 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists off the bench. Kasparas Jakucionis had 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting. Tomislav Ivisic added 18 points and 11 rebounds while playing on a bad ankle. Morez Johnson Jr. chipped in four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes.
The Illini shot 63.2% from the floor, their best rate in a Big Ten game in eight years.
'Everything we go through, we're so young, that it's a great experience. Going through the struggles, going through the hard things, going through a tough loss, all those things are new,' Underwood said. 'We keep believing in ourselves, and that's the one thing with my job is to not get frustrated with them because they're going through something for the first time.'
Illinois (16-8, 8-6) improved to 15-1 when scoring at least 80 points and is averaging 85 points per game, the most since 1988-89 when that team reached the Final Four.
Jakucionis, who is a top-10 finalist for the Jerry West award given to the nation's best shooting guard, set the program freshman record with his ninth 20-point game. The native of Lithuania is likely bound for the NBA next season.
Riley, a Canadian who was the highest-ranked incoming freshman Illinois has had since the recruiting services began grading them online, is a 6-foot-8 matchup nightmare for most wings in the league.
Then there's the 7-foot-1 Ivisic, from Croatia, whose eligibility review by the NCAA resulted in him being classified as a sophomore. With his size and skill, he likely won't stay in school long enough for that to matter anyway. His toughness, though, will stick with Underwood and the Illini for a long time.
After hurting his ankle in the second half of a loss at Rutgers on Thursday, Ivisic played through the pain in that game and answered the bell again on Saturday after being listed as questionable and only going through some light warmups on the court.
His ankle, Underwood said, resembled a 'quite enlarged cabernet grape. It is black and blue, and it is nasty.' Ivisic played 33 minutes and was a defensive force as well, helping limit Gophers star Dawson Garcia — the second-leading scorer in the Big Ten — to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
'My hat's off to him, because when you start thinking that way, you start thinking about your teammates and not yourself, and that's huge,' Underwood said.
The Illini have been hampered by a series of illnesses and injuries since Big Ten play began, a factor in their recent slide. The flu has run rampant through the team, and starting guard Tre White and key backup Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn were only token participants on the court on Saturday because of it.
Ivisic missed three games last month due to mononucleosis. Jakucionis missed two games last month with an arm injury and hadn't been as productive since his return. He was 4 for 28 from 3-point range over the previous six games and totaled 15 points over the last two.
'We're still not whole, but I liked what those pieces together do,' Underwood said.
Originally Published: February 8, 2025 at 8:56 PM CST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
SEC coaches talk scheduling agreement with Big Ten. What UGA AD Josh Brooks thinks of it
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla.—Georgia football fans have savored memorable playoff victories against Big Ten teams Michigan in 2021 and Ohio State in 2022 en route to national titles. Could similar matchups happen in the regular season under a proposed scheduling agreement between the conferences? Advertisement Some SEC coaches emerged from the conference spring meetings on Wednesday May 28 at the Sandestin Hilton saying they would support that. For that to happen, the SEC may need to go to a nine-game schedule, play a Big Ten team and then have two other nonconference opponents. 'I think we'd be open to it in the right scenario,' Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said. The SEC and Big Ten talked about a scheduling agreement, but SEC commissioner Greg Sankey Wednesday night said called a mandate to play 'incredibly difficult….That's a long road to hoe to get to the end of that.' One issue is some SEC schools have in-state rivalries played annually including Georgia-Georgia Tech, South Carolina-Clemson, Florida-Florida State and Kentucky-Louisville, but other SEC teams don't have an in-state rivalry outside the SEC. Advertisement Georgia in some seasons already plays two power conference schools outside of SEC schedule. 'While I say I'd be open to it, I then take a look at what we have on our schedule and see how it affects it,' Brooks said. 'We do have Florida State, Louisville and other teams lined up. All of that fits into that puzzle.' Some of those nonconference games could have to fall off the schedule if a Big Ten partnership were added. The SEC won four straight national titles from 2019-2022, but hasn't had a team in the last two championship games. 'They've won the last two, and you can't deny that,' South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. Advertisement Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said an SEC-Big Ten alliance would excite TV executives and fan bases. Pittman said another option besides playing nine SEC games would be to play the Big Ten opponent instead of a ninth SEC game. 'I think the league wants us to go to nine,' he said. 'How are we going to do it? Are we going to go to nine playing ourselves or are we going to go to nine and maybe invite another conference to play?' Said Beamer: 'I'm all for it, but it would be like the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Green Bay Packers for our 18th regular season game and the other teams aren't.' (This story was updated to add new quotes.) This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: SEC-Big Ten scheduling agreement possible? What UGA's Josh Brooks said
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NBA rumors: Suns' Kevin Durant trade desires could hint at Karl-Anthony Towns
The post NBA rumors: Suns' Kevin Durant trade desires could hint at Karl-Anthony Towns appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Phoenix Suns are working on finding a Kevin Durant trade this summer after a disastrous 2024-25 season resulted in the departure of head coach Mike Budenholzer and a need to shake things up. As the Suns try to retool their roster in what's expected to be a post-Durant world, Matt Moore reports on his Hardwood Paroxysm Substack that they 'have indicated to teams that center is at a premium for them in any KD talks.' Advertisement While Moore notes there's still a chance Durant sticks around, he says fixing the center 'disaster' left behind when Deandre Ayton left is a major priority. This echoes recent reporting from The Stein Line's Jake Fischer, who said upgrading at center is a priority regardless of a Durant trade. Is Karl-Anthony Towns an option? Knowing Phoenix wants to upgrade at center, the mind immediately wanders to New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns. In the aftermath of the Knicks' Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers, the KAT trade chatter began immediately. While Towns and Jalen Brunson just led New York to its first ECF appearance since 2000, many have questions about if those two can actually win a championship together due to their defensive shortcomings. Bill Simmons opined on a KD-KAT trade earlier this week, citing Towns' close friendship with Devin Booker as a reason for the Suns to pursue the option. KAT and Book played together at Kentucky, nearly pulling off an undefeated season before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four. If Phoenix truly has no interest in rebuilding, giving Booker a star running mate with whom he has a good relationship makes some sense, even considering Towns' flaws. Advertisement For the Knicks, this would be a drastic move given Towns is so much younger than KD and did just help get this team two wins short of the NBA Finals. Perhaps the thought is this run was a fluke and New York just needs to get out of the KAT business, which is essentially what Simmons argues. Durant isn't what he once was, but he's still a high-level scorer who could take pressure off Brunson, and Mitchell Robinson could potentially be the starting center. (Whether Robinson could hold up without getting hurt is another question, and that goes for KD as well.) The Suns will surely consider all options when it comes to a Kevin Durant trade. If the Knicks are actually serious about trading Karl-Anthony Towns, maybe we see some fireworks.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
As Bears begin mandatory minicamp, tight end Cole Kmet says he's secure in position
Tuesday marked the first day of Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp, and a first chance to talk to Cole Kmet about his reaction to the Bears drafting a tight end at No. 10 overall. The Bears picked tight end Colston Loveland out of the University of Michigan in the draft in April. "At first, like, you're taken aback a little bit, but I mean, [head coach] Ben [Johnson] was awesome about it in terms of calling me right away and kind of explaining the decision," Kmet said. "You know, from there, you're just all on board on it, and you kind of understand their vision, and you know, you understand that there's going to be areas we complement each other, and then there's obviously, just like in any position we're in, there's going to be areas where we compete for things. And you know, that's football, and that's how it should be." Kmet said Coach Johnson reassured him where he stood in the team's eyes. Running back D'Andre Swift may also need some reassurance after averaging a career low 3.8 yards per carry last season, and the Bears seemingly targeting running back help by finally drafting Kyle Monangai in the seventh round. "Kins of look at it like whatever they was going to do, my mindset wasn't going to change. Whether they brought somebody in — if they throw, they don't — my mindset is coming in, like I said, go to work," said Swift. "Everybody got an opinion, entitled to their own opinion. My job is to come in here and continue to work. Like I said, I'm excited for this season. I know who I am and what I'm about." There were some notable absences on the practice field Tuesday, including Kyler Gordon and TJ Edwards — along with rookie receiver Luther Burden. They are all dealing with minor injuries. Loveland also remains sidelined recovering from shoulder surgery, but Coach Johnson did say everyone was in the building — just not all practicing.
