Kasparas Jakucionis- you may not know how to correctly spell or pronounce his name, but he is the real deal. An Illini basketball player dominating at point guard and wearing #32? It’s a bit reminiscent of Demetri McCamey, who was also among the top players in not only the Big Ten, but also the nation.
Jakucionis was dominant in the 86-80 win over #20 Wisconsin last night, but now the challenge level ramps up significantly, as #1 Tennessee comes to town on Saturday.
Illini basketball vs Tennessee Volunteers FYIs
Tip: 4:30pm CST, State Farm Center, TV: FOX
Illini Basketball Content: Media Day Bingo Sheet Will Riley NBA Draft Stock Report Kasparas Jakucionis Draft Stock Report
Odds: Not out yet
ESPN Basketball Power Index: Illini basketball win 43.2% Tennessee Volunteers win 56.8%
#1 Tennessee Volunteers (9-0) Preview
This is a very big, physical team that pays a lot of heavy defense and often dominates the rebounding statistics. It’s the perfect embodiment of what worked for Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Izzo’s best teams in the late 90s through the 2010s were always strong defensively and dominant on the glass.
They’re lead by leading scorer Chaz Lanier, a North Florida transfer who is a bit reminiscent of Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Max Strus, who played his college ball at DePaul, after transferring in from Lewis University.
The Cavs will welcome Strus back, from an ankle sprain and G-League rehab assignment, on Friday against the Washington Wizards. This according to a report in RG. You have to wonder how and why Strus got away from the Illini, as he’s a Hickory Hills, IL native and Amos Alonzo Stagg High School alum.
(Which is also my alma mater, and far as I know, Strus is the only NBA player in Stagg Chargers basketball history).
After Lanier, another player to watch for the Vols is Igor Milic, the team’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder.
He’s a native Croatian, much like Illini star Tomislav Ivisic, and when you factor in Jakucionis, this is a game that will have strong representation from former Eastern bloc countries in Europe.
Illini Basketball (6-2) Preview
This team is the classic “who are dese guys” (said in the voice of the Cleveland construction workers in “Major League”), as they have 10 newcomers. And we don’t say that in the same manner as “dose blue-collar guys” (notice we left out the F word) said it about that fictional Cleveland Indians team. That baseball team was all no names, these are new names, and many of them are hard to spell and even harder to pronounce.
Not even gonna try with Ben Humicrous. Or Humrichous? Or Humricous? (pronounced “hum-rick-house?)
People love to call Jakucionis “KJ” has an endearing nickname, but also because they just can’t pronounce his name either. Will Riley is an easy name to pronounce, and he could join KJ in being one-and-done to the NBA lottery in June.
It’s mid-December, but we’re still learning this Illini basketball team. That’s the nature of the beast in college basketball these days.
We don’t know these guys stories, what they can, what they can’t, just yet.
Excitement for relevant football had a lot to do with that.
But while we may not have developed much knowledge and familiarity for this team, just yet, the SFC will be rocking come Saturday. The last time they welcomed a #1 ranked team, who was a non-conference opponent, it was Chris Paul and Wake Forest.
That eventual national runner-up Illini basketball team blew the doors off the Demon Deacons, in what was the original Paint the Hall Orange night.
The last time the Illini basketball program beat a #1 ranked team was 2013, versus Indiana. The John Groce era of Illini basketball had very few highlights, but that was certainly one.
Will Brad Underwood duplicate that accomplishment of 11 years ago?
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.