Illinois lost a lot from last season's Elite Eight team — specifically Terrence Shannon Jr. to the NBA Draft, Marcus Domask, Quincy Guerrier and Justin Harmon to the G League, and Coleman Hawkins, Dain Dainja, Luke Goode and Amani Hansberry to the transfer portal. That list includes what were the Illini's top four scorers — and eight of the top nine.
Brad Underwood was forced to reload on the fly.
So far, it appears he did it successfully, with the latest bit of evidence coming via Thursday's 90-77 victory over Arkansas in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic in Kansas City.
It was a battle of the Ivišić Twins!
Tomislav Ivišić started in the middle for Illinois. Zvonimir Ivišić, started in the middle for Arkansas. They combined for 34 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks — but Tomislav accounted for most of those points (21), most of those rebounds (10) and most of those blocks (3), which is among the reasons the Illini jumped to a 14-2 lead, led by as many as 17 points late in the first half and cruised without ever being seriously threatened in the final 20 minutes.
"We got a nice lead and we never wavered," Underwood said. "We stayed true to it. It kind of got up there to 15, 16, 17, then it would get to nine or 10, and then we would make a play. This group was unwavering [making] plays when they needed to make them. And that's not easy to do."
Especially not with a team this reliant on first-year players.
Illinois is No. 17 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, making the Illini the only team in the Top 25 And 1 whose top three scorers are first-year college players. At the top of the list is Ivisic, a 7-foot-1 center who is averaging a team-high 16.3 points. He's technically listed as a sophomore — but only because he lost a year of eligibility in the NCAA's eyes after spending three seasons in the Adriatic League, point being that this is Ivisic's first season of college basketball despite what the label "sophomore" suggests. Next on the list is Will Riley, a 6-8 freshman who is averaging 15.4 points. And then there's Kasparas Jakucionis, a 6-6 freshman who is averaging 13.6 points.
Jakucionis is the best prospect of the bunch. CBS Sports' Kyle Boone projects the 18 year-old from Lithuania to go seventh in the 2025 NBA Draft. He got a team-high 23 points against Arkansas while shooting 40% from 3-point range.
"That's why next-level people love him, [because] he has the ability to step back and make a 3, he has the ability to get fouled, he knows what the game needs," Underwood said of Jakucionis. "I've had him a very, very short time. I would love to take credit for all of that, but I can take credit for none. He's got a gift."
Illinois jumping from unranked to No. 17 in the Top 25 And 1 means there are now six Big Ten schools in these rankings — specifically No. 7 Purdue, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Michigan State, No. 17 Illinois, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 25 Oregon. The Illini will open Big Ten play Dec. 6 at Northwestern.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Dajuan Harris finished with 14 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 75-72 win over Duke. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Furman. | -- | 7-0 |
| 2 |  |
Johni Broome finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds in Wednesday's 90-76 win over Memphis. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Duke. | -- | 7-0 |
| 3 |  |
Milan Momcilovic finished with 24 points and three assists in Wednesday's 99-71 win over Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Marquette. | -- | 5-1 |
| 4 |  |
David Joplin finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 94-59 win over Stonehill. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Western Carolina. | -- | 8-0 |
| 5 |  |
Felix Okpara finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday's 78-35 win over UT Martin. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Syracuse. | -- | 7-0 |
| 6 |  |
Andrew Carr finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 87-68 win over Western Kentucky. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Georgia State. | -- | 7-0 |
| 7 |  |
Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 71-61 win over NC State. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Ole Miss. | -- | 7-1 |
| 8 |  |
Mark Sears finished with 24 points and five assists in Wednesday's 95-90 win over Rutgers. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Oregon. | -- | 6-2 |
| 9 |  |
Kon Knueppel was 4 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 75-72 loss to Kansas. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Seattle. | -- | 5-2 |
| 10 |  |
Emanuel Sharp finished with 17 points and four assists in Wednesday's 65-54 win over Notre Dame. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against San Diego State. . | -- | 4-3 |
| 11 |  |
John Tonje finished with 33 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 81-75 win over Pitt. The Badgers' next game is Saturday against Chicago State. | -- | 8-0 |
| 12 |  |
Khalif Battle finished with 16 points and three assists in Thursday's 89-73 win over Indiana. The Zags' next game is Friday against Davidson. | -- | 7-1 |
| 13 |  |
Jayden Nunn finished with 23 points and four assists in Wednesday's 91-60 win over New Orleans. The Bears' next game is Wednesday at UConn. | -- | 5-2 |
| 14 |  |
PJ Haggerty finished with four turnovers and one assist in Wednesday's 90-76 loss to Auburn. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Louisiana Tech. | -- | 6-1 |
| 15 |  |
Jaden Akins finished with 14 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 94-91 overtime win over North Carolina. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. | -- | 6-2 |
| 16 |  |
RJ Davis was 6-of-18 from the field in Wednesday's 94-91 overtime loss to Michigan State. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday against Alabama. | -- | 4-3 |
| 17 |  |
Kasparas Jakucionis finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 90-77 win over Arkansas. The Illini's next game is Friday at Northwestern. | NR | 6-1 |
| 18 |  |
Guillermo Diaz Graham was 1 of 6 from 3-point range in Sunday's 81-75 loss to Wisconsin. The Panthers' next game is Friday at Ohio State. | -- | 7-1 |
| 19 |  |
John Mobley Jr. finished with 23 points and two steals in Friday's 104-60 win over Campbell. The Buckeyes' next game is Friday against Pitt. | -- | 5-2 |
| 20 |  |
Tre Johnson finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Friday's 67-58 win over Saint Joseph's. The Longhorns' next game is Friday against Delaware State. | -- | 6-1 |
| 21 |  |
Walter Clayton Jr. finished with 21 points and three steals in Thursday's 75-58 win over Wake Forest. The Gators' next game is Friday against Wichita State. | 1 | 8-0 |
| 22 |  |
Simas Lukosius finished with 16 points and four assists in Wednesday's 77-59 win over Alabama State. The Bearcats' next game is Tuesday at Villanova. | 1 | 6-0 |
| 23 |  |
Jaylen Murray finished with 27 points and five assists in Thursday's 96-85 overtime win over BYU. The Rebels' next game is Friday against Purdue. | 1 | 6-1 |
| 24 |  |
KeShawn Murphy finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday's 80-58 win over UNLV. The Bulldogs' next game is Friday against Butler. | 1 | 6-1 |
| 25 |  |
TJ Bamba finished with 22 points and five assists in Wednesday's 78-68 win over San Diego State. The Ducks' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | 1 | 8-0 |
| 26 |  |
Enoch Cheeks finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 85-67 win over UConn. The Flyers' next game is Tuesday against Western Michigan. | NR | 6-2 |
In: Illinois, Dayton
Out: Arkansas, Arizona