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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:
The 2025 NBA Draft could turn out to be one of the most impactful in Illinois basketball history given both the number of potential picks and where those players might be selected. Like, for example, if the latest mock draft from Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor pans out.
Three Illini are projected to be drafted come June in O'Connor's most recent effort. That includes both Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley in the first round — with the former still a lottery pick despite every Illinois fan on Twitter saying differently — and Tomislav Ivisic in the second round.
Here's some of what O'Connor wrote in the scouting reports on the Illini trio:
Jakucionis: "Jakucionis is a slick shot-creator with a creative passing gene and a fearless scoring ability, carving up defenses with crafty finishes, step-back jumpers, and jaw-dropping passes. ... As a freshman, would Jakucionis follow up his highlights with turnover brain-farts that derail the hype train."
Riley: "Riley has dynamic driving ability and playmaking instincts that scream upside as a jumbo-sized, shot-creating wing. ... But his jumper is streaky, and his defense is unreliable since he is so lean physically and lacks fundamentals."
Ivisic: "Ivisic is a stretch-big lefty who rains 3s and carves up the post with crafty hook shots. But his plodding feet make him a defensive liability unless he makes dramatic progress at the next level."
O'Connor's full scouting reports on all three Illinois players (and every projected pick) along with player comparisons is available here.