Kasparas Jakucionis Returns to Illinois Basketball's Lineup

He's back.
Freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who missed Illinois' previous two games because of a left forearm strain, returned to the lineup Tuesday against Indiana in Bloomington, Indiana.
Jakucionis didn't just suit up but also staked the No. 19 Illini (12-4, 4-2 Big Ten) to a 27-12 first-half lead by scoring 10 points and hitting his first four shots from the field – including two three-pointers.
Kasparas Jakucionis knows how to get things started for @IlliniMBB 😌#B1GMBBall on Peacock 💻 pic.twitter.com/uWVKOyf3K4
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 15, 2025
Without Jakucionis, who was recently selected to appear on the Wooden Award watch list, the Illini experienced mixed results, blasting Penn State by 39 last Wednesday and then struggling mightily in a home loss to USC on Saturday.
Illinois, which had climbed to a season-high No. 13 in the AP Top 25 poll last week, fell six spots in the rankings on Monday.
Jakucionis entered Tuesday's game averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists.