5. Left arm is still clearly affecting Kasparas Jakucionis
Illinois had one of those incredible games on Sunday. You can feel the avalanche of the Illini talent, and there is no stopping us when we are playing an A- game or better.
The Illini were never in real trouble against Northwestern. Did the Wildcats have a flurry at the end? Sure, but if Illinois had lost that game, heads might have rolled.
At the end of the game when Northwestern was attempting a comeback, Brad Underwood was fed up with Illinois. He had taken Kasparas Jakucionis out of the game up double-digit points thinking it was over. The Illini looked bad after that, and Underwood subbed Jakucionis back in the game.
Jakucionis is the heartbeat of the Illinois basketball team, and Underwood knows this to be a fact. There is a reason he put him back in that late in the game. There is a reason Illinois looked lost without him against USC. Jakucionis is an incredible talent.
With that being said, I believe Jakucionis’ left arm is still hindering his play. He doesn’t look the same despite putting up big numbers.
Jakucionis finished the Northwestern game with 11 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one block, and one steal. Those are insane numbers, but offensively, you can tell he just isn’t there.
From the field, Jakcuionis was 5-of-10 against the Wildcats. He also dropped 1-of-5 from three-point range. There just isn’t the same fire from Jakucionis right now, though. He hasn’t been able to create the space he needs to shoot from three-point range. His aggression toward the basket isn’t the same either, as he shot just one free throw.
I firmly believe Jakucionis is not even close to 100%. With him being on the mend but gutting it out, and Tomislav Ivisis having Mono, Illinois was still able to beat down Northwestern. That is a pretty big victory.