CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein Has High Praise for Illinois Basketball Freshmen

Even after the Illini's loss to Alabama, one college hoops guru sees something special in the team's newbies

Nov 20, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Illinois forward Will Riley (7) goes to the hoop against Alabama in the CM Newton Classic at Legacy Arena. Alabama defeated Illinois 100-87. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There isn't much that hasn't already been said about No. 25 Illinois (3-1) falling short in its first stern test of the 2024-25 season in a 100-87 loss to No. 8 Alabama (4-1) on Wednesday, but there was this bit that initially slipped under our radar:

Incredibly impressed with Illinois' overall skill level and its troika of freshmen --- Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, and Tomislav Ivisic.

But the Illini need their upperclassmen to do more.

And their defense and rim protection must improve.

This is ONLY November. https://t.co/ro14tfzZUJ

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 21, 2024

It's just one man's opinion, but keep in mind that Jon Rothstein – CBS Sports' college basketball insider – somehow watches more hoops than even we do, and he falls much closer on the punditry spectrum to educated, level-headed observer than hysterical, clickbait-y reactionary. His perspective means something, and in a single tweet he manages to encapsulate much of our reaction to the Bama game.

But to prevent the focus of this post from spinning out into a Homeric basketball screed rivaling "The Odyssey," let's home in on Rothstein's first and last thoughts: The freshmen truly have been something to behold. Some gifted freshman have come through Champaign over the years, and, yes, the game has changed – but it's safe to say that the Illini have never put three freshman on the court who are as talented and who have immediately produced so prolifically as guard Kasparas Jakucionis, forward Will Riley and center Tomislav Ivisic. Across college basketball this season, only Duke's Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach can even hold a candle to Illinois' trio.

Which is why the last piece of Rothstein's tweet is so significant: It is only November. The expectation at this stage of the season from the thinking fan should have been that the Illini were going to take their lumps against the Tide. In today's game, entire careers are compressed into a single year, and yet the arc of a season is a long one. We don't yet know the ceiling for Illinois' freshmen – or, for that matter, even the potential of the upperclassman, the Illini D or its rim protection.

A few things we do know:

• Bama won't be Illinois' last loss. The season is too long, the schedule too punishing and the freshmen still too raw to expect anything otherwise. And that's OK. Morning will come, the seasons will change and the Illini will be around – and battle-tested – when March arrives.

• The defense is a problem. Yet coach Brad Underwood identified the concern all offseason, and anyone with a lick of basketball knowledge would expect the facet of the game that requires the strongest combination of chemistry, timing and consistency to be this Illini squad's Achilles heel – at least early in the season.

• Rothstein, whose personal credo is "We sleep in May," is already on his game in November.

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