Big Ten Daily (May 28): Illinois Lands Commitment from Lithuanian Guard
Illinois has reportedly added a late commitment to the incoming 2024 recruiting class. Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the Fighting Illini have landed a pledge from 6-foot-6 Lithuanian shooting guard Kasparas Jakucionis.
Jakucionis is considered to be a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He recently played in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Berlin (Germany), showcasing his talents.
The guard averaged 17.9 points, 9.0 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game. His performance throughout the tournament earned him the ANGT All-Tournament Team honors.
Coach Brad Underwood has now landed two high-profile prospects from Europe in the 2024 class. The Fighting Illini will also be welcoming in 7-foot center Tomislav Ivisic, a native of Croatia.
It's been an active offseason for Underwood and the Illini, adding four recruits and five transfer players. Illinois is bringing in four-star forward Morez Johnson and three-star forward Jason Jakstys from the high school ranks.
From the transfer portal, Illinois has landed Ben Humrichous (Evansville), Carey Booth (Notre Dame), Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Tre White (Louisville) and Jake Davis (Mercer).
Illinois finished the 2023-24 season with a 29-9 record, including a 14-6 mark in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini won the Big Ten Tournament and reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion UConn.
Three Big Ten teams make NCAA Baseball Tournament field
Three Big Ten baseball teams will continue their season for at least another weekend. On Monday, Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska all heard their names called during the Selection Show, earning a spot in the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Nebraska was the conference's automatic qualifier after winning the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers defeated Penn State 2-1 in the championship game on Sunday at Charles Schwab Field.
Illinois was the Big Ten regular season champion and Indiana had a solid run all season long. Here's where each of those three teams will be starting postseason play, along with the Day 1 matchups and start times for those three regionals (Big Ten teams in bold):
Stillwater Regional
Friday, May 31: Florida vs. Nebraska — 3 p.m. ET on ESPN-plus
Friday, May 31: Niagra vs. Oklahoma State — 7 p.m. ET on ESPN-plus
Knoxville Regional
Friday, May 31: Indiana vs. Southern Miss — 1 p.m. ET on ESPN-plus
Friday, May 31: Northern Kentucky vs. Tennessee — 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Lexington Regional
Friday, May 31: Western Michigan vs. Kentucky — 12 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Friday, May 31: Illinois vs. Indiana State — 7 p.m. ET on ESPN-plus
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BIG TEN TOURNEY STAYING IN OMAHA: The Big Ten Baseball Tournament will remain in the Midwest for at least a few more years. The conference announced at Sunday that Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb. will continue to host the event through the 2027 season. CLICK HERE
