Illinois has NBA Draft star power in 2025

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Feb 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) and guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) celebrate during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Kentucky was the one-and-done program under John Calipari. That will not be the case under Mark Pope. The Wildcats will have some one-and-done players in this newest coaching era but they will no longer pump out pros all the time. In the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, UK will face a team that looks similar to the old UK teams.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and former Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua have two potential first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft in the lineup.

Kasparas Jakucionis is a 6-foot-6 point guard from Lithuania who is averaging 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on .442/.323/.849 shooting splits. The true freshman was a rebound away from a triple-double in the win over No. 11 seed Xavier on Friday.

Near triple-double for Kasparas Jakucionis with 16 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds (but 6 turnovers). Size, pace, strength, feel, and skill were on full display, manipulating Xavier's defense and making the right reads. Brought his usual toughness on both ends. Kentucky up next. pic.twitter.com/RyKtfCZ3jM
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 22, 2025

Will Riley was a top-30 recruit who picked Illinois over Alabama, Arizona, and Kentucky. The 6-foot-8 wing from Canada is averaging 12.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on .438/.333/.723 shooting splits as a true freshman.

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In his latest mock draft, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Jakucionis going off the board at No. 5 overall. Will Riley is currently a second-round pick. The Illinois point guard appears to be the best player in the second-round matchup against Kentucky.

“Jakučionis has also had a roller-coaster season, starting incredibly hot and looking like a challenger for a top-three selection before he entered Big Ten play and teams started to play his ball screens a bit more aggressively,” writes Vecenie. “He averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, but he also gave up the ball 3.6 times per game, and the turnovers tended to compound in-game.”

In the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a long time, Kentucky will not be the team with multiple true freshmen with a soon-to-be NBA future playing big minutes. The Wildcats are the ones with an old team in a SEC vs. Big Ten postseason matchup.