In the two games missed by Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis leading into Tuesday's road matchup with Indiana, the Illini learned that they didn't necessarily need their dynamic freshman guard to survive. But they were also reminded how much better life is with him in the lineup.

Kasparas Jakucionis made a tiebreaking layup with 32 seconds left, and No. 22 Illinois survived a furious comeback bid by Washington to squeak out an 81-77 victory Sunday at Alaska Airlines arena.

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.

And Illinois men’s basketball got punched in the mouth on Saturday, losing to the USC trojans despite being 13-point favorite,They were without star point guard

Kasparas Jakucionis scored 21 points in his return, leading No. 19 Illinois to a blowout win over Indiana.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood said Monday he does not know whether star freshman Kasparas Jakucionis will play Tuesday at Indiana. Jakucionis suffered a left forearm injury Jan. 5 at Washington and has not played the last two games at home against Penn State and USC.

Illinois got its star player back on Tuesday and delivered another emphatic conference victory, dismantling Indiana 94-69. It was a total Illini avalanche from the opening tip. Illinois delivered a resounding knockout blow early in the first half,