Illinois Basketball News: Will Riley named B1G Freshman of the Week

After the first week of the season, Illinois basketball has the Big Ten Freshman of the Week in Will Riley. Riley won the honor on the heels of an impressive debut in which he scored 31 points and grabbed 7 rebounds vs Eastern Illinois. He then followed that up with a 14-point, 7-rebound effort vs SIUE. On top of the impressive scoring output, Riley has shot the ball incredibly well. Though it has only been two games, he has shot 8-11 from the three-point line on the season. Will Riley will be one of the more important pieces on the Illinois basketball team as the season goes on.

The Illini need an Alpha and a go-to scorer particularly when their schedule ramps up in difficulty. Right now, Riley and fellow true freshman, Kasparas Jakucionis, seem like the most comfortable players with the ball in their hands.

Other Impressive Illini Newcomers

Other than Riley, a few other newcomers have been impressive through two games. Kasparas Jakucionis has looked as good as advertised and has averaged 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists. His passing and court vision have really stuck out even through the exhibition loss to Ole Miss. Also, Tomislav Ivisic has looked like a focal point for Illinois Basketball. The big man has averaged 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds through two games. These impressive averages are certainly going to fall back to the mean once the Illini start playing legitimate competition. However, the start has only confirmed that the Illini have some impressive young players on their roster.

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