Illinois stars Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time tonight, as the #6 seed Illini beat #11 seed Xavier 86-73 in the first round at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Until Friday night, the pair of Eastern European sharpshooters has only watched it from afar, on television.
Jakucionis, a combo guard with high NBA Draft stock from Vilnius, Lithuania, discussed how the tournament got him familiar with college basketball.
“I didn’t watch any of college basketball when I was younger,” the man how has drawn Luka Doncic comparisons said on Thursday.
“I started watching like two years ago, and March Madness was the only, only games that I was watching.
“So you can see that every detail matters in the game, every little detail. Every possession.”
Jakucionis finished with 16 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds; just missing a triple double.
Meanwhile Ivisic was second on the team in scoring with 20, and according to his coach, Brad Underwood, he set a NCAA Tournament record for three point field goals made (four, on nine attempts) in a single game by a seven-footer.
Tomislav Ivisic is ready for the first round #NCAATournament matchup with Xavier tonight.
…#illini #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FSOJGMB1se
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) March 21, 2025
“Every rebound matters. And you win or go home. So that’s the thing, the beauty of it.”
Ivisic, a Vodice, Croatia native who has some decent NBA Draft stock himself, told a similar story.
The NCAA regular season, nor the conference tournaments for that matter, just don’t register in that part of the world (or in any other foreign country for that matter).
However, March Madness does. It really does.
Kasparas Jakucionis on the #illini potential this #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/vwiBcPRJ5C
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) March 21, 2025
“When I was younger, it was hard to find channels,” Ivisic said.
“It’s a different time, always in the middle of the night, so it’s hard to watch games. Last year’s March Madness was the only thing I watched.
“Especially last year, my brother was here, and I was watching the games, noticed the different intensity.
“Everyone comes here to win. Everyone wants to win. Huge stakes. And it’s just amazing to be part of that this year.”
Speaking of that twin brother, Zvonimir Ivisic plays for Arkansas, and the #7 seed Razorbacks beat the #10 seed Kansas Jayhawks 79-72 in the first round of the tourney yesterday.
In the head-to-head matchup between the two brothers on Thanksgiving, Illinois won 90-77.
Tomi explained how the Ivisic brothers first got into basketball.
“Me and my twin brother had extra energy when we were kids,” the Illini Ivisic said. “and basketball was one of the sports in my home town and my dad signed us up to go play.”
It’s been very exciting and fun for the Ivisic parents too.
“They’re really proud and they watch his game, my game,” the 7-footer continued. “Even though some games are at 4, 5 in the morning, but they’re both proud that we’re both here and we can fight for great things here.”
Jakucioinis, Ivisic and the rest of the Illini will face #3 seed Kentucky on Sunday in the second round.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.