With practice officially starting next month, UMHoops and Inside the Hall have teamed up to bring you our annual preseason breakdown of the Big Ten’s top players. This year, the list has expanded after four programs were added to the conference.
The series is divided into seven parts, with one post each weekday through Friday, August 30. Our fifth part, which looks at players 15-11 for the 2024-25 season, is available below:
Previously: 40-31, 30-26, 25-21, 20-16
15. Kasparus Jakucionis, Illinois (1.98 m, guard, freshman)
Why he could surpass this ranking: Lithuanian guard Kasparus Jakucionis may not be a household name among college basketball fans, but the rookie is already on the NBA radar after excelling overseas in Barcelona’s youth program. Jakucionis is a lead guard with tremendous size who can create or create his own scoring opportunities. At 18, he’ll have to make a big jump into the college game, but he’s impressed at enough high-profile international youth events to make this year’s roster.
Illinois loses Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins, which gives Jakucionis numerous playmaking and scoring opportunities.
Why he could do worse in this ranking: International freshmen almost always need at least a year to adjust to the college game. This isn’t a case of Jakucionis playing professional basketball at a high level either; he played primarily in youth events like the Adidas NGT. Several of last year’s ANGT stars struggled to make an impact at the college level as freshmen, so there’s potential downside to any Jakucionis projection.
14. Great Osobor, Washington (2.03 m, forward, senior)
Statistics 2023-24 (35 games at Utah State): 17.7 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 1.4 blocks per game, 1.3 steals per game, 57.7% FG, 21.4% 3PFG in 33.7 minutes
Why he could surpass this ranking: Osobor averaged 17.7 points and nine rebounds per game last year at Utah State and is staying with a coach who knows him best. Osobor followed Danny Sprinkle from Montana State to Utah State and now to Washington. He was a shooting star in the Mountain West last year and now moves to the Big Ten to play for a team that needs his production down low. Osobor excels at getting to the free throw line, shooting 59 percent from the two-point line and is dominant on both boards.
Why he could do worse in this ranking: The Big Ten is still a significant step up from the Mountain West, especially for a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center. The size and athleticism around the basket in the Big Ten is a level higher than what Osobor has seen at previous stops, and Washington’s roster might be a bit lacking compared to the league’s expectations for Utah State’s talent last year.
13. Vladislav Goldin, Michigan (2.16 m, center, doctoral student)
Statistics 2023-24 (34 games at Florida Atlantic): 15.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, 1.6 blocks per game, 67.3% FG in 25 min.
Why he could surpass this ranking: Like Osobor, Goldin follows his head coach to the Big Ten. He anchored a Florida Atlantic team that won 60 games and made it to the Final Four the last two years in Boca Raton. He is 7-foot-10 and played the best basketball of his career at FAU late last year. In FAU’s last 14 games, Goldin averaged 18.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. He is a great finisher and efficient post-up scorer, hitting 67 percent of his twos and should be a ready-to-play option in the middle of Dusty May’s system.
Why he could do worse in this ranking: The inevitable move from the American to the Big Ten is a risk. Goldin will also have to find his role alongside Danny Wolf. He will have to get used to a new system with two big players and share some minutes at the five with another talented player, which at least offers the possibility that his performance will drop off this season.
12. Dawson Garcia, Minnesota (2.00 m, forward, fifth year last year)
Statistics 2023–24 (31 games): 17.6 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 1.6 assists per game, 1.0 blocks per game, 48.6% FG, 31.9% 3PFG in 31.9 minutes
Why he could surpass this ranking: Garcia was one of the conference’s best big men for several years early in his career after stints at Marquette and North Carolina. He showed steady improvement from his freshman to sophomore year with Minnesota, so another jump is not out of the question. Offensively, he can score in the post and mid-range and occasionally shoot the occasional three-pointer. Last season, he ranked seventh in the Big Ten in free throw percentage, shooting 80.2% from the line. He also shot 69.1% from the basket. While expectations remain low in Minneapolis, Garcia’s presence in the crease gives Ben Johnson a solid starting position on an otherwise unproven roster.
Why he could do worse in this ranking: It’s not unreasonable to assume Garcia’s efficiency could wane given the program’s departures in the transfer portal (Pharrel Payne, Elijah Hawkins) and to the NBA (Cam Christie). He’ll be surrounded by far less talent this season and face even more pressure to perform on a Minnesota team that’s expected to finish near the bottom of the standings. As consistent as Garcia has been over the past two seasons, his chances to improve his game seem limited given a depleted Gopher roster.
11. Malik Reneau, Indiana (2.06 m, forward, junior)
Statistics 2023–24 (33 games): 15.4 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, 2.7 assists per game, 55.8% FG, 33.3% 3PFG in 28.7 minutes
Why he could surpass this ranking: There isn’t a lot of proven talent returning to the Big Ten this season, especially on teams that are expected to compete. Reneau averaged 15.4 points and six rebounds per game in the Big Ten. He’s a proven, productive player who could easily take another step forward for a team with as much talent as any in the conference. He’s an excellent post-up scorer (87th percentile), but his potential depends on his passing (20 percent assist rate) and playmaking, which could help IU’s two big offensive lines succeed.
Why he could do worse in this ranking: Reneau’s downside depends on the lineup and position. Defensively, he’s a tweener who doesn’t rebound or defend the basket area as well as you’d expect a true center to, and he doesn’t shoot or defend the perimeter as well as you’d expect a power forward to. Indiana’s solution was to bring in another true center to bolster the interior, but that means two players who don’t shoot well from the outside — Reneau hit 15 of 45 shots from beyond the arc last season — and the looming presence of bigger wing players who could easily move to the four.
Filed under: 2024-25 Big Ten Preview
