Tre Holloman came through big time in the season finale. (Matthew Mitchell Photography)
This week, Braden Huff led the way as Gonzaga exacted its revenge in beating St. Mary’s for the WCC tourney championship; Bobby Hurley will reportedly return for an 11th season as coach at ASU; and St. Francis pulled off the upset to win the Northeastern tourney and return to the big dance for the first time since 1991.
Tre Holloman’s Career Game
Since we last discussed the Michigan State Spartans three weeks ago all they’ve done is win another five straight to finish the regular season with a seven-game streak.
The Big Ten regular season champs are ranked seventh in the country and are as safe as milk to extend their NCAA tournament appearances to an incredible 27 straight seasons.
On Sunday, MSU had a surprisingly easy time in beating arch rival Michigan, 79-62.
Junior guard Tre Holloman had a day to remember, potting a career-best 20 points with three treys and three boards while shooting the lights out (8-for-12). He finished strong with at least 11 points and three treys in each of the last two games.
Holloman has improved each season with the Spartans, and while he struggled with his shooting (most of the time), he got way more touches in 2024-25. He also hoisted up more attempts from deep, but again, was not as sharp as he was in his sophomore season. Holloman, who clearly loves being a Spartan (see video below), also got in a bit more foul trouble this season.
He has shown he can score off the dribble, but his shooting needs work, so he is not expected to be drafted should he declare for 2025. If everything breaks right, maybe he can be Jrue Holiday Lite.
Could Illini Make Deep Tourney Run?
After winning 29 games and going to the NCAA Regional Final last year, the Illinois Fighting Illini slumped to 20 wins in 2024-25, making them a long shot to make the Final Four (+1300 as per FanDuel).
While that win total seems disappointing, consider that Illinois is one of just four programs (Gonzaga, Houston and San Diego State) to win at least 20 regular season games in each of the last half dozen seasons. And given that the 24th ranked Fighting Illini head into the Big 10 tournament on a three-game win streak, including upsets over Michigan and Purdue, this is a team that cannot be overlooked.
Playing the hero last Friday was leading scorer/assist man Kasparas Jakucionis, as he hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 40 seconds on the clock to lead Illinois to victory in the regular season finale.
Although he also had seven assists, it was another quiet offensive game for freshman guard, who failed to top 14 points in four of his last five outings. Still, the Lithuanian native shot very well in his first college campaign, earning All-Freshman Second Team honours on noted college basketball scribe Andy Katz’s list.
Assuming he declares for the 2025 draft, Jakucionis will be a lottery pick, likely going in the top 10. In fact, some consider him to be Luka Doncic Lite, which has to whet the appetite of Fantasy owners in dynasty leagues.
Jakucionis has good size for a PG and is strong and just athletic enough (not a strength of his, to be sure) to survive in the NBA, but he’ll need to improve the consistency of his jump shot. If everything breaks right, he could be a star.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Composer Bjork has a three-octave vocal range. In 1993, she released her debut album, appropriately titled Debut. The fourth single was “Big Time Sensuality,” and here’s the Minimix remix — one of three versions Fluke did for this song,