Game 5 preview | Maryland-Eastern Shore at No. 25 Illinois; 3 p.m., Saturday

Lineups No.

25 Illinois (3-1) P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Kylan Boswell Jr.

6-2 8.0 Champaign G Kasparas Jakucionis Fr.

6-6 10.5 Vilnius, Lithuania G Tre White Jr.

6-7 7.8 Dallas F Ben Humrichous Gr.

6-9 12.5 Tipton, Ind.

C Tomislav Ivisic Fr.

7-1 16.5 Vodice, Croatia P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown F Will Riley Fr.

6-8 17.8 Kitchener, Ontario G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn So.

6-1 8.0 Lafayette, Ind.

F Morez Johnson Jr.

Fr.

6-9 3.5 Chicago Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-5) P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Jose Cuello Jr.

6-1 6.7 Harlem, N.Y.

G Ketron KC Shaw Jr.

6-5 23.4 Charlotte, N.C.

G Cardell Bailey Jr.

6-6 10.4 Detroit F Maurice Vassell Fr.

6-9 5.7 Brooklyn, N.Y.

F Christopher Flippin Jr.

6-8 11.9 Metairie, La.

P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Evan Johnson Gr.

6-0 13.0 Durham, N.C.

G Kyrell Shaw Fr.

6-4 9.1 Charlotte, N.C.

F Jalen Ware Gr.

6-8 4.2 Winston-Salem, N.C.

Details Beat writer Scott Richeys storylines No worries about freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis scored just four points in Illinois win against Oakland, with all of them coming from the free-throw line as he finished 0 of 3 from the field.

The least concerned person about that performance was Brad Underwood.

The Illinois coach wasnt worried about his freshman guard.

Jakucionis showed why Wednesday night against Alabama with a season-high 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting to go with six assists and four rebounds.

He was more assertive offensively, and it showed in the results.

We never doubted whether KJ was good or not, Underwood said.

KJ is one of the top players in the country, and I think most draft boards and most NBA guys would agree with that.

I thought he was just dominant in the first half in a ball screen.

Youre doing that against a team that applies a ton of pressure and a team that has an elite shot blocker.

Against drop coverages, hes as good a player as there is at making reads, making passes, spraying it and scoring it.

Johnson emerging as true rim protector The role Morez Johnson Jr.

has carved out for himself at this point of his freshman season is clear.

The 6-foot-9 big mans top priorities are rebounding and defense.

Scoring comes after when the opportunity presents itself.

Johnson had four points, four rebounds and two blocks against Alabama.

Think of what he might have done had he not committed four fouls in nine minutes.

Two more blocks against the Crimson Tide leaves the Chicago native fourth in the Big Ten at 2.2 per game.

Its kind of a read thing, but sometimes on film you can see if a guy is going to make a pass, Johnson said about his shot-blocking approach.

Some guys are not going to make the dump-off pass to the big, so I can leave my man and go block a shot.

Most of the time its still a feel thing, though.

Defending a high-volume scorer Even two games against non-Division I opponents hasnt minimized what UMES guard KC Shaw has accomplished this season as a scorer.

The Hawks No.

1 option ranks among the best in the country, averaging 23.4 points, which includes a 30-point game against Old Dominion.

And its not like Shaw is bombing away from three-point range, either.

Hes 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in seven games, while getting up nearly 100 two-pointers and getting to the free-throw line 69 times.

Hes a high-volume guy, Underwood said of Shaw.

I really like this teams offensive ability.

Theyve got guys who can really go get it, and weve got to sit down and guard the ball.

Its a great challenge.

Theyll get into some post-ups with their guards some.

Theyve got kind of a below-the-rim big guy who really runs.

Hes very good and creative around the basket.

Its a great challenge for us to continue to get better defensively.

The News-Gazettes pick No.

25 Illinois 102, Maryland-Eastern Shore 63 This isnt exactly a get-right game for Illinois.

Even after Wednesday nights loss to No.

8 Alabama.

Sure, giving up triple digits to the Crimson Tide indicates theres still room for improvement for this young, somewhat inexperienced Illini team.

But they still scored 87 points despite missing 11 free throws and running into some turnover trouble.

Still, its not like they went to Birmingham, Ala., and got completely run off the court.

That said, playing one of the bottom 10 teams in the country should allow for plenty of opportunities to fine tune that high-octane offense and at least focus on defensive fundamentals.

(News-Gazette prediction record 4-0).

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