The latest Rauf Report focuses on Kasparas Jakucionis, DJ Wagner, Jaland Lowe and Jacksen Moni — and why they’ll dictate the rest of their team’s respective seasons.
A slow week in college basketball was given a jolt on Tuesday when AJ Dybantsa, the top prospect in the 2025 recruiting class and presumptive top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, announced his commitment to BYU live on ESPN’s First Take.
BYU head coach Kevin Young had long been in pursuit of Dybantsa, and the talented wing’s commitment makes him the first five-star recruit to commit to the Cougars in the modern era. Unprecedented NIL numbers were floated and undoubtedly helped secure his commitment, but Dybantsa told First Take that Young’s NBA background makes Provo the best place for him.
“A lot stood out on my visit,” Dybantsa said. “Obviously, coach Kevin Young is there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, and he coached my favorite player of all time in Kevin Durant.” But he wasn’t just sold on that connection to his idol.
“From the head coach all the way down to the analytics guy, all the way to the dietitians, it’s an NBA staff,” Dybantsa added. “If it’s all NBA and I’m trying to get to the NBA, I think it’s going to be the best development program.”
BYU now has three commitments for 2025, which ranks among the top 10 classes in the country, per On3.
Meanwhile, the Cougars were one of many teams that played against a lesser opponent this week as students deal with final exams and work in final tune-ups before conference play begins. That led to a lack of high-profile matchups across the sport, but it doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of meaningful takeaways from the past few days.
Let’s start this Rauf Report with a look at Louisville, which narrowly survived an upset bid from UTEP.
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Louisville living — but mostly dying — with the three
Pat Kelsey’s offense is predicated on playing at a fast pace and shooting a lot of 3-pointers. His teams at Winthrop and Charleston ranked in the top 51 nationally in each of the last nine years, as well as top 70 in 3-point rate in 10 of his 12 career seasons.
His first Louisville team is no different. Kelsey built this group with a myriad of versatile guards who are quality shooters and can create off the dribble.
Injuries to Kasean Pryor, Aboubacar Traore and Koren Johnson have shortened the rotation and limited the potential lineup options for Kelsey, but the overall style of play is still the same.
And it hasn’t been working.
Per CBB Analytics, Louisville is the only power conference team in the country getting at least 30 percent of its points from 3-pointers while also shooting below 30 percent from the arc:
After building a double-digit lead in the first half against Duke and looked like they might cruise to a marquee win. Instead, they scored just 35 points over the final 28:35 and let the Blue Devils come back. Poor shooting was also the main culprit in losses to Tennessee and Ole Miss.
Personnel limitations are playing a role, but this Louisville team hasn’t shown a backup plan when Plan A — running the floor and shooting 3-pointers — backfires. They are truly living by the old “live by the three, die by the three” mantra, and they’re landing on the wrong end of that more often than not.
The ACC is pretty wide open after Duke, so Louisville has an opportunity to string together a lot of wins in conference play. Whether it will, however, will come down to if the Cardinals make their 3-pointers or can develop another plan of attack.
Kasparas Jakucionis is the superstar Illinois needs
Illinois only returned one player from last season’s Elite Eight team and that player — Ty Rodgers — is redshirting and is expected to hit the transfer portal. Brad Underwood brought in a talented group, but someone needed to step up as a leader for the Illini.
Star freshman Kasparas Jakucionis has proven to be that guy.
The 6-6 point guard has scored at least 20 points in four straight games, headlined by a career-high 24 points in Tuesday night’s victory over Wisconsin:
It wasn’t your average hot streak: Jakucionis joined Trae Young as the only freshmen in college basketball history to score at least 80 points in a four-game stretch while also notching 25 rebounds, 20 assists and 15 made 3-pointers.
“He’s listed as a freshman, but he’s not. He’s got a lot more experience than most freshmen,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard told reporters Tuesday, referencing Jakucionis’ experience in Europe.
Indeed, Jakucionis thrived for FC Barcelona’s second team and was already on the radar of NBA teams before arriving in Champaign. After an inconsistent first four marred by turnovers, the 18-year-old has truly settled in and found his groove.
As it stands, Jakucionis is the best player on the court no matter who is on the other side, giving Illinois a distinct advantage in virtually every game it plays. His star turn could swing what is projected to be a very tight race atop the Big Ten.
Wagner emerging as Arkansas’ most important player
Arkansas picked up its first marquee win of the season on Tuesday in a comeback victory over Michigan. It was also DJ Wagner’s best performance in a Razorback uniform, which isn’t a coincidence.
Earlier this week on Sleepers Media, I discussed how Wagner’s play solidified him as the Razorbacks’ most important player — even if he isn’t the best:
Jaland Lowe is the country’s most underrated player
Similarly, the highlight of a slow slate on Wednesday night was Pitt guard Jaland Lowe and his 11-point, 12-assist performance — in just 25 minutes — against Eastern Kentucky. The Panthers won the game easily, but Lowe’s continued high level of play has put him with elite company. But for whatever reason, few people are talking about him that way.
It’s why I think he’s the most underrated player in the country:
Jacksen Moni could wreck your bracket in March
Another overlooked player that could play a large role in March is North Dakota State’s Jacksen Moni. A decorated player in Division II, the Fargo native has been crushing it for the Bison.
The 6-10, 235-pounder is second on the team in scoring (17.0 ppg) while leading it in rebounds (5.8) and blocks (0.7). What makes Moni especially unique, however, is his ability to do guard-like things at a high level, too. He also leads NDSU in assists (3.6) and is shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range on nearly six attempts per game.
In fact, Moni is one of just four players in the country that can match his shooting and assist rates, per Bart Torvik. The other three — all point guards — include National Player of the Year favorite Kam Jones and Big 12 POY frontrunner Keshon Gilbert.
Throw in Moni’s rebounding numbers, and there’s no one else like him in the country. According to EvanMiya’s individual player profile, there are only two real weaknesses in Moni’s game: He doesn’t come up with steals, which is normal for a big man, and he fouls too much, which may be due to the transition to Division I.
Moni has already demonstrated his ability to produce against power conference opponents, too. He scored 25 points in North Dakota State’s 71-68 victory over Butler this week, including the Bison’s last seven points to come back and seal the win.
He is just part of what makes NDSU a team to watch, though. The Bison currently boast a top-70 offense, per KenPom, and shoot more 3-pointers than anyone else. With Jacari White playing at a high level in the backcourt and Moni proving to be a major matchup problem up front, North Dakota State looks like a very dangerous Summit League squad.