Russian guard Egor Demin is the primary focus right now. I think other schools will begin to pop up as possible destinations for him, but Illinois is working it very hard. Sounds like Demin may prefer to play college ball rather than stay in the Real Madrid system.

There are backup plans to Demin should that fall through. There are a few names from the transfer portal, players withdrawing from the NBA draft, etc.

Former Samford and Chicago State guard Wesley Cardet Jr. signed a national letter of intent with Providence and is also an early entry candidate. He hasn't yet enrolled at Providence. If he wants to open things up, he would need to decide in the next few days.

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Florida State wing Jamir Watkins is another early entry in the Draft and he also entered the transfer portal at the deadline. He'll have a ton of interest should he withdraw from the draft and return to college basketball.

15.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg this year for Seminoles and shot 34.4% from three. He was invited to the NBA Draft Combine May 12-19 and has until May 29 to withdraw and retain his college eligibility.

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We have previously mentioned Chaz Lanier (North Florida), Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) and Wooga Poplar (Miami) as wings available in the portal. They are all also going through the draft process.

Another possible to name to track is Miles Kelly from Georgia Teach. He hit the portal near the deadline and also entered the NBA Draft after averaging 13.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg for the Ramblin' Wreck.

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As reported by the News-Gazette:

Three-year contract worth $2.775 million total.

Antigua's new contract would run from May 17 this year through April 30, 2027.

The first year of the contract is worth $900,000, with Antigua set to receive $25,000 annual salary increases in the next two years.

Thx

Back into the B1G with the Washington Huskies. We will get to see him play.

Was one of the prized recruits in the class of 2024.

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Sounds like Croatian big man Tomislav Ivisic may be close to a done deal. Stand by…

Buffalos go down 56-14 to Washington State. They’ve managed to lose five straight in dropping to 4-7 on the year. They finish the season at #16 Utah and it looks like LOTS of creaning will be needed.

Wonder if Aflac will photoshop him out of their commercials now.

Doug, any word on transfer targets? I see kids are committing quickly to other programs.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Fighting Illini junior Jackson Buchanan, who was recognized earlier this week as a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Conference first team, has also been named Big Ten Golfer of the Year.

"I am so happy for Jackson to be recognized as the Big Ten Golfer of the Year," head coach Mike Small said. "Jackson has had a very successful and consistent season, and his record speaks for itself. As his coach, it is great to see his dedication and outstanding play recognized by the conference."

Buchanan's recognition marks the 15th Big Ten Golfer of the Year honor for the Fighting Illini program, and the fourth straight for the Orange and Blue dating back to 2021.

Buchanan, a native of Dacula, Georgia, is the Big Ten's top-rated golfer in the NCAA Division I individual rankings where he ranked 11 spots ahead of the next-highest rated league contender prior to balloting. Building on his sophomore campaign in which he earned All-America status as the runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Championship, Buchanan has continued to improve and posted a career-best season stroke average of 70.65, on pace for the sixth-best mark in Illinois' program history.

Entering play at the NCAA Stanford Regional, Buchanan has recorded two individual tournament victories on the season – at the Purdue Fall Invitational in September and the Duck Invitational in March – tied for the top mark in the Big Ten. He narrowly missed out on a third as runner-up at the Big Ten Conference Championship last weekend. Buchanan has posted four top-three finishes, eight top-10s, and has closed as the Illini's top finisher in a team-leading four tournaments, while pacing the Orange and Blue with 11 rounds in the 60s and 13 rounds under par.

Buchanan shares the 2023-24 Big Ten Golfer of the Year honor with Purdue's Herman Sekne, who was recognized in the conference's initial announcement before an update was issued Friday due to an incorrect ballot submission.

according to CollegeFootballNews.com is:

the 33rd hardest schedule in the FBS division. 134 teams in FBS

We are tied with Washington.

Our 2024 FBS opponents schedules (from easiest to hardest):
110 Central Michigan
53 Nebraska
49 Kansas
39 Rutgers
24 Michigan State (tied with Virginia)
19 Northwestern
14 Penn State
12 Minnesota
11 Oregon
5 Michigan
4 Purdue

Other B1G teams:
62 Indiana
57 Ohio State
44 Maryland
22 Iowa
18 Wisconsin
3 UCLA
1 USC

A look across the conference here:

Home Only – Iowa, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC,
Away Only – Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington
Home & Away – Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin