Illinois vs. Wisky

Tonight @ 6pm
Where? I'm open to suggestions. Shoot me an email.

The rest of America needs to take a cue from New Orleans and make the Monday after every Super Bowl a national holiday. I mean, the Super Bowl itself is already the single greatest celebration of American patriotism aside from Independence Day – apologies to President’s Day, Thanksgiving, Kasmir Polaski Day, and Bastille Day.

A favorite part of Big Sunday is always the commercials. At my office, that was the topic of conversation. Forget the masterful performance of Saints QB Drew Breeze or the 5 lb balls Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, my coworkers wanted to talk about Betty White, free breakfast at Denny’s, and a house built out of Bud Light. Personally, I liked e-Trade (that Milk-o-holic Lyndsey), Doritos (keep your hands off my mama), and Budweiser Auto-Tune.
They were all pretty good, but let me show you some of the best of all time…Super Bowl and non-Super Bowl included.

Terry Tate Office Linebacker

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You kill the Joe. You make some mo’!

The pain train is coming. Woo! Woo!

You know you need a cover sheet on the TPS report, Richard! That ain’t new baby.

Bud Light Swear Jar

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Can I borrow your pen? Can I borrow your f!$%ing pen?

Phil Collins

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Phil Collins radio anyone?

Before Sunday’s game, Peyton Manning was ready to be crowned the best QB of all-time. While I am a huge Peyton Manning fan, Drew Brees is as under appreciated as they come. There was a stat during the 10+ hours of pre-game that compared Manning and Brees over the past 6 year. They had the same amount of touchdown passes but Brees had 1200 more yards passing. Unfortunately, even with this Super Bowl victory, Brees is not considered in the same caliber as Manning. Well, not unless he wins another Super Bowl.

Another underappreciated athlete suits up tonight for the Illini. He’s #32, and he was just named co-Big10 Player of the Week (the other half of the award was his high school running mate Evan Turner). McCamey has accounted for 49% of the Illini offense during Big10 play; he is 9th in the country in assists; and he is on pace to have the single highest assist total in school history - the most since Deron Williams. At the beginning of the season, I could barely find a fan in Illini nation to believe in D Mac’s ability as a point guard and a leader. McCamey is changing a lot of minds this year. Will he ever be mentioned in the same breath as Deron Williams? Not yet. I think he’ll have to pull a Drew Brees.

Wisky

Like Michigan State on Saturday, Wisconsin is missing their leading scorer in 6’10” center Jon Leuer. Still, Wisky has been defying the odds all year, and they are practically unbeatable at Kohl. We will need to play even better than we did on Saturday to knock off the Badgers.

Freshman guard DJ Richardson had an amazing dunk in traffic Saturday. We need him to play lock down defense against Senior guard Trevon Hughes. Whatever happens, it’s going to be downright insane at the Kohl. The winner of this game is in the driver seat for the Big10 title. It’s going to be a good one.


Wisconsin – 59
Illinois – 63


Sincerely,
Abe Vigoda

Illinois vs. Purdon't

Tonight, 8pm @ The Yard
Shoot me an email if you're going to make it.


How about a little psych experiment? We’ll call it the college basketball version of the Rorshach test. Take a look at each of the pictures below and write down the first three words that come to mind.

1) Brian Cardinal

















2) Jess Settles





















3) Lucas Johnson
















4) Tom Coverdale




















5) Dane Fife

6) Greg Paulus















7) Chris Kramer

With the exception of #2, I have a feeling that each of these pictures made your blood boil. Brian Cardinal’s knee pads never lost a game to Illinois in his 4 years at Purdue; Dane Fife once bit Iowa’s Duez Henderson on national television; and Tom Coverdale was so despised that Illini student section booed him every time he touched the ball in Champaign (even during warm-ups). Each of these players would get so deep under the skin of opposing teams that they could change a game.

Earlier in the year I thought the Illini needed a defensive stopper from the past, but now I am convinced they need a little more. They need something like the guys shown above - a player that seems like he’s been in the conference forever, one who scraps during every play.

He’ll dive after loose balls (sometimes even when there is no chance to save it – always a fan favorite), he’ll take charges (sometimes flopping and many times getting the call), he’ll always get tangled up with the opposing teams best player (usually ending with his hands in the air proclaiming innocence), and at some point in his career he'll wear one of those plastic face masks because his nose was broken mixing it up.

Lucas Johnson once got Lute Olson so riled up that Arizona Head Coach ran out onto the court to complain to ref and pointed directly at Johnson, “He’s crazy!” Bill Self once said, “Lucas isn’t dirty; Lucas is annoying,”

I want a guy like this to come play for the Illini. This player could give the Illini some personality and be a character to rally behind when momentum seems like it's working against us.

Purdue

Purdue has one of those guys in Chris Kramer. Kramer seems like he’s been at Purdue since the late 90s. He’s a blue collar guy – a glue man that gets his nose dirty and his team riled up. Kramer is a defensive stopper who I expect to follow Dimitri McCamey all game; heck, he might even follow McCamey into the Illini huddle. After being ranked as high as 4th in the AP top 25, Purdue is now 7th in the Big10 coming off back-to-back-to-back losses.

This scares me. If we had problems with Michigan States pressure on Saturday, I am scared to think what is going to happen when the Boilermakers try to put the shackles on Illinois. Turnovers will be key. We have to hold on to the basketball – 12 or less turnovers please. We also have to crash the boards. JaJuan Johnson is an animal down low for Purdue. The second key to anIllini victory is to protect the glass. We did well on the boards for the first 15 minutes Saturday, but we fell off late in the game.

Bill Cole or Tyler Griffey, one of you has to put on your Lucas Johnson jersey if we want to win.

Illinois – 72
Purdon't - 69


Sincerely,
Victor Chukwedebe Spitz

Illinois vs. Mizzery

Illini Game Preview
Tonight – 8:30 tip
Meet me at Rebel!

Why Bruce Weber Should Read the New Yorker

While Georgia’s upset victory over the Illini Saturday was not David over Goliath, it was improbable. Georgia was 4-4 going into Saturday with losses to Wofford, UAB, and St. John's. They were picked to finish last in a mediocre SEC. And, they took a 34 point a$$ whupping courtesy of the Illini only a year ago. So how exactly does Georgia beat Illinois? Ask Malcolm Gladwell. The popular Economist who wrote Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers also wrote an amazing article for the New Yorker on this very topic.

The gist of the article: if you are the underdog, don’t play straight up. Do something different, surprise your opponent. Gladwell cites research from political Scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft in making his point. Toft analyzed every war fought in the last 200 years and found that the superior army won 71.5% of the time. Digging deeper, Toft looked at conflicts where one side was at least ten times more powerful than the other and found that when the underdog used an unconventional strategy, its winning percentage jumped to 63.6%. If Georgia had played the Illini straight up, they would have lost by 15 points. Instead, Georgia switched from press to zone to man and didn’t let the Illini get into a rhythm. David beat Goliath.

From here on out, Illinois will be assuming the role of David. We must acknowledge our weaknesses and use unorthodox strategies to compensate. Our rebounding and post defense is soft, so we should double and triple the post, put opposing big men in foul trouble, and bring in subs to hack, push, and punish the other team’s center. Our team defense is also struggling, so why not use the press that was so effective at the end of the Georgia game and against Clemson. Let’s change it up just like Georgia and keep the Big10 guessing.

Coach Weber or IGP readers, if you are interested in reading more about Gladwell’s theories about the underdog (and the full court press), check out the article online (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell). It’s a bit long but well worth the read.

Mizzery

If the Illini had any trouble getting up for Saturday’s game against Georgia, there won’t be a lack of adrenaline during tonight's match-up versus bitter rival Missouri Tigers. Illinois is going for their 10th straight win in the series. Mizzery’s best player is 6’6” swingman Kim English. English scores 16.1ppg and trained over the summer with former Illini point guard Chester Frazier who is also from Maryland. Fortunately, Mizzery’s front line is almost as frail as the Illini. Take a peek at this story about string bean freshmen John Underwood - http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/12/22/missouri-mens-basketball-forward-gains-weight-compete/. Underwood is 6’9” and weighs 190lbs. I could replace his name with Tisdale’s and no one would know the difference.

Missouri likes to press so it won’t be good enough to just beat the press, we have to score off the press and make them pay for being over aggressive. Look for our freshmen guards to feed off the intensity of the evening and light up St. Louis. DJ and Brandon, I want 30pts and 5 steals between the two of you.

Illinois – 76
Missouri – 68


Sincerely,
Loyola-Maryland

Illinois vs. The Comodore 64s

Illini Game Preview
Tonight - 7:30 tip
We're headed to the Schoolyard. Shoot me an email, or leave a comment below if you're going to make it.



What an amazing comeback last week against Clemson. Down 23 points in the first half, Illinois made a furious comeback to win in the final minute of the Big10-ACC match-up. Our young team showed tremendous heart, and it ranks right up there with the Arizona Elite 8 game, last year’s Northwestern comeback, and a similar early season 20 point comeback against Seton Hall in 2000.

I love the heart emanating from this year’s team, but I’m a little concerned about the defense. During Bruce Weber’s reign as head coach, Illini teams have gained a reputation for hard-nosed, man-to-man defense. This season, our defensive statistics are pretty poor…especially when considering the level of competition.

Opposing teams are scoring a lot of points against us, they’re shooting pretty well, and we aren’t getting nearly as many steals as we should with all our guards. I see 3 areas where teams are taking advantage of the Illini.

1. Post Defense: Our big men aren’t the thickest trees in the forest, and sometimes it shows in our post defense. Junior Forward Mike Davis tends to put both hands straight in the air - making him tall…but not very wide. Davis needs to get low and wide and utilize the ‘arm bar’. NBA guards in the 80’s and 90’s utilized the hand check to slow down and steer their man in the direction they wanted. The arm bar is a similar technique where a big man will put his forearm and hip into the side of the offensive player. See Dennis Rodman for the arm-bar and textbook post defense.

2. On the Ball Defense: Opposing teams are getting to the rim way to easy. Boise State had 16 layups on Saturday. We have a lot of young players who are not used to the speed of D1 hoops.


3. Defense Against the Pick & Roll. Our big men are taught to hedge against screens and recover to their man. When we use a heavy hedge, it leaves our team vulnerable against ball reversals. We have to improve our defensive rotations after the roll. Team defense.

Coach Weber saw the same things against Clemson and switched to zone in the 2nd half to keep Clemson on their toes. Surprising? Yes. Especially when you consider that Assistant Coach Jay Price could only think of 2.5 possessions in the last seven years that the Illini played zone. In the NFL, defenses switch their looks and formations each play to confuse the offense. I’d love to see Illinois use a few different zones sporadically as a change of pace.

My second adjustment? Press. In two of the four comebacks mentioned earlier (Arizona and Northwestern), Illinois utilized a tight press to make up a ton of ground. Even in last year’s disappointing tournament loss to Western Kentucky, we were down 17 with five minutes, but utilized full court pressure to get within 4 at the final buzzer. We’ve got the guards and the speed, so lets throw it out there for 3-4 minutes a game.



Vanderbilt



Illinois topped the Commodores 69-63 in last year’s contest, but Vandy returns all starters in 2009. Watch the match-up between Vandy’s 6’11’ Center AJ Ogilvy and Illini big man Mike Tisdale. Ogilvy is scoring 14ppg and pulling down 7 boards a contest.

Illini Guard Demetri McCamey came up big last year with 23 points on five 3-pointers. Interesting Fact: Clemson went on a 23-4 run after McCamey picked up his 3rd foul last Wednesday. McCamey, like another brilliant former guard named Frank Williams, gets unfairly blamed for too many of Illinois’ basketball problems. McCamey is our best player, he played amazing on Saturday, and I expect him to continue to be the engine that makes this team run.

Illinois – 81
Commodore 64s – 75




Sincerely,
Devan Cunningham

Illinois vs. the Ligers

Illini Game Preview
6:15 tip off @ Clemson
I'll be in class, but a few folks are headed to The Pony on Belmont.


One of my favorite parts of college sports is getting a group of new players to cheer for every year. This year, we have 4 new Illini. Let me introduce them to you:

#1 - DJ Richardson: DJ is the most highly touted of the freshmen, and so far his defense and leadership skills earned the most praise from Head Coach Bruce Weber. Richardson is averaging 9.5 ppg during the first 6 games of the season but only scored 3 and 5 in losses to Utah and Bradley.

#2 - Brandon Paul: Sporting a loud faux hawk and a quiet on court demeanor, Paul has been my favorite newcomer in the early going. Aside from the fact that Paul's father was the police liaison where my mom taught, Paul attacks the front of the rim with an aggression we have not seen at Illinois since the likes of Kenny Battle. Paul has a scorer's mentality, and can get hot from anywhere on the court.

#3 - Joseph Bertrand: Hailing from Sterling, IL, Bertrand won the state of Illinois high school dunk contest last year. I cannot wait to see him start running the floor and rising above the rim. Unfortunately, Bertrand had arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-November and will not return to practice until later this week.

#42 - Tyler Griffey: Griffey is the lone big man of the class of 2013 (that makes me feel old...by the way, these guys were born in the 90's), and at 6-8 225, he already outweighs Junior Forward Mike Davis. Griffey has a strong mid-range game and should play a few minutes a game spelling the Mike's.

You never know what you are going to get with freshmen. I fully expect us to lose some games we should win (see Utah/Bradley) and win some games we should lose. Either way, the expectations are high for this talented group, and it will be great fun getting to know them better.

Taking on the Ligers

Oh man, do I love Thanksgiving! I have a November tradition of visiting Lou Mitchell's 1 week before Thanksgiving to take on their turkey dinner as a warm up for the big day. This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents’ house. Mom, you outdid yourself - delicious.

My uncle went to Illinois and we talk a lot of Illini basketball. "Mike, how are the Illini going to be this year?"

High on an overdose of tryptophan, I took inspiration from the meal in front of me. "Steve, for the rest of the season, I want you to equate success to the food on this dining room table. On their own, they are a collection of dishes, but together, they make the best meal of every year.

"You see that beautiful bird over there. The turkey is the centerpiece. For the Illini, the metaphoric turkey is our returning starters: point guard Demetri McCamey, Davis, and Tisdale. If our veteran leaders can combine for 40 points or more, the odds are in our favor to pull out the W.

"Toots, (Yes, I have a cousin we call Toots. Her real name is Shirley.) potatoes please. This is Senior Forward Dominique Keller. He brings it every night, and he scores in unorthodox ways. Mashed, baked, fried, it doesn’t matter because it tastes so good.

"Now pass me the stuffing. Comfort food. What makes you feel more comfortable than when the announcer talks about a shooting guard named Jordan. Jeffrey is no Michael, but I like the defense he played at the end of last year, and he can give some solid minutes when we need a stop."

"Dad, it's time for some cranberries and gravy. The toppers...adding a little acid and a little base. These are the freshmen, Paul (cranberries) and Richardson (gravy). You never know how they're going to come out, but they can really make this meal hum."

"Let's not forget some corn or the green bean casse-role players: Semaru, Griffey, and Junior Guard Alex Legion. I really hope Legion can graduate into gravy or stuffing, but he hasn’t shown it yet."

"Mike, that's a lot of food."

"No Steve, this is a masterpiece that delivers the kind of delicate balance that we will need to win against Clemson. It's basketball season, and my mouth is watering."

Illinois - 73
Ligers - 71


Sincerely,
The First Ever Big10 Winner in 'The Challenge"

IGP Tournament Preview

Part I


Do you remember the 2005 Illinois vs. Arizona Elite 8 game? Do you remember the frustration you felt when the Illini were down 12 with 6 minutes left? Or the terror in your gut when the deficit increased to 15 with only 4 minutes on the clock? How were we going to come back? Was it even possible? Then a ray of hope; we cut it to 7 - a minute 20 remaining. Was it possible? Then, in the blink of an eye, a Deron Williams 3 pointer sends the game to overtime - goosebumps. In overtime Luther Head hits a breakaway lay-up to go ahead, the comeback is complete. MAYHEM.

I watched the 2005 Illini-Zona game on the Big10 Network last night (thanks AC). I still got scared when we were down late, and I still cheered after every bucket. But I also realized that this game represents everything that is great about the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness is here.


The Big Ten Tournament

Complements to Indianapolis, Conseco Field House, and the Big Ten Tournament last weekend. I headed out there for a bachelor party, and we watched the 7 different games. Before getting to the meat and potatoes of the IGP Tourney Edition, I'd like to share some of my observations.

• MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo doesn't make any substitutions. While Izzo is coaching the game on the floor, his assistants actually make all the subs.


• It's easy to sit in the front row at the Big10 or NCAA Tournament. On Saturday, after MSU lost to OSU, Ryback and I walked down from the nosebleeds and scored front row seats (some of you saw us on TV). After MSU lost, we stood outside the fan section and as fans left we asked, "Are you sticking around for the 2nd game? Can I have your ticket stub?" The 5th person I talked to handed over 2 golden ticket stubs.


• Goran Sutan's parents are tall. After Illinois fell behind 10, I glanced at the guy sitting 2 seats to my left. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "It's going to be a long game son." Then his wife said in a thick Eastern European accent, "Vy don't ze just pound de bowl inside?" "I must be sitting next to Goran Sutan's parents," I thought. Sure enough, when they got up to leave at half time, mom was 5'10" and dad was about 6'5" and wearing a pin with Goran's picture. They gave us their ticket stubs before they left.


• PSU got robbed. They finished tied with Wisky and ahead of Minnesota and Michigan, yet didn't make the tournament. You can bet that they will be scheduleing a tougher pre-conference schedule next year.

The Big Show

The brackets are due before tip-off tomorrow. So here are a few tips to guide you through the field of 64.

Illinois - We drew the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in round 1. Ding Ding. Let's go. The Hilltoppers started the season 7-5 and finished 24-8. At 14-3 in their last 17 games, they are hot. They even knocked off #1 seed Louisville back in November. Four players score in double figures for the Hilltoppers, but their front line is undersized. Their top rebounder is 6'5" and their center is 6'9", 190lbs.

Illinois - 67

Hilltoppers - 58

All the bracketologists, upsetologists, and even proctologists are picking the Hilltoppers in an upset. If you are thinking about listening to these "experts", I want you to listen to me first. Illinois will not lose. Next, listen to the best odds maker in the world - Vegas. Illinois is favored by 5 points in this contest. Follow your heart.

Who's Hot - Take a look at which teams ended the season hot (except the Hilltoppers) - ride them a few games. Purdue (Final Four), Syracuse (Elite 8), USC (upset BC), and Memphis (Elite 8) all finished the season strong. I was extremely impressed watching Purdue roll through the Big Ten Tournament. With Robbie Hummel healthy, Purdue is looking like the team everyone expected at the start of the year. JaJuan Johnson is impressively athletic down low; Chris Kramer can defend and threw down a nasty dunk in the first half vs. PSU; and Lewis Jackson is a speedy point guard who can drive and dish. I have Purdue in my Final Four.

Top Dawgs with Experience - Davidson should have been entered into the NCAAs just so we could see Stephon Curry again. Who will be this year's Curry? Syracuse Sophomore Eric Devendorf is a thug (suspended earlier for domestic violence), but he is a gunner in the form of Jerry McNamara. You saw him almost close out UConn in overtime number...I don't know, there were so many. Scottie Reynolds from Villanova is another guy who can score. He put up 22 ppg in wins against Notre Dame, Providence, and Marquette during the Big East tournament (he went on to score 2 points in the final - yikes). Speaking of Marquette, Chicago product Jerel McNeal averaged 19.7 ppg in the Big East. Dude can play.

Fat Point Guards - Fat point guards tend to do very well in the NCAA tournament. Khalid El-Amin and Mateen Cleeves both won National Championships while carrying a little extra baby fat. This year, Levance Fields is your chubby point guard of choice. Averaging 7.6 assists a game, Fields is like a truck barreling into the lane. I have Pitt in the National Championship.

I hate the Midwest Bracket - To me, Louisville is overrated as the overall number 1. They only lost 5 games this year, but 1 of them was to the Hilltoppers and another was a 33 point a$$ whupping by a miserable Notre Dame team. They had some close games this year, and I think they are ripe for an upset. The only problem is that I hate every other team in their bracket. MSU didn't impress me last weekend, and I absolutely hate Kansas. Could Wake do it? Probably not. Maybe WVU, but they have to get by Dayton. This bracket is a tough one to call. I got nothing.

There you have it. I am so ready for tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Cinderella


PS...Got any upset specials? Post them in the comments section.

Illinois vs. the Curse of Ed DeChellis

Illini Game Preview
Tonight @ PSU


The Golden Netter's

It's March. And March is quite possibly the best month of the year. All the great hoops we've been watching will culminate with the greatest sporting event (and drinking event) in all the world...the NCAA Tournament (and St. Patrick's Day). As we wrap up the regular season, I present you with the first annual Golden Netter's - an award ceremony that looks back on the season to date.

Any good award show starts off with a monologue, so to honor both college basketball and St. Patrick's Day, I wrote a limerick.

March is such a wondrous time of the year.
When the Illini play their last game I shed a tear.
I hope we can score,
And play a bunch more
If not, we'll sit, watch hoops, and drink beer.

And now the awards...

Golden Netter All Big Ten Team
Kalin Lucas
Talor Battle
Evan Turner
Manny Harris
JaJuan Johnson

You're probably surprised that there are no Illini on my All Big Ten Team. This is not a shot at our squad, but more of a testament to the fact that we have overachieved all year long.

Golden Netter Coach of the Year
Pat Knight

Why not Oklahoma's Jeff Capel, Clemson's Oliver Purnell, or even our very own Bruce Weber? Motivational technique...that's why. Pat Knight is the offspring of a man who once choked a player and hurled chairs onto the floor to inspire his team; so it's in his genes. With his team down by a basket early, Knight brought a 12 year old fan into the center of the Red Raiders huddle and asked him if he could hit a lay-up. When the young man answered, "yes", Knight laughed maniacally and said that he was a better ball player than some of the guys on his team. Crazy, I know, but it worked. The Texas Tech Red Raiders were able to coast to a 69-55 victory over Stephen F. Austin. Look out Matt Foley.

Golden Netter's Coach Most Likely to Appear in a KFC Commercial
Rick Pitino




















Caption: What? Did you just call me Colonel Sanders?

Golden Netter Half Court Shot of the Year
During halftime of a recent Maryland game, one fan took a 1/2 court shot blindfolded for $500,000. After the shot, the fans erupted and the poor fella thought he won a cool half million. Unfortunately, it was all a prank set up by his friend. Check it out on the College Humor website - http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1902812. Apparently, this is the latest in an ongoing prank war. In a previous prank, Amir (who took the half-court shot) set up his friend (Tweety) by purchasing time on the Yankee's scoreboard for an in game proposal for the clueless Tweety and his then girlfriend. Tweety's girlfriend was not happy when she found out that the couple was set up.

The Curse of Ed DeChillis

There are 2 reasons why the Penn State Nittany Lions have defeated the Illini 3 straight times: Big Ten Golden Netter Award Winner Talor Battle and a Head Coach with a name so grand that it has 3 capitalized letters - Ed DeChellis. Both these guys are bonified Illini killers. Battle is almost as fast as Kalin Lucas, and the Illini had all sorts of problems with Lucas on Sunday. Battle is going to get to the front of the rim no matter who Illinois throws at him. The key will be for the Illini big men to check Battle and make sure he doesn't get any freebies.

DeChellis has the Illini's number number right now. He drew up a defense that held the Illini to 33 points in their last meeting. Given how tough PSU was, I took a peak at their scores throughout the season. They allow 62 points a game (7th in the Big Ten) and only two teams have not scored more than 50 points on PSU this year - Illinois 33 and Army 45 (not great company). I'll consider our 33 points a fluke. Sophomore Center Mike Tisdale was key in the 2nd half rally on Sunday, and he'll have a big time height advantage over PSU's undersized front court. It's always tough to win on the road on senior night - we should have another fight on our hands tonight.


Illinois - 60
Ed Dechillis - 54


Sincerely,
March