Illinois vs. Merry Land

Illinois vs. Merry Land

Tonight @ 6:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN3

Illini fans, for the last year, our emotions have been toyed with.  We have been led on by a beautiful woman promising to meet us out for a night of drinks and dancing, but we were stood up…left waiting at the bar with a whiskey in hand. 

Last year’s basketball team started with sky high expectations, but fell flat during an up and down season that saw us lose the UIC at the United Center and barely make the NCAA tournament.  A few months later, our football team started 6-0. and we were talking Rose Bowl.  Instead, we ended up losing 6 straight and the Zooker was given his walking papers. 

What’s in store for this year’s Illini hoops team?  I have no idea.  We’re still at the bar (whiskey in hand), and we’re waiting on a blind date.  She could be drop dead sexy with long legs and an ass you could bounce quarters off of or she could show up with glasses, braces, and a slight resemblance to Mary Katherine Gallagher.

I’m hoping to put the quarters to good use, you?

Questions

After seeing a few pre-season games and the Cancun Classic (which was played at the same resort where IGP editor Matt Spitz took his honeymoon), I don’t know what to expect from these Illini.  Here are the most important questions as I see it.

How have Brandon Paul and DJ Richardson improved?

So far, DJ’s shooting has been sniper like, but neither has showed the aggression for which I was hoping.  Paul showed a few flashes against ISU…but it was ISU.  Red-shirt Sophomore Joseph Bertrand, playing solid minutes, could start stealing time from Paul.

How dominant will Meyers Leonard be against Big10 competition?

He’ll be good…as long as he can stay in the game.  Please don’t take after Robert Archibald or Mike Tisdale.

Will any of the freshman make a difference?

I like what I’ve seen so far.  Nnanna Egwu and Tracy Abrams have seen the most minutes, but my favorite player has been Mychel Henry.  He’s got great size and gets to the hoop.

Who is going to rebound for us?

Super important stat #1.

How many turnovers will we average?

Super important stat #2.

Illinois vs. Maryland

The Big10 has won the last two ACC-Big10 Challenges, but we still trail in the series 10-2.  Last year the Illini looked tremendous in a 79-67 shellacking of North Carolina.  Then we hobbled into the tournament, while UNC won the ACC and ended the year ranked #7.

The Merry-land Terrapins are playing shorthanded without 7-1 Alex Len and senior playmaker Pe’Shon Howard (broken foot).  With losses to Alabama and Iona already, the Terps are up against the ropes and are in desperate need of a W.  They have only seven scholarship players active, with Terrell Stoglin being huge bright spot (20.2 ppg). 

Illinois should plan to wear out the Terps and put their front court in foul trouble by feeding Leonard early and often.  I expect illinois to dictate the pace of the game as Maryland is without a natural point guard and any depth.  Leonard should come up aces and Sam “Butterball” Maniscalco (or Sammy 'Ice' as Pete Gillen called him in Cancun) needs to continue his consistant shooting and scoring.

Illinois – 65

Merry Land – 58

Sincerely,

Nelly

Illinois vs. Kansas

Illinois vs. Kansas

Tonight @ 7:30

I was a bit nervous as Illinois matched up against UNLV for the tip-off Friday night. The camera zoomed in, and I could see that Senior Mike Tisdale towered over Quintrell Thomas and won the opening tip. I felt a bit better, and then I felt ecstatic when Illinois came out firing and went on a 15-0 run midway through the first – would it last. From there, the Illini didn’t take their foot off the gas. Even at half time, when we were up 46-24, there were plenty of nervous Illini fans who were not going to celebrate until the final buzzer sounded. I put a bet down with the bouncer who was giving our group of Illini fans a hard time, and he was ready to pay up at intermission. There was no I was going to jinx us by collecting the bet before the game was over.

Rock Chalk Upset Hawk!

Last year, Kansas was in a similar position to where they are for tonight’s game. Playing as a number 1 seed, the Jayhawks lost a nail biter to Northern Iowa 69-67. Aside from losing to Northern Iowa, there are a few other upset losses that Bill $elf would like to forget:

There was 2005 when 14 seed Bucknell defeated KU 64-63.

Then again in 2006, number 13 Bradley pulled off the upset over KU 77-73.

Illini fans around the world are hoping to add to $elf’s growing list of choke jobs tonight. Kansas strength is their front court with twins Marcus and Markieff Morris contributing 31 points and 16 rebounds combined per game. KU runs a 4 out 1 in offense where they run a few picks to start their set, but end with one of the Morris brothers in the post and the rest of the team lining the perimeter, working the ball inside. Constant ball reversals in this set can lead to an open dunk. Tisdale and Mike Davis will have to be quick and tall in order to avoid being beat on a weak side entry pass. Likewise, the perimeter defense must cut off the passing lanes to prevent an easy basket.

Just like Wayne McClain had the inside scoop on Lon Krueger’s playbook, he will have a similar perspective on $elf’s habits tonight. McClain was an assistant coach with $elf and even planned on joining him at Kansas before he had a change of heart.

Scouting aside, we all know that Illinois goes how Dimitri McCamey goes. Illinois is 15-0 when McCamey has 7 assists or more. McCamey had the ball on a string Friday night, and he was all the more effective because his teammates were knocking down shots. Freshman Jereme Richmond would be a big help in this game, but we have no idea if he is going to play or not - so it is up to the seniors. A scary thought, but I think they are going to step up they was they did on Friday.

Illinois – 67

Upset Hawks – 66

Sincerely,

Lou Henson – The only former Illini Coach not in our bracket.

IGP Tourney Coverage: Illinois vs. The Runnin' Tarkanians

Tonight @ 8:20.

Watching games all day. Give me a ring if you want to come out.

We'll most likely end up watching the Illini at Wrightwood Tap.

By the grace of God, or the mediocrity of the rest of college basketball, our Fighting Illini somehow managed to make the NCAA tournament this year. Many of us didn’t think they would get in based on their 6-10 record since January 11. But now that their in, I know that most of you have them Final 4 bound…or at the very least, getting by UNLV tonight. I don’t blame you, we’re Illini fans, and we have it in our blood.

March is the holiest of holies for me, and for the 5^th straight, I’ll be taking the day off with several friends to watch basketball all day and drink beer. Because the Illini don’t play until 8:30, we’ll have to pace ourselves better than we have in the past. I may do some Twitter today – follow me at netter01.

Coaches of the Past

The Illini play former head coach Lon Kruger and his UNLV Running Rebels tonight. Kruger was the head coach for 3 years while I was at Illinois. A major difference between Kruger and Weber is that Kruger runs a lot of set plays, whereas most of Illinois’ points these days come from a set offense. Running set plays is something that Weber should take notes on because when the Illini go for days without scoring at the end of regulation, set plays can help break the drought. Do you remember Cory Bradford? Bradford had great success at Illinois because Kruger ran so many plays for him.

Sergio McClain is another former Illini who played under Kruger. Sergio recently sat down with his dad, Assistant Coach Wayne McClain, to watch some footage “It's really interesting because Sergio and I have been watching a lot of tape," Wayne McClain said Tuesday. "Sergio's watching it and knows the names of what Kruger is doing offensively. He actually recognized some of (the plays and sets). He gave me names." That should help. (Klee - http://www.illinihq.com/news/2011/03/15/man_in_the_middle_mcclain_binds_three_staffs/)

The Rebs have a fairly short lineup with the tallest player coming in at 6’8”. Tisdale and Davis need to control the boards for the Illini win. The Rebels also have a balanced scoring attack so there is no one player to key in on. Though, Tre’Von Willis is a 6’4” senior and leader of this club.

It’s been some time since the Illini claimed victory in the Big Dance. Let’s do it boys.

Illinois – 67

Rebelious – 63

Illinois vs. tOSU

Illinois vs. tOSU

Tonight @ 6pm

We were 21-15 last year, and we finished 5^th in the Big 10 with a 10-8 record. Typically, the top 5 teams in the Big 10 are virtually guaranteed a spot in the big dance. But last year, the tournament committee pulled the old switcheroo and put Minnesota, the #6 team, into the tournament.

This year, we sit at 17-10 overall and 7-7 in conference. Looking at the record, and judging by our recent play, I’m not sure that there are many casual Illini fans who think we are tourney bound. But what was expected to be an exceptionally strong year for the Big 10 has turned out to be very top heavy conference.

Only tOSU, Purdue, and Wisconsin have winning records in the Big 10. Illinois is actually tied for 4^th with MSU, while PSU and Michigan are only a ½ game back at 7-8. Illinois will make the tournament this year, but they will have to split the last 4 games at the very least.

TEAM	CONF	OVERALL
Ohio State	12-2	25-2
Purdue	11-3	22-5
Wisconsin	10-4	20-6
Illinois	7-7	17-10
Michigan State	7-7	15-11
Michigan	7-8	17-11
Penn State	7-8	14-12
Minnesota	6-8	17-9
Northwestern	6-9	16-10
Indiana	3-11	12-15
Iowa	3-12	10-17

I’ve been an Illini fan my entire life, and I’ve never thought of the Illini as a team that measures success based on making the tournament. We win Big 10 Titles and make deep runs in the tournament. I thought that this year was when we would return to those standards. That is why 2010-11 has been so frustrating for all of us. We returned 5 starters and 7 letter winners that were joined by a top 10 recruiting class. It is going to take a deep run in the tournament for most Illini fan to consider this season a success.

tOSU – Time to get to work.

The Muckeyes have only lost twice this year. If you missed the 2^nd loss, it was this past Saturday at the hands of the Purdue Boilermakers 76-63. What does this mean for the Illini? It means the Buckeyes are mad.

The last time we played tOSU, we were on the losing end of a hard fought, 73-68 game. Two players made the difference for tOSU. Of course, one of them was Jared Sullinger who scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in 40 minutes of play. The other player was freshman guard Aaron Craft. Craft only had 5 points in the game, but he absolutely shut down Dimitri McCamey. This was the beginning of D-Mac’s February slump.

We’re playing the #2 team in the nation after a home loss. We need more than a few players to step up and have a good game; we need everybody. We need McCamey, Mike Davis, Brandon Paul, and Jereme Richmond. We need Coach Weber, Coach Price, Coach McClain, and Coach Howard. Even Graduate Assistants Chester Frazier and Sean Harrington need to be in top form. Hell, the water boy better bring his A game. With all that, I’m still nervous.

Illinois – 61

tOSU – 65

Sincerely,

The Bubble

Illinois vs. Sparty

Tonight @ 6 p.m.

Hot and Cold

That's the story of this year's team. We really have no idea what to expect. Who is going to show up tonight?

My Encounter with A Former Illini

As promised, the movie below is a dramatization of a random encounter one of our loyal readers had with a former Illini player. The movie takes place at the entrance of Lottie's. Mark Pinsof just arrived with some friends. The basis of the story is real, but some creative liberties were taken. Enjoy.

Illinois vs. Sparty

Tonight is a big game for the Illini. After losing 2 very winnable games against Penn State and Wisconsin, we now have back to back games against the pre-season favorites Michigan State and tOSU.

After starting the season #2 in the country, MSU dropped out of the rankings last week before returning this week with a pair of wins over Wisky and Northwestern. Some are down on the Spartans, but they've had the toughest schedule in the country this year. They return the core of their team from last year in Kalin Lucas at the point and Delvon Roe and Draymond Green in the front court. In my opinion, however, Durrel Summers is the best of the bunch. He's averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds per game, and he can jump out of the gym. I'm not sure who we have that can match up with his strength.

The Illini need a win tonight, and the consistently inconsistent Mike Davis has been lousy in the last few games...he's due for a big one tonight. We need it.

Illinois - 67

MSU - 65

Sincerely,

Miles Davis

Illinois vs. the Nittany Battles

Illinois vs. The Nittany Battles
Tonight in Happy Valley @ 8pm

A Work of Art

I spent the last week of 2010 in Italy. I saw the Coliseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Michelangelo’s David, the Duomo in Florence, and much more. Still, there was one piece of art that sticks out in my mind. It left me breathless, speechless, and in awe.

It was the flawless basketball that the Illini played against the Northwestern Wildcats. Illinois missed 5 baskets in the first half – 4 field goal attempts and 1 free throw. They shot 82% from the field and 86% from beyond the arc. It wasn’t just their shooting that was on point, it was their execution and passing that left me thinking of a certain Illini team from 5 years ago.

I’m not saying that this team is on the same level as our Final Four bid from 2005, but on Thursday, January 6, they were.

Winter Movies on Their Way

I promised last week that we would have an original short film directed by Mark Pinsof. The film is in production and should be ready very soon. The 2 man play is very different from Pinsof’s previous work (I wouldn’t feel comfortable showing that stuff on this site anyway), and I guarantee you’ll be looking for a sequel. The current title is Tales from the bench. "My encounter with _________". You will find out Pinsof’s co-star next week.

Fear Ed Dechellis

Starting out conference play 4-0 would be outstanding because our next swing of games comes against 3 of the toughest teams in the conference: Wisky, Sparty, and tOSU.

The scouting report for the Illini is simple in theory but difficult in practice – stop Tailor Battle. Penn State just knocked Sparty out of the top 25 with a 66-62 victory last week. Battle hit a huge shot late in the game to seal the win. Jeff Brooks is Penn State’s other senior leader who played well against MSU. Brooks is averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds per game.

DJ Richardson will probably draw the assignment of chasing Battle. But it isn’t the one-on-one match-up that it is important. How the Illini rotate on help defense will be very important. When Battle breaks free, the post players have to rotate over to stop ball. This often leaves a Penn State forward open under the basket – usually Brooks. The Illini big men must stay out of foul trouble and maintain a good position to put a hand in Battles face but still denying the easy pass to the weak side – difficult in practice.

Demetri McCamey will continue to prove to the Big 10 and the country why he is the best point guard in the land.


Illinois – 74
Old Paterno’s – 63


Sincerely,
Mikel Leshoure & Martez Wilson

Illinois vs. Mizzery

Tonight, 8pm @ Schoolyard
Email me and let me know if you are going to make it.

Saturday Morning

I woke up excited. I had tickets to the Illini game, the squad was looking solid, and I was ready to take some notes in preparation for the first IGP of the season.

Saturday Evening

Embarrassed and defeated, I endured chants of UIC-UIC-UIC as I attempted to have a nice dinner with some hoopster friends. It was depressing.

My good buddy Shomo had it worse. He was stuck in a cabin full of UIC grads in Colorado. "Please tell me this is a typo," he texted.

Disappointing

I don't think I've ever felt this disappointed after watching an Illini basketball game. Last year's loss in the NIT to Dayton actually made me turn off the game before it was over. I had never done that before, but I had also never seen an Illini team play with such little heart...until last Saturday.

It was clear during lay-up lines. At one end of the court, UIC was excited, ready to play, and getting angry. At the other end, the Illini were double pumping lay-ups and looking like they were getting ready for an intramural game. It reminded me of a quote from Mike Davis after the Oakland game, "It's our fault as seniors (he said of the slow first half against Oakland). It started in the pregame warm-ups, kind of goofing around too much, laughing, laying around, shooting bad shots. It's the seniors' fault." We can re-use this quote to describe the UIC game.

Game Thoughts

After watching the debacle at the United Center, there are a few things that need changing:

1. End of game play calling. Brutal. Under Head Coach Bruce Weber, the Illini have had some brutal end of game plays. With the exception of OSU last year in the Big Ten Tournament, we never seem to get a solid, open shot with time running out. A fade away 3-pointer to end it?

2. Bill Cole should not be inbounding the ball. He led Demetri McCamey out of bounds with 3 seconds remaining. Then he was given another chance with 1 second remaining and threw it into the stands. Teams practice these plays all the time, and we couldn't even get the ball in - twice!

3. Come out earlier during halftime. The shooting was awful in the first half. Why not get out there as soon as possible and take a few extra shots? Instead, Bruce kept the team in the locker room until 1 minute was remaining. The first shot after intermission was a near air ball by Mike Tisdale who was short all night.

4. Jereme Richmond should be starting.

5. Bench everybody except D-Mac. I would love to have seen Meyers Leonard, Crandall Head, Tyler Griffery, and Joseph Bertrand come in for every other starter. Individually, every Illini player should be better than every other UIC player in uniform. A mass benching might have lit a fire.

Looking Ahead

How the Illini respond will tell us a lot about this team. UIC did a great job of mixing up defenses between man-to-man, 1-3-1, and 3-2 zones. Mizzery will do the same. Led by Nolan Richardson disciple Mike Anderson, the Tigers will mix up looks and press for much of the game. With Brandon Paul questionable for tonight's game, Illinois will be pressed for some new ball-handlers to step up.

The good news is that Mizzery's Sophomore Point Guard Phil Pressey is out at least two weeks after breaking his right ring finger in practice [Sidebar: What kind of a sissy is Pressey that he can't tape his fingers together and tough it out?]. Unfortunately, Pressey will be replaced by Sophomore Guard Michael Dixon who was suspended for violating an unspecified team rule. Dixon sat out wins against Arkansas Pine Bluff, Oral Roberts, and Central Arkansas. Gee, what a convenient time to end that suspension.

Mizzery is 160th overall in rebounding; so don't be impressed if the Illini look good hitting the boards. If the Illini are crisp in passing the rock and maneuvering through the press, we'll be fine. I would usually say that we can expect a big game from Mike Davis or Mike Tisdale, but I am hoping that Jereme Richarson and Tyler Griffey can motor this boat on the Illini front line.

Illinois - 87
Mizzery - 83


Sincerely,
Your Favorite Bouncer in Chicago


PS...Illini fans, I will be out of the country in Italy, and I will not be covering the Big Ten opener against Iowa on 12/29. Be sure to tune in after the Texas Bowl. I should be back in business for the 1/6 game against Northwestern. Word on the street is that Mark Pinsof could be a guest columnist and is currently casting for a short film about a former Illini b-baller who is now working as a bouncer.