Illini Wonk

IL joins the Big Dance

2007-03-13T00:15:00.000-05:00

IL made it into the NCAA tournament on Sunday. After the selections were made their were some who felt that IL was one of the teams that is not as deserving to make it into the tournament as teams that were left out.

All in all IL does has a record that merits playing in the Big Dance.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney07/columns/story?id=2795023

Syracuse and Drexel are the town teams most often mentioned as getting snubbed. But is is usually Arkansas or Stanford who are pointed to as the teams that "stole" their bid and not IL. When you are looking at the teams that are being slotted into the 10th-12th seeds they all have some good points and some bad points.
Here is a quick look at the final teams to back the tourney and the teams that were left out.
those that made it:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkt0607.htm
IL 23-11 (11-8 Big Ten) RPI 29 Strength of Schedule 23 (4-9 vs. top 50)
Old Dominion 24-8 (16-4 Colonial Conf) RPI 40 SOS 82 (1-3 top 50)
Arkansas 21-12 (10-9 SEC) RPI 35 SOS 15 (5-5 top 50)
Stanford 18-12 (10-9 Pac 10) RPI 63 SOS 37 (5-6 top 50)
Xavier 24-8 (13-3 Atlantic 10) RPI 34 SOS 84 (3-2 top 50)

those that didn't make it:
Syracuse 22-10 (11-7 Big East) RPI 50 SOS 45 (3-7 top 50)
FL State 20-12 8-10 ACC) RPI 41 SOS 18 (5-12 top 50)
Drexel 22-8 (14-6 Colonial) RPI 39 SOS 95 (3-0 top 50)
West Vir 21-9 (10-8 Big East) RPI 57 SOS 109 (2-7 top 50)
Kansas St 22-11 (11-7 Big 12) RPI 56 SOS 91 (2-5 top 50)
Air Force 22-8 (10-7 Mt West) RPI 30 SOS 76 (2-4 top 50)

I know "The Committee" says that they don't really pay attention to conferences is but I think they do.
Drexel was eliminated because they were not going to place three teams from the Colonial Conference into the tournament. And Old Dominion beat them twice. And while Drexel beat several teams on the road in non conference play, they did not fair well against the three teams ahead of them in their own conference.
Syracuse fell victim to losing to 6 other teams being selected out of the Big East. Villanova seems to be the team that beat them out for a place in the tournament.
As for FL State. they had a tough schedule but they really did win any of the big games. And contrary to what Dickie V would have you to believe, 7 ACC teams is enough.
Both WV and K State were rather mediocre in their RPI, SOS and their records against top 50 teams.
Of all the teams that looked good for most of the year and didn't make it, it was Air Force. With only BYU making it from the MT West Conf perhaps they should have been included. Losing their final 4 games did not help them at all.

To me IL is not the team that should be tossed out but you can draw your own conclusions.

IL may have deserved a bit higher seed than 12th. It is my opinion that they were put there in order to be placed in the opposite half of the bracket that IN is in. Letting IL play their 1st game(s) in Columbus is in a small way something that the committee could do to even it out just a bit.

Here are a few links to stories on IL and the tourney
The bracket
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_men
A look at the West Bracket
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney07/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2795298
A look at IL vs. Vir Tech
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/edge/west/VATECH/IL
Fox Sports look at the surprises and snubs
http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6559264
CBS Sportsline's look
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10055682
Sun-Times: Players are relieved
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/293035,CST-SPT-ill12.article
The Tribune: No bad losses helped
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/cs-070311illini,1,7803405.story?coll=chi-sportstop-hed

Illinois Fighting Illini look to rebound against Michigan State Spartans

2007-01-30T18:59:00.000-06:00

At 8:00 CST, the Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team will look face the Michigan State Spartans on ESPN. To follow the game online, click here for the Gametracker.

The Illini are coming off a miserable showing on the road against the Purdue Boilermakers and will try to right the ship against a Spartan team that gave Ohio State a run for their money last Saturday. Wonk watched the Spartans almost come back from a 20-point half-time deficit and only lose by two points.

This Illini team knows a lot about blowing large half-time leads to the Spartans. In an earlier meeting this year, the Illini had an 11-point half-time lead, but gave up a 15-0 run early in the second half before going on to lose 63-57.

Tonight, the Illini will look to contain Michigan State's one-man-show: Drew Neitzel. If you're watching the game, leave a comment below.

Purdue goes on 21-0 run and embarasses Illinois

2007-01-28T11:42:00.000-06:00

It was 4-4 and things weren't going to bad for the Illinois Fighting Illini who were playing at Purdue. Jamar Smith made an outside shot for the first time in who knows how long and the game was tied. Then the wheels fell off. Way, way off.

The Purdue Boilermakers then reeled off 21 straight points to take a 25-4 lead and the game was effectively over by the half-way mark of the first half. During the Boilermaker run, the Illini went 13 consecutive possessions -- a span of 9:23 -- without scoring, missing eight shots and committing six turnovers. From a team that has patented scoring droughts during games this season, this one probably topped them all (with the possible exception of the second half at Michigan State).

After the game, Mark Tupper blogged that it was Ugly with a capital UG! He was right. The only Illinois player who had a reasonably good game was Shaun Pruitt who, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, recorded his seventh double-double of the season. He could have had much more and Won will get into the reasons why later in this post. This game needs to be dissected, because it showed everything that was wrong with this year's team.

First, and most glaring, was the play of Chester Frazier. It's hard to be hard on the guy, because he plays so hard. His seven rebounds attest to that fact. But, the Illini can not be a good team with him playing at the point guard position. He can't initiate the offense, get the ball where it needs to go or play within himself. Four turnovers and four assists is not going to get the job done. And Wonk doesn't even want to talk about how embarrassing it was to see Purdue leaving him wide open at the three point line daring him to shoot. Illini fans can only hope that his abysmal play as of late is at least partially due to injury.

Second, would the real Jamar Smith please stand up? Smith swished a long two-point shot two minutes into the game and then went 0-for-the-rest of the contest. He finished 1-7, 0-5 from the three point line. To say he is in a shooting slump is the understatement of the century. Like, 2 for 33 on threes over the last seven games. Is this the same guy that made 48 percent of his three-point tries last season? Even more disturbing is how badly many of his shots are missing the mark. Last season misses from Smith usually looked like they were going in. This year's misses are closer to hurting someone than going through the basket. Smith appears to be the Chuck Knoblauch of college basketball. Injuries play a factor, but so does the mental aspect.

Rich McBride. Where to start? After showing some promise over the last few games with a renewed shooting ability, McBride still has the ability to lay an egg in any game. This one was a whole omelet. He was 2-9 from the field, which happens to shooters. But, unlike Frazier, you just don't get the feeling that he's trying that hard. Look at the stats. In 36 minutes of play, McBride had one assist and zero rebounds. He didn't even have a foul. When David Teague was hoisting one of his deadly second-half three-pointers, you usually saw McBride (and sometimes Smith) trailing about five feet behind him.

Additionally, Wonk can't figure out Warren Carter. The guy has the ability to dominate. Witness his game against Arizona. But, in a similar fashion to the entire Illinois offense, Carter has the proclivity to pull extended disappearing acts. His stat-line against Purdue was respectable (if you discount the six turnovers). He was second on the team in scoring with 12 points on 4-9 shooting and 3-4 from the free throw line (more on free throws later). Those stats would have been sufficient...last season. This season, Illinois needs Carter to step up and take charge if they're going to have a chance to win. He needs to realize that the NBA players are gone and he needs to take over a large portion of the scoring. Unfortunately, he seems reluctant to do that.

The only player that contributed anything off the bench was Trent Meacham and this blogger would like to see him getting more minutes at the expense of Frazier. He scored all five of Illinois' bench points. Brock had probably his worst game of the season, missing the front-end of two one-and-ones and not grabbing a rebound in 18 minutes of play.

The only silver lining that Wonk sees thus far is that injuries have probably played a big role in the teams' troubles. But how much? Sure it hurt having Randle out, but Randle hasn't shown his potential much at all this year. He suffers from the same problem the seems to plague Carter. He hasn't figured out that the team needs him to dominate...not participate.

I can't understand how an entire team can be so bad at free-throws. Last in the Big Ten. There was a stretch in the second half where Illinois was trying to make a run. They had four trips to the free-throw line and came away with two points. That's not going to cut it. If Greg Oden can learn to shoot free throws with his off hand...don't you think the Illini could learn to shoot them with their dominant hands?

As Tupper said in his post-game blog-post: What’s needed is a great stretch run, a 6-2 finish in league play. Saturday’s performance did nothing to make anyone believe that’s likely. With a 15-8 record, Wonk thinks it might be time to start worrying about finishing good enough for an NIT birth.

Can you say...must win?

2007-01-10T18:19:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team faces Iowa tonight and will be trying for the third time for their first conference win.

Wonk doesn't often like to use this phrase, but...this game is a must win. The Illini are 12-5 and tied for last place in the conference at 0-2. Considering the reputation of the Big Ten this year, Wonk doesn't believe that 20 wins and an 8-8 conference record will be good enough for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, especially if Illinois is without a win against a top-25 foe. If the Illini lose tonight and end up 0-3 in the conference, they will likely have to go 9-4 the rest of the way in order to ensure a berth in the Big Dance. That is a tall order. So, it is this blogger's belief that the Illini have to win tonight.

Wonk will be watching courtesy of ESPN Full Court. To get the live GameTracker, go here.

We're bragging again

2006-12-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

The Fighting Illini got a big win in the Bragging Rights game with a 73-70 victory over Missouri. The win was the seventh in a row in the series and Illinois' first signature win of the season. Shaun Pruitt led the way with a career high 19 points and nine rebounds. He was a monster and his energy really led the way to the Illini win.

Mark Tupper called it A game worth bragging about on his blog and Wonk agrees. Big Ten Wonk chips in with six thoughts about the game...all worth reading.

What did you think? Wonk might have some more thoughts in the days to come, but real life has been too busy to comment much. Thanks for your patience.

Let the games begin

2006-11-28T09:26:00.000-06:00

Enough with the appetizers...it's time for the main course. As the Chicago Tribune points out: Maryland is the 1st big test for 7-0 Illinois. The unbeaten and #23 ranked Maryland Terrapins will be the first game against a ranked opponent for the Illini this year. The 6:00 p.m. CST game tonight is part of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge and can be seen on ESPN.

The MSM storyline for the game is Baltimore native Chester Frazier will be welcoming his hometown team to Assembly Hall. Mark Tupper says that Frazier was a big Maryland fan growing up, but that the Maryland recruiters never knocked on his door. Frazier's gameplan is to not get too excited.

Wonk has seen Maryland play this year and they will be tough to beat, especially without Brian Randle. The game offers the Illini the first chance to prove that they can play at the level they have in the past few seasons. To follow the score online, click here. Leave your thoughts about the game below.

Frank Williams scores 32 in NBADL Debut

2006-11-26T09:06:00.000-06:00

Frank Williams led the Sioux Falls Skyforce with 32 points in his NBADL debut - a 114-104 loss to the Dakota Wizards. Williams' stats were stellar, shooting 10-17 from the floor, 6-10 from behind the three-point line and 6-7 from the charity stripe. The University of Illinois star also had 6 assists and 2 steals while only committing one turnover.

Next up for Williams and the Skyforce is a game with the Idaho Stampede on November 30. Illini Wonk is planning to attend.

Trent Meacham v. Jon Scheyer

2006-11-21T13:56:00.000-06:00

There's one thing we've clearly established: Bruce Weber can't recruit. He may be able to land locals like Jamar Smith, Trent Meacham and Bill Cole, but he can't get Jon Scheyer, Derrick Rose and Sherron Collins. Under Weber, Illinois better get used to the shadow of Big Ten recruiting powerhouses like Ohio State and Michigan State. Right?

Well, let's look at this season so far. Let's compare the unheralded Trent Meacham with the celebrated Jon Scheyer. Through Four Games, here are Meacham's stats:

PPG: 14.8
AST: 3.5
A/T: 1.56
STL: .5
FG%: .486
FT%: .833
3P%: .556

Here are the stats for Scheyer over his first four games:

PPG: 10.8
AST: 1.5
A/T: 1.0
STL: 1.0
FG%: .481
FT%: 1.000
3P%: .563

So, despite playing similar minutes (35) to Scheyer (32.5) and shooting a similar percentage, Meacham is averaging four more points and two more assists than Scheyer. Meacham also has a better assist/turnover ratio and has been to the free-throw line three times for every one of Scheyer.

It may be early in the season, but perhaps Weber isn't as bad of a recruiter as we all assumed? Maybe he's looking for guys who fit his system rather than players who want the spotlight for one or two seasons before they jump to the NBA? Just a thought.

Frank Williams joins the Sioux Falls Skyforce

2006-11-20T23:18:00.000-06:00

The Sioux Falls Skyforce have been in the CBA for years and are preparing for their first season in the NBA Development League. On the roster is former University of Illinois Fighting Illini standout Frank Williams. He was drafted by the Skyforce in the third round, and returning coach Mo McHone said "I never dreamed he would still be there in the third round."

As regular readers of this blog will know, Wonk is located in Sioux Falls and now plans to start attending more Skyforce games.

Rumor has it that he's a little out of shape after not playing for a while, but will be expected to put in quite a bit of time at the point guard spot. For a video report on the Skyforce training camp (with a few brief glimpses of Williams), click here.

So, along with the coverage of Illinois hoops that you have come to expect, you will also receive periodic updates on the play of Frank Williams. The season tips off November 24.

Illini improve to 3-0

2006-11-17T23:06:00.000-06:00

The University of Illinois men's basketball team improved to 3-0 on the season with a 85-50 win over Georgia Southern. The Illini got 19 points from Trent Meacham and 17 from Calvin Brock. Mark Tupper said they're taking advantage of their chance at some minutes that would normally go to the injured and the suspended.

Even walk-on Chris Hicks was on the court for seven minutes and scored two points. Click here for the box score. Next up for the Fighting Illini is the Florida A&M Rattlers on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Ouch x 2

2006-11-16T00:16:00.000-06:00

Jamar Smith out 4-6 weeks with a high ankle sprain. Brian Randle "week-to-week" with a groin pull that has team doctors consulting with specialists around the nation for what is described as an unusual condition.

With McBride serving three more games of his four-game suspension, the Illini might have to go here for some bodies to put on the court.

Illini sign three recruits

2006-11-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

University of Illinois Men's Basketball Coach Bruce Weber recieved signed letters of intent from three recruits on the first day of the fall signing period. They are: Point guard Demetri McCamey (pictured here) from Westchester St. Joseph, forward Bill Cole from Peoria Richwoods and center Mike Tisdale from Riverton. Kedric Prince has the details on the trio here for IlliniBoard.com.

Of the recruits, Weber said: They're all excited to be here. The comment was a thinly veiled reference to Eric Gordon, who was the backdrop to the day's events. Randy Kindred apparently thinks Weber is just trying to cover up the fact that the recruiting class is more suited for Carbondale than Champaign. Bruce Weber acknowledges that, when it comes to recruiting, We have to sit back and evaluate what we’re doing.

This may be opening a big can of worms, but what do you think about the Illini basketball recruiting class of 2007?

Mr Rose Opts for Memphis

2006-11-05T17:01:00.000-06:00

As expected by many Derrick Rose announced yesterday that he intends to play for Memphis Conference USA instead of either IL or IN in the Big Ten.

There are several things that Rose his older brother Reggie have said that leads me to think, for the most part, they are just giving double talk to the media and fans at large.

In the Sun-Times article Rose says in one sentence who better to learn from than assistant Memphis coach Rod Strickland. He goes on to say in the Sun-Times story and also in the Chicago Tribune story that his discussion was based in part on the fact that Memphis has promised him that he is going to start as a freshman (I guess current starter and preseason all conf player, Soph Chris Douglas-Roberts a former 4 star rated player, either is going to head for the NBA himself or sit out while he watches Rose play next year.) and that "He gets to play his own game." That's funny. I always thought basketball was a team sport and that it was the head coach who decided the style of play for the team. What a shear coincidence that this 17 year old high school student's style is exactly what John Calipari has the Memphis Tigers playing. And even more interesting is that according to many experts including Scout.com's Dave Telep, Derrick is going to be at Memphis for a season or two and then leave for the pros. Well does that mean if he is to play his own game that he is currently playing the style of game that the NBA franchises are looking for? If so it is amazing. Even Michael Jordan had a few things that he needed to learn at UNC and still more once he was drafted by the Bulls.
So if Derrick is going to have to change his game, even a little bit, it is just possible he could learn what he needs to learn at IL. After all IL has put PG with the names of Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head into the NBA in the past couple of years. It would seem to me that the Illinois coaching staff has had a hand in their development. And did so without the assistance of Rod Strickland.

In another part of the Sun-Times story Rose's mother is quoted as saying that she and the family support his decision. That's nice. Every family should stand behind the decision that their children make when they are picking out a college. The part I find curious is when Derrick said that he is following the family's principle of, "it's all about the education." I didn't realize that you can get a 4 year degree AND play major college basketball AND do so in only a year or two. I know this kid is good but he has to be extraordinary to get his degree in such a short period of time. If it is really and truly ALL about the education, how can he choose Memphis over IL? I will be surprised if Derrick even has to declare a major. But if he does, I wonder if Memphis has a better program than IL in that field.

The Tribune article quotes Rose as admitting that he had made up his mind two weeks ago. Then what was the reason for going to IL last week? It just seems rather strange to me. Was it really to look at IL one more time to see if they really were a fit for him? Maybe so. I am sure he liked the reception that he received. His older brother Reggie compared it to a greeting that a rock star would receive. Reggie then goes on to say if IL only had treated Derrick that way on his previous visit, instead of like a "regular recruit", he just may have selected for IL instead of Memphis. It seems to me what really bothers Derrick and Reggie is not that IL is not a great fit for him and that Memphis is. It is that IL and Coach Weber won't promise them the moon and treat them like rock stars whenever they walk into the room.

Which team is really the best fit? I don't know. It appears to me that IL would have been the better choice based on the better level of play. (The Big Ten is rank as the 4th best conference and the feared Conf-USA is 12th.)
Last year Conf USA placed only Memphis and UAB into the NCAA tournament. This year only Memphis is projected to make it to the Big Dance.
For the record, I am not implying that Memphis has a weak program nor do they lie to their recruits. What seems to be in Derrick's best interest is to be the big fish in a small pond. Put up some very gaudy numbers and then take the money and run. If that is the case I am glad he is not coming to IL. I just don't think it is the best interest of the IL program to sell themselves out for the sake of having a player on the team for a year or two.

I liked Rick Morrissey's column. He says Weber is doing it right. Weber may not land the top recruits at IL. But he isn't going to lie to them either. He offers the players a chance at a quality education and chance to compete in the Big Ten. And as long as Bruce does this I doubt many of the super elite players will come to IL.

Illinois Basketball Recruiting is bad for Wonk's Heart

2006-10-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

Wonk can't take this anymore. By "this" Wonk is referring to the last 12 months of Illini basketball recruiting. First it was Sherron Collins spurning the Illini for Kansas. That was followed by Eric Gordon committing to the Illini, taking us all on a roller-coaster and then picking the Hooisers.

And now, Derrick Rose. Why mention Rose? Didn't he rule out the Illini in August? Yes. Sort of. The Illini weren't on the August list...but they are on the November list. Rose put Illinois back on a list of three that includes the Memphis Tigers and the Indiana Hooisers. He even took an official visit, coming to the Orange & Blue Scrimmage last night with his brother and Simeon guard Deon Butler and was joined by Simeon coaches Fred McClinton and Marcus Alderson. For some photos, go here.

The Illini poured it on. Get the full story from Clyde Travis in the Sun-Times. Apparently, Rose will announce his decision one week from today at a press conference in Burbank.

Okay, bloggers, IB posters, conspiracy theorists, et. al. What can these latest developments possibly mean? Why the Orange shirt? The orange & blue shoes? Why visit Champaign if you've already made up your mind and plan to announce in one week? Where's the Prozac?

As Mark Tupper eloquently blogged: I’m sure most Illini fans will be afraid to climb back on this roller coaster when they haven’t stopped vomiting from the up-and-down ride on the last one piloted by Eric Gordon.

Tupper (wisely) advises that no one get their hopes up, believing this could just be a ploy to make Memphis jealous. Comments from Rose's high school coach make the visit sound like a courtesy. Illinois Prep-Bullseye says the about face borders on "shocking" and insists that it was NOT a publicity stunt and that the trip to Champaign [was] a lot more than just a mere courtesy visit.

What do you think?

The "Freak" Midnight Madness Dunk

2006-10-26T00:20:00.000-05:00

It's possible you'd heard of Brian "The Freak" Randle's dunk over Stephen Bardo during Illini Madness. One beat reporter even called it the highlight of the night. In case you've only heard of it, I thought you might like to see it:

Rich McBride to Miss Four Games

2006-10-25T23:33:00.000-05:00

It's a mystery no longer. The University of Illinois suspended Senior Illini Guard Rich McBride for the preseason and the first four games of the regular season. Coach Weber, who had plenty of time to think about his statement, had this to say:

"We are disappointed in Rich's decision making," Illini coach Bruce Weber said. "But most importantly, it's important that we help Rich. This has been a difficult but valuable life lesson for Rich, as well as his teammates. Hopefully it will be a lesson for many others as well. Rich is on track to graduate following the completion of an internship next summer, which is very important to him and his family."

Mark Tupper blogs that his biggest penalties are yet to come in the form of taunts from opposing fans. Wonk says this is Big Ten basketball. If you can't handle a little razzing from the fans, try the Mid-Continent or some other conference where they don't have fans.

So, what do you think about the punishment? Too harsh? Just right? Too lenient? Be sure to voice your opinion here and in the poll at the top of the right-hand column of Illini Wonk.

Will Carlwell help the Illini forget about you-know-who?

2006-10-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

In today's Chicago Daily Herald, Lindsey Willhite offers some advice to Illini fans: Stop obsessing over Eric Gordon’s decision to attend Indiana and start obsessing over 6-foot-11 freshman center Brian Carlwell. Wonk couldn't agree more. The only other time I want to talk about Gordon is the reception he's going to get from the Orange Krush during his first visit to Assembly Hall.

Here are some quotes from Willhite's article. First about getting in shape:

...during Illinois’ six-week conditioning program that preceded the start
of practice, Carlwell shed 15 pounds.

Carlwell's length:

Carlwell is so long, he owns a 9-foot-2 standing reach. Yao Ming’s reach is
just five inches more.

That should lead to a few blocked shots, eh? Could Deon Thomas' career record of 177 be in jeapordy? Willhite's commentary:

If I didn’t know better, I’d guess Bill Russell is Carlwell’s grandfather
or great uncle or somewhere else on his family tree.

Bill Russell? Didn't he win two NCAA championships? Nothing like setting the expectations on the high side. Bruce Weber:

“Brian Carlwell down the road — and I’m not sure if it’s going to be this
year, one year, two years — he could be somebody that I’m not sure anyone in my
memory of Illini basketball has been like that,” Weber said. “Because of his
athleticism.”

Not the most eloquent quote to come out of Weber's mouth, but I think he means that in a good way. Could Brian Carlwell help Illinois fans forget about the one who got away? Only time will tell.

Bye Bye Eric

2006-10-15T00:15:00.000-05:00

Well according to all the signs that were out there this past summer, it was bound to happen. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=2624000

Highly touted SG Eric Gordon will announce that he is now going to play for Indiana.
It seems the only ones who have been in denial over this whole episode are the Illini Faithful.

Mark Tupper gives us his views on his weblog:
http://www.herald-review.com/blogs/marktupper/?p=270

Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline.com wades in on the issue of whether or not it was ethical for new I U head coach Kelvin Sampson to woo Gordon after Eric had verbaly committed to IL
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/news/story?id=2624000

All in all it will probably move Eric into the same stratus as former Iowa recruiter and assistant coach Bruce Pearl who upset so many Illinois fans when he tried to muddy the waters after Deon Thomas decided to play for the U of I.

About the only good that could come out of this is if Derrick Rose, who is a PG not a SG, suddenly feels that he will not have to share the limelight and commits to IL.

Let the Illini Madness Begin!

2006-10-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

That's enough pig skin...it's time for round ball! Tomorrow night, the Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team will tip-off the year by hosting Illini Madness on Friday night at the Assembly Hall. Head Coach Bruce Weber has been looking forward to it for many months. For those of us outside Champaign, we will be able to watch the festivities at the official site.

Neil Milbert at the Chicago Tribune wonders what this year's team will look like without Brown and Augustine. Illini Wonk will take it one step further and ask how the team will do having lost four NBA draft picks and a CBA All-Star over the past two seasons? According to the Daily Illini, there are no shortage of players ready to make an impact.

For those who attend, leave your comments below...

Rich McBride: Du-oh!

2006-10-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Do you think Rich McBride would like a "do-over" right about now? Definitely not the way you want to start your senior year. What do you think this will do to McBride's season? The Illini?

NBA Draft

2006-05-29T21:16:00.000-05:00

The next thing on the horizon for the boys from Illinois is the NBA draft. (June 28th )

I did a some looking at a few of the mock draft sites.
It seems that both Dee and James are usually projected to go in the mid 2nd round.
Dee is projected higher than Auggie most of the time. However, James is projected a few times in the 1st round and Dee isn’t.

Here are a few of the links to these sites:
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba/nba_draft/2006_nba_mock_draft-ar22954.html

http://www.hoopshype.com/draft.htm

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=rivals-2006nbamockdraft&prov=rivals&type=lgns

http://nbadraft.net/

http://probasketball.about.com/od/nbadraft/a/nbamockdraft061.htm
He doesn’t even rank James in the top 25 power forwards. He ranks Paul Davis, PF, Michigan State 11th and Terence Dials, PF, Ohio State 25th.

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/mockdraft.htm

http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-mock-draft.shtml

http://www.draftexpress.com/mock.php?y=2006

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/nba/05/24/mock.draft3/index.html

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/mockdraft.htm

Both James and Dee have worked out with NBA teams
http://draftexpress.com/workout.php?sort=3&pid=160&tid=0
Chicago, Toronto, Golden State, Sacramento, Portland and Memphis

http://draftexpress.com/workout.php?sort=3&pid=126&tid=0
Lakers, Denver, Toronto and Houston

Apparently Dee has shrunk 2 inches over the past few months. According to
the ESPN site, he has gone from 6-0 to 5-10.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=18864&draftyear=2006&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnbadraft%2fdraft%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fplayerId%3d18864%26draftyear%3d2006

Here is a web sites ranking of them
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/draft/prospectrankings/PF
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/draft/prospectrankings/PG

dee’s bio
http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/2006/deebrown.htm

auggie’s bio
http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/Draft/2006/jamesaugustine.htm

Hello

2006-04-13T18:26:00.000-05:00

Hello Illini sports fans. I have accepted Illini Wonks offer to post here from time to time.
(By the way rumor has it that he and his wife have recently had their 3rd child. I want to wish the whole family congratulations.)

I am no expert on Illini basketball. I do have a love for the game and the team.
Recently I asked Wonk what his opinion was on the 2006-07 season. He suggested that I ask you, the fans, myself so here I am. Since this is my 1st time please be gentle with me. ;)

There are a lot of questions about next year's team. Here is my version of the top 10 list. In no particular order:

1. Who will be the starters?
2. What does the depth chart look like to you?
3. Will Semau be red shirted?
4. Is Hicks still a walk on or is he going to be on scholarship?
5. Do they need to add depth to the SF position?
6 How did the incoming Illini look to you this year?
7 Will Leon Freeman make the grades and make the team?
8. Who do they need most to step up and take a leadership position?
9. Should they leave the 13th scholarship position open in 2006-07 in hopes that they can land Eric Gordon?
10. What questions do you think need to be addressed?

1. I am not real sharp on some of these players so I may have made a few mistakes but from what I gather here is what the roster is next year.

G Min PointsRebdsAst
33 Rich McBride G 6-3 205 SR. 33 30.0 10.0 1.8 2.1
42 Brian Randle F 6-8 215 JR. 32 26.7 8.5 5.4 1.5
31 Jamar Smith G 6-3 175 SO. 32 19.2 8.0 1.7 1.3
55 Shaun Pruitt F-C 6-10 240 JR. 33 19.4 6.2 5.1 0.5
41 Warren Carter F 6-9 215 SR. 32 12.3 4.8 2.8 0.5
44 Marcus Arnold F 6-8 245 SR. 32 11.1 3.5 2.4 0.1
34 C.J. Jackson F 6-8 265 Fr. 1 1.0 2.0 0.0 0.0
25 Calvin Brock G 6-5 185 SO. 17 6.4 1.4 1.6 0.4
3 Chester Frazier G 6-2 190 SO. 27 13.4 1.3 1.7 1.9
2 Chris Hicks G 6-2 190 SO. 11 1.7 0.9 0.1 0.1
Brian Carlwell C 6-10/245 FR
Richard Semrau PF 6-9/210 FR
Trent Meacham G 6-2 190 So
(Bold are my guess as to the starters.)

2. My look at the depth chart:
SG Mc Bride/ Smith/ Brock
PG Frazier/ Meacham/ Hicks
SF Randle/ ???????
PF Carter/Arnold/ Jackson/ Semau
C Pruitt/ Carlwell
It sure looks like the team is a bit heavy in the center and power forward department and a bit thin in the small forward or shooting forward position.

3. I personally think someone is going to be red shirted next season as it is too hard to get all the players enough playing time and it isn't going to be Carlwell.
Arnold, Brock, Jackson, Meacham and Randle have already sat out for a year. Carter and Mc Bride are going to be Seniors. Pruitt and Frazier probable starters. Smith is still going to be filling Mc Bride's old position as the shooting guard off the bench. And then there is Hicks. There is no reason to red shirt a walk on.
So that would leave Carlwell or Semau and my vote goes to Semau at this time.

4. It seems to me that Hicks will remain a walk on player with the team.

5. They could use another SF but with Randle playing 30-35 min it isn't going to be critical. When he is out Weber can go small by bringing in Smith or he can put in a "Jumbo Package" by having an extra big man on the floor. Should Randle be injured they will have a bit of a problem.

6. I have not looked at the details very closely but I think both Carlwell and Semau had solid seasons this past year.

7. I would like to see Freeman on the team in the fall but I think he needs a year at a Jr College to help him get his grades up a bit.

8. It looks to me like Randle will be the key to the team next year. He was a co-captain on this year's squad and his defense was usually a major factor in the games that they won.

9. While it is tempting to hold the spot open for Gordon there are no guarantees that he will want to play for IL. If Freeman can step it up then I think they should take him. If not Weber should hold the position open for a solid player in 2007-08. He can't simply put a warm body into the slot just because it is empty. And he certainly can't run around acting like he NEEDS Gordon as that would send the wrong message to future prospects. I like Weber's attitude. He tells the kids that IL would like to have them play for the team but the team doesn't need them.
Well that is all for me. I would like to see your comments. Tell me where I made my mistakes. More than likely I will be able to take it.

Editor's note: Eric Gordon's name in this post is actually referring to Derrick Rose. Gordon is virtually a lock to be at Illinois in 2007. The recruiting battle for Rose is ongoing.

Who will join Luther & Deron in the NBA?

2006-04-12T22:47:00.000-05:00

Dee Brown and James Augustine have started focusing on the NBA. They both have agents and are working on different aspects of their game in preparation for the NBA draft. Dee is working on his outside shot and James is trying to bulk up and perfect his mid-range jumper. Both are hoping to Join Deron Williams and Luther Head in the big league. Stay tuned to Illini Wonk for a preview of their draft prospects.

Speaking of those two, dedicated reader Jake alerted us to a photo from Monday's game. Man, I'm going to miss these four recent Illinois basketball players.

That was a Final Four?

2006-04-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

I have one simple question for you. It can be answered by you with a "yes" or a "no." Here it is:

Was that the worst Final Four you've ever seen?

Maybe it even had something to do with this.

Dancing with Feinstein

2006-03-23T22:27:00.000-06:00

As the final horn sounded on last year’s national championship game, Roy Williams scanned the floor for Illinois coach Bruce Weber. When Williams finally caught up with him, just before Weber left the court, Williams told him: “You had a great year. You will be back here. Your time will come, you’re a great basketball coach.”

This story is one of many that are told by College Basketball chronicler John Feinstein in Last Dance : Behind the Scenes at the Final Four, his latest tome on the sport. The good folks at Little, Brown were nice enough to send me a review copy to read during this year’s Final Four (note to roving publicists: send me free stuff related to the topic of this blog and there’s a good chance you’ll read about it here).

The exchange between coaches is one of many with an Illini flavor in the book, which is yet another example of the added exposure the Illinois program has received from their “March to the Arch” (title of chapter seven).

But it is this year’s trip by the Illini to the NCAA Tournament that made me look at this book with redoubled interest. Two chapters in particular: chapter ten, The Committee and chapter eight, Refs.

In his chapter on the 10-member committee, Feinstein reveals the secretive nature of their deliberations in deciding who gets in and where they’re seeded. In looking at their past mistakes, the year that stood out was 2003. That was the year the committee put BYU in a bracket where it would have to play on a Sunday. BYU is a Mormon school and has always made it clear that it will not play on a Sunday. They also put Arizona and Kentucky (clearly the two best teams) in brackets that would have them meet in the national semifinal.

I don’t claim to be an expert on seeding or tournament history, but I wonder if the committee has ever done a worse job of seeding a bracket than they did with the Washington DC bracket this year. Connecticut was a clear #1, but the 2-5 seeds were, in the words of Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy: “an absolute joke.”

The AP voters agreed with DeCourcy: when the final top 25 came out (after the brackets were announced) North Carolina was ranked 10, Illinois 13, Washington 17 and Tennessee 18. Somehow, Tennessee was seeded ahead of three teams in their bracket that were ranked ahead of them in the final AP Poll. Tennessee then went out and proved the committee horribly wrong by barely escaping a first-round embarrassment and then falling in the second round to the 7 seed Wichita State Shockers.

But enough about seeding, how does one become a ref in the NCAA tournament? A better question for Illinois is how these three refs got their game against Washington. Illini Wonk has documented the complaints about the officiating from the news media, but there’s one more worth mentioning. I listened to the March 20 edition of Tupper on Sports (unfortunately, unless you archived the episode on iTunes, you won't be able to hear it anymore) and here was his explanation of the officials: Now, I was sitting courtside and watched that game pretty closely and if you asked me ‘Did Illinois foul a lot I would say absolutely.’ It was a very, very physical game. But Washington fouled too and you could not only see them foul; you could hear them. And when you can hear fouls, they’re real fouls.

So how are the refs selected? In chapter eight, Feinstein tells us how. Essentially, it comes down to the opinion of one person: Hank Nichols. Sure, there is a nomination process, meetings with the committee and the Officials Subcommittee, but it’s ultimately up to Nichols who refs and how long they stick around.

But anyway, back to the book. In addition to the portions of the book relevant to Illinois, the book is an excellent history of college basketball’s biggest event. Once you get past Coach K’s name-dropping intro, the history of the tournament comes alive in the 300+ readable pages. I think it’s Feinstein’s best effort since A Season on the Brink and if you get into the Final Four as much as I do, you’ll definitely enjoy Last Dance.

Reviewing the refs

2006-03-19T08:13:00.000-06:00

Game officials Larry Rose, Doug Shows and Gary Maxwell called a game that gave 39 free throw attempts for Washington to 11 for Illinois. In the second half it was 21-2. The end result is that Illinois lost the game despite making eight more baskets than Washington.

The 39 free throw attempts were the most against Illinois since Bruce Weber took over the program in April 2003 and the 28-shot disparity in free throws equaled the widest margin in an Illinois game since that Elite Eight loss to Arizona.

Following the game, it was difficult for Illini Wonk to determine if the officiating was really that bad or if it was just my emotions getting in the way of my judgement. Today, it is clear that my judgement was spot on and agreed to by many. Here's just a few:

Mark Tupper: I watched the game from the second row. No question Illinois fouled. I have no problem with that, although I thought it was an imaginary call against Marcus Arnold when he battled for that rebound late in the game. My problem is that Washington was fouling, too. They were bumping and slapping and colliding and grabbing, just like Illinois was. So from where I sat, there simply should not have been that large a disparity.

Mike Nadel: I just about never rip refs. In fact, I usually criticize coaches and players who complain because refs so rarely decide games. He then went on to call the officiating horribly inconsistent, incompetent and judged that it was one of the worst-officiated games in recent memory.

Bruce Weber: "I'm (ticked)," he said, although Weber selected a more descriptive word. "It was frustrating in the second half. We shot two free throws, they shot 21. We fouled, but I thought maybe we got fouled, too. But they didn't see it that way."

Then there are the usual pricks who think any complaining about the refs is only done by crybabies, as if the zebras never make mistakes. Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated belongs in this category. Illinois coach Bruce Weber... cried so much to the officials that someone really should have passed him a hanky. Where you at the game, Phil?

Others focused on the seeding that Illinois received. Mike DeCourcy, almost mirroring an earlier post from Illini Wonk, wrote: Illinois had a better record than Tennessee (25-6 to 21-7), more RPI top 25 wins (5 for Illinois, 3 for UT), more top 50 wins (9 for Illinois, 4 for UT) and more top 100 wins (13 to 10). Illinois finished second in its conference, same as Tennessee. But somehow the committee looked at all of that and made the absurd decision that the Volunteers' record was superior.

Dee Brown and James Augustine shouldn't have to go out like this. They deserved better from a game that they did so much for.

Free throws

2006-03-18T19:06:00.000-06:00

Illinois: 11
Washington: 39

Illini ground Air Force, face U-Dub

2006-03-18T08:44:00.000-06:00

Sharp-shooting from freshman Jamar Smith propelled the Illinois Fighting Illini past Air Force and into a second round NCAA Tournament game against the University of Washington.

Dick Vitale called this his "most compelling matchup of the day." He said "I think Illinois will have to much" for Washington and will get the job done. Gennaro Filice of SI.com predicts that Washington will ride 36 points from Brandon Roy and win 86-81.

Roy will be the primary concern for the Illini and Brian Randle will draw the defensive assignment; one of his toughest of the season. As Mark Tupper put it, Illinois' hopes of reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament depend largely on how well Brian Randle can stop him.

Another intriguing storyline is UW guard Justin Dentmon, a freshman from Carbondale, Ill. who is looking forward to the matchup with the Illini.

Can the Illini get the win? Forward James Augustine reaches into his bag of sports cliches and says: You have to beat the best to be the best. Indeed. Tip-off is at 4:30 p.m.

Illini Wonk Media Update

2006-03-14T17:38:00.000-06:00

On the night the brackets were unveiled, Illini Wonk was interviewed by sportsbloggerslive. If you're really bored, you can click here to listen to the interview.

However, if you're looking for something a little more interesting, go to Big Hit Buda and watch "Tha Illini Remix" Tha video. For lyrics, click here.

Illinois to NCAA: huh?

2006-03-13T21:05:00.000-06:00

After an undefeated pre-conference season that included wins against Georgetown and at media-favorite North Carolina. After a second-place finish (by one game) in the toughest conference in the nation (according to the RPI). After a quarterfinal exit in their conference tournament similar to exits by Connecticut and Tennessee. After all that, the Illini received a No. 4 seed and 2,000 mile trip to San Diego.

What?

Now, before Wonk goes any further, let me just say that there's not much of a difference between a 3 and a 4 seed. Last year, Louisville advanced to the final weekend with a 4 seed so it's not out of the question. The point is simply that this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Committee obviously had some hallucinogenics served in their ice cream.

According to Mark Tupper, the Illini team reacted with mild disappointment when the No. 4 seed was revealed. It was a little disappointing said junior guard Rich McBride.

But what about the pundits? They can't understand it either. Gregg Doyel at CBS Sportsline says that Illinois got hosed by being sent to San Diego to face two lower seeds from the west. According to Frank Burlison of Scout.com, Illinois was seeded two low and is playing much better right now than Tennessee and Texas.

For the sake of argument, let's just stay in the Washington DC Region where Illinois is playing. Here's the resume's of the 2-4 seeds, with the best in bold:

RPI
Tennessee: 6
UNC: 8
Illinois: 9

Conference RPI
Tennessee: 4
UNC: 3
Illinois: 1

Record
Tennessee: 21-7
UNC: 22-7
Illinois: 25-6

Record (last ten)
Tennessee: 6-4
UNC: 8-2
Illinois: 6-4

Record vs. RPI Top-50
Tennessee: 4-4
UNC: 7-4
Illinois: 9-5

Losses outside RPI Top-50
Tennessee: 3
UNC: 3
Illinois: 1

After looking through that list, which order would you rank those three teams? Mark Tupper explains how Illinois received a No. 4 seed: Iowa, projected to be a No. 4 seed, could be elevated if it beat Ohio State in the title game. And the easy swap was to simply drop Illinois, tentatively penciled in as a No. 3 seed, into Iowa's No. 4 spot. Illini Wonk's explanation: the committee clearly didn't care that Illinois played in the toughest conference in the nation. There's no other way to explain the No. 4 seed.

I will make one promise: Illini Wonk will not bring this up again. I've moved on. The Committee is human. In his recent book on the Final Four, Last Dance, John Feinstein details some of the mistakes and controversies of committee's past. It was interesting to be reading Feinstein's book during this year's selection process (review forthcoming).

Finally, as Rick Telander pointed out, Illinois is dangerous and undervalued. The ranking doesn't mean they can't win. It just means that they'll have to play that much better.

Illini given No. 4 seed

2006-03-12T17:52:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini received a No. 4 seed in the Washington, D.C bracket and a first-round game with the Air Force Falcons. Here's Air Force's resume:

RPI: 38 (Mountain West Conference: 8)

Record: 22-6 (7-3, last ten)

Record vs. RPI Top-50: 0-1

More to come later...

Fighting Illini NCAA Tournament Resume

2006-03-12T15:50:00.000-06:00

As the Illinois Fighting Illini await their seed in the NCAA Tournament, let's take a look at their NCAA Tournament Resume:

RPI: 9 (Conference RPI: 1)

Record: 25-6 (last ten: 6-4)

Strength of Schedule: 53

Record vs. RPI Top-50: 9-5

Losses outside RPI Top-50: Penn State

Here's where the bracket experts have us:

Joe Lunardi (ESPN): #2 in Washington, DC region
Stewart Mandel (SI): #2 in the Atlanta region
CBS Sportsline: #4 in the Atlanta region
The Bracket Board: #3 in the Atlanta region
Bracketography: #2 in the Atlanta region
Average of the five: #2.6

Illini awaiting NCAA tournament seed

2006-03-12T12:12:00.000-06:00

It's been four years since Illinois last sat at home watching the Big Ten Conference Tournament final and waiting for their NCAA seed. But that's what they're doing today. What seed will the Illini receive and where will they play?

The consensus from the beat writers is that the early loss shouldn't have a big impact on Illinois' seed. In the Northwest Herald, David Brown says the loss was meaningless and the Illini still should be a No. 2 seed. Neil Milbert states the case in today's Chicago Tribune:

The Big Ten has the best RPI of any conference and the ninth-ranked Illini (25-6) finished in a second-place tie with Iowa at 11-5, a game behind champion Ohio State. They were 14-0 in non-conference play and defeated 10th-ranked North Carolina on the road, 23rd-ranked Georgetown at home and Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Wichita State on a neutral court.

The latest Bracketology from Joe Lunardi has Illinois playing in Dayton as the #2 in Connecticut's bracket. The Bracket Board also has Illinois a #2, but places them in Auburn Hills for their first game. Mark Tupper is thinking No. 3 seed. Billy Packer agrees. More than 60 percent of the voters in Illini Wonk's poll (top right of this blog) vote for the #2 seed. If they do drop to a No. 2 or 3 NCAA tournament seed to a No. 3 or 4, Mike Nadel says: So what?

After Illinois' bracket is unveiled, Illini Wonk will be interviewed on sportsbloggerslive.com. You can read their blog here. Post your thoughts in the comments section and Wonk will pass them on to the sports world.

Also, don't forget to sign up for March Madness on Demand from NCAASports.com. You can watch the games for free while you're sitting at your desk in the office.

Cold second half shooting send Illini home early

2006-03-12T11:08:00.000-06:00

The three-point attempt from Dee Brown with 40 seconds left was indicative of Illinois' second half against Michigan State. A well executed out-of-bounds play left him with a good look but he couldn't hit the shot.

From this blogger's perspective, the Illini didn't play too poorly, but the shots weren't falling in the second half. The Illini shot 38.5 percent over the final 20 minutes of the Big Ten Tournament game, including 1-9 from behind the three-point line.

The loss doesn't bother Mark Tupper as much as it will many fans. He believes that the Fighting Illini will respond since seniors James Augustine and Brown don't want their careers to end this next week.

The player of the game for Illinois was clearly Augustine. Tupper said he was a "warrior" and his final stat line of 16 points and 15 rebounds bear that out. He came into the game only needing three rebounds to become the first Illinois player (12th in the Big Ten) to join the elite 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club.

Now, for the first time in the event's nine-year history, Illinois won’t be playing in the Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinals. For more of the news coverage, click here.

Illini to face Spartans in Big Ten Tourney

2006-03-09T21:40:00.000-06:00

The Michigan State's 70-58 win over Purdue set up the third meeting of the season between the Illini and the Spartans. Illinois won the first two and it's usually pretty tough to beat a good team three times in the same season.

If Illinois beats the Spartans, they will have about 14 1/2 hours before their next game against the winner of the Minnesota/Iowa game. After a tough game today, that would be an even more difficult turnaround time for Michigan State. As John Supinie put it, the Spartans have the toughest road to the Big Ten tourney title.

Can the Illini win the tournament for the second year in a row? Dave Dye of the Detroit News thinks so. On his blog, Mark Tupper says that the Illinois players are sounding like the tourney matters. Bring ‘em on says Illinois forward James Augustine.

For the tournament bracket, click here. To read more stories on the Big Ten Tournament, click here.

Dee needs a bigger trophy cabinet

2006-03-07T19:02:00.000-06:00

There has been a surprising amount of ambivalence about the play of Dee Brown among Illinois fans this year. Perhaps they are still spoiled by last year's team, but many seem to sweat every missed shot and every shot clock violation attributed to the senior point guard.

There appears to be much less ambivalence on the part of those who are voting to give out the basketball hardware, as Dee has been mentioned for nearly every major award.

Today, it was from the conference, with Dee joining James Augustine on the All-Big Ten First Team. (Brian Randle made the All-Defensive team and Jamar Smith the All-Freshman team). In explaining his first team vote for Dee, Mark Tupper of the Decatur Herald & Review said that he may not have the stats of some other players in the conference, but concluded: Someone gets credit for the most important statistic of all: Illinois' 25 victories. Brett Dawson doesn't get a vote this year, but if he did he says Brown would be a first-team no-doubter.

The conference honor is one of the latest, but it's far from the only award that Dee has received. He was named one of 11 finalists for the Adolph F. Rupp Player of the Year Award by the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association placed Brown on the Second Team of the 2005-06 Men's All-America Team and named him Player of the Year in District V.

Dee is also a finalist for the Bayer Advantage® Senior CLASS Award, which is presented each year to the outstanding senior NCAA Division I college basketball player. You can vote for Dee (who was in fifth when this was posted) here.

Dee made the All-Big Ten Conference team of Seth Davis and was one of three repeat finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to the national college player of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Brown and Augustine were both named to the District 11 First Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Brown, Augustine and Rich McBride also made the official ballot for the All-Wonk Team (2.0). Some think he could benefit the New York Knicks.

Earlier this season, Illini Wonk said It's Good to be Dee. As you can see...it just keeps getting better.

Penn "friggin" State

2006-03-05T17:08:00.000-06:00

No. Not in the way you think. Although there is that, too. Illini Wonk said early and often that all the Illini needed to do for a share of the Big Ten title this year was to sweep at home and split on the road. Which they did...with one exception. A loss at home to Penn State prevented Illinois from a share of their third consecutive regular season conference title. Ouch.

But that's not what Wonk is referring to by saying Penn "Friggin" State. Rather, the reference is to what adding an 11th school has done to the conference basketball schedule. What follows is a list of the top five finishers in the conference. The first number is how many games they played against the other four and the number in parantheses is how many of those games were at home.

Ohio State: 5 (2)
Illinois: 6 (2)
Iowa: 7 (4)
Wisconsin: 6 (4)
Indiana: 6 (3)

Because there are 11 teams in the conference, the schedule is a determining factor in the outcome. As you can see, Illinois was the only team who had to play the other top four on the road, three of which they lost.

Ohio State only played five games against the rest of the top five teams, the fewest of any team in the top five. The only team in the top five they played twice was Wisconsin.

Michigan State, by the way, played ten games against the top five, winning four. That's right. They played all five of them two times. So, before you start to believe that Michigan State is a disappointment this year, remember that they played twice as many games against the top five in the conference as Ohio State did.

Oh, and that's why Illinois will likely play them in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday. But, according to Big Ten Wonk, that may not be a bad thing for the Illini.

What's the answer? Who knows? Wonk is simply trying to point out the problems the Big Ten caused when it added that football school from University Park. It's also something you might want to keep in mind when you're filling out your bracket.

Illini end regular season on a roll

2006-03-05T14:20:00.000-06:00

Illinois beat Michigan State in the Breslin Center for the second year in a row to finish 11-5 in conference play and 25-5 overall. After dropping two straight conference games to Penn State and Ohio State, Illinois won five of their last six and finished on a three-game winning streak.

For most of their first 20 wins, the Illini did it with defense and rebounding. Better late than never, blogs Mark Tupper, but the Illini basketball offense has made positive strides in the last couple weeks.

When the schedule was set, a lot of people marked this game at Michigan State on their calendars as a game that could be significant in the Big Ten title chase. So how did the Illini end their regular season with a victory?

Some have suggested that it was simply "hot shooting" that led Illinois to victory. That is partially true, but a big portion of it comes from the way Illinois is moving on offense. In the last three games, Mark Tupper notes that Illinois had 16 assists to go with 23 baskets against Iowa, 22 assists for 26 baskets against Minnesota and Saturday the total was 17 assists on 25 baskets against Michigan State. Sounds kind of like last year, doesn't it?

Two other factors in the win were bench and balance. Despite having Dee Brown sit the last nine minutes of the first half and James Augustine out for a while with a banged up knee, the Illini were able to go into the lockeroom down only one point. The Illini had five players in double figures and got 31 points from their bench.

Last night during the Duke/North Carolina game, Dick Vitale said that the Illini were looking dangerous going into the post-season. Could they be peaking at the right time? Can they win a third Big Ten Tournament? How far could they go in the Big Dance? What seed will they get?

Regular season finale

2006-03-04T10:06:00.000-06:00

This morning, CBS will broadcast Illinois' final regular season game against Michigan State in East Lansing. The Spartans will likely be without Matt Trannon which, as Big Ten Wonk points out, is worse for them than Trannon's stats would suggest.

As we all now know, Illinois' shot at a share of its third straight Big Ten title is a long shot at best. They would have to win today on the road and have Ohio State lose at home to last-place Purdue. Despite that, the Illini hold out hope. "We're goofy like that," said sophomore center Shaun Pruitt. "Anything can happen."

Perhaps a bit more realistic, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said: "The big thing we're going to play for is the (NCAA Tournament) seeding." Regardless of today's outcome, Dave Dye from the Detroit News says that Illinois is the Big Ten's best shot to get to the Final Four.

Illini win 15th straight against Minnesota

2006-03-02T23:00:00.000-06:00

Mark Tupper has the recap on his blog and in the Herald & Review. Brett Dawson has more on his blog. James Augustine and his near triple double was the talk of the game, as well as the 22 assists Illinois recorded on their 26 baskets.

Their final game is against the Michigan State Spartans this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on CBS. The game almost had added meaning, but the Northwestern Wildcats choked late in their loss to Ohio State. But, with Wisconsin losing to Michigan State today, the Illini can get a 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament by winning their final game in the regular season.

There's no place like Williams Arena?

2006-02-28T18:59:00.000-06:00

The Illini start a two-game road trip in Minneapolis playing the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. Illinois has won their last five at Minnesota and the last 14 in the series overall.

Illinois easily handled the Gophers 77-53 on January 25 in Assembly Hall which completed an 0-6 start in conference play for Minnesota. Since then, the Gophers have gone 5-3 and appear to be a much better team than when Illinois faced them more than a month ago.

As John Supinie pointed out, the Illini's Big Ten and NCAA seeds are up for grabs. Win out and they're contenders for a #1 seed in the NCAA's. Lose their last two road games and you're looking at a possible 6 seed and a Thursday game in the Big Ten Tournament.

Follow GameTracker here.

It's so hard to say goodbye

2006-02-25T07:35:00.000-06:00

Tonight, Illini Wonk will have to watch the game against Iowa alone. It's not because he can't take the pressure of an important conference match-up. It's because I can't possibly see myself not tearing up at the thought of seeing James Augustine and Dee Brown introduced for their final game in Assembly Hall. Wonk won't be alone. Expect coach Bruce Weber to be emotional during the ceremony, as he ponders what the two have meant to a program that's gone 110-21 since the 2002-03 season. John Brumbaugh invites fans to get to Assembly Hall early and honor these two seniors with your applause, laughter, and probably tears.

Illinois has been playing basketball for 101 years and these two players have been here for four. But, it's hard to imagine the program without them. What will Illinois basketball look like without these two players who have done so much?

It's also hard to imagine where the program would be today had they not come to Illinois, but it almost didn't happen. As Stu Durando reminds us, Dee Brown was contemplating Michigan State and James Augustine was sold on Purdue. Once Dee was sold, he recruited Augustine and the rest is history. Now, on Senior Night, the two need one more victory for 111 in their career, which would join them at the hip in Illini record book. As Lucas Deal asks in the Daily Illini, Could it really have set up any better?

But, there is a game to be played. "That's why I'm not so emotional about it,'' Augustine said Thursday. "It's more of a basketball game than Senior Night. If we don't come out ready to play, they're going to beat us.'' Iowa comes into the game in a first place tie with Ohio State in the conference standings with Illinois and Wisconsin one game behind. The final three games are extremely important for Illinois' post-season prospects. Despite the fact that they are only one game out of first place in the conference, they are also only one game out of sixth place, with Michigan and Michigan State close behind.

Nevertheless, it will be hard to say goodbye to these two seniors and the media tributes are piling in. Lindsey Willhite writes that Dee Brown has been the face of the Illini. Jared Gelfond agrees and calls Augustine a Model of Consistency. Mark Tupper believes that it's time to honor Dee by retiring his jersey. The Northwest Herald includes Augustine, calling them the faces of the Illini and noting that they are simply known as "Dee and James."

As for the players, Brown can't believe it's coming to an end. Augustine says It's like a storybook happy ending. Illini Wonk agrees with both.

During the game, Illinois will unveil fans five favorite moments of each player's illustrious career. You can vote from among a list of ten each at Illinois' official site. I really don't know how you can pick only five, but give it a try. As for Illini Wonk, our poll simply asks: are they the greatest pair in Illinois basketball history? Be sure to vote on the top right and leave your comments below. Wonk still can't believe it's almost over...

So you're telling me there's a chance?

2006-02-23T22:29:00.000-06:00

Well, there is a little hope. With Tuesday's loss at Michigan, the Illini fall to 8-5 and into a fourth place tie with Wisconsin (who lost at Northwestern tonight) in the Big Ten Conference standings. "We can still win it," said James Augustine. "Stranger things have happened. We have to win out probably. We've done it before."

For any chance at a conference title, the Illini would definitely have to win out. That would mean beating Iowa at home this Saturday and then getting wins at Minnesota and Michigan State. Considering that Iowa is first in the conference and Illinois is 2-4 away from Assembly Hall in Conference play, a win-out is a tall order.

But, even if they do win out, the two teams ahead of Illinois would have to slip up. Illinois could take care of that with Iowa, but that leaves the Buckeyes. After their win over Michigan State, Ohio State is sitting in the best position. They play Michigan at home on Saturday followed by the bottom two teams in the conference: at Northwestern and home to Purdue.

Here's the breakdown:

Illinois' last three conference games come against teams that are 20-18 in conference play. They have to win all three of them to share the title with Ohio State and possibly Iowa.
Ohio State's last three games are against teams with a combined 16-25 record and Illinois needs for them to lose one.
After playing at Illinois, Iowa is at home (where they haven't lost all season) to Penn State and Wisconsin. They are unlikely to lose either of those games.

For the Illini to get a share of the Big Ten Conference Title, they have to win their three remaining games and hope for Ohio State to slip up. Could it happen? Sure. Is it likely to happen? Not very. All along, Illini Wonk has said that 12-4 will win the conference this year. From where I sit, it looks possible that Ohio State will fulfill that prediction. What do you think?

Wolverine Hunting

2006-02-21T16:40:00.000-06:00

The only thing standing between Illinois and a first place tie with the Iowa Hawkeyes is a game against Michigan in Ann Arbor. I'm on the road and will be following along on GameTracker.

Finding some Orange in the Blue Blood

2006-02-20T22:59:00.000-06:00

I picked up a copy of Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina: Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops the other day. I know that title is a little provocative to Illinois basketball fans, but it is pretty hard to argue with that statement. Believe me, I don't have a lot of love for either of these teams, both of whom have beaten Illinois in the NCAA tournament recently, but I love college hoops so I gave the book a skim.

There were two stories that caught my attention. The first was Illinois coach Bruce Weber's reaction to Mike Krzyzewski's AMEX commercial, as recounted from a telephone call with Roy Williams. According to author Art Chansky, Weber was "pissed over the AMEX commercials" because he believed it gave Duke an unfair advantage in their regular recruiting battles.

Secondly, on several pages in the first chapter, Chansky had lots to say about the 2005 NCAA Final Four that included Illinois' matchup against UNC in the championship. He mentions the thousands of Illinois fans that showed up for their team's workout in St. Louis and the thousand of Illinois fans who drove ticket prices to $5,000 for a courtside seat. His assessment of the highest rated championship game since 1999 was this: As with most big games between evenly matched teams, it came down to made or missed shots, the bounce of the ball, and luck. Exactly the point Wonk made in a recap of the game. As for Duke, apparently they weren't all that upset with the outcome, because it kept Illinois (37-2) from breaking Duke's record for total wins in a season.

It may not be quite the read for Illini fans that Tales from the 2004-05 Fighting Illini is, but Blue Blood: Duke-Carolina: Inside the Most Storied Rivalry in College Hoops has a lot about college hoops, including some interesting bits on Illinois.

Big men lead Illini to win over Indiana

2006-02-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

The Illinois big men led their team to a nationally televised 70-58 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers in Champaign. James Augustine led the way posting his ninth double-double of the season, and leading the Illini with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Augustine and the rest of Illinois' "bigs" shot 20-of-29 from the field.

Brian Randle may have had fewer points (12) and rebounds (5) than Augustine, but he had a highlight reel dunk over Indiana's Marco Killingsworth. The dunk was reminiscent of his dunk on Penn State in his freshman year. He also survived a scare in the first half when he went down, grabbed his right wrist, winced in Bruce WeberÂs direction and mouthed, ÂI canÂt go.Â

Wonk saw a number of encouraging things while watching this game:

1. The aforementioned play of the big men. Augustine had been struggling lately, so his big game was especially encouraging. While Augustine and Randle were the best of the bunch, Shaun Pruitt quietly had a solid game. His shooting was perfect, 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, and was on his way to another excellent game against the Hooisers when he was hit with his second foul less than four minutes into the game. Coach Bruce Weber said "You have to be happy with our big guys." Indeed.

2. The bench was big. Minus Jamar Smith who was benched for "not taking care of business," Coach Bruce Weber got solid contributions from the bench, which Weber said Illinois needed to grab at least a share of the Big Ten title. Warren Carter played a career-high 25 minutes and scored nine points. Chester Frazier only scored one point, but he added five rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes. Marcus Arnold contributed four points, two rebounds and some solid defense on Killingsworth for seven minutes.

3. Free-throw shooting. Illinois came into the game dead last in the Big Ten in free throw shooting, but put up a 17-22 performance against the Hooisers. The starters were even better at 13-14.

The win keeps Illinois in the Big Ten race and now, Mark Tupper says, Illinois' fate is in its own hands. That fate starts with a game at Michigan tomorrow night, the second time Illinois plays two games in three days in Big Ten play. Last year, it took some late game heroics from Dee Brown and Deron Williams to scrape out a victory. Who will step up this year?

Of Faith and Hoops

2006-02-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

With Ron Artest and Terrell Owens occupying much of last year's media spotlight, you could be excused for thinking that faith and professional athletics were mutually exclusive. But not for Roger Powell Jr. He can't talk about one without mentioning the other.

Ask him about basketball and he'll tell you about his faith. How it was a "blessing" playing for Illinois last season and that his favorite moment of the season was "being able to share my faith on national TV after the Louisville game." He attributes all his success to Jesus Christ, saying "Playing for him gives me focus."

Ask him about his plans for RPJ Ministries and he'll tell you that he wants to hold basketball camps for high school kids, preparing them "to be bold witnesses" while they're in college.

For Roger Powell, Jr., faith and professional sports aren't mutually exclusive. They're two sides of the same coin. They're both part of his everyday life.

It wasn't always that way. In an interview with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Powell said he was having trouble living out his faith when he first arrived at the University of Illinois. He became bolder with his faith after attending an FCA team Bible study initiated by former Fighting Illini and current Los Angeles Laker Brian Cook.

Powell was in Sioux Falls with the Rockford Lightning for two games against the Skyforce. The Lightning dropped both games, but Illini Wonk got a chance to sit down with Powell before the games.

Powell talked a lot about his last season with the Illini (because Wonk asked a lot of questions about it). He said midway through his junior year he knew that the 2004-05 Illini were going to be a special team. "Even in my sophomore season you could see visions of a great team," he said. "I knew that staying together for three years, we'd be special."

His favorite game in an Illinois jersey was against Louisville in the national semifinal. It was Illinois' first and only win in the Final Four and it stood out for Powell because "it took us to the National Championship game." Few Illinois fans will ever forget that game or the performance Powell had in the second half, scoring 18 points, two of which came on a tip-dunk of his own missed three-pointer. A close second for Powell's most memorable game was the game immediately before Louisville against Arizona.

Powell said that there was a "family atmosphere" among the Illinois teammates last year and that he stays in touch with most of his college teammates. He keeps in especially close contact with Luther Head, who attending Powell's wedding this fall along with Jack Ingram.

In the two games against the Skyforce, Powell averaged 22.5 points and seven rebounds. He was 8 for 14 from the floor both nights. Among CBA leaders, Powell is third in scoring with a 21.6 average, third in offensive rebounds at 3.4 per game and fifth in field goal percentage at 57 percent.

Almost as strong as his belief in God is Powell's belief that he'll join three college teammates (Cook, Head and Deron Williams) in the NBA soon. He maintains that the CBA has been good for him. "I've been getting a lot of playing time," Powell said. "I've been playing well and winning a lot. It's also allowed me to play on the perimeter, which is where I'll be in the NBA. At Illinois, I played the four.

Powell said that, despite being waived by Seattle, he gained a lot of confidence while he was there. "The GM paid me a big compliment," Powell said. "He said I wasn't a tweener, but a guy that could play three positions."

Powell will get flashbacks of his last season of college basketball next Tuesday. That's when the Rockford Lighting host the conference-leading Gary Steelheads for University of Illinois Fighting Illini Night. But isn't that the night the Illini take on the Michigan Wolverines? Never fear. The college game starts at 6:00 p.m. and you can watch the game on big screen TV's from the MetroCentre before the Lightning tip off at 7:05. Rumor has it that Kenny Battle will be there.

Whether or not Powell earns a spot in the NBA, he'll always hold a special spot in the heart of Illinois basketball fans. Don't be surprised if you see more Orange and Blue than Yellow and Blue in the Lightning stands on Tuesday.

Illini get the Win

2006-02-16T23:24:00.000-06:00

It was pretty ugly at times, but the Illinois Fighting Illini managed to beat the Northwestern Wildcats, 63-47 in a game that Brett Dawson said wasn't all that fun to watch.

Illini Wonk agrees. After the game, Mrs. Wonk (who didn't see any of it) asked how bad Illinois lost. When I gave her a perplexed look and told her that Illinois in fact won the game, she said that I was complaining so much that she thought we were losing.

The reason I was complaining is this: the other team looked similar to the last five I faced in a YMCA pick-up game, except they were a little less sweaty. Despite that fact, Illinois was tied with 15 and a half minutes remaining and didn't put the game on ice until there was less than five minutes on the clock.

One thing is for certain: the Illini will have to play far better than this if they hope to beat Iowa at home or Michigan State (or even Minnesota) on the road. At times, Illinois has looked like a great team, but not during the last three games.

On his blog, Mark Tupper said that Illinois has some of its worst stretches after building a nice lead. Illinitalk says the Illini need to find their killer instinct.

Big game with Buckeyes

2006-02-12T08:29:00.000-06:00

The Illini have a matchup with Ohio State in Columbus for sole posession of second place in the Big Ten standings. Iowa will remain in first place after beating a struggling Indiana in Bloomington.

"This will be as challenging for us defensively as anyone we've faced this year" said Bruce Weber. In this year's game it's Ohio State playing the "we don't get no respect" card. "A lot of times when (media) talk about the Big Ten, they kind of leave Ohio State out," guard Je’Kel Foster said yesterday. "This would be a good message to let everybody know Ohio State is for real." This game also matches Weber, the Big Ten's coach of the moment, against Matta, who has a bright future.

The Illini need the win to stay in the hunt for their third consecutive Big Ten title. The Buckeyes are thinking about the same thing and looking to protect their home court. Who wins? Tune in.

The Reverend Comes to Town

2006-02-09T18:50:00.000-06:00

The palatial Illini Wonk headquarters are not anywhere near Bristol, Connecticut, so we will not be one of the dozen live interviews that Bruce Weber gives today. I've caught a few of them so far and no one has yet asked the question posed by Will Leitch at Deadspin.

But when the Reverend Roger Powell comes to town with the Rockford Lightning to play two games against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Illini Wonk will be there for an interview. Powell is coming off a 25 point, 8 rebound perfomance in Rockford's 113-97 win over the Michigan Mayhem last night, exceeding his 21.6 point and 7.1 rebound averages on the season.

My question to you, the readers: what do you want to know about Roger Powell since he left Illinois? What should Illini Wonk ask him in the interview this weekend? Let me know and look for the interview to be published Saturday night.

Bye Bye...

2006-02-05T23:05:00.000-06:00

...Home court winning streak
...Big Ten championship
...#1 seed
...BTPOY

I may recap this game later in the week, but I haven't been able to watch it again. Penn State? At Assembly Hall? Did hell freeze over?

It's Good to be Dee

2006-02-03T20:53:00.000-06:00

How does a team that lost two first round NBA draft picks and a CBA All-Star remain in the top ten of every national poll, become the first NCAA team with 20 wins and stand atop the toughest conference in the country? There are lots of reasons, but one of the biggest is Dee Brown.

His successful transition to the point guard this season is one of the most important factors in Illinois' success. Early in the season, some were questioning whether or not he could make the move, but he has proven the doubters wrong.

He served notice to the Big Ten in the opening conference game when he poured in a career high 34 points on 12-22 shooting. He followed that up with a couple of shaky shooting performances on the road in two Illini losses and a big game at home against Michigan. Since then, he has been instrumental in Illinois' run at a third consecutive conference title.

His numbers in conference play are impressive. He's carrying an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4:1 and averaging three rebounds and nearly two steals per contest. Brown has led the Illini in scoring in half of those eight conference games while averaging 16.8 points. He doesn't spend much time on the bench, either. Brown has played 309 out of a possible 320 minutes in Big Ten games thus far.

In the Big Ten Conference individual basketball statistics, Brown is ranked in the top ten for scoring (10), assists (2), steals (5), three-pointers made (4), assist-to-turnover ratio (4) and minutes played (4).

Brown's solid play is turning some heads. ESPN.com's Pat Forde named Brown the hottest player in the Big Ten, writing 'There is no bigger gamer in college basketball.' Brown is among the Midseason Top 30 Candidates for the John R. Wooden Award and one of the 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award (fans can vote for their favorite candidates on the Cousy Award web site).

Mike Nadel of the Peoria Journal Star feels compelled to point out that Brown's success at the college level will mean diddly-squat in the NBA. One NBA scout who was at the Wisconsin game might take issue. This scout told Bruce Weber that Brown is so much better at angles, penetration and creating for other people.' " In addition, DraftExpress has Brown going 28th in their 2006 Mock Draft.

Dee Brown has at least ten games left in his Illinois basketball career. If he plays like he is now, it might be several more than that. One thing is for certain: the Illini have been extremely fortunate to have him for four years.

Big Ten Race at Half Way

2006-02-02T22:55:00.000-06:00

With conference play half-way over, the Illinois Fighting Illini are 6-2 and joined by Iowa and Michigan at the top of the standings. Iowa and Michigan play each other on Saturday, so if the Illini beat Penn State at home, they'll share the top spot with only one other.

But, you don't win trophies for leading the conference at the half-way point, so it's time for a preview of the second eight games of conference play and what chances the Illini have for a three-peat.

For a long time now, Illini Wonk has been insisting that 12-4 will be good enough for at least a share of the conference title this season. With eight games behind us and the three leaders at 6-2, that prediction is looking prescient. The formula for reaching that magic 12-4 mark is much easier than the execution: a team must win all eight of their home games and split on the road. That is exactly what Illinois, Iowa and Michigan have done.

For Illinois to continue that pace, they will have to beat Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana and Iowa at home and win two of four on the road against Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Michigan State. That simple formula does not go far enough for reader Illini88, who asks for Wonk to call the two wins in advance. Here it goes: Illinois will win at Ohio State, avenging last year's loss to the Buckeyes, and celebrate a share of their third consecutive conference title on the Gophers home court, just like 2002. But, I could be wrong.

However it ends up, it's probably going to be a nail-biter. In addition to the three teams with only two losses, four teams (Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State) have three losses and any one of those seven could win it all. Michigan State will be looking for any of the top three to slip up, as their next three games are against Northwestern, Purdue and Minnesota.

At Hawkeye Hoops, Ryan Kobliska sees the Hawkeyes winning the conference if the top seven teams win all their home games and trips to the bottom four teams. They do so by virtue of their easier road schedule over the final eight games. But Big Ten Wonk blogger John Gasaway guesses that Iowa's first-place days are numbered.

What are your predictions? Leave it below and don't forget to vote in the poll on the right.

Illini get huge win at Wisconsin

2006-01-31T22:43:00.000-06:00

For the second year in a row, the Illinois Fighting Illini went into the Kohl Center and emerged with a win. While it was definitely more fun to end a 38 game home winning streak than extend a two game losing streak, this year's win was much more significant in the race for the Big Ten conference title.

With both teams entering the game 5-2 in conference play, the win puts Illinois alone on top of the standings with half of their conference games behind them. The other two conference teams at 5-2 are Iowa and Michigan. Tomorrow night Iowa is at Purdue and Michigan goes to Penn State, so the lead may not last long but it's a lead and we'll take it for a day.

Very solid games were logged by every starter expect Shaun Pruitt, who never got into a rhythm and finished with three points on 1-5 shooting and 1-3 from the free throw line. Dee Brown had a solid effort with 16 points and 7 assists. James Augustine may have only had 7 points and 9 rebounds, but it was undeniable that the Illini were a better team with him on the floor. Jamar Smith, apparently forgetting that freshman aren't supposed to play well on the road in this conference, contributed 12 points in 26 minutes off the bench without missing a shot or a free throw or committing a turnover. Frazier gave some good minutes, but Smith provided the only points off the bench for the Illini.

But for this blogger, two other starters shared player of the game honors: Brian Randle and Rich McBride. Randle did everything. He put up a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, with 7 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. He also drew the defensive assignment on Alando Tucker for most of the game.

McBride had his second consecutive excellent game, scoring 16 points on 5-10 shooting, 4-6 from behind the three-point line. It was McBride's three-pointers in the first half that really carried the Illini and gave them the half-time lead that they never relinquished.

The game was a game of runs. Wisconsin jumped out to a 6-0 lead by making their first two three-point tries (they would only make one of their next 18) before the Illini responded with a 7-0 run to take their first lead just over four minutes into the game. Then, Augustine went to the bench with his second foul and the Badgers came back with an 18-6 run of their own, grabbing a 24-13 (their largest of the game) just over half-way through the first half. In a gutsy coaching move, Bruce Weber brought Augustine back into the game as the Illini ran off 19 straight points over the next eight minutes and closed the first half with a 34-28 lead.

In the first 3.5 minutes of the second half, the Illini pushed that lead to 39-29 on a three-pointer from Dee Brown. But just as Illinois was threatening to pull away, Wisconsin closed the gap to two points and, while trailing 44-42, had a three-pointer from Ray Nixon that barely rimmed out. The Illini then went on a 11-1 run to take a 55-43 lead and were never threatened again. Despite shooting only 56 percent from the free-throw line on the game, the Illini made all six in the last 2:18 to seal the game.

Despite the comparable final margin, a few bounces here or there could have impacted the outcome. Augustine could have committed his third foul when entering the game mid-way through the first half. Nixon's three-pointer almost gave the Badgers the lead mid-way through the second.

But once again, it was Illinois' defense and rebounding that really won this contest. They really prevented Wisconsin from executing in their offensive sets, holding the Badgers to 35.6 percent from the floor. Illinois also outrebounded Wisconsin 43-28.

In his regular post-game blog post, Mark Tupper said: A team looking for a signature victory now has one. And a team struggling for confidence on the road after losing at both Iowa and Indiana has that, too. Believe this: The rest of the Big Ten took notice Tuesday night and Illinois has now raised its stock in the quest to win a third straight outright Big Ten title.

The win made the Illini the first team to reach 20 wins on the season. Next up, Illinois welcomes Penn State to Assembly Hall for a late game on Saturday night. For more news on this game, click here.

Illini face huge opportunity at Wisconsin

2006-01-30T08:14:00.000-06:00

With their 33rd straight home victory coming against lowly Purde on Saturday, the Illini moved into a tie for the Big Ten lead with Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. Tomorrow, it's on to Wisconsin.

Don't let North Dakota State fool you. This will not be an easy win...there are no easy wins on the road in this conference. As of today, the top seven teams in the Big Ten are 25-1 at home in conference play. The only road win came in overtime with Michigan State winning at Ohio State.

Although it will be a tough game, it's probably a game that Illinois has to win if they're going to repeat as conference champions. Illini Wonk continues to believe that in this stacked conference, 12-4 will probably be enough for at least a share of the Big Ten title. That belief was strengthened when we reached the half-way point with two losses good enough for a share of the conference lead.

In order for the Illini to finish conference play with only four losses, they will have to sweep at home and win three of the following five road games: Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Michigan State. If they lose at Wisconsin, that means the Fighting Illini can only lose one game the rest of the way. That led Dee Brown to say about the game in Madison: 'I think it's a must-win.'

But the game also presents an incredible opportunity at the mid-point of conference play. Because there have been so few road wins against quality opponents in the Big Ten, a win would put Illinois in an excellent position to repeat as conference champions.

I don't think I'll ever forget last season's game at Wisconsin. This year, Mark Tupper says there will be Someone coming off the bench and being this season’s Jack Ingram. Who will it be? Can the Illini get it done? I can hardly wait.

Painter v. Weber: Round 1

2006-01-28T09:22:00.000-06:00

When the Purdue Boilermakers visit the Illinois Fighting Illini this afternoon at 3:30 p.m., their best players will be wearing street clothes. Injuries to Carl Landry and David Teague have the Boilermakers in tenth place among the 11 Big Ten teams and make them unlikely candidates to prevent Illinois' game home winning streak from reaching 33 games. On his blog, Brett Dawson summed up the matchup today, saying: Purdue won't win at the Assembly Hall.

Left without much to talk about on the court, the beat reporters were sent in search of a theme for their coverage. They did notdisappointt. They reached up on the shelf and dusted off one of the old standbys in sportswriting, officially billing today's game as 'Teacher v. Mentor.'

In the Decatur Herald & Review, Mark Tupper wrote that Weber, Painter reunited ... on opposite sides of court. Tupper lays out the entire history. It was Weber who, while an assistant at Purdue, recruited Painter to play for the Boilermakers. It was Weber who gave Painter a place on his staff at Southern Illinois.

After recruiting Painter (twice), little did Bruce Weber know that they were destined to become Big Ten coaching rivals. But, according to the Indianapolis Star, they're still friendly foes. The Daily Illini says Coaches' shared past gives game importance.

The Illini are no doubt looking ahead a little to a Tuesday night matchup with Wisconsin, which, if they take care of business today, will be for a share of the top spot in the conference. For Gametracker, click here.

Deadspin: closet Illini fan?

2006-01-26T20:34:00.000-06:00

One of the truly fun things about blogging on the Illini basketball team is the opportunity to meet Illinois fans and alumns from all walks of life. Illini Wonk gets emails from them all the time and they are one of the highlights of my time in cyberspace.

I also enjoy the Illini basketball fans who are out there blogging and interact with Illini Wonk on a regular basis. One of the most recent that I've run into is Will Leitch of Deadspin. Will graduated from the University of Illiniois in '97 and covered the Illini for the Daily Illini from '93-'97 and for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in '97. He's originally from Mattoon and his been an Illini fan about as long as I have.

Will is now the blogger behind Deadspin, which, according to it's profile, provides Sports News without Access, Favor, or Discretion. It's a member of the Gawker family of blogs. Basically, if you're looking for box scores, it's the wrong place, unless you're referring to something Carolina Cheerleaders do occasionally and then it's the only place.

But we here at Illini Wonk don't care about any of that (okay, we read it every day in the office) but what really matters is that he's a fan of the Orange & Blue. Here's an interview with the infamous blogger:

IW: First of all, what was it like working at the Daily Illini?

WL: My fiancee went to Northwestern undergrad and Ohio State grad school, and was one of those annoying people who went to every class and took notes for people like me to steal the night before finals. My time at Illinois, studies-wise, is kind of a blur; I was the type of person who would wake up in time for my 9 a.m. class, make it all the way to Greg Hall and then, right before I walked in, turn around and go get a cup of coffee or something. I'm not really a classroom type, which is to say, I'm not very smart. But the Daily Illini, man, I pretty much lived in the bug zapper from the first day of my freshman year until I graduated (in four years, somehow). I couldn't believe I could type something on Tuesday night and have it in print 12 hours later. I was there from 93-97, and other than a couple ugly incestuous Daily Illini relationships, it was among the highlights of my life. I miss it terribly.

IW: What was your favorite after-game hangout in Champaign?

WL: At the U of I, as you and your readers well know, the Greek system reigns supreme. But personally, I was all proud of myself when I was there for my "individualism" and never joined one. This, in retrospect, was a wretched decision: I would have had much more sex in college had I been in a frat. Oh well. My point: Not much Kam's and C.O.'s for me, though I did sneak in a few Time Warp Tuesdays. I was much more of a Murphy's, White Horse and The Library person; I spent my 21st birthday doing Prairie Fire shots off the Library's oaken tables. Since I was covering the games, I'd file my story and then drink with the other DI people once they put the paper to bed. Then I would pass out and wake up just in time to walk to Gregory, then turn around.

IW: Where were you during the 1989 Final Four loss to Michigan?

WL: In my parents' living room, throwing our cat across the room. I greatly prefer recalling the Nick Anderson two-thirds heave against Indiana that year. My father and I were jumping around with such abandon that we accidentally hugged each other. We're not the most outwardly emotional family, so we looked at each other for a second, grunted and then started screaming again. That's still my favorite Illini sports moment, though, obviously, last year's Arizona NCAA game is awfully close.

IW: Both moments definitely belong in the top five. Is it true that C. Montgomery Burns from the Simpsons is actually based on Loren Tate?

WL: Actually, Loren Tate died in 1943. It's his mummified corpse still typing those stories; you didn't notice, did you? (This is the time in the conversation when I point out that Loren was always quite nice to me, actually.)

IW: We've never met him. Anyway, who was your favorite Illinois basketball player to interview and why?

WL: Without a doubt, Brian Johnson. I know everybody loved Lucas Johnson, but Brian was just the coolest, most laid back, accessible, down to earth guy. Plus, he let me borrow his notes one time too. Can you imagine? Copying notes from a basketball player? I still can't believe I graduated, I really can't.

IW: What's the most exciting game you covered?

WL: Well, I covered the end of the Lou Henson years, so ... slim pickings. I'm going to be sacriligous and say the Penn State-Illinois football game. That was the undefeated Penn State team that had Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter and Bobby Engram. (Funny, those names seem less impressive now.) Illinois had that game. You could see I-Block just shaking, they were so ready to storm the field. It still kills me they lost that game.

IW: Funny, that is actually one of the few games of...ahh...what do you call it...oh yeah, football, that I ever attended. But back to a real sport: When you were with the PostDispatch, did you find it difficult to be impartial? Did you even try?

WL: Well, actually, I was a senior when I covered the team for them, so it wasn't too hard; I was sitting in the same spot on press row as I was when I was writing for the DI. But it is impossible for any beat reporter to be impartial, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to you.

WL: I knew it! Well, enough about dead tree sports writing..what impact do you think the blogosphere has had on sports coverage?

WL: I'd look at the Clinton Portis story as an example. When he first started doing those goofy press conferences, nobody was paying any attention at all. But myself and other blogs picked it up, and we kept riding it, and now it's on the Fox pregame show. We can pick up stories and hit them faster, funnier and with less burden than the major networks. They're obviously noticing; expect much bigger blog presences on the ESPNs and SIs in the next year or two. Sports is ideal for blogging; we can drive the news cycle. Once you've done that, your'e home free.

IW: Drive the news cycle? I'm just trying to keep up with it. How did you end up at Deadspin?

WL: Basically, I pitched Gawker Media on it. They had been wary of doing a sports site before this -- I think they thought it would either be all stat nerd stuff or "JETS SUCK!!!" message board junk. I knew Nick Denton and Lockhart Steele from my other site, BlackTable.com, so I sat them down in a meeting and gave them my vision of how the site would work. And, the suckers, they bought it. But before this, and after college, I've been all over the place, working for finanical mags, media mags, other Websites, in doctor's offices, even Telemundo. (Just for one day; apparently they prefer that you speak Spanish.) And I wrote a couple books, which I encourage all Illini fans to totally buy. I kept busy. But this is the most fun job I've ever had. Except for maybe the DI.

IW: What's it like being part of the Gawker empire?

WL: You basically have tons of access to free gay porn. Not my cup of tea, but I tell you, by typing the phrase "free gay porn," I just guaranteed that Illini Wonk's Web traffic is going to triple in the next week.

IW: Uh, thanks I think. Well, what else do you want to tell Illinois hoops fans?

WL: Every game you're watching, I'm sitting in front of my television, wearing my Jamar Smith jersey, screaming. We're all in this together. Oh, and Richard Keene totally, completely sucks.

IW: Now that you've read the interview, go read the blog. You won't be sorry. BTW, when it comes to the Illini, he's way out of the closet as a big fan.

Illini win 14th straight over Gophers

2006-01-25T22:22:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team won their 14th straight contest against the Minnesota Gophers by a score of 77-53. Associated Press writer Jim Paul said "The Gophers had no answer for Illinois' inside-outside game in the second half."

With the win, the Illini join four other teams at 4-2 and in second place behind Wisconsin in the conference standings. The win also gives Illinois a school record 32 straight victories at home. The Illini now have two days to rest before going for their 33rd straight win at Assembly Hall agsinst Purdue on Saturday.

Of the losing streak, 13 belong to Dan Monson who has never won against Illinois in his seven seasons at Minnesota. With the loss, the Gophers fall to 0-6 in the Big Ten and you have to wonder how much longer Monson can hold onto his job.

Illini Win one on the Road

2006-01-23T20:14:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini got their first road win in Evanston on Saturday, by beating Northwestern 58-47. It was the tale of two halves...well the first 25 minutes and the last 15...as Illinois raced out to a 26-point lead and then coasted to an 11-point win.

Tim Cronin from the Daily Southtown called it an Ugly Victory for Illinois. In a rare double-entendre from Herb Gould (or the headline writer for the Sun-Times) the Illini survive sloppy 2nd (in case there are any Indiana fans reading this blog, you might want to go to Wikipedia for the definition of double-entendre).

How did the Illini get it done? According to John Brumbaugh, they did it with Dee and Defense. He points out that the Illini posted an offensive efficiency of 98.24 and a defensive efficiency of 79.61. Dee Brown led the Illini in points (18), assists (8), steals (2) and minutes played (40, tied with James Augustine). As Carol Slezak put it elsewhere in the Sun-Times, One gun hits, other fires blanks. The first gun refers to Brown and the second to Vedran Vukusic, the leading scorer for the Wildcats and in the Big Ten.

Vukusic entered the contest averaging 20.9 points per game and the Illini held him to five on 1-14 shooting. A small post-game debate broke out over whether that had more to do with Vukusic or Augustine, who drew the defensive assignment. Those subscribing to the Vukusic theory were, well, Vukusic and his coach Bill Carmody. Those who thought that it was more Augustine included the afore-mentioned Brumbaugh, along with the Chicago Tribune's Terry Bannon, who said Augustine excelled on defense. Scout's Coach Ray wrote that Augustine put on a clinic on how to shut the Big Cat down. In Scott Duncan's article for the Daily Northwestern Vukusic was Hounded by Illinois’ James Augustine. Coach Bruce Weber agreed, saying Augustine should feel good about what he did on Vedran.

So, to recap. Bill Carmody and Vedran Vukusic believes that the latter's five points are mostly the result of his bad shooting. Taking the opposing viewpoint are Bruce Weber, John Brumbaugh, Terry Bannon, Coach Ray and Scott Duncan. Wait a minute. In another article, Carmody did give Augustine some credit, saying He's a lefty and he contested a lot of Vedran's shots.

Regardless of who stopped who, the Illini posted their first road win in three tries and the Illini will take it, says Bill Liesse of the Peoria Journal Star. More importantly, it keeps them in the hunt for a conference title. According to the Adjusted Big Ten Standings, no team in the Big Ten has more than one road win and the only team with a road win against a team in the top half of the conference is Michigan State who won at Ohio State. The win also kept Illinois Seventh in the latest AP Poll.

Next for the Illini is a home game against the Minnesota Gophers, who are winless in conference play after five tries.

Northwestern strategy: Don't piss 'em off

2006-01-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team plays at Northwestern today. For Illini fans and returning players, the trip to Evanston will no doubt bring back memories of last year's game and the despicable conduct of the Wildcat fans.

This year, the Wildcats are hoping to avoid a repeat. A columnist for the Daily Northwestern writes: Whatever you do folks, don’t throw food this time.

But more importantly, the Illini desperately need a win on the road, which is never an easy prospect considering the quirky Wildcat schemes. To say today's game is a "must-win" is an understatement. The Illini are currently tied with three other teams in fifth place in the Big Ten Standings. A loss today would put the Illini ahead of only Purdue and Minnesota, potentially in ninth place in the Big Ten Standings and leave them out of the running for a conference title.

Could the Illini be out of the conference race after only five games? The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes, here's why: Bruce Weber believes that it will take 12 wins to take the conference title this season. Considering that six teams are ranked in the top 25, he's probably right and you certainly couldn't win it with 11 wins or fewer. That would mean Illinois would have to win 10 of their last 11. To do that, they would have to sweep their last six games at home, which includes games against Iowa and Indiana. Although that won't be easy, it would be even more difficult to only lose one of their last five road games. Those include contests at Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. Losing only one of those four would be a remarkable achievement to say the least.

So, the Illini have to win today. It's that simple. For Gametracker, click here.

Eric Gordon shows his stuff

2006-01-20T19:47:00.000-06:00

I hope you got a chance to watch Illini 2007 recruit Eric Gordon play last night on ESPN2. I had seen highlights on Illinois basketball games. I heard about the show he put on at the Circle City Classic. I know Loren Tate said that he 'could be best player Illinois has ever recruited.' I was even aware that hundreds of Illini fans have attended his games. But this was my first chance to see him play an entire game.

Wow. I mean, WOW.

Okay, so they lost the game. Keep in mind that Gordon's team was playing Lawrence North, the #5 high school team in the nation, whose roster includes the highest rated high school player in this year's class: Greg Oden.

But Eric Gordon was incredibly impressive, unbelievable for a junior in high school. He had 27 points, 23 in the second half. Two of his first half points came on an amazing steal for a dunk in which he blew past the opposition. In the second half, he did it all. Three-pointers...floaters over Oden...mid-range jupmers...but nowhere was Gordon's athleticism more on display than when he blocked an alley-oop attempt in the second half of the game. It was one of the most spectacular plays I've ever seen at any level.

Gordon will have an instant impact for the Illini and would start at the two guard for them right now (maybe that's not such a big deal, considering our struggles at that spot). The only question is how long the Illini can keep him before he makes the inevitable early leap to the pros.

2010: Illinois vs. OSU

2006-01-18T23:10:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN2, the Illinois Fighting Illini will square off against the Ohio State Buckeyes...sort of. Actually, Illinois recruit Eric Gordon and North Central High School will play Lawrence North and Ohio State recruits Greg Oden and Mike Conley.

The two teams already played last week in the championship of the Marion County Tournament and The Ohio State recruits came away with a 78-55 victory. Gordon, who fouled out with two minutes left in that game, scored 20 points and will be looking for sweet revenge in the nationally-televised rematch. The Illini fans, who have shown up in large numbers at past games of Gordon's, will be cheering on their prize recruit.

For past news on Eric Gordon, click here.

Illini drop close contest to Hooisers

2006-01-17T22:07:00.000-06:00

Illinois started and ended the game well, but an 18-0 first-half run by the Hooisers and a big second half from Marco Killingsworth were too much for the Illini to overcome. The Illini drop to 2-2 in the Big Ten conference standings with a 62-60 loss at Indiana.

Illinois scored the first eight points of the game and had a 19-9 lead before they gave up a 18-0 run and relenquished the lead for good. A late three-pointer from Dee Brown (his only basket of the game) brought the Illini to within four at the break.

Early in the second half, the Hooisers built on that lead until Illinois found themselves staring at a 55-40 defecit with 8:29 remaining. The Illini fought back with a 12-0 run of their own and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a shot from Augustine rimmed out. Indiana made three of four free throws down the stretch and a half-court shot from McBride at the buzzer came up empty.

After the game, Mark Tupper blogged: It’s not a bad loss. But it could have been a great win. He's right. The Illini could have won this game with a few plays made at the right time. For more game coverage, click here.

Illinois 10; Amaker 0...Davis 3-7

2006-01-16T19:19:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, the Illini defeated the Michigan Wolverines 79-74. The loss was the tenth in as many tries for Michigan coach Tommy Amaker, but in the process the Wolverines didn't make it easy for Illinois.

After an 11-point lead at the break, the usually excellent Illinois defense allowed 46 second-half points on 61% shooting. The performance of the Wolverines after half-time took the game down to the wire, where it took two late free throws from Warren Carter and a defensive stand to seal the deal. But, as Jim Spadafore of the Detroit News so elegantly put it: This was not handgrenade practice. Not horse shoes. Close didn't matter.

As has been the case in conference play, the Illini were carried by their seniors. Dee Brown and James Augustine combined for 49 points, including 24 of the last 26. John Brumbaugh's look at the box score shows just how important the two seniors were, especially Augustine who was 9 for 11. With Augustine on the court, Illinois was +16. Neil Milbert had it right, Brown and 'Augie' came to the rescue.

Augustine's impact was especially pronounced late in the second half. When he drew his fourth foul and went to the bench with 8:58 remaining, Michigan went on a 7-0 run to take a 70-69 lead. Augustine came back with 4:01 left in the game and scored the next four points for Illinois to give them the lead for good.

Brian Randle also had a good game and a stat line that impressed Mark Tupper: Nine points, six rebounds, three assists, no turnovers, two blocked shots. His tip-in dunk at the end of the first half was highlight-reel material and gave the Illini their 11-point half-time lead.

Next up: Indiana on Tuesday night

The next test for the Illini looks like one of the toughest of the season. The Illini will head to the other Assembly Hall for a road game against the (10-3, 2-1) Indiana Hooisers. Indiana's only loss in conference play was in their last outing at Michigan State where wins are tough to come by.

John Decker of Scout.com thinks freshmen guards will play a big role for the Illini. Based on their recent performances that would surprise this blogger. Chester Frazier sat out against Michigan for disciplinary reasons and Jamar Smith's ten-point per game scoring average has been cut in half since conference play started.

The Illini escaped with a 51-49 win at Indiana two years ago and Indiana coach Mike Davis has a comparably good 3-7 record against Illinois. If they're going to get a win this year, they'll need big games from the seniors, a better defensive effort than they had against Michigan and a third scorer to emerge. For the 6:00 game, ESPN will bring out Illini favorites Dick Vitale and Erin Andrews (oh yeah, and Dan Shulman).

Must-win against Michigan

2006-01-14T10:12:00.000-06:00

Illinois' loss to Iowa a week ago has made today's 3:30 p.m. home game against Michigan a "must-win." Although, with a competetive Big Ten conference, Illinois will likely need to win every game at home if they hope to repeat as Big Ten champions. Two seasons ago the Illini had the talent to overcome a 1-2 start to conference play, but this team probably can't afford to get below .500.

These Illini are not accustomed to losing and the loss to the Hawkeyes has Dee Brown in a bad mood who said "Losing is just the worst feeling in the world." Coach Bruce Weber was not too pleased either and has been working his players harder than usual in practice this week. "Coach has been on us,'' said James Augustine who, along with Brian Randle, were forced to run laps as punishment for lapses in practice.

Michigan brings a 11-2 record to Assembly Hall and like Illinois is 1-1 in conference play. Jim Spadafore of the Detroit News says the Wolverines have lost 10 straight to the Illini and eight in row at Assembly Hall. Spadafore sees no chance of an upset for the Wolverines.

A win today will tie a school record for 31 consecutive home court wins for Illinois. For Gametracker, click here.

Okay, no more vacations for Wonk

2006-01-13T15:58:00.000-06:00

I leave one time and what happens? Illinois loses to Iowa? (I don't know what's more depressing. The fact that we lost to Iowa or that this was my first real vacation in more than a year). Anyway, I was in a place that had lots of sand, surf and sun...but very little in the way of Internet access. Contrary to what some people wondered, I was not hiding because Illinois lost.

I plan on watching the tape of the Iowa game tonight, but I'm interested in your thoughts. What went wrong? Is Illinois not as good as we were all starting to think? Which is the real Dee Brown? Were the performances of Jamar Smith (4.5 ppg, 25% fg, 0 apg) and Brian Randle (3.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) in the first two conference games more indicative of their talent? Is it time to panic or was the loss no big deal? Will they be able to turn it around against Michigan tomorrow? Share your wisdom with the world...

Who's next? Iowa, that's who

2006-01-06T15:43:00.000-06:00

On January 7, the two best defenses in the Big Ten will meet in Iowa City. In order to try to thwart the Orange Krush, Iowa started selling tickets to the Illinois game two months late and made people purchase them as a multi-game package. Why? Because last year, 3,500 Illinois fans showed up and embarrassed the Iowans.

What are your thoughts about the game? Who walks out with this win? How many Illini fans show up? Does Dee Brown continue his campaign for BTPOY? Sound off.

Dee Brown starts BTPOY Campaign

2006-01-06T08:27:00.000-06:00

Dee Brown almost single-handedly defeated the Michigan State Spartans last night in Champaign. He poured in a career high 34 points on 12-22 shooting, nearly outscoring MSU's high-flying trio of Ager, Brown and Davis by himself. Thus begins his campaign to repeat as Big Ten Player of the Year.

When asked about the play of Dee Brown against his team, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said: "I thought we faced Vince Young tonight, to tell you the truth," Izzo said, comparing Brown to the Texas quarterback who led the Longhorns to the national championship. "This was a Dee Brown night. He won the Heisman tonight. There were at least four shots I said, 'I'm glad he's taking that shot.'

In case you missed it, click here for highlights and an interview with Erin Andrews.

Conference Kickoff!

2006-01-03T17:37:00.000-06:00

Wow! What a way to kick off conference play! Thursday night on ESPN2, the Illinois Fighting Illini will put their nation's second-best home winning streak of 29 games on the line when they host the Michigan State Spartans. This game is what the Big Ten is all about and contains so many storylines.

The game features #6 vs. #7 in the latest AP Poll. Two teams from last year's Final Four. It pits the Disciple of Gene Keady vs. Disciple of Jud Heathcote. High school teammates Dee Brown and Shannon Brown battle it out for college supremacy. The two teams have dominated the Big Ten in recent years, with the two winning at least a share of seven of the last eight Big Ten titles.

Most importantly, the game is between two of the early favorites in the conference this year. Jeff Shelman of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune predicts a first place finish for the Illini. A top finish for the Spartans is predicted by Skip Myslenski of the Chicago Tribune, Jesse Osborne of the Wisconsin State Journal and Dave Dye of The Detroit News.

Mark Tupper has the defensive assignments for Illinois: Brian Randle will start on Maurice Ager, James Augustine will get Paul Davis and either Dee Brown or Rich McBride will take Shannon Brown. Tupper is predicting a 71-67 win for the Illini.

Illini Wonk? In my preview for Hoops Futures, I'm picking the Illini 76-67. As Big Ten Wonk has so masterfully shown, the Spartans are having troubles with their defense. On the other hand, the Illini are the second best in the conference, behind only Iowa. I say defense carries them against the Spartans.

What's your prediction? Post it below...if you dare going on the record.

Tisdale Joins Illini 2007 Recruiting Class

2005-12-31T23:43:00.000-06:00

As predicted, the only drama surrounding Illinois' final game of 2005 was whether or not Mike Tisdale would end his recruiting with a verbal commitment to the Illini. Well, that drama has ended and Tisdale joins the stellar 2007 recruiting class of Illinois coach Bruce Weber. His commitment came Saturday, according to Orange & Blue News.

Illini Wonk will have a lot more on this over the next couple of days. If you're looking for past stories on Tisdale, click here.

Blue-collar Illini face Skyhawks

2005-12-30T12:52:00.000-06:00

Having just defeated the Redhawks on Wednesday night, the Illini will now face the Skyhawks on Friday night. (Who's next...the Chickenhawks?) UTM is coming off a 62-54 loss to Purdue on Wednesday night and are 5-4 on the season.

Tonight's game is the final obstacle between Illinois and their second consecutive undefeated pre-conference schedule. Although the records are similar, this year's Illini have achieved it in a vastly different manner. Last year, it was offense. This year, defense and rebounding. Coach Bruce Weber describes it thusly: last year we were white collar, this year, blue. Still, Weber would like to see more consistency from his team.

Speaking of rebounding, Illinois senior James Augustine is in need of 11 rebounds to surpass the 853 Efrem Winters recorded between 1983 and 1986 and become Illinois' all-time leading rebounder. Apparently, Augie's also popular with the ladies.

With Illinois listed as 26 or 27-point favorites, the biggest drama of the night could be whether or not Bruce Weber offers Michael Tisdale a scholarship. The 7-foot junior from Riverton High School just set the Carlinville Holiday Tournament scoring record with 118 points in four games and will be in attendance at Assembly Hall tonight.

For Gametracker, click here.

Fighting Illini Win, move to 13-0

2005-12-28T23:04:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team recorded their 13th consecutive win to open the season with an 89-64 victory over Southeast Missouri State. Mark Tupper gives the effort a "B" and says the Illini managed to avoid the Christmas hangover.

After watching the game, Illini Wonk had a few thoughts, many of which are similar to Tuper's:

Does Jamar Smith ever miss? The freshman was 5-5 tonight (4-4 on three-pointers) and is among the best three-point shooters in the nation.
Warren Carter had the best game Illini Wonk has ever seen him play. He was solid on defense, crashed the boards (including one impressive tip-dunk) and played with a lot more energy than usual. His effort showed up in the stat-sheet: 14 points on 6-11 shooting and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes.
Dee Brown looked like an All-American at times and other times...not so much. He had some great drives for baskets and some that he forced shots or committed offensive fouls. He had some great outside shots that came from the flow of play and he had some that he forced. It's used so often in sports that it's becomea cliche, but with Brown it's true: when he lets the game come to him, he's great. When he tries to take over, he has trouble.
The bigs looked good, but still didn't dominate the way they're capable of dominating.
It's good to have Chester Frazier back on the court. He gave Illinois some nice minutes and didn't show any signs of an injury.

Ultimately, it's tough to draw too many conclusions against such an inferior opponent. Murch more will be revealed once the Illini hit conference play. Photos of the game are available on ESPN.

They can't be much worse than Missouri

2005-12-27T13:33:00.000-06:00

Having handily dispatched Missouri, the Illinois Fighting Illini will now play a Missouri with, not one collegiate hyphen, but two: Southeast Missouri State. If there were any justice in college basketball, they would take into account the fact that you just beat the main university by 32 points and, out of mercy, cancel the game against someone with a "Southeast" prefix and a "State" suffix.

But, play we must. And so, the Illini will face the RPI 294 Redhawks (4-6) on Wednesday night. Their coach, Gary Garner, said "It's a huge challenge for us, to say the least" as they prepare to face the highest-ranked Division I opponent in the program's history. In a statement reeking of bulletin-board material, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said "our challenge isn't the opponents. It's ourselves and continuing to improve." Apparently Weber primarily wants to use the game to get more touches for the big guys.

Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. CST. Click here for Gametracker. To listen to a live broadcast on K103 of Cape Girardeau, click here.

Tired of Christmas Music?

2005-12-26T10:08:00.000-06:00

For something a little different, try the 2005-06 remix of Tha Illini from Big Hit Buda.

For those of you who are "rap challenged" in the ear, here are the lyrics as best as Illini Wonk can make them out:

It's the Remix. Where we at y'all?
I-L-L
Uh-huh
I-N-I
We make the crowd go
Where we at y'all?
I-L-L
Uh-huh
I-N-I

Yes sir! It was a wild ride
We coming back hard
Eyes still on the prize
It's a new year
Big Ten still up ahead
And it ain't goin' nowhere
Like Gene Keady's hair
Frustrate whatever coach we face
Dee for three! Money in the bank
Now they got us underrated
That's crazy as hell
It's like choosin' frozen pizzas over Papa Del's
Storm the floor, too quick on our feet
You'll meet defeat you reach your seat
Competition hear this beat, they gonna fear it
Got that U of I spirit? Then, come on let's hear it!

Where we at y'all
I-L-L
Uh-huh
I-N-I
We make the crowd go
Where we at y'all?
I-L-L
Louder!
I-N-I

Our fans are insane
They don't miss a game
It's crazy here, that's why
Teams hate to play in the 'Paign
The whole game, all you hear is WHOAA!!
You all in the front row pounding on the floor
Non-believers step off campus
Do like Bill, take your Self to Kansas
Come to Champaign, think we can't ball?
It's like not seeing orange in Assembly Hall
Got so much orange you can't see the rim
Wear another color they won't let you in
We get teams against the ropes with alley-oops and dunks
They have the fan with the fists throw the knock-0ut punch

Where we at y'all?
I-L-L
Uh-huh
I-N-I
We make the crowd go
Where we at y'all?
I-L-L
Louder!
I-N-I

Everybody think I'm on that bandwagon ride
I've got U of I pride 'till I die
Luther and Deron are making that cheddar
But we still got Dee, Augie and Bruce Weber
Our condition our position is Big Ten Champs
It's the remix I wanna see ya dance
This year, got revenge on the Heels
On top of that we did it in Chapel Hill
Come down the lane you gettin' stuffed
Runnin' over teams leavin' an Orange Krush
We winning anyway when they think we can't
Now get buck wild to the Illini chant

We got our swag back
I-L-L
I-N-I
We make the crowd go
We got our swag back
I-L-L
I-N-I
We make the crowd go

Braggin Rights turns into Blowout Night

2005-12-21T23:32:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini served up an 82-50 beat-down to the Missouri Tigers in the 25th annual Braggin' Rights game. The final score was the most lopsided margin in the 36-game history of the interstate rivalry.

Dee Brown had an oustanding game, scoring 17 points on 5-11 shooting (4-7 on three-pointers) and handing out seven assists without a turnover. He also added two steals and four rebounds in 36 minutes of play.

On his post-game blog post, Mark Tupper asks: Is Illinois that good? Illini Wonk asks: Who knew the game would be that boring? I mean, the only suspense in the second half revolved around whether or not we'd get to see some Frank Williams highlights from past games. Missouri was pathetic. Their offense (assuming they had one) couldn't get an open shot if their lives depended on it. Illinois' defense looked good, but Missouri made it look legendary.

As Tupper says later in that post, if Quin Snyder survives this season to return here next year, he’s either a miracle worker or he has pictures of the administration in compromising situations. Actually, it might take both. An ESPN commentator mentioned that Snyder got a bucket of popcorn dumped on his head while exiting the court. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Photo galleries from ESPN and Illinois. Illini Wonk will post additional stories on the game here.

Braggin' Rights Border War

2005-12-21T15:58:00.000-06:00

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2 is one of the best non-conference rivalries in College Basketball--the annual Braggin' Rights game between Illinois and Missouri at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. Illinois are winners of five straight (for a complete history click here and highlights click here) which means that Illini seniors Dee Brown and James Augustine have never lost a game and Missouri senior Jimmy McKinney is staring at his final chance for a win.

The experience of their seniors will be necessary for the Illini as Sean Pruitt and Jamar Smith will be on the court at the event for the first time and Brian Randle will not be at 100%.

Despite being heavily favored, the Illini are wary of the Tigers, which is good considering that Mizzou is desperate. Mark Tupper says that Missouri coach Quinn Snyder is likely on his way out. For his part, Snyder's hoping for a miracle tonight. That's because, according to Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Illini are much, much better.

Will Leitch of Deadspin is going home to St. Louis to watch the game as is apparently everyone else in the city that has been suffering through other sports seasons.

To watch an interview with Bruce Weber about the game, click here. For one with Dee Brown, click here. In case these aren't enough preview articles for you, click on my del.icio.us tag Braggin.

Happy Anniversary to Wonk!

2005-12-20T10:27:00.000-06:00

It was one year ago today that the first Illini Wonk post appeared. Now, 303 posts later, it's time to celebrate the one year anniversary of Illini Wonk. Here are a few stats for you for the past 365 days:

304 blog posts
98,814 visitors
182,618 page views
12 trackbacks (since Haloscan was added Feb. 17)
182 comments (since Haloscan was added Feb. 17)
49 incoming links from 32 blogs
572 emails
20 Bloglines subscribers
2 Amazon contributions
3 blogads
394 Google AdSense clicks
38-2 record for Illini since first post

You might be wondering how I intend to celebrate? (Even if you weren't, I'm going to tell you). I'll be attending the biggest college basketball game to come to Sioux Falls in recent memory when the Manhattan Jaspers play the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. SDSU (whose 65 points at Illinois represent the highest from any opponent this year) is in their second year of NCAA Division I basketball and I'm impressed that they were able to get Manhattan to come all this way. It's the kind of game that Kyle Whelliston would really get excited about.

Thanks to all of you for reading. It's been a great year.

UPDATE: I went to the game tonight and it was a good one. Overtime even. On the slight chance that someone is interested, I posted my recap over at College Basketball. Photos (which aren't very good) are on Flickr.

An Illini Carol

2005-12-18T09:49:00.000-06:00

In a nod to Charles Dickens and because I'm in the Christmas spirit, Illini Wonk will take a look at the Illini of Seasons Past, Present and Future.

Illini of Seasons Past

Last season--the 100th of Illinois basketball--the Fighting Illini won their first 29 games of the season and made it to their first National Championship game. Though they came up short in that game, they tied a single-season NCAA record with 37 wins. The 2005 NBA Draft saw two players taken in the first round, with Deron Williams going third as the highest drafted player in Illinois basketball history. For more on last season, try one of these books.

Perhaps even more important than the outcome of the 2004-05 season is the fact that Illinois now has three regular contributors in the NBA. Most top high school recruits are dreaming of a future in the pros and would prefer to attend college programs that improve their chances of getting there. Thanks to some recent alumni, Illinois can now be looked at as one of those programs.

Illini of the Present

With the win over winless Coppin State, the Fighting Illini are now in possession of the best record in college hoops at 11-0. They are ranked in the top ten of every major poll (no one can possibly take seriously the CBS Sportsline poll that has North Carolina ranked at 13 ahead of Illinois at 14) and with losses by Texas and Louisville, the Illini look poised to move up again.

Most sports writers have labeled this start a "surprise," but at least one thinks this season's Illini are better than last year. Others think, despite the perfect record, there is much room for improvement. Illini Wonk has chronicled the growing chorus of media praise here and here.

Whatever your interpretation of their season thus far, Mark Tupper summed up the current state of Illinois basketball on his blog when he wrote: These are amazing times in the history of Illini basketball. WeÂre spoiled, kids. We get to see a victory almost every time out. His post made Illini Wonk pause and realize that in the year I've been blogging (the anniversary of the first post is Tuesday, thanks for asking), I've only had to cover a loss twice. The Illini are 49-2 over the last two seasons.

Illini of Seasons Yet to Come

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the future of Illinois basketball has never looked brighter. Despite the pending loss of two fantastic seniors, the Illini have some young firepower that will be around for a while and some recruits that are sure to give the program a boost.

The foremost on that list was on display last night at the Circle City Classic where Illinois-bound Eric Gordon put on a show against the #2 team in Illinois. The 32 points from the North Central Junior apparently led Loren Tate to say that Gordon might be the best recruit ever to play for the Illini. According to Illinois Prep Bulls-eye, Gordon is a starter from day one the moment he arrives at Illinois and is hands down the Illini's best recruit in 20 years.

He might be the best, but he's not alone. Joining Gordon in Illinois' 2007 recruiting class is the latest Peoria product--Bill Cole--who committed to the Illini last week. Illinois Prep Bulls-eye ranks Cole among the top three players in Illinois in his class and called the commitment huge for Bruce Weber and Illinois.

Next year, the Illini have 6-11 Brian Carlwell of Proviso East in Chicago. While Carlwell was bested by Greg Oden last night, he is putting up big numbers on the season. They also have 6-9 Richard Semrau from Cleveland, Ohio. Mike Parris of the blogged that Semrau is a Donyell Marshall-type player who is comfortable playing on the wing and shooting from the perimeter.

Oh yeah, and when these top recruits come to Champaign over the next couple of years they'll be playing for Bruce Weber, one of the best coaches in the game. The future is bright, indeed. Merry Christmas Illini nation.

It's an Illini Christmas

2005-12-15T18:34:00.000-06:00

It must be getting close to Christmas. Kedric Prince has his Ten Christmas Wishes, Mark Tupper speculates that owning an ankle that isn't purple and throbbing is on Bruce Weber's Christmas list and Illini Wonk has gift ideas for that Illinois college basketball fan in your life. I'd been noticing several Google searches for Illinois basketball ornaments, so I thought I'd post it again. Keep in mind that everything you purchase through Amazon links from this page supports Illini Wonk and keeps Illinois basketball news coming your way.

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Illini Wonk!

Illini land second big 2007 recruit in Bill Cole

2005-12-13T09:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Peoria Richwoods Junior Center Bill Cole gave his verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of Illinois, joining Eric Gordon in Illinois' 2007 recruiting class. The the 6-foot-9, 200-pound junior (who is still growing) is compared to Brian Cook by his high school coach. A teammate of Jamar Smith last year, Cole is averaging 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game this season.

Brian Stinnette at Chicago Hoops had this to say about Cole, one of the top Illinois prospects in his class: Cole, who stands 6-9, is tall, long and highly skilled. Last year, as a sophomore, he was a teammate of Jamar Smith, who is currently starring as a freshman at Illinois. Cole has excellent shooting range for a player his size, and with added strength, could develop into a force inside.

Illini get love from media, pollsters

2005-12-12T22:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Illini Wonk posted about the in-state media who were joining the Illinois basketball bandwagon. Apparently, that bandwagon has grown big enough for national pollsters and even ESPN.

Every college basketball top 25 poll moved the Illini up today. Kedric Prince noted that the Illini moved up to #9 in the latest AP poll. Illinois also moved up in the Coaches poll, two spots to #8. Luke Winn thought the Fighting Illini were good enough to debut at #5 in his Power Rankings. The only poll that does not have the Illini in the top ten is the CBS Sportsline.com poll, which places them 14. (The other polls are visible in the links on the side bar, where they will be updated all season long).

The pundits over at ESPN have taken note of the team with the best record in college basketball. Dick Vitale and Andy Katz picked the Illini as their team of the week. Vitale moved Illinois to #5 on his Top 25 and put a nice picture of Bruce Weber on his home page.

This bandwagon's gettin' bigger

2005-12-11T19:23:00.000-06:00

This wasn't supposed to happen. No one, not even the players, expected the Illinois Fighting Illini to be 10-0 at this point in the season. They lost two starters to the first round of the NBA Draft and a third to the CBA. The experts certainly didn't predict it.

Local hoops pundit Brett Dawson, author of a book about last season, posted this on his blog before the games began: I still don’t know what to expect. Neither does anyone, really. I keep telling people that I’ve seen Illinois ranked between 12th and 30th, and that seems about right. Which is to say I don’t know where they belong.

Big Ten Wonk, with his abundance of stats and encyclopedic conference wisdom, previewed the Illinois season had this to say about how they would fare: Wonk doesn't know. Bruce Weber doesn't know. No one knows.

Now they know and following the rout of Oregon, the bandwagon is filling up. On his blog, the day after the game, Mark Tupper wrote: Illinois should now start thinking in terms of improving, staying healthy, clinging to its credo of playing hard and playing relentless defense, and sliding back to the Final Four. He finished the post with: It’s exciting to once again be following a team that seems capable of doing special things.

On the same day, Dawson (who picked Illinois to lose to Oregon) blogged: Get me a seat on that bandwagon. On Sunday, I’ll put my Associated Press vote where my mouth is, moving Illinois firmly into the Top 10 after resisting doing so for two weeks. (Maybe Dawson could follow the lead of Jeff Shelman last year and post his AP vote on his blog?)

Big Ten Wonk? UPDATE: According to Big Ten Wonk, there are both Reasons to start ordering commemorative posters of this year's Illini and Reasons to dwell on last year's Illini--at length. The former being the Illini's excellent defense...the latter their mediocre shooting.

BTW, if you didn't catch the game, FoxSports has three mintues of highlights here.

If it walks like a Duck...

2005-12-09T17:37:00.000-06:00

...and talks like a duck, you must be in Oregon. On Saturday, the Illinois Fighting Illini will take their 9-0 record to the Rose Garden in Portland to play the Oregon Ducks at 7:00 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net on the weekly PAC-10 College Basketball program. The Illini met Oregon last year at the United Center, so the teams will not be unfamiliar to one another.

Oregon started the season 4-0, with wins over Savannah State, Bowie State, Pacific and Rice, but are coming off back-to-back losses on the road to Vanderbilt and Georgetown at home. This game offers them the opportunity to get things right.

The Ducks are led by 6-6 swingman Malik Hairston, who is averaging 15.8 points per game, but have a balanced offense with 8 players averaging at least five points per outing. The Rose Garden is to the Ducks what the United Center is to the Illini...and then some. Oregon hasn't lost any of the seven games they've played on the court.

Illinois' record comes at a surpise to some, but Frank Burlison says it's only a surprise because everyone figured Dee Brown would have to carry them. Not only that, but Mark Tupper says that the game could be the last big hurdle standing between a 14-0 start for the Illini.

Follow the game online with CBS Sportsline.com's GameCenter.

Defense carries Illini to victory over Hoyas

2005-12-08T22:59:00.000-06:00

Early in the season, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said that their defense would have to carry them this year. It certainly was the case against the Georgetown Hoyas tonight at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. The Illini held the Hoyas to 13 first half points and 38 percent shooting for the game en route to a 58-48 win.

As Illini Wonk has pointed out repeatedly, the seniors will need to carry the Illini on the offensive end. Against Georgetown they put in a lot of minutes and were big factors in the win. Dee Brown led Illinois with 16 points and three assists. James Augustine had his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Barker Davis of the Washington Times made the trip to Champaign and said Brown and Augustine were two players for which (the Hoyas) had no answers. You can watch Brown talk to ESPN's Erin Andrews here about the defense.

But the good work on the defensive end masked a poor offensive night from Illinois. They shot only 32 percent from the field and 39 percent from three point territory. Early in the game, the Illini made Georgetown center Roy Hibbert look like the best shot-blocker of all time. The Illini frequently went deep into the shot clock, forcing Brown to create a play or take a difficult shot.

There were other positives in the game. The Illini dominated the Hoyas on the boards, outrebounding them 44-31 overall and 22-9 on the offensive glass. Illinois scored 16 points off of offensive rebounds. They also shot a season best 78.6 percent from the free throw line.

As usual, Illinois Loyalty has photos. For all of the game articles go to del.icio.us.

Following the game, Mark Tupper blogged about how winning has become the norm for Illinois basketball. He sees a lot of potential for this team once they improve their offense. Said Tupper:

What’s going to be fun to watch is to see how many strides Illinois can make offensively during the next few weeks when Weber locks them in the gym during the semester break and cracks the whip teaching the fine points of motion. This is already a very good defensive team. And, clearly, they know how to win. Add to the mix a more precision and efficient offense and Illinois will cause people troubles.

What's a Hoya?

2005-12-08T16:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight at 8:00 EST on ESPN, the 8-0 Illinois Fighting Illini will host the Georgetown Hoyas. For the GameTracker, click here. The press corp as identified two themes for the game:

1. Injuries to the Illini backcourt.
2. Illinois' full schedule, they won their first 8 games in a 17 day stretch.

For the Hoyas, the coverage focuses on the inconsistency they've had so far this year. Barker Davis of the Washington Times previews the game here and Bailey Heaps does the same for The Hoya.

These Illini are del.icio.us!

2005-12-07T14:58:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wished that there was an archive of Illinois basketball stories that was searchable by keyword? Me too. So I created one using the tagging software del.icio.us and posted the tags on the right-hand side of this blog under "my del.icio.us tags."

All of the tags should be pretty self-explanatory. If you want to see all the stories written by Mark Tupper click on Tupper. If you want to see everything written about Jamar Smith, click on JamarSmith.

I started it this weekend, so the stories only go back as far as December 3, but I will try to keep them up to date going forward. If you use del.icio.us, you can suggest stories for me by tagging them for:illiniwonk. If you don't subscribe, feel free to email them to me.

As always, let me know what you think. There are always a lot of stories out there that I don't have time to blog about, but with this addition to Illini Wonk, you should be able to better keep up on Illini basketball news.

Krush supports Jimmy V Foundation

2005-12-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

The Jimmy V Classic is three quarters done and Vitale just left center court after his annual impassioned pitch for raising money for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. It's a great event for a great cause and it warmed my heart to see that the Orange Krush will donate $50,000 to the Jimmy V Foundation this Thursday night during halftime of the Fighting Illini game versus Georgetown.

Not only does the Orange Krush make Assembly Hall one of the most difficult places for visitors to win in the country, they also raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy charities like this one. Illini Wonk salutes you, Orange Krush.

Smith leads Illinois in rout

2005-12-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

He's so good, he only missed two shots while racking up 23 points. He's so new, that CBS Sportsline.com apparently can't find a mug shot (paging the Illini Sports Information Department...Kent?). That's true freshman Jamar Smith, who nearly trippled his season scoring average and led the Illinois Fighting Illini to a 75-49 win over Arkansas-Little Rock.

The Illini seniors were overshadowed by the freshman, but still had good nights. Dee Brown did everything but score, grabbing five rebounds and dropping ten dimes (many of those on dishes to Smith). James Augustine had 12 points and 7 rebounds.

But it was Smith off the bench who stole the show, going 6 for 8 on three-pointers. He was shooting with so much confidence and getting off shots so quickly. Once the ball left his hand, you just knew it was going in. He gave us a glimpse of what he was capable of when he led the team against Illinois Wesleyan, but tonight he showed it all. The drive to the basket that he finished with the left hand and the mid-range jumper he hit were almost as impressive as the six threes. Through the first eight games of his career, Smith is 21 for 38 (55 percent) from behind the arc. In addition to scoring, Mark Tupper said Smith also played pretty solid defense, made some sweet passes and seemed to get his team cranked up as well.

After a shaky first half that saw the Illini carry a four point lead into the locker room, they came out firing in the second. Smith had seven points and an assist during a 20-0 run that put the game out of reach and gave Illinois their 25th straight home victory.

The Illini did some things well. They took care of the ball, committing only 11 turnovers. They played solid defense, holding the Trojans to 35.8 percent shooting and under 50 points. However, Illinois continues to struggle from the charity stripe where they shot 57 percent.

Dan O'Brien posted some photos at Illinois Loyalty.

Illini edge Xavier, face Arkansas-Little Rock

2005-12-05T18:22:00.000-06:00

Despite spotting Xavier the first 12 points of the game, the Illinois Fighting Illini were able to overcome a 15-point first half deficit to hand Xavier their first loss of the season. Dee Brown and James Augustine both had big games, with Augustine earning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week honors for his game-leading 23-point effort.

Tonight, the Illini face an Arkansas-Little Rock team that's coming off only a five point loss to Michigan State.

Follow online with the GameTracker here. To listen to the game live from Arkansas, click here (warning: you might have to download some stuff to get the streaming broadcast).

Xavier Gunning for the Illini

2005-12-02T20:00:00.000-06:00

Today, Illinois takes on the Muketeers of Xavier. A member of the Atlantic 10 Conference, Xavier has played three games this year and won them by an average of 30 points, including a 19 point win over Purdue in the Wooden Tradition.

Xavier returns all five starters and the top two reserves from a team that went 17-12 (10-6) last season and finished tied for second in their conference. That will be an advantage for Xavier over the Illini writes Dustin Dow in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

They will be led by senior forward Brian Thornton, who comes into the game averaging 20 points on 84 percent shooting along with 7.3 rebounds per game. Dedrick Finn has returned to the team after (I'm not kidding) being suspended for stealing his ex-girlfriend's dog.

For Xavier, the game with Illinois stands out as their biggest matchup of the season. A10 opponent George Washington is the only other team ranked in the top 25 on their schedule. So it's not surprising that Xavier has been looking ahead to the game. Following the last win over Copin State, Xavier sophomore guard Stanley Burrell said:

"All we've been talking about is playing Illinois. Not to say we were looking over Coppin State; Coach did a great job of letting us know we need to stay focused. ... But all week leading up to it, we've just been thinking about playing Illinois - playing Illinois and putting on a good show."

Xavier has a lot to play for, as Dow shows in another article. "Xavier could very well find itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble in March," CollegeRPI.com's Jerry Palm said. "A win against a team like Illinois is one of those things that can put you over."

Illinois will be looking to keep their perfect record intact following a much-publicized road victory over the North Carolina Tarheels. They will also be looking to record their 15th straight win in the United Center and improve on their 27-6 all-time record in the arena. "We always do well there," forward James Augustine said. The Chicago Tribune welcomes the Illini to town with the following headline: Sweet 2nd home in Chicagoland.

The oddsmakers have the Illini 5-5.5 point favorites. For those of you who don't get the game on TV, you can listen to the Musketeer's broadcast here and get the GameTracker here. For the Illinois game notes, click here.

I'm Dreaming of an Orange Christmas

2005-12-01T13:44:00.000-06:00

Well, December is here and if you're like me you haven't purchased a single Christmas present yet. If you're still searching for that special gift for an Illini fan...have no fear! Illini Wonk is here to help!

Actually Illini Wonk is here to tell you to go to Amazon. You can't go wrong with Brett Dawson's Tales from the 2004-05 Fighting Illini , which Illini Wonk reviewed here. If you're looking for books by other Illini bloggers, try Mark Tupper's Bruce Weber: Through My Eyes. I haven't read it yet, but if it's as good as his blog, it's, well, good.

But, did you know that Amazon has more than books now? How about an authentic Illinois Nike basketball jersey? Yep, they come in navy (without the grey shoulder) or orange. Or, if you're cheaper and cheekier, try a Illinois "Got Weber?" T-Shirt. If you're one of those people who really get into the Christmas spirit, you might want to get a University of Illinois Basketball Christmas Ornament or four Fighting Illini Slam Dunk Snowman Ornaments.

I've posted a few other products on the right side of this blog, or you can just do a search at Amazon for Illini and see all the things that come up. There's enough to make any diehard Illini fan's Christmas and, by clicking through these links, you'll support Illini Wonk with each purchase. It's the gift that keeps on giving...

College Basketball Top 25: Week 3

2005-11-30T23:41:00.000-06:00

Due to some technical problems week two of the blogosphere poll rankings didn't happen, but this week's is posted. If you want to compare this to Illini Wonk's pre-season poll, click here.

1. Connecticut
2. Texas
3. Duke
4. Villanova
5. Gonzaga
6. Oklahoma
7. Boston College
8. Iowa
9. Kentucky
10. Memphis
11. Illinois
12. Michigan State
13. Florida
14. Louisville
15. Indiana
16. Arizona
17. Washington
18. UCLA
19. George Washington
20. Wisconsin
21. Maryland
22. Nevada
23. Wake Forest
24. Alabama
25. Ohio State

Just a few general comments: I elevated Connecticut to the top spot due to their two wins over top 10 teams. When Marcus Williams returns to this team on January 3, they are going to be scary good. I kept Texas above Duke because they have played two top-20 teams to Duke's 1. Despite their loss to Connecticut, I was very impressed with Gonzaga so I moved them up. I almost put them ahead of Villanova, but the Wildcats did have two blowout wins. We'll see who's for real in their matchup this week with Oklahoma. Iowa moved up following an impressive win over Kentucky and a near miss against Texas.

I still believe Michigan State is a top-ten team, but their performance in Hawaii left me no choice but to place them outside it. I dropped Illinois one spot due to close wins over Wichita State and Texas Pan-American. Florida has had several impressive wins, so they debut at #13 and so far I've been right about Arizona. Washington moved up, mostly because everyone else fell off, but will have a lot to prove in their first real test against Gonzaga this week. UCLA is going to have to beat somebody to stay in the top 25. The last six are a complete crap-shoot.

What can Brown do for you?

2005-11-30T11:29:00.000-06:00

Despite missing all six three-point attempts and committing almost twice as many turnovers as assists, Dee Brown's performance is drawing praise from ESPN analysts.

After calling the game for ESPN last night, Dick Vitale posted a recap of the game, saying Illinois is a lot better than I thought. He went on to say: Illinois got to the winner's circle because of experience and some clutch free-throw shooting from Mr. Brown, a member of my preseason All-Solid Gold team. Vitale had plenty of positive to say about Brown during the game, comparing him to NBA All-Star Allen Iverson (previous comparisons to Jason Terry have been made on this blog).

Andy Katz was also at the game and said Brown's campaign for national player of the year unofficially began Tuesday night here at the Smith Center in a rematch of the 2005 national title game against North Carolina. Katz notes that, while his stat sheet was not overly impressive, Brown did all the things necessary to lead his team to victory.

For a dissenting opinion, look no further than Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com, who writes Dee Brown isn't playing all that good in his daily dribbles.

Following the game, Brown was interviewed by ESPN GameNight and you can catch the archived audio here.

Illini win in Chapel Hill

2005-11-29T23:12:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini made things interesting in the end, but they came away with a 68-64 victory over the North Carolina Tarheels. With 6:39 to play, the Illini held a 64-50 lead, but were outscored 14-4 the rest of the way, just doing enough to hold on for the win.

The 12th-ranked Illini ended North Carolina's 21-game home winning streak and improved to 6-0 on the season. The Illini had four players score in double figures, led by Dee Brown's 14 points. James Augustine posted his third double-double of the season, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with 13 points.

On his blog, Mark Tupper has a lot of interesting bits of information and said there were heroes galore for the Illini. His headline sums it up: Real good win in a real tough place.

Illinois vs. North Carolina

2005-11-29T16:56:00.000-06:00

With game time rapidly approaching, the hype around the Illinois vs. UNC matchup is increasing. As Mark Tupper revealed on his blog, Nike sent new uniforms for both teams tonight and Illini Wonk tracked down the Illinois top pictured in this post (hat tip to RhodesSchool via Deadspin).

Blogger previews of the game can be found at Big Ten Wonk and College Basketball. After their South Padre hiatus, Illinois will have a gametracker on their official site. Audio? Who needs it? It's on ESPN, baby!

A Rematch in Name Only

2005-11-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night, Illinois will meet North Carolina in Chapel Hill as a part of the seventh annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Some have called it a rematch of last year's championship game, but with each team returning only one player who scored in the game, this contest is much more about this year.

The game will have plenty of hype. Illinois moved up three spots to #12 in the latest AP poll and ESPN is calling upon Dick Vitale to yell from the sidelines. According to Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, North Carolina expects its first sellout of the season in its 21,750-seat arena.

According to Inside Carolina writer Andy Britt, the UNC defensive strategy will be: Stop, or at least try to slow down, Dee Brown. To listen to comments from Roy Williams on the matchup, click here. For Illinois' official game notes, click here.

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com predicts a win for Illinois and the Big Ten...the latter by a seven games to four margin.

Herb Gould takes an historical look at the series in a piece for the Chicago Sun-Times. With Ohio State beating Virginia Tech in the opening game, the Big Ten is in the driver's seat, needing only to split the rest of the 11 games.

Illini get verbal from Top Recruit

2005-11-28T11:01:00.000-06:00

Bruce Weber and the Illinois Fighting Illini mean's basketball team received a verbal commitment today from a top rated recruit in the class of 2007. The Indianapolis Star is reporting that North Central High School Junior Eric Gordon has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at Illinois.

In the class of 2007, Gordon is ranked the #10 overall recruit by Scout.com and #5 by Rivals.com. Both list him as a five-star recruit and have him as the #1 rated shooting guard in the class.

Illini Wonk will have more on this breaking story soon, including how this destroys the myth that "Bruce Weber can't recruit." Here's a quote from Gordon's father in the Indianapolis Star:

"The No. 1 thing is just the coaching staff," the elder Gordon, also named Eric, said of the Illini, coached by Bruce Weber. "They recruited him since he was younger. They've shown so much interest in him."

Add another trophy to the Illini case

2005-11-27T12:33:00.000-06:00

The Illinois Fighting Illini add another trophy to the case as they defeat Rutgers 77-57 in the title game of the South Padre Island Invitational. In a contest that was supposed to be a test, the Illini easily handed Rutgers their first loss of the season. The newspaper headlines tell the story:

Chicago Tribune: Title game a romp for Illini

State Journal-Register: Illini rout Rutgers

Elgin Courier News: Illini crush Rutgers, win title

So which Texas performance reveals this year's Illini? The last second victory over Wichita State or the rout of Rutgers? More importantly, which team will show up for their first nationally-televised game of the season against North Carolina on Tuesday night?

In the Chicago Sun-Times, Herb Gould wrote that the Illini are making progress. Mark Tupper believes that is especially true for Randle who had the highest scoring game of his career. Lindsey Willhite agrees, saying Randle took his long-awaited turn in the difference-maker category.

John Brumbaugh analyzes the stat sheet and concludes that the Illini played much better offense than they did against Wichita State. He writes:

The Illini only took 15 three-point shots, and they got the ball inside a lot more as the Illini big men combined for 22 of the Illini’s 51 shots. Another good sign that the Illini were not just a jump shot oriented team against the Scarlet Knights was their 29 free throw attempts were scattered around the lineup, from the big men to the guards. The Illini also took much better control of the basketball, only committing 10 turnovers for the game.

James Augustine continued to play well and was named tournament MVP. Dee Brown and Rich McBride joined Augustine on the all-tournament team.

Illini survive WSU: Face Rutgers in Final

2005-11-26T15:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the late heroics of Warren Carter, the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team defeated Wichita State 55-54 and advance to face Rutgers in the final of the South Padre Island Invitational. The win gives the #14 ranked Illini their fourth straight win to open the season.

The Illini started the game well and jumped out to a 15-6 lead five minutes from the tip-off. But with 6:26 left in the first half, WSU took the lead and would not relenquish it until a James Augustine jumper with 4:46 left in the game. The Illini again lost the lead and it took a basket from Carter with 1.2 seconds remaining to get the win for the Illini. Stu Durando reports that they play was a whim of Bruce Weber's.

James Augustine led the Illini with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Dee Brown had a miserable stat sheet that included 3-14 from the field, 0-2 from the freethrow line and five turnovers. It is not surprising, then, that Mark Tupper concluded from the game that this team simply can't rely on its guards to carry the load the way last season's Illini team could do.

On his blog, Tupper says that Rutgers won't be easy either, but he's predicting an Illinois win, 64-57. For the official game notes, click here.

Illini win first two

2005-11-20T20:57:00.000-06:00

In their first weekend of basketball, the Illinois Fighting Illini posted two wins against relatively easy opponents. In their opening game of the season on Friday night, the Illini beat the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 90-65.

In the season preview Illini Wonk stated that this season's success (or lack thereof) will depend more on the play of the two seniors...Dee Brown...and James Augustine. Both had good performances against SDSU, with Brown scoring 19 and Augustine posting 18 points to go with 14 rebounds. Brown didn't shoot particularly well and had too many turnovers, but all-in-all it was a good game from the seniors.

Mark Tupper blogged that Augustine, Rich McBride and Shaun Pruitt stepped up to answer Brown's pre-season challenge. He also liked the play of freshmen guards Chester Frazier and Jamar Smith. WPR made similar comments on this blog.

For a complete statistical recap of the game, be sure to check out John Brumbaugh's Box Score Breakdown. His statistics show some interesting things about this year's Illini basketball team.

In the second game earlier today, the Illini overcame a poor first-half to beat Texas-Pan American 71-59. Brown and Augustine led the way in scoring once again with 20 and 14 points, respectively. Each had seven rebounds. McBride added 11 points and eight assists.