When fifth-year senior point guard Sam Maniscalco announced he was transferring to Illinois from Bradley for his final season, most fans figured he would add some toughness and leadership to a young team starving for those qualities. Not many could have predicted the profound impact he’s had on the Illini so far.

Maniscalco scored 24 points to help lead the Illini to a 71-62 road victory over the Maryland Terrapins on Day One of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Maniscalco scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half, including several big three-pointers and four free throws to seal the deal at the end.

The Illini shook off a rough start and a hot shooting night from Terrapins guard Terrell Stoglin (25 points) to move to 7-0. The win was coach Bruce Weber’s 200th at Illinois.

Illinois fell behind early as they struggled to connect from the outside. For the game, the Illini shot just 7-23 (30.4%) from deep. Maniscalco and junior guard Brandon Paul (17 points) helped keep Illinois in the game as they trailed by four at the half after trailing by as many as nine.

Trailing by four with just under 15 minutes to go, Paul connected on a layup and Maniscalco followed with a three to give Illinois their first lead of the game since Paul’s dunk put them up 2-0. The Illini would never relinquish the lead the rest of the game.

Free throw shooting would be key for Illinois down the stretch, as they would go a perfect 10-10 in the second half. They went 18-20 overall, a nice surprise for a team that has missed its fair share of clutch free throws over the years.

Back to Maniscalco, he is now averaging 13.3 points in 25.0 minutes this season. He’s knocking down 55% of his shots and 42% from deep. While the competition has not been great, I’m beginning to believe that he can be an effective player in the Big Ten.

While this Maryland team is nowhere near as talented as past team’s, any true road win for a young squad like Illinois is a good one. I was impressed by how they fought back after the tough start, and how they did not fold when Maryland pressured them late. It was a nice win, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Other observations:

• Besides his superb on-court production, Maniscalco’s leadership was on full display last night. After big man Meyers Leonard erased a Maryland shot into the stands, he stared down the man he just blocked and appeared like he was going to taunt him. Sam got in there and pulled Leonard away before he could receive a technical.
• Speaking of Leonard (12 points, six boards, three blocks), this kid could be really special. His athleticism is off the charts and he’s showing major improvement in the post game. I like how hard he’s battling in the post, and I especially like how he re-posts after getting doubled and passing out of it. He showed a nice little jump hook last night, and if he continues developing his game, he will have a very bright NBA future. I would like to see Illinois make a more concerted effort to get him the ball down low though.
• Paul’s 5-14 may not be pretty, but he was all over the floor. His energy kept Illinois in the game in the first half. He was aggressive on offense and on the glass, pulling down several offensive rebounds and keeping plays alive. More of that please.
• Rough game for D.J. Richardson. He didn’t shoot well and was torched by Stoglin. It happens.
• Reserve point guard Tracy Abrams was the only bench guy to get significant minutes, but he was awfully impressive. He only scored two points, but he dished out four assists and pulled down four rebounds. He did get into foul trouble, but he’s young and will learn to play defense with his feet instead of his hands.
• Not much to say about any of the other players. Tyler Griffey struggled with his shot, but he did hit one big three in the second half. The other guys just didn’t get much  time.
• There were a couple plays that really stuck out to me. One, there was some great hi-low action between Griffey and Leonard that led to a key dunk late in the second half. Another was Maniscalco’s offensive rebound of his own miss with just under a minute left and the Illini nursing a five-point lead. If Maryland grabs that rebound and comes down and hits a three, the game could have swung in their favor. Instead, Sam gets the board and Richardson ends up knocking down two free throws to ice the game.
• Illinois will now face Gonzaga on Saturday at Assembly Hall. Should be a good one.

The Assembly Hall was deathly quiet as the Illinois Fighting Illini clung to just a five-point lead over the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers with a tad over 11 minutes remaining in the second half. But a 13-2 run over the next four minutes squashed any hopes of a shocking upset, as the Illini would roll to a 67-49 victory in its season opener.

Sophomore forward Meyers Leonard led the way for the Illini with 15 points and six blocked shots. Junior guard Brandon Paul added 14 points while junior power forward Tyler Griffey chipped in with 10 points. Walt Gibler led the Ramblers with 19 points.

The Illini scuffled a bit out of the gate, shooting 44 percent from the field in the first half en route to just 28 points. One part of the problem was the three-point shooting, as the Illini made just 4-14 from deep in the opening half. Taking care of the ball was another issue, with the Illini turning it over nine times in the first half.

Luckily, the Illini used a smothering defensive effort to hold the Ramblers to just 18 first half points. Although the Ramblers found their groove during a stretch early in the second half, they were not able to keep up when the Illini made their charge.

Leonard was key in the game’s defining run, scoring six points and bringing the house down with a thunderous fast break dunk.

As expected, Illinois coach Bruce Weber tinkered a bit with his lineups, giving plenty of guys a chance to play. Nine players saw double-digit minutes, including three of the freshmen. One of those freshmen, point guard Tracy Abrams, surprisingly got the start and delivered with eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.

It wasn’t the prettiest victory for the Illini, but a win’s a win and it’s a good way to start the season. Some struggles are to be expected early this year, and at least the Illini didn’t go down to the wire like Duke did against Belmont (a Duke loss to Belmont at Cameron Indoor would have been epic!).

It was nice to see Paul and Leonard take charge. Those two will be instrumental in any type of success the Illini have this season. They have tons of potential, it just remains to be seen if they can fulfill it.

The Illini will take on SIU-Edwardsville on Monday, Dec. 14 at Assembly Hall.

The Illinois football team was poised for big things this season. But after starting 6-0, the Illini have tanked, losing their last three games thanks to inept performances on the offensive side of the ball. As interest wanes and fans lose hope, they can turn their attention to the basketball team, which officially kicks off the 2011-12 season Friday night against Loyola-Chicago.

The Illini hoops team will have a drastically different look and feel this season. Gone is the talented yet underachieving class of Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis and Bill Cole. Gone is troubled forward Jereme Richmond, who has had several run-ins with the law since his departure from the university.

Coming in is a large freshman class loaded with potential. All six guys – Tracy Abrams, Myke Henry, Mike Shaw, Nnanna Egwu, Devin Langford and Ibby Djimde  - will have a chance to crack the rotation, although Langford will start the season on the pine due to finger surgery.

Also joining the fray is Sam Maniscalco, a senior point guard transfer from Bradley. Maniscalco is having some injury problems of his own, as he just got out of a walking boot for an injured ankle. However, he will be ready to go for the season opener and will likely get the starting nod over the freshman Abrams.

While Abrams is the more talented player, Maniscalco’s experience, toughness and leadership make him the logical choice to start the year at point guard. He can help groom Abrams as he learns the position and matures throughout the year.

Although there’s a lot of incoming talent, it will still be tough to replace the outgoing production. As frustrating as the 2010 class was (plus Richmond), they accounted for 69 percent of the team’s scoring last season. A pretty tall order to say the least.

A lot of the burden will be placed on the trio of Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Meyers Leonard. All three guys have shown flashes of the talent they possess, but all three have also lacked the consistency needed to be elite college players.

Paul and Leonard will be especially intriguing to watch, as they are players who have a legitimate chance to play at the next level. They possess NBA-level athleticism and skill, but they must hone their games in order to truly have a shot in the league.

Rounding out the crew (besides the walk-ons) are Tyler Griffey, Joseph Bertrand and Crandall Head. Griffey has been a bit underwhelming during his two-year Illini career, but he will get the opportunity to prove himself this season as the starting power forward. Bertrand showed some promise during the team’s trip to Italy over the summer, and it will be interesting to see if that translates in real action. Head is a raw talent and has to sit out the first two regular season games due to suspension.

As for head coach Bruce Weber, he faces a pretty challenging task. With so much inexperience, he will have to work to find combinations and strategies that prove effective. Will he go with a deeper bench? Will he push the tempo? Will he use the full court press or zone defense? Weber has been pretty stubborn in the past, so being flexible with this current group could be a key to success.

Some may view Weber as on the hot seat this season, but I think he will get a pass unless the team really tanks. The team is just too young to expect a big season. If they next year with essentially everybody coming back, then that’s a problem. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s play this season first.

I fully expect this team to struggle out of the gate as they get used to playing with each other. I think they will come along as the year goes on, but I don’t think they are ready to challenge for a Big Ten title (unless Paul and Leonard absolutely blow up). I see a middle of the pack finish in the conference, and a team that ends up with a mid-to-low NCAA Tournament seed.

No matter what happens, it will be fun to see how some of the guys grow as players. I’m sure there will be plenty of frustration per usual, but I’m used to that by now. I’m just excited to see what a new crop of players and leaders will do.

Former Illini Demetri McCamey, Jereme Richmond and to a lesser extent Mike Davis were all hoping to hear their name called last night in the 2011 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, their time never came.

I guess it shouldn’t come as that big a surprise that none of them got picked. I held out a little bit of hope for McCamey and Richmond, but I completely understand why teams stayed away. They both had their fair share of problems that were major red flags for NBA general managers.

McCamey is a pretty talented player, but he lacks elite quickness and explosiveness. He’s also a very average defensive player that doesn’t always give maximum effort. Then of course there were all his clashes with Illinois coach Bruce Weber. Mix all these things together and you get an inconsistent player that doesn’t get drafted.

Richmond is just a sad story. After a tumultuous freshman year at Illinois, Richmond decided to leave school and enter the NBA Draft. I still don’t know if he had been planning it all along or if he was forced out because of his off-the-court issues, but either way it’s a shame what happened.

Richmond has all the talent in the world and pretty much threw it all away with his bad attitude. The kid certainly has the tools to be a good NBA player, but nobody wanted to take a chance on him because of all the baggage. If he would have just put in the necessary work, he would have been a star at Illinois. I honestly think he could have been a lottery pick in a few years if he didn’t mess it all up.

Davis really had no shot. He has NBA athleticism, but he’s not nearly strong enough. His game also doesn’t translate very well to the NBA. He doesn’t have much of a post up game and he would have to be a stretch four. The problem with this is he doesn’t have the necessary range to be an effective stretch four. He also lacks the ability to put the ball on the floor and create for himself.

I will say that the impending lockout may have had an effect on the draft status of these guys. With teams not wanting to take on contracts, there were a lot of foreign players drafted late that have zero chance of sniffing the NBA for several years. Some of these guys may not play in the NBA ever. You can’t tell me that Chukwudiebere “Chu Chu” Maduabum is a better NBA prospect than Richmond, McCamey or even Davis for that matter. But that’s just the way it goes.

These guys will end up having to rely on getting signed as undrafted free agents if they want to realize their NBA dreams. With that lockout coming, they may be forced overseas to make a pay check before they’re able to sign with a team. I don’t doubt that these guys could probably have a nice career for themselves overseas, but I’m sure that’s not what they were envisioning.

These guys brought me a lot of angst during their time at Illinois, but I wish them nothing but the best. I really hope they’re able to latch on somewhere and enjoy productive careers, be it in the NBA or overseas.

Welp, I didn’t see this one coming (although I guess I should have).

Just last week, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said that he expected suspended forward Jereme Richmond to return to the team next season.  Today, those words were proven wrong.

In a sudden turn of events, Richmond announced that he would be leaving Illinois after one season and declaring for the NBA Draft.  He is currently working out in Chicago and in the process of hiring an agent.

Richmond came to Illinois with a lot of fanfare as he was the first McDonald’s All American to come to Champaign since Dee Brown.  He committed his freshman year of high school and Illini fans had been pining for his arrival since then.  However, his freshman season at Illinois turned into a roller coaster ride.  He showed flashes of brilliance, but also had games where he was invisible and made boneheaded plays.  He ended up averaging 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 31 games.

But the real issues were off the court.  Early in the season, Richmond missed a game for personal reasons. There was speculation that he would leave the program after that, but he came back.  Then there was the NCAA Tournament suspension for violating athletic code.  We still don’t know what exactly the violation was, but I have my guesses (more on that later).

Richmond’s decision to enter the draft is pretty surprising (and to me personally, idiotic), as I don’t think he’s ready for the NBA at all.  While his length and athleticism will likely have scouts drooling, his overall game still needs A LOT of improvement.  His jump shot needs work and he needs to get much stronger.  He also needs to work on his ball handling and decision making.  Then there’s all the off the court issues.  Despite these concerns, ESPN’s Chad Ford has Richmond ranked as the 45th best prospect in 2011 and sees him as a “bubble first rounder.”

Now, many guys won’t declare after one season if they are seen as a “bubble first rounder.”  Many would stay in school and work on their games to improve their stock.  Richmond would have been a major player for Illinois next season, and could have turned himself into a lottery pick.  Even if he didn’t want to stay at Illinois, he could have transferred somewhere else (although that would have meant sitting out a year).  The fact that he declared now shows that there’s something else going on here.

From what I’ve read and heard, it sounds like Richmond had zero interest in the “student” part of “student athlete.”  Missing class seemed to be the norm for him, and I would venture a guess that this played a part in his suspension.  Although Weber appeared to give him a chance to return, Richmond wanted none of it.  The idea of going to class and staying eligible just wasn’t in the cards.  This would also explain why he wouldn’t transfer anywhere.  He just wants to move on and make his paycheck.  While that is fine, I think he’s in for a rude awakening.

So what does this mean for Illinois?  On the surface, it appears that this leaves a huge void.  As I mentioned before, Richmond was going to be relied on heavily next season.  The frontcourt depth takes a major hit and his versatility will certainly be missed.  Others, and especially the incoming freshmen, will have to step up in his place.

However, I think that this decision may be the best for Illinois.  Richmond proved to be a cancer and distraction, and that kind of nonsense isn’t needed around a college basketball program.  It’s obvious that he has major attitude issues that weren’t likely to change in the near future.  These problems were red flagged in high school, but most were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  We all hoped that he would mature when he got to college.  It’s a real shame that we were all wrong.

Finally, this is another strike against Weber.  While I don’t think much of this is his fault, it still looks really bad. He finally lands a big time player in Richmond, but he ends up being a complete whackjob.  Weber has had some real bad luck at Illinois, but he can’t make excuses.  He’s going to have to suck it up, coach his butt off, and win some games.

Even though the season ended two weeks ago, several members of the Illinois basketball program have found their way into the news.  Both of these people are key components of the team going forward, so what better time to gaze into the crystal ball and see what’s on the horizon for Illini hoops?

The major story that set message boards and Twitter ablaze had to do with the man in charge of the Illinois program. That of course would be Bruce Weber.

Two nights ago, several sources reported that Weber had been contacted by the University of Oklahoma about their vacant coaching position.  It was also reported that Weber was willing to listen, and one reporter from Oklahoma City even tweeted that he was close to taking the job (that tweet was later deleted, and for good reason.  Didn’t anybody learn from the Matt Painter fiasco?).

Weber has been under fire for underachieving at Illinois, so it would make some sense that he would possibly look elsewhere.  But despite these rumors, it appears that Weber will be staying at Illinois.  He released a statement yesterday announcing his commitment to the program.  So love him or hate him, he’s not going anywhere…for now.  That could all change if a new AD is brought in when Ron Guenther’s contract is up in June.  But I’ll save my rants on the Weber situation for another time.

The other big news was regarding talented but troubled forward Jereme Richmond.  Richmond was suspended for the NCAA Tournament for violating athletic department rules.  There were rumors that he had gotten into a fight with teammates, but it was never specified if that was the violation that got him suspended. During this whole episode, there were some that speculated that Richmond would not return to the team next season.

Weber appeared to quash these rumors by announcing earlier this week that Richmond was “part of the program.”  He went further by stating “if he makes the progress he’s supposed to, he’ll be there.”  So it appears to be on Jereme to get his act together.  If he keeps his head on straight, he will be back.  I hope for his and the teams sake that he does.  He’ll be counted on for major contributions next season.

As for the rest of the team, there is a large void to fill.  No matter how maligned the senior class was, they took up a majority of the minutes and production.  Some argue that losing Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale will be addition by subtraction.  While I somewhat agree with this, it may take a little time to find out who will step up in their absence.  It’s hard to lose your starting point guard, power forward, and center without going through some growing pains.

Out of the returning players, the majority of the burden will fall on Richmond, Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Crandall Head, and Meyers Leonard.  All of these guys have shown flashes of great play, but like the team as a whole, never put it all together.

The key to next season (besides the Richmond situation) may be the development of Paul.  He oozes potential but is also prone to playing out of control.  He’s likely going to spend a lot of time at point guard, so if he can take the proverbial next step, the Illini may take off.

The Illini are also really hoping for Leonard to blossom.  After struggling in a backup role, he will be thrust into a starting job next season.  He has all the raw talent and athleticism in the world, but he wasn’t always very aware on the court.  He needs to refine his post-up game, watch a ton of film, and also hit the weight room to bulk up.

Entering the fold will be yet another stellar recruiting class for Weber.  After struggling his first few years on the recruiting trail, he has improved immensely (now we need to see improvement on the court).  The class of 2011 features four players (Mycheal Henry, Tracy Abrams, Mike Shaw, Nnanna Egwu) ranked in the top 100 on Rivals.com to go along with Devin Langford, a three star small forward.

All of these players bring a little something different to the table.  Abrams will be groomed as the point guard of the future.  Henry is an explosive scorer.  Shaw is an athletic power forward that will also provide toughness. Egwu has great length that can be used down low to block shots.  Langford offers some size on the wing. Illinois will need several of these guys to make an impact next year if they expect to be successful.

The final newcomer is Sam Maniscalco.  He recently transferred from Bradley and will provide some depth and experience at the point guard position.  He can take some of the pressure off Paul while also aiding in the development of Abrams.

I fully expect this team to struggle a bit at the outset of next season.  They will need to figure out roles and I’m sure Weber will mix and match combinations to find a rotation that works.  Leaders also must step up and I think Paul and Richmond (hopefully) are capable of taking the reins of the team.

When it’s all said and done, I believe Illinois will end up being a tournament team next year.  It’s way too early to tell just how good they will be, but I’m pretty confident they can finish in the top half of the Big 10 and earn a respectable seed in the Big Dance.  Obviously a lot can happen from now until then, but for now, I’ll remain cautiously optimistic.

I decided to go to the Illinois Midnight Madness on a whim. Spurred on by friends still on campus and my general excitement for the team, I hopped in my car and embarked on the two hour trek to Champaign.  As I got closer and closer, my excitement grew higher and higher.  I couldn’t wait to see this Illini team in action for the first time. Everything seemed to be coming together for a deep tourney run.  The team had experience, talent, depth, and a solid coach.  While the event turned out to be disappointing, it still couldn’t squash my high hopes for the upcoming year.

What followed was the most frustrating season of Illinois basketball I’ve ever witnessed, which concluded with a 73-59 defeat at the hand of the Kansas Jayhawks.  It certainly wasn’t the worst (the 2007-08 debacle during my sophomore year takes the cake), but the expectations heaped on the team before the season made it the most disappointing.  The 73-62 thrashing of UNLV in the tournament helped ease the pain somewhat, but I had higher aspirations for this team.  I’d like to take a look back at what happened over the course of this crazy season.

After dispatching several cupcakes to start the year, Illinois traveled to Madison Square Garden to take on the Texas Longhorns in the 2K Sports Classic Benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer.  This was the first real test for Illinois and they performed admirably.  Despite losing in overtime, the Illini showed they could compete with the big boys.  They placed third in the event by beating Maryland the next night.

Illinois took care of business the next couple weeks, posting impressive wins over North Carolina and Gonzaga.  In both of these games, the Illini shot the ball extremely well and executed their offense to near perfection.  They climbed their way up the polls to #12.

Then there was the UIC game.  What should have been a harmless match-up against a sister school turned into a rough and tumble affair.  UIC led for much of the game until Illinois appeared to take control late.  But in a harbinger of things to come, the Illini choked away an eight point lead and lost (this was extremely embarrassing because UIC turned out to be AWFUL).  They followed this disheartening loss with another collapse down the stretch against rival Missouri.

With a two game losing streak heading into Big Ten play, Illinois was intent on turning things around.  They won their first three conference tilts, including a smackdown of Northwestern that saw the Illini shoot a school record 70.5%.  Unfortunately, this would be the last time they would win consecutive games all season.

Throughout the rest of the year, the Illini just couldn’t find any consistency.  They lost close games on the road to Penn St., Indiana (especially egregious), and Northwestern.  They blew an eight point second half lead against #1 Ohio St.  However, they were still able to come up with enough wins to put them in position to make the NCAA Tournament.  Despite the Big Ten Tournament disaster against Michigan, the Illini still had a strong enough resume (19-13, 9-9 Big Ten, RPI 45, SOS 19) to earn a nine seed in the Big Dance.  As I mentioned earlier, they were able to come up with one victory before bowing out to Kansas.

So just why did Illinois fall short of expectations?  I have already harped on the seniors plenty in previous posts.  They didn’t make enough improvement to take Illinois to the next level.  I would even say there was some regression (cough, Demetri McCamey).  But they weren’t terrible and weren’t the only reason this team disappointed.

The much celebrated freshman class of Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard, and Crandall Head did not contribute as much as expected.  Richmond showed flashes of his potential, but also had plenty of games where he was invisible.  He also has had his share of off-the-court issues, and this resulted in him getting suspended for the NCAA Tournament.  Leonard had a few impressive dunks, but often looked lost on both ends of the floor.  This led to him getting inconsistent minutes.  Head was coming off major knee surgery, so I didn’t expect too much of him.  He didn’t play much early, but earned minutes later in the season and did some nice things.

Another reason for the disappointment were the struggles of D.J. Richardson.  After earning Big 10 Freshman of the Year honors the year before, I was hoping for a big step forward from him.  He started the year strong, but went through a long shooting slump that made other parts of his game suffer as well.  On a positive note, Richardson was excellent in both tournament games.  Hopefully he can carry this over into next season.

One player who I thought was a real bright spot was Brandon Paul.  While he still had his clunker games, Paul always brought energy even when he wasn’t scoring.  He also spent a lot of time backing up McCamey at point guard.  This isn’t his natural position, but he handled the duties admirably.  I’d rather have him be a full time wing, but he can (and will likely have to) be a serviceable point guard going forward.

Now that this season is over, it’s time to look to the future.  There’s a lot to discuss and plenty of questions to be answered.  I’ll have plenty more on this in an upcoming post.

All season, the Illinois Fighting Illini have had problems stringing two strong performances together.  After playing a near perfect game against UNLV, the Illini needed a repeat performance in order to upset the 1st seeded Kansas Jayhawks.  While the effort was there, the Illini just didn’t have enough to overcome the Jayhawks in a 73-59 season-ending loss.  Marcus and Markieff Morris dominated down low for Kansas as they combined for 41 points and 25 rebounds.

The Illini faced an uphill battle all game.  With a pro-Jayhawk crowd behind them, Kansas came out firing and grabbed a quick 18-6 lead.  Illinois looked shell-shocked as they fired up bad shots and couldn’t get anything going on offense.  It looked like the Illini were going to get run out of the building.

But Mike Davis wasn’t going to let Illinois go down without a fight.  As the Illini defense finally started to key in, Davis helped get them back in it offensively.  Showing off an array of moves, Davis scored 11 points in the first half to cut the Kansas lead to four by halftime.

The Illini were able to keep it within arms reach for the majority of the second half, but they just couldn’t get over the hump.  Every time they got close, the Jayhawks would push the lead back out.  With 6:35 left, the Illini were able to close the gap to 56-51.  But just like all season, Illinois couldn’t execute down the stretch.  Kansas went on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to put the game away.

It’s always tough to face the end of a season.  Even though I didn’t expect to win this game,  the loss still hurts.  With such high expectations coming into the year, a second round exit was not what I was envisioning.  To make matters worse, the Illini lost to the coach that left them for greener pastures.  Since leaving Illinois for Kansas after the 2002-2003 season, Bill Self has won a national championship and enjoyed years of success.  After losing in the title game in 2005, Illinois has been mired in mediocrity.  This has been really frustrating for Illini fans and hopefully can be turned around in the next few years.

The difference in this game was obviously the Morris twins.  It was known going into the game that Kansas had a huge advantage down low.  The Illini aren’t a physical team and the Morris’s are both NBA caliber players.  It showed as they dominated Davis and Mike Tisdale down low.  The Illini big men fought hard, but they just couldn’t match the strength and athleticism of the twins.  This is where the Illini could have really used suspended forward Jereme Richmond.  His length and toughness could have been disruptive to the Kansas attack.  Richmond was suspended for violating athletic department rules and his future with the team is unclear.

Demetri McCamey had a rough (but probably fitting) ending to his Illini career.  After watching a slew of great performances the night before (Jimmer, Kemba, Pullen, Mack), I was really hoping for a similar effort from McCamey.  The Illini were going to need him to come up big if they were hoping to shock the Jayhawks.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t up to the task.

McCamey only scored six points as he was held in check all night.  He struggled to find open looks and looked tentative a majority of the game.  When the Illini needed him most down the stretch, McCamey couldn’t deliver.  I think this game really hurts his NBA Draft stock.  His lack of quickness and explosiveness was evident tonight, and these traits are necessary to be a successful NBA point guard.

As disappointed as I was with McCamey, I was proud of the effort Davis and Tisdale put forth tonight.  Despite being outclassed down low, they left their hearts out on the floor.  Both of them were as aggressive as I’ve ever seen them on both ends of the court.  They realized their days at Illinois were running out, and played with desperation.  It was really tough to watch when Davis fouled out towards the end of the game.  You could tell how hard it him that his Illini career was over.  He walked to the bench with his head down and immediately threw a towel over him as he sat down.  I really felt for him at that moment and made me appreciate what he gave to the Illinois program.

This loss marked the end of a tumultuous campaign.  It was a rollercoaster ride that provided a wide range of emotions.  I could go on and on, but I’ll save it for my upcoming season recap.

After failing to live up to expectations all year, the Illinois Fighting Illini finally showed what they were made of.  In their most complete performance of the season, Illinois dominated the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in a 73-62 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.  Mike Davis led the Illini with 22 points and 9 rebounds while Demetri McCamey added 17 points and 7 assists.

To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect out of the Illini in this game.  In a season full of letdowns, it wouldn’t have really surprised me if they had another one.  UNLV was going to be a tough challenge with their pressure defense. The Illini had shown weakness against this type of defense before, and I was worried they would be overwhelmed.  But rather than fold under the pressure, Illinois rose up and delivered a fantastic performance.

Both teams started out quick and after seven minutes, Illinois held a 14-12 lead.  Then the Illini took over. Bolstered by strong defense and a willingness to push the pace (finally), Illinois went on a 15-0 run. It was really refreshing to see them get out and use their athleticism in transition.  It’s been something I’ve wanted to see all season, but hasn’t happened enough.  This team has the talent and the depth to run teams off the court, and they finally did that.  Using this to their advantage, the Illini shot 63% en route to a 46-24 halftime lead.

While the lead ended up shrinking to 11 by the final buzzer, the game was never really in doubt.  The Illini sustained their strong play throughout the majority of the second half before getting sloppy at the end.  A flurry of turnovers by Illinois and three pointers by UNLV made the score somewhat respectable for the Runnin’ Rebels.

After calling out the seniors in my last post, I can do nothing but sing their praises here.  These kids realized what was on the line, and they played their hearts out.  This goes especially for McCamey and Davis.  They stepped up to the challenge and delivered the kind of performances we’ve been expecting out of them all season.

McCamey controlled this game from the start.  He dictated the fast pace and put pressure on the UNLV defense all night.  He was able to break down the defense at will and either score himself or create for others. He also knocked down several big threes at opportune moments.

And then there was Mike Davis.  This might have been his most impressive performance in an Illinois uniform. He has probably been the most outspoken of the Illini, and he really backed up his talk today.  He was all over the court, whether it was knocking down tough shots or grabbing rebounds.  His hustle was also rewarded as he scored several buckets in transition.

It was also really exciting to see the underclassmen perform well under pressure in their first NCAA Tournament.  Brandon Paul had 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists as he provided his usual energy.  D.J. Richardson finally broke out of his slump and knocked down several huge threes to protect the big lead. Rarely used guard Crandall Head played key minutes in the first half and showcased his athleticism with an acrobatic layup.

The only negative on the evening was the absence of Jereme Richmond.  Even before the game started, I had read rumors that something was going on with him.  I have no idea what’s actually going on and I don’t want to speculate at this point.  After the game, coach Bruce Weber said Richmond violated team rules and there will be more information to come.  I’m hoping this is only a one game thing, but there seem to be quite a few issues with Mr. Richmond.  He missed a game earlier this year due to personal reasons, and some thought he was close to transferring.  Hopefully he can get it together, because he is an extremely talented player that can help the Illini in the future.

Now that Illinois has taken care of business against one former coach (Lon Kruger), they can look forward to another one (Bill Self).  However, I can assure you that Self’s Jayhawks will put up a much better fight than Kruger’s Runnin’ Rebels.  Kansas may be the most talented team in the nation, and it will take a monumental effort to beat them.  But if the Illini play with the effort and determination that they showed against UNLV, an upset over Kansas is not out of the question.  After all, its March Madness, and anything can happen.

“We’re back to business.  Back to trying to get a banner up there.  I have no legacy here.  Demetri McCamey has no legacy here.  We want to hang a banner,  so people can remember us by it.  That team won a banner.  They won a Big Ten championship.  That’s what I want to leave.”

This was Illinois senior forward Mike Davis back in October. Coming off a disappointing season, he and the rest of the current Illini senior class were looking to make a statement in the upcoming campaign.  The group of him, McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Bill Cole had not won anything of note during their tenure at Illinois.  In three seasons, they had reached one NCAA Tournament, where they were upset in the first round by 12th seeded Western Kentucky.

This year was supposed to be different for Illinois.  It was supposed to be the year they returned to prominence.  To go along with the four returning seniors, the Illini mixed in a plethora of young talent.  Many prognosticators had the Illini competing for a Big Ten title.  ESPN analyst Doug Gottlieb even predicted a National Championship Game appearance.  While this was a bit far fetched, the hype was officially back for Illinois basketball.  Me and a lot of other Illini fans completely bought into it.

Flash forward to today, and it appears that we were all hoodwinked.  What was supposed to be a season of celebration has turned into one of frustration.  The year has been marred by close losses where lack of execution down the stretch has doomed the Illini.  This was highlighted in their Big Ten Tournament collapse against Michigan.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but much of it has fallen on the shoulders of the senior class.  But the criticism isn’t just coming from the average fan.  Former Illini greats Kendall Gill and Stephen Bardo have had pretty harsh words for the seniors.  They essentially said the team wouldn’t improve until they graduated. That is a major indictment against these players, and one that I somewhat agree with.  This group is just missing something, and it has kept them from being as successful as expected.

The man taking the most heat is McCamey.  That’s because he’s the one with the most talent.  Right when he set foot on the Illinois campus, he was compared (unfairly) to Deron Williams.  They shared a similar build and style, so many were hoping McCamey could follow in Williams’ footsteps.

While there have been times that McCamey has been phenomenal, there have been far too many others where he hasn’t.  This inconsistent play, along with lackadaisical defense and apparent clashes with coach Bruce Weber have made for a disappointing career.  He seems to lack the intangibles that Williams possessed at Illinois, such as leadership and the will to win.

The other Illini seniors have taken their lumps as well, especially Davis and Tisdale.  Both have been been criticized for lack of toughness, and it’s well warranted.  They are finesse big men that don’t really like to mix it up down low. They get pushed around too often and aren’t always aggressive enough on the glass.  These deficiencies cancel out the fact that they are very skilled offensively.

It may sound like I’m being overly harsh on these guys, but I’m just calling it like I see it.  I certainly don’t root for them to fail, because I love Illinois basketball.  They’re also all good kids.  None of them have gotten into trouble, and they have represented Illinois with integrity.  But in the world of high level college athletics, you have to win to be remembered in a positive light.

These Illini seniors have one last chance to redeem themselves in the NCAA Tournament.   Getting a win over UNLV would be a good start.  But if these guys really want to make a splash and leave a legacy, they go out and beat Kansas. Conquering Bill Self and ending the Jayhawks season early (again) would completely change the way this senior class is viewed.  Can they do it?  Stay tuned.