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A sloppy end to the first half kept Illinois from posting another very encouraging performance Tuesday night. Still, with Brandon Paul scoring all 20 of his points in the first half, and with Mike Davis scoring 14 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds, Illinois beat Northern Illinois 80-61, holding the Huskies to 20 points in the second half.

To Northern’s credit, they used that end-of-the-half burst to keep the game within reach.

Illinois led 46-27 with 3:12 left in the first half and one more burst and the Huskies might have melted away. But with Demetri McCamey on the bench with two fouls, Illinois got sloppy with the ball and Northern took advantage.

The Huskies scored on five straight possessions – helped by three straight Illini turnovers – and Bryan Hall hit a half-court buzzer-beater to pull Northern Illinois to within 49-41 at halftime. And Illinois’ lead was only 57-50 with 12 minutes to go in the second half when a 10-0 run put the Illini back in charge.

I thought Bruce Weber might be pretty ticked off at the sloppy play. But he really wasn’t. Sure, he found plenty of things to pick at, but you can tell he likes this team and he likes its potential. And, he’s probably grateful to finally have a team with some depth that is not so offensively challenged.

It was most interesting to hear what he said about his freshmen, Paul and D.J. Richardson.

He said it would be amazing to see what might happen if Paul showed some intensity. It was a subtle dig at Paul’s “casual” play, said with the understanding that Paul has been nothing short of spectacular in his first two games.

Weber was asked if by casual, he meant the kind of casual McCamey was in his first two seasons (i.e., lazy)?

“I hope he’s not that bad,” Weber said. “And one of the best things about him, he doesn’t change his temperament. We have yelled at him, gotten after him, teased him. And he just comes back and plays. That’s a good thing. That’s why he is playing so well.

“Brandon is still very good, but he’s a little casual. The No. 1 thing we have to help him with is shot selection. He can’t fall in love with the 3. He can get to the basket, he can get to the free throw line. He has dealt with it and he has kept his composure. He listens and learns. (But) I still want him to play harder.”

Richardson is still dealing with his hyperextended elbow, which explains his toned-down offensive game. But Weber said he’s also dealing with some mental demons that relate to his ball-handling.

“D.J. has lost his confidence in handling the ball, which makes no sense to me,” Weber said. “I think he’s just a little gun shy right now. He’s going to have to fight through this.

“He has gotten himself into a little nervous wreck. He just needs to relax. I told him, ‘You’re a good player, now act like it.’”

One area both freshmen guards must improve is rebounding. Richardson had no rebounds in 31 minutes. Paul had three in 29. They’re too athletic to settle for numbers like that.

And some nice minutes from another freshman, Tyler Griffey, who had eight points in nine minutes.

I had a pretty good view of the final Illini offensive play Saturday, but maybe I missed something.

When Jacob Charest fired a fourth-down pass to Jarred Fayson, it looked to me that Fayson made the grab while sprawling on the Memorial Stadium turf. I figured first down, Illini, with 32 seconds to go. Northwestern led 21-16 at the time and I admit Illinois still needed a half-miracle to win the game.

But the officials ruled that Northwestern intercepted the ball. Hmmm. The play was reviewed in the booth and, following the game, we had a pool reporter track down referee Dan Capron, who explained the interpretation of the play.

“What the line judge saw was the Illinois receiver attempt to catch the pass, but he never completed possession of the ball. He was on his back in the field of play and the ball was basically on his chest.

“The receiver did not firmly grab and possess the ball,” Capron said. “Before he had an opportunity to do so, the defender from Northwestern came up and did possess the ball and that’s why it was ruled an interception on the field.

“The play was then buzzed by the replay both, as we expected it would given the magnitude of the call. Then (replay official) Tom Quinn determined that there was not indisputable video evidence available to overtime the call on the field.”

The reaction from frustrated fans was predictable. They booed lustily and jeered as the official jogged off the field.

But Ron Zook was not in the mood to take up one call as the lone reason for his team’s seventh loss of the season.

“Like I told our football team, we had a chance to win the football game and we didn’t play well enough to win it,” Zook said.

“Go around and blame people. That’s what we’ve been doing all year. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

Illinois had plenty of missed opportunities and until Charest heated up late, the quarterback play was pretty poor. Charest started and completed 5 of 14 passes in the first half for 34 yards. Eddie McGee replaced him to start the third quarter and he played two series before Charest returned.

Juice Williams did not play, although Zook said he could have if something happened to both Charest and McGee.

What I didn’t understand (and this is a recurring theme) was the use of the tailbacks. Mikel Leshoure carried 12 times for 77 yards in the first half. Then in the second half, he carried once for a loss of one yard.

Northwestern now has seven victories but as I watched the Wildcats, I realized you don’t have to be very good to be bowl-eligible these days. Man, the Big Ten is weak.

Zook said he expects Illinois to be ready to go in two weeks when they travel to play unbeaten Cincinnati. If a player doesn’t seem motivated, that player won’t make the trip, Zook said.

Illinois is 3-7. Cancel the crazy idea that Illinois could win out and somehow be bowl-eligible. Under no circumstances would Illinois have deserved that fate. After seeing Saturday’s game, I’m not even sure Northwestern does.

The competition will improve by light years. We all understand that. And it was not a perfect performance. But it was hard not to come away impressed with Illinois’ effort and execution in the 96-69 season-opener victory over SIU-Edwardsville Friday night at the Assembly Hall.

With two freshmen in the starting lineup, and with Brandon Paul scoring more points in a freshman debut than any player in Illinois history, the Illini rolled and looked good doing it.

Paul scored 22 points, one more than Deon Thomas did in his freshman debut back in November of 1990. And fellow freshman starter D.J. Richardson, who played with an elastic sleeve after hyperextending his elbow, added 14 as Illinois breezed past SIU-Edwardsville 96-69.

Mike Davis had his 10th double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Demetri McCamey had 11 points and seven assists. Paul and Richardson each had four assists.

If you didn’t see the game, let me say one thing that would have stood out was Illinois’ ball movement. It was a little like the Dee-Deron-Luther days with the ball whipping around the perimeter, then finding its way to open shooters. In the first half, Illinois had 14 assists on 18 made baskets.

Bruce Weber was really pleased, and that doesn’t happen often. He’s usually a pretty harsh critic, but he loved Illinois’ energy and quick start, which got the crowd going. Weber said he was all over town on Friday and everywhere he went people were excited for the basketball season to begin. I’m guessing any of them who attended or saw the game were not disappointed. It was an encouraging start and a fun game to watch.

It also marked the first time in Weber’s tenure that he has started two true freshmen in an opener. The last time more than one freshman started for Illinois in a season opener came in 2002 when Dee Brown, Deron Williams and James Augustine were in the lineup.

Paul scored eight points in an opening burst that saw the Illini go 6-for-6 from the floor while taking a 14-2 lead.

Richardson was a question mark before the game after hyper-extending his elbow in practice on Thursday. But when one of the assistant coaches saw him whip down a windmill dunk in warm-ups, they figured he was good to go. Still, Richardson said he didn’t feel as comfortable shooting, so he altered his game. He took just five shots, but got to the free throw line 10 times. And he had four assists and no turnovers in 20 minutes of action.

Said SIU-E coach Lennox Forrester: “Richardson plays like a senior.”

Too bad freshman Joseph Bertrand has had trouble with his knee, because he has a bunch of talent, too. Weber said they are now committed to going slow with Bertrand. Sounds like they will hold him out until after the Thanksgiving trip to Las Vegas, then re-evaluate the situation at guard. But without injuries and with Jeff Jordan becoming eligible in one more game, it’s looking more and more like a redshirt for Bertrand.

Which, Weber said, might not be all bad. “You just have to take advantage of it. Work on your shot. Work on your strength. You never know what will happen,” he said.

Next up: Tuesday night against Northern Illinois in the Assembly Hall.

Signing date brought no surprises for coach Bruce Weber Thursday, and he was just fine with that.

His three-year “extended engagement” to Jereme Richmond was consummated when Richmond’s signed letter of intent peeled through the University of Illinois fax machine. Another from Crandall Head arrived as expected, too. Ditto for the signed letter from Meyers Leonard.

It was a happy day in the Illini basketball office Thursday, not only the official welcoming of three outstanding recruits, but an indication that a program-wide change in recruiting strategy implemented three years ago is working and working well.

Three years ago. November of 2006. That’s when Richmond accepted Weber’s surprisingly early scholarship offer before the 6-5 player at Winnetka North Shore Country Day had played his first high school basketball game.

Three years later, Richmond is pushing 6-8. He’s at Waukegan. And he’s as good or better than Weber could have dreamed.

The change in strategy came when Weber listened to his staff and decided to stem the tide of in-state prospects leaving for other programs, he needed to get involved earlier and gamble by offering scholarships earlier.

Richmond was the first target.

To be honest, there are not many prospects that young who are good enough or worthy enough to offer at that age. And from Weber’s perspective, I think it would be deemed too risky if a fairly strong family or family figure were not involved.

In the case of Richmond, they gambled that he was both good enough and was from a family that understood the concept of commitment was a two-way proposition. Turns out Illinois was right on both counts. The Richmond family was right, too.

Even when assistant coach Tracy Webster left for Kentucky and Richmond had a moment when he wondered if he should look around, Illinois provided an answer. Jerrance Howard approached Richmond as the new Illini assistant and focused solely on Richmond as a person. He did not broach the subject of basketball, focusing solely on the program’s caring of Richmond as a person. And once Richmond found he could trust and believe in Howard, he lost his desire to look anywhere else.

Since then, it’s been a very good story of player and family loyalty to the program, and of loyalty by the program toward Jereme Richmond.

His high school coaches will tell you he has grown up a ton in the last two years. He has matured. And he has also grown as an elite player.

Crandall Head and Meyers Leonard are two kids who really want to be a part of the program. Leonard is just scratching the surface on his potential. He told me earlier this week he was measured at 7-feet, 231 pounds when Robinson High School practice began on Monday. Check out my story about him that ran on Thursday morning in the Herald & Review.

The question on Head involves his surgically repaired knee. Will there be any diminishing of skills from the two surgeries and a long rehab that will cost him his senior year of high school basketball?

And after this outstanding group, Weber has verbal commitments from Tracy Abrams and Nnanna Egwu in the bank. On Thursday, Weber said he hopes to have another early commitment in hand soon. Could it be Thomas Hamilton Jr., Class of 2013, who has yet to play his first freshman game at Whitney Young?

Weber said he will continue to look at young players, including 7th and 8th graders. He said he doesn’t feel comfortable offering scholarships until they are in high school, and that’s probably a good idea for both sides. But he likes getting prospects on campus early, involving their families early, building the relationships early, and is willing to risk the travails of a long engagement to reach the final destination.

It’s not a strategy that will be used all the time. But in special cases, it can be the answer. On Thursday, Illini fans got a reward for Weber’s gamble and for Richmond’s loyalty.

Bruce Weber said Tuesday it’s likely to be a slow process as he tries to determine a starting lineup and a substitution pattern for the Illini basketball team.

The first four games, all at home, are Friday vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Nov. 17 against Northern Illinois, Nov. 21 against Presbyterian and Nov. 24 vs. Wofford. (Those last two are part of the Las Vegas tournament, although played on campus). That will be a perfect time to experiment, to try different combinations and to search for players who are willing to defend.

Defense will earn someone playing time with this group, either as a starter or as a counted-on reserve. Unlike last year, there are scoring options – inside and outside. But defensively, they clearly miss Chester Frazier’s intensity.

Who’s the defensive stopper? D.J. Richardson? Could be, but on Tuesday Weber made it clear he’d like to take some of the pressure off of his freshman. It was an appeal to his juniors to step up and be counted.

Four of the starting spots seem locked up, although Weber did not say that. I see Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale and D.J. Richardson as starters. But that fifth spot is up for grabs, mainly between Alex Legion, Dominique Keller and Brandon Paul.

Although it flies in the face of Weber’s desire to take pressure off the freshmen, I’m casting my early vote with Paul. His athleticism is undeniable, and exciting. He can shoot the ball, although he’s not as good a 3-point shooter yet as he will be. He launches some 3s that make Weber cringe. And we haven’t seen enough of him as a defender to make a broad judgment.

But I do know that Legion has defensive shortcomings and I still see Keller as more of a “4” than a “3.” He can’t put the ball on the floor well enough to play small forward, but I value his energy and rebounding and ability to manufacture plays by crashing the glass.

It would be nice to accurately guess how good Paul might become by February if you let him get starting minutes now. He’s worth investing in for later this season, and, most certainly, for the future. That said, he could still get major minutes coming off the bench, and Weber might find that’s a better role.

And then there’s the rotation. Weber will play eight players, maybe nine.

Players No. 10, 11, 12 and 13 will not play much. That’s just a fact.

Who are those players?

Stan Simpson appears to be one for now. He has not played in either exhibition game because the coaching staff is not happy with his effort in the classroom, and they’d like him to be more consistent on the court.

Joseph Bertrand is in a tough spot. His effort and toughness have been outstanding, but continued swelling of his knee has kept him off the floor in practice and in the exhibition games. Can he make up ground? Or is it better to redshirt him? Weber said they’ll practice patience, even though he knows Bertrand wants to play.

Bill Cole is one of those bubble guys, somewhere between “could be a regular part of the rotation,” and “could be strictly a role guy who is used to shoot over zones.” Still not sure.

Someone has to back up Tisdale in the post. Is it Richard Semrau? Could be. He’s not flashy, but steady and reliable might be plenty. Is it Keller? Could be. Is it Tyler Griffey? Could be, although that might be a lot to ask of a freshman. Maybe one spot in the bench rotation comes down to Cole or Griffey.

And then there is Jeff Jordan, who will not be eligible the first two games because he played in a summer 3-on-3 tournament, Weber said, during a time when he had quit the team and assumed he was no longer subject to NCAA rules.

Jordan apparently informed the Illini compliance office about the event when he rejoined the team and the violation will cost him two games. An innocent violation, Weber said. Jordan will be eligible to play in the third game on Nov. 21.

Who starts and who subs in are difficult decisions, but it will be fun to watch them get sorted out prior to the team leaving for Las Vegas to play Utah on Nov. 27th.

OK, this much is certain: Concede one starting spot to Illini freshman basketball player D.J. Richardson.

Through two exhibition games, including Sunday’s 84-63 victory over Quincy, Richardson has been Illinois’ leading scorer (with 16 and 23 points), has hustled on defense and is clearly the kind of athlete this Illini team has been missing. If not for too many turnovers, I might say he’s been Illinois’ best player. Maybe he has.

He made 9 of 13 shots Sunday, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and his second-half spurt helped Illinois pull away against Quincy’s packed-in zone defense.

Richardson scored eight straight points and had 10 as Illinois closed out the game on a 30-10 run over the final 10 minutes.

How the rest of the starting lineup shakes out will be interesting. I think it’s a given that Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis will take three of the other spots, although Davis has hardly been impressive in the exhibition games. Against Quincy he had four points and six rebounds, although Weber said he ended up being the “Matto Chart” points leader for hustle plays, which was something of a surprise.

“He just has to be more ready to play,” Weber said of Davis. “Go to the glass, run the court. He should get a tip-dunk and be active. He’s so mobile and athletic. I don’t think he always uses his tools.

“At practice the other day he was the best player on the court. But why doesn’t he do it every day?”

Speaking of tip-dunks, Weber loved the play that Tisdale made early in the second half, when he went high and grabbed a miss by Brandon Paul, pounding the ball through on a bang-bang dunk that probably was the play of the game.

“That was one of the most impressive plays since he’s been here,” Weber said. “I don’t care who you are playing, and he did it with some contact on the play. That was good.”

But who starts in the final spot?

Alex Legion started against Missouri Southern. He scored 12 points against Quincy, but Weber doesn’t like his shot selection.

Brandon Paul started against Quincy, and long-term, that might be the answer. But he gets a little 3-point happy, too.

“I don’t know who will start,” Weber said. “I sat down with the coaches this morning. One day someone is playing good, another day it’s someone else. Now, as we get into some of these games, we have to figure out a little bit of a starting rotation with some subbing. I hope it comes sooner than later.”

Jeff Jordan made his Illini debut for the season and did a nice job. He played 19 minutes, had four assists and no turnovers. Weber said he played to exhaustion and apologized for having kept him on the floor so long. He rejoined the team late and is still catching up with his conditioning.

Freshman Joseph Bertrand did not play as they nurse his knee along. He has been rested for most of this week and Weber hopes he can go on Friday in the regular-season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

And Stan Simpson also did not play as Weber waits to see more intensity, on and off the floor.

It may not have been pretty, but I don’t think we’re at a point in this weird Illini football season where we should be quibbling about style points.

For the second week in a row, Illinois scored points and won a football game. This time it was 35-32 at Minnesota, a game in which starting quarterback Juice Williams was injured in the first quarter and backup Jacob Charest went the rest of the way.

Charest was the “Player of the Game” on the Big Ten Network broadcast, completing 10 of 19 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.

The award could also have gone to Terry Hawthorne, who made his presence felt on defense for the second straight week. Hawthorne returned an interception 44 yards for a first-quarter touchdown, broke up another touchdown pass and had five tackles.

Or it could have gone to defensive end Clay Nurse, who was credited with four of Illinois’ seven quarterback sacks, many of which kept Minnesota spinning its wheels.

I give some credit, too, to offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, who has taken more than his share of criticism this year as Illinois’ offense has struggled from the start. But it seems that Schultz has found a comfort level with this offense, no matter if the quarterback is Juice Williams or Jacob Charest.

After the game, Ron Zook couldn’t say for sure how badly Williams’ left ankle is sprained. But if he can’t go this week against Northwestern, Charest will start and Eddie McGee, who made a key 42-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter, would shift to become Charest’s backup.

It will be interesting to see how Northwestern approaches this week after pulling an upset in Iowa City. The Wildcats had some quarterback injuries of their own and we’ll see how those shake out.

A belated thanks to Illini head basketball coach Bruce Weber and associate head coach Wayne McClain for coming to Decatur to do my radio show Sunday night at Hickory Point Golf Course. We had a great crowd of 300 on hand for a two-hour show and the coaches were great.

A few followup basketball notes:

Wednesday night is the Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser at “The Beef House” in Covington, Ind., where 400 Illini and Purdue fans will gather to hear Weber and Purdue coach Matt Painter talk basketball and jab fun at each other. Helping them do it is former Flyin’ Illini-turned-TV analyst Stephen Bardo, and former Purdue assistant-turned-TV analyst, Steve Lavin.

I know Coach Gene Keady will attend, too.

Former Illini coach Lou Henson attended along with Keady in the past but this year Henson is back at New Mexico State, where he’s on a committee to select a new university president. Among the final five candidates is former Illinois chancellor Richard Herman.

Weber is also hooking up with SIU Coach Chris Lowery for a similar fund-raiser Nov. 9 in Marion.

On the subject of Illini basketball scheduling, you should know that Illinois is likely to participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament next season, in New York City. Illinois has yet to formally accept the invitation, but it’s on the table and I would expect the Illini to say yes. When you have a talented team, that’s a great way to kick off the season. Pittsburgh has already been penciled into the lineup.

If Illinois does that, they will push their trip to Cancun, Mexico back to the 2011-12 season. That, presumably, will be a Thanksgiving-time exempt tournament.

While he was in Decatur the other night, Weber was asked when he plans to play SIU-Carbondale in a game. It’s not Weber’s favorite question, which he made clear. He said it’s a tough game to schedule. He said St. Louis is the ideal location (but improbable because it would take some of the spotlight off the Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri) but that Chicago is a better possibility. But I imagine SIU would want a three-year deal, with one game in Chicago, one in Carbondale and one in Champaign.

The truth is, neither Weber nor Lowery is in any hurry to schedule this game. They’re close friends and they don’t relish the idea of playing against each other. I think Weber once felt his attitude about the game would change after the players he recruited to SIU graduated. But that hasn’t changed his feeling.

Anything is possible, but I’d be surprised if it ever happens.

So what does it mean, Illinois’ 38-13 victory over Michigan Saturday?

Does it mean that all of Illinois’ football woes are over and forgiven? No, even coach Ron Zook agrees that it does not.

Does it mean that Illinois will win at Minnesota this week? No, doesn’t mean that either.

But does it mean that we should overlook it completely? That it’s one meaningless game in a grease fire of a football season?

No, it doesn’t necessarily mean that either.

First of all, it’s a victory over Michigan and that hasn’t happened in Champaign since 1983 when the Rose Bowl-bound Illini won 16-6. So it’s kind of historic.

Second of all, it was a victory that came about thanks to the spark generated by one amazing play. Terry Hawthorne’s never-say-die sprint that tracked down runaway Michigan wideout Roy Roundtree with an amazing thing to behold. And it brought the Memorial Stadium crowd to its feet.

Even when the play ended, however, no one was sure what it meant. The officials ruled that Roundtree had crossed the goal line and the play was called a touchdown. But there was also the possibility that he fumbled. A video review concluded that Roundtree was down at the 1 and that gave the defense a chance.

Energized by the singular effort of Hawthorne’s play, the defense responded, four times stopping Michigan inside the one-yard line.

And that fired up the offense, which promptly moved 99 yards for a touchdown that gave Illinois a 14-13 lead it would never relinquish. Mikel Leshoure’s 70-yard run accounted for the score and it started a 31-point second half for the Illini.

All of a sudden, Illinois ran harder, tackled better and played with more spirit. The body language of the team changed on the sideline. Players were packed near the edge of the field to see the action. Alums and former players there for Varsity I weekend were jumping around, high-fiving, feeling proud.

Hey, if you’re an Illini, it’s fun to watch Michigan go down, no matter how grim the season has looked.

And when Illinois rolled up 500 yards in offense, more than 400 of it coming in the second half, it was a welcome relief from what had become a smothering sense of failure.

And for one game, at least, it means there’s a coach who might feel worse that Ron Zook. I can’t imagine it was a peaceful night for Michigan’s Rich Rodriquez. He’s got his own mess to get sorted out, on and off the field.

Bruce Weber said whenever he speaks to a service club, he knows which question is coming early.

“They ask, ‘So, are you going to have all those 35-second plays and take bad shots and dribble it out?’”

The answer, based on Friday night’s exhibition opener, is quite obviously no.

Illinois never once bumped heads with the shot clock in a 95-67 victory over Missouri Southern at the Assembly Hall.

Yes, turnovers and personal fouls were an issue, especially in the first half. But with five players scoring in double figures, and with the athleticism of the freshmen standing out, it’s obvious this is not the offensively challenged basketball team fans remember managing all of 33 points against Penn State last season.

“If you have more guys who can create, it definitely helps,” Weber said.

Demetri McCamey helped the Illini finish the first half with a flourish and ended up as the leading scorer with 16 points and seven assists.

Freshmen D.J. Richardson (14 points) and Brandon Paul (13 points, 5 rebounds) flashed the attack-the-rim athleticism that makes shot clock plays less of a worry.

Dominique Keller added 12 points, Mike Davis 10 points and Mike Tisdale grabbed nine rebounds as the Illini threatened the 100-point mark.

Although it was just an exhibition game, the Assembly Hall vibrated with more “ooos” and “ahhs” than any time in the past few years as the Illini raced up and down the floor, often led by McCamey and the two freshmen.

“Pushing the ball comes with the hard work I put in during the off-season,” said McCamey, who dropped 12 pounds since the final game last year. “We get easy baskets and easy transition and that’s one thing we didn’t do last year. And we get to the free throw line.”

One of the highlight plays came when Paul led a fast break and shoveled an alleyoop pass to McCamey that was a little high and a bit off-target. But McCamey went above the rim and steadied the ball with one hand, guiding it into the basket before crashing to the floor.

“I’ve got my high school bounce back,” McCamey said. “I can finish now above the rim. I don’t have that weight on me. Everyone on the team can run pretty well and that’s a plus for us.”

Illinois jumped to a 22-3 lead, but 15 first-half turnovers slowed the onslaught.

“A little sloppy would be an understatement in the first half,” Weber said.

Missouri Southern closed the margin, getting to within eight points at 32-24 with 4:01 to go in the half.

But Illinois closed strong, thanks in part to McCamey. Illinois outscored Missouri Southern 17-4 to end the half and in the final two minutes McCamey had six points, a steal and two assists.

Then, while limiting the turnovers to four in the second half, the Illini pulled away even further.

Weber distributed his minutes well, although two players did not participate.

Center Stan Simpson was benched for academic infractions.

“He has to take care of business off the court,” Weber said. “I hope he’ll get the message and get his nose to the grindstone and take care of his classroom stuff next week.”

Jeff Jordan, who rejoined the team on Oct. 16, was withheld while he tries to catch up on his physical conditioning. “I told him we’ll kind of play it by ear next week,” Weber said.

The second exhibition game is Sunday, Nov. 8 against Quincy.

The regular season begins Nov. 13 at home against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Missouri Southern (67)
Adams 2-9 1-2 7, Crittendon 2-5 0-1 4, Thomann 1-2 1-3 3, Price 1-9 4-5 6, Bowlin 5-12 5-9 17, Hester 4-8 1-2 11, Baker 1-2 0-0 3, Williams 0-0 1-2 1, Jones 1-4 0-0 3, Doss 2-2 2-2 6, Wicklund 0-0 0-0 0, Borries 1-4 0-0 2, Scruggs 2-6 0-0 4. Totals 22-63 15-26.
Illinois (95)
Keller 5-7 2-3 12, Davis 4-7 2-2 10, Tisdale 1-6 1-2 3, McCamey 5-8 5-6 16, Legion 2-6 0-0 6, Richardson 5-8 5-6 16, Bertrand 2-3 2-6 6, Paul 3-7 7-10 13, Chisholm 0-1 1-2 1, Cole 3-4 0-0 6, Griffey 2-3 2-2 6, Semrau 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 33-63 26-37.
3-point shooting: Missouri Southern 8-22 (Adams 2-5, Crittendon 0-1, Price 0-4, Bowlin 2-5, Hester 2-2, Baker 1-1, Jones 1-4); Illinois 3-15 (Keller 0-1, McCamey 1-2, Legion 2-4, Richardson 0-2, Paul 0-3, Chisholm 0-1, Cole 0-1, Griffey 0-1). Rebounds, Missouri Southern 35 (Scruggs 7, Borries 6); Illinois 47 (Tisdale 9, Keller 6, Cole 6, Davis 5). Assists, Missouri Southern 14 (Adams 3, Price 3); Illinois 16 (McCamey 7, Paul 3).
Att. – 14,454 (tickets sold).

Just back from Big Ten Conference basketball media day in Rosemont and if you attended, you’d come away knowing the Big Ten is out on a limb this season.

And it’s about time.

On paper – and only on paper – the Big Ten appears loaded. A total of 18 players who were named to some kind of all-conference recognition return including the entire first-team all-league squad led by last season’s Player of the Year, Kalin Lucas of Michigan State.

The stars have aligned for the Big Ten and barring a string of significant injuries, this should be the year the conference finally wins the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and makes a big-time splash in the NCAA Tournament.

The top 25 coaches’ poll came out Thursday and the league had five teams in the Top 18 with Michigan State at No. 2, Purdue at No. 7, Michigan No. 15, Ohio State No. 17 and Minnesota No. 18. Illinois is at No. 27, which Bruce Weber said was “just about right. We still have a lot of questions to answer and no one knows what we’re going to get from our freshmen. But I think we can be a top 20 team.”

The media picked Michigan State to win the title followed by Purdue and Ohio State (the league only releases the top three teams). Kalin Lucas was the pre-season Player of the Year.

At the heart of the league is a monster junior class and that’s the heart of the Illinois team, too, with McCamey, Davis, Tisdale and Legion as juniors who could start.

For Friday night’s exhibition opener against Missouri Southern, Weber said that although freshman D.J. Richardson probably deserves to start, he is inclined to go with a more veteran group, then let Richardson work his way into the lineup. That would mean starting Tisdale, Davis, Dominique Keller, McCamey and Legion.

Doesn’t really matter right now.

I’m very excited to see this team come together, knowing all the while there will be some big challenges ahead once Big Ten play begins. You’d better come ready in this league, or you’ll be headed home a loser.

Amazing how different the Illinois-Michigan football game looks today compared to how it looked one year ago.

Can you remember back that far?

The poster boy for that difference is Juice Williams, who I wrote about in a column (Wednesday) that can be found elsewhere on our web page.

But consider the game Juice had quarterbacking the Illini last season at The Big House in Ann Arbor.

Illinois fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter, then rallied big-time for a 45-20 victory. It was the most points Illinois put up against the Wolverines in school history and the most points scored against Michigan on their home field since 1991, when Florida State scored 51.

Juice Williams completed 13 of 26 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Plus he ran 19 times for 121 yards and two more touchdowns. The 431 yards was the highest single-game total offense mark ever recorded in Michigan Stadium.

The next week Illinois suffered a disappointing 27-20 homecoming loss to Minnesota. But in that game, Juice completed 26 of 42 passes for 462 yards with one interception, two touchdowns. He had 503 yards in total offense in that game, the most in Memorial Stadium history.

The point is simply to underscore how far things have veered off track. No longer is Juice the unquestioned leader of the offense. This week he’ll share the job with redshirt freshman Jacob Charest and, let’s face it, if Charest can impress, more and more of the job will become his. That would be appropriate, since this team must already look to the future and the future will not include Juice Williams.

It may not include Charest, either. This is a produce-under-fire audition for him, not just to win, but to show that he has the poise and smarts and arm to direct this team. And since he’s not a great option runner, he’ll have to do it more with accurate passing.

Nathan Scheelhaase, the true freshman, won’t play this season unless there’s an injury, Zook said Tuesday. But he might be the quarterback of a very uncertain future. At this stage, can any of us predict how this will all play out?

“God forbid someone gets hurt and Nathan is chomping at the bit to do it,” Zook said, describing the scenario in which Scheelhaase would burn a year of eligibility at this point. “But this is Jacob’s opportunity. He threw for almost 8,000 yards in higih school and there was no question in our minds when we recruited him that he can help us win.”

As the Michigan game ended last October, I sure didn’t realize Charest would be looked to for a badly needed victory this quickly. I wish him well, but that kid has a tough assignment on Saturday.

Sunday brought some welcome relief from a painful football season.

The Illini basketball team staged its annual Orange & Blue scrimmage at the Assembly Hall and there was plenty to feel excited about.

For me, start with Demetri McCamey. Quicker, smarter, more confident, McCamey was outstanding. “Best he’s played in two years,” associate head coach Wayne McClain said. “His team kept winning because he dominated.” McCamey scored 16 points, had 11 assists and one turnover.

But I’m sure everyone left the Hall buzzing about Alex Legion. He made 11 of 15 shots including 6-of-8 from 3-point distance and led all scorers with 28 points. It was a good confidence boost for Legion, who shot the ball effortlessly.

But there were more players who stood out.

Mike Tisdale made nine of 12 shots and scored 21. Dominique Keller scored 21 also. Freshmen D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul each scored 18 points and showed the kind of athleticism that will earn them playing time. Mike Davis had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Lots to be excited about.

Bruce Weber said they hoped to show more full-court pressure on defense and he said they’ll try to do more of it Friday night in the exhibition opener against Missouri Southern.

They’re still looking for a backup to Tisdale. Stan Simpson showed some flashes. Richard Semrau had a bunch of fouls but missed practice on Friday and Saturday to attend the funeral of his grandmother. Weber mentioned that Keller or freshman Tyler Griffey could move to the middle in a pinch.

Early in the scrimmage, I kept thinking that McCamey and Richardson have a chance to make up a fun-to-watch backcourt. But if Legion can shoot like that, he’ll need to be on the court, too.

All and all, a nice problem to have.

But quickly back to football. Earlier on Sunday, Ron Zook said he’ll be using both Juice Williams and Jacob Charest at quarterback the rest of the way. He said he didn’t know how the rotation will work, but it’s a two-QB system from this point forward. That leaves Eddie McGee at wide receiver and Zook promised some use of McGee that other teams will have to take note of.

The more I’m around, the less I understand.

That’s how I feel thinking about AD Ron Guenther’s statement made earlier today outside his box in the Ross-Ade Stadium press box at halftime of the Illinois-Purdue football game.

On Tuesday of this week, Guenther had an athletic department spokesman pass along his sentiments on the Illini football coaching situation. Everyone has wanted to know what Guenther is thinking and although he hates to issue that kind of comment, he simply said he’d evaluate the program at the end of the season and have something to say at that time.

Fine. I get it. Let the season play out and then declare.

But when former University of Minnesota coach Glen Mason phoned Guenther late this week, Guenther said more. So by the time the local scribes had assembled at Purdue Saturday, we wanted Guenther to at least say the same to us.

When he emerged at halftime, here’s what he said:

“The question that has come up and continues to come up, is there a change in Champaign? The reason the (Big Ten Network) got it was that Glen Mason and I are going to have dinner next week and I said, ‘Let’s put one thing to rest. There will be some changes, but there will not be a change on the top.

“There’s a great deal of frustration, obviously, with the program at the moment and that’s all I have to say,” Guenther said. “We’re still going to evaluate (at the end of the season), but I think it was really unfair to start jumping at the end of the fifth year on the guy. That’s what I wanted to put aside.”

Hmmmm.

I can hear many of you grumbling already.

Let’s put aside Guenther’s belief that Zook is the man to fix the football program.

What I find most puzzling is that Guenther feels compelled to make that decision now. Why? Because it’s tough to recruit? Too bad. That’s what happens when your team is playing this poorly. Because it’s causing you personal anguish? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but that’s one of the reason they pay coaches $1.5 million a year, to offset the pressure and sleepless nights. It’s not a job for everyone.

What if this team finishes 1-11 and really, REALLY falls apart down the stretch? What if the team stops playing hard (despite what some of you might think, that hasn’t been the case)? It just makes sense to me to reserve the right to make my statement after I’ve seen the full body of work from this season.

What is Guenther really saying that five years isn’t enough time to make a decision? He did not take followup questions, so I couldn’t ask him.

Guenther does seem to imply there will be changes on the coaching staff. I’d think anyone with the word “coordinator” on his title should be concerned. But who wants to come to a school whose head coach is sitting on the hottest seat in all of college football? For a possible one-year gig?

Truly, I hope Ron Zook can find the answers and fix the problems. But if he can, why can’t he find any of them this season? That’s a fair question, isn’t it? And if Zook can’t find the answers next season, with Nathan Scheelhaase running the show at quarterback, Guenther’s gamble will have backfired and very, very few people will have faith in Guenther’s ability to find the next head coach. I know a large number of you already lack that faith.

So I won’t bore you with my thoughts about University of Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, who I had at the top of my list if Guenther decided to make a change. There will be no change, not this year and not next year.

Like I said, I hope Ron Zook fixes the problems. I hope Ron Guenther’s gamble is on the money.

There’s an awful lot riding on Guenther’s decision.

AD Ron Guenther said Saturday that Ron Zook will return to coach the Illini in 2010, a decision that essentially gives Zook 18 games in which to fix the University of Illinois football program.

He’s going to speak with us at halftime, but I’m posting it now as a heads-up.

Well, here we go again.

My biggest fear about the Illinois-Purdue game on Saturday is that we won’t see anything new. Nothing different.

From a purely selfish standpoint, I’m bored with seeing the same game over and over and over again. I’d like to see something different. I’d like to see a spark and quarterback and I don’t care if it comes from one of the current guys, from redshirt freshman Jacob Charest, from true freshman Nathan Scheelhaase (but only if they’re committed to starting him the rest of the season), or by dragging Kurt Kittner out of the radio booth.

I’m tired if seeing the offense struggle, the defense get knocked around, Illinois fall far behind, then – when the game is already decided – stage some meaningless rally for a couple of late touchdowns.

I’m tired of writing the same story week after week.

When I sat down with tight end Michael Hoomanawanui earlier this week, I asked him if he’d thought about the differences this season compared with 2007, when he was a sophomore and Illinois was winning its way into the Rose Bowl.

He said he’d thought about it a lot. It’s not talent, he said. Illinois has as much talent now as it had in 2007, probably more. What’s missing, he said, is “want, heart, soul.”

He talked about how the 2007 team had J Leman and safeties like Justin Harrrison and Justin Sanders, a solid defensive line and good linebackers across the board. They he lamented that the current team seems unable to “let it loose, have fun, do what you used to do on the playground.”

I listened closely, because he’s one of the few voices who has at least offered up a reason for the decline.

This has to be an extremely frustrating season for Hoomanawanui, and maybe a financially costly season. He is a guy I thought might have a big year, with decent catch totals, and make himself into a catch-block tight end the NFL people had to take a look at. Maybe they still will. But through six games, he has a grand total of six catches (OK, five games, because he sat one out with a bad ankle).

So my battle cry this week is simple: WIN ONE FOR OH-OH!

Sadly, I don’t expect it to happen. Regardless of what happens at quarterback, it won’t solve serious problems on the defensive side of the ball, where Illinois ranks last in the Big Ten in rush defense, pass defense and total defense. That ain’t good, kids.

I’ll be in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, hoping to see the unexpected. I go there with low expectations.

Here is a copy of my column for Wednesday, which deals with Ron Guenther’s patient evaluation of the Illini football program.

– — – — – —

CHAMPAIGN – This is just about the time I felt Illini Athletics Director Ron Guenther would need to send out a public message on the state of his wheezing football program.

Sure enough, on Tuesday Guenther pinned a note to one of his lead bird dogs, who delivered a message shortly after head coach Ron Zook held his weekly session with the media. The Illini are 1-5 as they prepare to visit Purdue Saturday and Zook arrived and left without surprises Tuesday, saying he is not prepared to say who will start at quarterback, only that, “We’ll keep on working, keep pushing buttons and if we have to make changes we’ll continue to make changes until the light finally comes on.”

While Zook is waiting for some illumination, impatient fans want to know what’s going on behind the scenes, where Guenther rules an athletic department that depends greatly on the financial health of the football empire.

And while fans can afford to be impatient, Guenther never is.

He is a careful, loyal man who has never been prone to quick reaction. So anyone holding their breath waiting for Guenther to fire Zook mid-season should exhale and calm down.

“Ron will do what he always does, and that’s to evaluate all aspects of the program after the season has ended,” said Kent Brown, the assistant athletics director in charge of media relations.

In truth, Guenther evaluates the football program every day of his life, as he should. It’s the most important property in his department and Guenther, as a former Illini football player, cares deeply about its well-being.

But that has never compromised Guenther’s willingness to move deliberately and only after meticulous inspection.

Illinois is 1-5 today, and things seem grim. But I’ve learned the feeling changes from week to week. If Illinois was to win at Purdue Saturday, then upend Michigan in Champaign the following week, the feeling would be more upbeat.

Likewise, if Illinois loses at Purdue and loses to Michigan, the 1-7 record will feel even more grim. The drumbeat for change will sound more urgently.

What if Illinois loses the rest of its games? What if Illinois finishes the season 1-11, which would make the team 6-19 since it arrived in Pasadena, Calif., for the Jan. 1, 2008 Rose Bowl?

Guenther’s biggest question is this: Can the football mess be fixed and can Ron Zook be the fixer?

Then he has to ask: What is the cost of making a coaching change vs. what is the cost of not making a coaching change?

Guenther is evaluating all of these things.

There are some who believe that even if Illinois goes 1-11, Guenther will retain Zook for another season.
Why? He may believe Zook can still fix the problems, although it’s hard to imagine that Guenther would not insist on some significant coaching staff changes. Guenther may also look at Zook’s contract buyout and believe it is financially impractical to make a change now.

That buyout, said to be nearly $1.4 million a year owed over four more seasons, is significant. Plus there are a couple of assistant coaches who have multi-year contracts. Call it $7 million total.

I’ve mentioned this before, but Guenther finds himself in an odd situation with an interim president, Stan Ikenberry, no chancellor, an interim provost and a mostly-new Board of Trustees.

I suppose he reports to Ikenberry, who is stepping in temporarily in the wake of the admissions scandal that has flipped the university hierarchy on its ear. Ironically, Ikenberry was president in 1992. In fact, he hired Guenther, so the men are more than familiar with each other.

No one seems quite certain if Guenther has free reign to do as he pleases. Is he under pressure to keep Zook for financial reasons? Is he under pressure to fire him? Does anyone care? No one knows.

My guess is that Ikenberry would feel he has plenty on his crowded plate, especially now that Dr. Richard Herman has resigned as chancellor. My guess is that he’d be inclined to leave the football decisions to Guenther.

At 1-11, though, Guenther could be in a tough spot.

Ticket sales for next season are an issue. So are lease renewals for the luxury suites and priority seating areas. Influential donors, grumbling now, might really howl.

But since Illinois installed a points system that rewards loyalty over time (with preferred seating, post-season ticket allocation, etc.), season tickets holders might be less inclined to dump their seats if it means going to the back of the line. And although some suite occupants are already unhappy, history says they’re a pretty loyal group.

If Illinois finishes 1-11, yes, ticket sales will fall. A few donors may bail. And Guenther, who has experience understanding these repercussions, will weigh that fallout as part of his overall evaluation of the program.
I’m just saying to understand the situation requires understand the man who will make the call. And it means understanding the unusual situation that currently exists at a university that, frankly, has never insisted on football excellence as a university-wide priority.

This is not Michigan, Alabama or Florida. This is Illinois, and there’s a difference.

I don’t pretend any of that will make the masses happy. They just want to win, and they wonder why decision-makers don’t see more urgency in making it happen.

It’s just not meant to be, is it?

It’s not that Illinois had played well enough to win the game late in the third quarter. It hadn’t. But still, Indiana had made enough mistakes to keep it close and its lead – 13-7 – was about to be overtaken with the Illini poised at the 5-yard line.

Second down and five more yards and Illinois could be ahead, 14-13

But when you’re having the kind of season Illinois is suffering through, and when you have a knack for making killer mistakes at the worst possible moment, bad things happen. And bad things did happen.

Quarterback Juice Williams, who got the start, ran with the ball and fumbled. Indiana scooped it up and returned it 26 yards. And in a short time later, the Hoosiers found the end zone and went up 20-7.

A moment later, Juice was hit trying to pass and fumbled again. Indiana recovered and bingo!, another touchdown pass and a 27-7 lead.

That’s how a team mired in misery finds itself at 1-5 now, the only team in the Big Ten without a conference victory.

Just so you know, a couple of things are worth reporting on:

One, why did Mikel Leshoure, who ran so effectively early, stop getting the ball? Answer: Ron Zook said he sprained his ankle and could not continue. OK.

Two, what about Donsay Hardeman, the safety who was carted off the field on a hard stretcher? Hardeman was taken to a hospital for tests after feeling numbness in his limbs. Remember, he had a herniated disc last season and underwent surgery in the winter to fuse together vertebrae. Zook said initial reports were encouraging and he seemed to be doing well, but we’ll have to hear more on Sunday and Monday. Scary moment.

Can Illinois win another game? Or will it finish 1-11? At this point, I can’t imagine picking them again. Certainly not at Purdue next week, not after what the Boilermakers did to No. 7 Ohio State Saturday.

This was the first time I’ve seen Indiana’s renovated Memorial Stadium. They did a nice job with the north end zone project. Looks great. But why they needed a more empty seats is beyond me.

What I really liked was Indiana’s offense. Sure, probably too much trickery, but for a team that won’t outman others in the Big Ten, why not? And it was fun to watch.

By the way, the “madness” basketball stuff Friday night was OK, at least the intrasquad game, in that people could see the talent level of the freshmen, and I think they could see that Demetri McCamey really has become a leaner, more explosive guard.

If that’s the starting point for D.J. Richardson, he’s going to have a great career.

The son of Michael Jordan is back with the Illini basketball team.

Bruce Weber made it official Friday night, saying Jeff Jordan had convinced him he is ready to dedicate himself to rejoining the team.

Jordan played as a “preferred walkon” the past two seasons, but told Weber after this past season he was leaving the team, staying in school and would concentrate on academics.

But this fall he met with assistant coaches and expressed an interest to return to the roster.

On Friday, Weber issued this statement:

“Jeff recently indicated his interest in coming back to the team. After meeting with him and discussing the situation, we are pleased to give him this opportunity.

“He has obviously missed a great deal of time away from the program the last six months and he has a lot of work ahead of him. There are conditions Jeff must meet to fully earn his way back. At this time, his focus needs to be on his academic work and catching up to his teammates in practice.

“Jeff is a determined young man, and he has expressed to us that he is willing to make the total commitment necessary for a successful return.”

Maybe it says a lot more about Indiana than Illinois, but I’m picking the Illini to win Saturday night in Bloomington, Ind.

Truth is, I’ve seen nothing to make me believe Illinois has turned a corner. And I’m probably a little too influenced by the lop-sided nature of Indiana’s game last week, a 47-7 loss at Virginia. Also, I still remember seeing Indiana at Illinois last year in a 55-13 Illini victory.

I have to remind myself, though, that was a very different Illini football team.

Still, I’m making a couple of assumptions.

One, I assume Juice Williams will start at quarterback. I think that gives this team the best chance to win.

Two, if I’m not going to pick Illinois this week, when am I going to pick them? Aren’t they “due?” Isn’t it about time that this offense somehow, some way, figures out a way to find the end zone? Speaking of which, isn’t about time Rejus Benn finds the end zone, since the last time he was standing in it with a football was exactly one year ago against these Hoosiers? That’s incredible, and I’m betting that drought ends tonight.

I don’t know that Illinois can win big. I don’t know that Illinois can win small. I don’t really know that Illinois can win at all. But I’m picking them, 26-20, with this fair warning: Do NOT wager one single penny on this game based on anything I say. Cherish your money! Donate to your church.

By the way, glad to see that it appears ESPN is not moving Bob Knight to the Big Ten game, as I was told. That might open some opportunities for Stephen Bardo. Knight on the Big 12 would relax a lot of Big Ten fans.