Let’s face it. There have been many times when this Illini basketball team has seemed extremely offensively challenged. Until Tuesday, only twice in Big Ten play (and only six times all season) has Illinois shot 50 percent or better from the field.
We’ve all talked about how limited this team can seem on offense, how the ball often ends up in Dee Brown’s hands late in the shot clock, how defense and rebounding have to save the day more often than not.
But Tuesday night in Minneapolis, the Illini offense scrapped, battled and fought for baskets and when Illinois finished off its 71-65 victory over Minnesota, the team had shot 54.2 percent.
They worked the ball inside for some easy shots. They worked it around the perimeter for some better shots. And on occasion, they simply hit some tough shots. The key, however, was finding offensive balance throughout the lineup.
You need a go-to guy to win on the road and Illinois found multiple go-to guys. That hasn’t always been the case on the road.
James Augustine had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He made some excellent passes inside. Dee Brown had 14 points and hit some tough shots in the first half to keep Illinois in the hunt. His energy was very good throughout the game. Rich McBride had 12 points, although I thought his greatest contribution came on defense against Vince Grier. And Jamar Smith had seven points and six assists. His 3-pointer with less than three minutes to play was a key shot and it came when Dee Brown did not force a shot late in the shot clock, got the ball to Brian Randle, who in turn passed up a shot in favor of one more pass to Smith. It was a key moment in the game and it seemed to be a gut-shot for the Gophers.
Randle picked up two early fouls and played just six minutes of the first half. That looked like it might really bite the Illini because they wanted Randle to blanket Grier. But McBride stepped up and did an outstanding job keeping him away from the driving lanes. If you force Grier to shoot jump shots you’ll be fine. But he’s great at taking the ball to the hole and scoring or drawing fouls.
Illinois made five straight baskets to finish the first half. And the steal and feed ahead to Augustine for the buzzer-beating dunk was a big play, one that gave Illinois a 37-34 halftime edge. Then Illinois made its first three shots of the second half.
Kudos to the Orange Krush. Some 150 Krush members had three charter buses take them up here and they really fired up the players. They sat mostly in a section of the upper deck and arrived wearing Minnesota maroon and gold shirts, then peeled them off in the introductions to reveal all orange. It was pretty cool because until then, they were doing all the Minnesota cheers and really putting on a great act. Augustine pointed up to them when he was introduced and Bruce Weber said it was an inspiring sight.
As it turned out, Illinois’ offense needed to be good. Minnesota shot 54.3 percent, the only time all season an opponent has topped 50 percent against the Illini defense.
It’s true that Illinois was favored. It’s true that Illinois probably should win this game. But the fact is, it’s still difficult to win on the road in the Big Ten and winning here on Senior Night was a big deal. Illinois is now 3-4 on the road in the Big Ten and only Ohio State (4-3) is better. Penn State, by the way, also is 3-4. By comparison, Indiana is 0-6. Iowa is 3-5. Wisconsin is 2-4. Michigan and Michigan State are 2-6.
Illinois will have a chance to finish 4-4 in Big Ten road games if it can win at Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans have much to prove. They’ve been the most disappointing team in the Big Ten and quite clearly, coach Tom Izzo has not found a way to supplement the one-two-three punch of Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager and Paul Davis. And with Matt Trannon out with a broken jaw, an already thin bench has become even weaker.
That said, Michigan State is 5-1 at home in the league and plays Wisconsin Thursday. Saturday’s game with the Illini should be a pretty good battle, but winning at Minnestoa gives Illinois a confidence boost going up there. They can play free and easy now.
Bruce Weber said just a few days ago he was worried about closing the season with four straight losses. Beating Iowa took care of that. Winning at Minnesota helps even more. A victory at Michigan State would turn a potential stumble down the home stretch into a sprint across the finish line.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Chester Frazier hit a 3.
Refs home-cooking the home team on Senior nite.
It took the improbable for the Illini to pull this one out. And thats exactly what happened.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Good post Tupp. Illinois played great tonight, I’m just worried that with the hope they’ve given everybody the last two games that they might be setting everybody up for a big heart break.
March 1st, 2006 at 12:02 am
What a game! Nice to see the win.
Like I’ve been saying the Illini are improving. Maybe not as steadily or ahead of the pack as we’d like to see but they are improving. Of course Minnesota isn’t one of the top teams but they are no pushover either. This is a good win for us to build off of.
Now what I would like to know is when is Dee going to stop taking the 3 pointers that are like 30 million miles away and especially so early in the clock at times?
Besides that though I thought Dee played well. The best thing I saw though was that most of the players had a determined look in their eye and showed energy when they played. That’s extremely important and is something we’ve rarely seen. Auggie had that “I’m in the zone” look rather than the “wtf am I doing here” look” we saw in the NC game last year.
If no one has seen it, they had 22 assists on 26 fg’s made. That’s flat out amazing. Some can compare that to last year but the great thing about this game was that the Illini showed incredible patience and did pretty well at letting the game coming to them. Dee was just about the only one with significant minutes that I thought forced it too much at times.
Anyways great win! Can’t wait to see the Mich St game and will certainly be checking in on the Ohio St/NW game.
March 1st, 2006 at 12:02 am
Arguably, along with the Wisconsin game, the biggest victory of the season…It was on national TV, on Minnesota’s Senior Night, at a place where three ranked teams have already fallen…this victory should seal the deal for a #3 seed in the NCAA tourney. Now, if we can win at MSU and get to the Big Ten Tourney Championship (because we all know that game doesn’t matter in the final NCAA seeding due to it’s late time on Selection Sunday), we could sneak into a 2 seed!
Mark, you mention this game will give us confidence going into MSU (who is struggling mightily), you couldn’t be more correct. Isn’t it crazy, tonight’s game actually scared me more than going into the Izz-one where we’ve had a lot of success in the past. I think the Illini match-up great with the Spartans and could win going away.
I love to see the Orange Krush showing up all over the Big Ten. In addition to this road support, is it possible for all of them to get dressed up and attend Derrick Rose’s next home game to help “persuade” his recruiting chioce? I think it could have quite an impact. I love to see that our true fans never give up on this team (even though some had already jumped off the bandwagon)! Don’t worry there is plenty of room for all of you fair-weather fans…it’s ok, you can get back on, we won’t be too hard on you!
Doc
P.S. There is no way, NO WAY Ohio St. could possibly lose at Northwestern Wednesday night…or could they? Come on Wildcats, let’s make this race really interesting!
March 1st, 2006 at 1:00 am
A few observations:
1) It’s no surprise McBride did well on Grier. Rich did well the last time we played them, and he’s good at denying the ball and keeping players away from the hoop. Randle’s strength is more in contesting jumpers and passes than in preventing the drive, so I’d say McBride was a better defender anyhow to guard a slasher like Grier who doesn’t like to shoot jumpers.
2) For those who said they’d never seen McBride shoot a lay-up, he made one on the nice follow of his desperation three with the shot clock running out.
3) Jamar Smith had six assists? Wow! I completely missed that watching the game.
Oskee wow wow, and go Northwestern!
March 1st, 2006 at 1:29 am
Tupps,
In my view, it was the best the Illini have played all year. They gave a stat at the half that the Illini had 11 assists on 13 field goals. Shades of 2005!!
The Gophers also had the best game that I have seen them play, at least for the first 3/4 of the game. I think that the Illini defense and continued motion offense really took a toll on them the last 10 minutes.
I don’t think that many teams this year could have beaten the Illini tonight if they brought their average game. Hopefully, tonight will become typical of this team’s play in the tournaments.
On Saturday the over-achieving Illini will play the under-achieving Spartans. I like our chances much better after tonight.
March 1st, 2006 at 2:21 am
Great game at Minny. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that a zone defense that the Illini used in the early part of the game? Was that the first time?
March 1st, 2006 at 3:29 am
One down, two to go. Two to go you ask? Yes, the first is the OSU/NW game. We have to find a way to win Saturday, but….. GO WILDCATS, GO!!! Thank you and GO ILLINI!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 6:24 am
Augie for Govenor!
March 1st, 2006 at 6:52 am
Hopefully the Illini can put together another performance like this on Saturday morning. I liked the balance they showed, and for once they had good spacing on offense.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:27 am
One big plus that Illinois has over MSU is the extra two days preparation/rest for the game. Hope that will make a difference.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:44 am
#1 Joe John said “Refs home-cooking the home team on Senior nite.”
No doubt. I think we got the benefit of more calls AT Minnesota than we do in Champaign.
March 1st, 2006 at 7:55 am
11 assists on 13 baskets — in both halves! A super, “dialed-in” performance against a hot-shooting, Senior Night bunch of Gophers. I do wish Randle would be as aggressive and slashing on offense at away games as he often is at home. Go N.U.!
March 1st, 2006 at 8:21 am
Great overall game for the Illini - - - Tupps pointed out very well the key points to the game, so I won’t repeat them except for this. When Jamar nailed the 3 with less than 3 minutes to play, I breathed a sigh of relief. The passes to set that shot up were reminiscent of last year. I don’t know if anyone else heard it, but the Orange Krush section was yelling “air ball” after a gopher put one up with about 12 minutes left. I symbolically pat them on the back for going into an oppositions arena and being an inspiration to our players. Augie acknowledged them, so you know it means a lot to the players & coaches to have that vocal support & to see that big patch of orange in the stands. It surely takes away some of the road game anxiety.
I’m going to take your advice, Editor Boy, & quit feeding the trolls. It’s hard to do cold turkey, especially when they continue to post their inane, psychotic drivel that they believe has merit. The only way I can quit feeding them is to pretend they are Squawkeye fans, IU fans,etc., who are just stirring the pot to see what happens, which they very well may be. It’s hard to bite one’s tongue. THE TROLLS DO NOT EXIST. THE TROLLS DO NOT EXIST.
Go Wildcats. Go Illini. Hail the Chief.
March 1st, 2006 at 8:24 am
Some of Minnesota’s players didn’t miss a basket in the first half, and I told my wife, “It takes a career night for someone to beat Illinois, and it looks like that’s happening tonight.”
But we hung tough.
A great team effort. Some of the best ball movement I’ve seen all year, although sometimes it ended in a missed shot, and it was great to see all the non-seniors step up and play a strong, balanced game. This is the Illini we wanted to see at Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa! I L L
March 1st, 2006 at 8:30 am
Tupp and I were must be watching a different game. After Randle got in foul trouble in the first half, McBride guarded Grier and that’s when he scored the majority of his points. The second half, the whole team played better defense with primary responsibility for Grier back on Randle’s shoulders. Also, it certainly appears other coaches having figured out that Dee plays mediocre man defense and have been exploiting that the past several games(i.e. Daniel Horton). The majority of Dee’s steals come on anticipating a pass not solid man to man.
I’m elated that we won but against a better team than Minnesota, could have been different. We started at the 6 minute mark and started running the shot clock down to one before firing up a prayer. Fortunately, this time, a couple of our prayers were answered. Smith makes a clutch 3 pointer but we also traveled, missed FT’s AGAIN and let the Gophers get to within 4 points by not running the offense that got us a nice lead. The Illini do this against a better team in the NCAA tourney and they’ll catch us and beat us. Have we forgot the Penn St loss already?
On the positive side, Augie’s playing like a champ….no foul problems and great at both end of the floor. This team can still go a long way in the tourney if they play the whole 40 minutes and not run the shot clock for the last 5-10 minutes and watch the lead evaporate!!
GO ILLINI!! BEAT MSU!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 8:33 am
Doc #4
I couldn’t agree more. If the Krush showed up at Derrick Rose’s next game it could make a huge difference in his final decision.
High School kids want to feel special. Gordon felt special when they chanted his name at Midnight Madness and at the Homecoming football game–shortly after he verballed. It would be unbelievable if we could have that same impact on Derrick. I would love to Derrick in the O and B–keeping the very best Illinois player in our state. He would beloved, just like Dee is ands always will be. Not to mention he’s ranked #5 in the nation and the #2 point guard. Actually, after last Saturdays PLC game I don’t like O.J. Mayo has anything on this kid.
Hail to the Orange Hail to the Blue.
March 1st, 2006 at 8:40 am
That was the best played game i have seen all season. Our defense wasn’t as intense as in the past but we stayed out of foul trouble. It’s great to see other guys stepping up and scoring. Minnesota gave it a valient effort but Illinois prevailed!! Can you all hearing me yelling and screaming from Decatur???
March 1st, 2006 at 8:59 am
Nice win! We still have major room for improvement, but a nice win nonetheless. Minnesota looked like they played as well or better than they did in the games against Indiana, MSU, and Iowa, and had one of their best shooting nights of the season (54%). Its the first team that has shot over 50% against Illinois I beleive, yet we found a way to win. It is so encouraging to see we can beat a decent team’s best shot on the road.
The officiating was pretty poor I thought going both ways. It must be tough to officiate with Greer on the court because he creates contact on every play, but I thought the officials played “make up” several times on both sides. Luckily, we got the benefit of the doubt on a couple of calls late in the game, otherwise it might have gotten interesting.
March 1st, 2006 at 9:07 am
1. Yes, Rich McBride made a lay-up. Hooray!!!
2. I also observed that Grier’s points in the first half were mostly off of McBride and, in the second half, McBride shared defensive responsibilities with Randle. Give some credit to Randle too.
3. Jamar Smith is an underrated passer and his six assists are a precursor for things to come. The combination of his deadly shooting and passing skills should give Illini fana encouragement for years to come.
4. Chester Frazier hit a three. Hooray!!!
5. Is it just me or does Pruitt look like former Illini George Montgomery shooting free throws? You just pray that he hits something.
6. Has there ever been a Big Ten tournament that has so many outstanding match-ups?
7. Randle should be the leading candidate for Big Ten Defensive player of the year.
8. All kidding aside, great victory. The Illini really played like a team and are finally getting production from the bench.We’re peaking at the right time!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 9:14 am
#16 Jan
Greer is one of the toughest defensive assignments in the Big Ten due to his ability to penetrate and get to the foul line. McBride by no means shut him down, but he did play solid defense and kept Greer from a career night on a night where he was playing extremely aggressively. Several of his points came on very difficult circus shots and McBride only ended up with 2 fouls despite guarding Greer most of the night. Most importantly, he stayed in front of Greer enough to force several jumpshots and prevent fouls on the big men when the defense breaks down. I don’t think Tupps meant to imply that McBride was a “stopper” last night, just that he did a solid job on an assignment that was better suited for another player.
March 1st, 2006 at 9:46 am
Augie: 16 points, 10 boards, 7 assists. Unbelievable. Prior to last night’s game, I had thought that the only way Augie could pull off a triple double is if he successfully petitioned the NCAA to increase the personal foul limit to ten. Thanks for (almost) proving me wrong Augie. Great game!
March 1st, 2006 at 10:16 am
Dennis (#6) and Rev (#13) I agree… this was one of the best games the Illini have played all season. 22 assists on 26 fgm is flat out amazing!
Musbarger mentioned about midway through the 2nd half that Augie had an outside chance at a triple double; and I think he would have had it if Shaun Pruitt had finished stronger on a couple of feeds from Augie (rather than getting fouled and settling for free throws.)
In the “things we can’t control department,” I sincerely doubt that Ohio St would lose at NW.
It’s just too bad that the Buckeyes don’t play Penn St. in one of their final two games. I think Penn St. could beat any team in the conference right now, and could do it home or away. (Remember what Tupps said about who has the 2nd-best road record in the BT at the moment?)
Great win, Hail to the Chief, and OSKEE-WOW-WOW!)
Zoik
March 1st, 2006 at 10:48 am
The officiating was not poor as a poster has stated, it was very good…those were the best 3 refs in the big ten.
March 1st, 2006 at 10:53 am
#4 - I totally agree regarding Derrick Rose. If anyone has seen this kid play live, he’s the most unselfish h.s. star out there. This kid takes over games in so many ways, with assist, scoring, rebounding, steals. The Krush needs to show this kid alot of love and help him make his decision to play for the Illini team. Watching this quiet kid practice before game time and hit 12 3’s in row while his teammates put a hand in his face while he’s shooting shows his focus and maturity. If Derrick and Eric play together with Jamar too, I can definitely see a National Champ Team.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:18 am
OUT STANDING game and all played very well. Now for a little help from our friends at NW, maybe the Orange Krush can stop off in Evanston and cheer on the Wildcats tonight. GO ORANGE!!!!!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 11:50 am
#24 Rick from Bourbonnais “The officiating was not poor as a poster has stated, it was very good…those were the best 3 refs in the big ten.”
I am not intending to disrespect the refs. Ted Hillary and Ed Hightower garner a large amount of respect from me. However, every single borderline or controversial second half call seemed to go Illinois’ way, especially during the latter minutes of the game.
March 1st, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Great win Tuesday nite. What seems to light up our offense is getting the ball inside. It seems with this group that means it must be passed. The ability to get inside off the dribble in our 1/2 court offense has been missing except for an occasional foray. If this group hopes to go far into March they must add dribble pentration to their repertoire
March 1st, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I read in today’s paper that the Illini
had offered a scholarship to Leon Freeman from
Belleville, MI, but that he has still not met
NCAA Academic Requirements.
1. I’m betting Coach Weber thinks it’s a good bet that he will get his classroom work in order…. the kid is averaging over 25 points a game, and is also being recruited by Michigan State and Memphis. If elgible to enroll, he can play next year.
2. This means Freeman, with all the question marks about qualifying has been chosen over
Patrick Beverly. Would have liked to see an Illinois kid succeed, but something wasn’t quite
right in that scenario.
Go Illini and Wildcats ! (both Illinois teams)
March 1st, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Good comments on the Krush showing up at a game for Rose. It would have to have some impact. Wonder what would happen if the Krush went to Evanston tonight!
I saw only the second half last night, and was pleased with that to say the least. Agree with most of the comments here about good defense, good ball movement, etc. Lots of contributions from lots of players. Most excited by the contributions of players who will be back next year.
Go, Wildcats! Any team in this conference, playing at home, can beat any other team in this conference. In fact, OSU had better not just mail it in for their last home game (Purdue, right?).
Oskee wow wow! Hail to the Chief!
March 1st, 2006 at 12:55 pm
There have been a few comments about the officiating. I too thought that the game was well officiated. But the Illini definitely got the better end of the calls late in the game. And I was quite pleased with that as it feels like that doesn’t happen to us very often. But I did feel for Minnesota a little bit.
Say what you want about Ed Hightower and Ted Hillary, but the bottom line is that they’re veteran officials and they’re consistent. All you can ask for is consistency and every coach and player in the Big Ten should know how Ed and Ted are going to call a game. And I suppose that’s why I respect them as officials. I’m familiar with them and they’re consistent.
March 1st, 2006 at 1:02 pm
The Orange Krush were unbelievable. I sat a section over and in Williams arena their chants were loud and clear. The Gopher fans didn’t have a lot to cheer about (until the last few minutes when they made it close), so the I-L-L, I-N-I echoed throughout the arena. They surely made the team feel more comfortable. Not that I’ve been to a lot of college bball games, but I’ve never seen an away team’s fans provide so much energy and noise.
Great game by the Illini, especially Augie (despite his horrible free throw shooting!). Halfway through the first half I mentioned to my buddy that he had more assists than Dee. He made some great passes inside.
Dee and McBride had mediocre defensive games. I remember Weber coming out *screaming* and I couldn’t figure out why. The foul was called on Minnesota? Then I saw McBride head over to the sidelines. He was berating McBride because of his defensive breakdown the play before that allowed a wide-open 3 for Minnesota. Weber was livid, but gave him a pat on the butt and sent him back out on the court. Sometimes it doesn’t appear that Dee and McBride fight through the screens hard enough.
Enough griping. What fun to watch an Illini victory on the road! BTW, Williams is pretty neat. Very cozy and that elevated floor is cool, though a little dangerous.
March 1st, 2006 at 1:27 pm
#21-Paul
Sorry but Grier would have quite possibly had a career night if McBride guarded him all night since most of his points came in the first half when Rich was on him. The second half he was mainly guarded by Randle(#20-I agree Randle should get serious consideration for defensive player of the year) but it was a team effort on defense in the second half cause there was a lot of switching going on with the screens Minnesota set.
March 1st, 2006 at 2:00 pm
What did Steve Lavin keep calling the Minnesota beg men. What does that phrase mean?
March 1st, 2006 at 2:12 pm
1.) At the Iowa game, saw Dee dunk in warm-ups. During the early lay-up drills, Dee led off with Auggie under the basket. As Dee jumped to lay it in, Auggie grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up so he could dunk the ball. Both walked away smiling … & so did I.
2.) Patti … not so loud. I’m in Decatur too and your breaking my eardrums (LOL)!
3.) Great game. Good to see the Illini hold it together and pull one out on the road in a tough environment and with a team that has beaten some of the league’s best on that same floor. Really great to see them share the love. Balanced scoring wins games.
4.) I know Northwestern’s chances are slim against OSU, but this is the Big Ten and we all know what can happen on any given night in this league. Go Wildcats!
5.)Eager to see the Illini vs. MSU. Sparty’s beatable if we play up to our potential. Go Illini!
6.) Going to watch the Riverton Sectional game tonight. I’ll try to post some impressions of Mr. Tisdale tomorrow. I’ll be rooting for the opposition, but I’ll try not to let it color my evaluation.
7.) Saw in the H&R about the offer to Freeman. Does he have the brights to make it at the U of I or did he just screw around as a kid in his first two years and put himself in a bad situation? Someone help an old fart … what is the verbal part of the ACT? How would signing Freeman affect our chances of signing Rose?
8.)Second in the league with one game to go after all the players we lost last year. Pretty remarkable. I still think things look pretty bright for the rest of this year. What a time to be in the Illini nation! Proud to be an Illini and loving it.
9.)Last post yesterday got chopped off … what’s up? Don’t like this symbol (
March 1st, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I would rather watch a game without Dee than to see his team mate give him the ball thirty feet from the basket with five seconds to shoot.Game after game this happens.Bench the player that doesn’t turn and shoot or drive to the basket Time to stop playing hot potato.Save those heaves for game ending last seconds.It was not thier best game as some suggest but better than thier last six. Tough times ahead.Go Illini!
March 1st, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Nice win. Second one (w/ Northwestern) on the road at a place that other contenders have stumbled. (Wisconsin is an even better win). Don’t we wish we could get that tenth of a second with PSU back now.
I still see people taking jabs at McBride. Although Jamar had a few nice moments last nice, he has mostly been a non-factor in the entire Big Ten season. Not saying that Jamar is not going to develop into a terrific player, but I do wonder where we’d be if the Coach had gone with the masses and benched McBride at the start of the Big Ten season.
Good news on Freeman. I agree with the prior post about what it probably says about Beverly - either he’s a substantially lesser player (which doesn’t seem to be the case) or his academics are a lot worse. A lot worse than pretty bad. I do have a question about process - when they were stiff-arming Beverly, weren’t the Illinois coaches saying that their process involved a transcript and a visit before an offer. Looks like they got Freeman’s transcript, but I never heard anything about a visit.
March 1st, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Just caught the latest Bracketology projection. It’s got the Illini as a #2 seed out in the West regional with the first two rounds being played at Dayton. Just thought I’d pass that along. ILL-INI!!!!!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 3:51 pm
“What did Steve Lavin keep calling the Minnesota beg men. What does that phrase mean? ”
answer = Honyak “HON’-yock”
thats Lavinspeak for really big, burly, bangin inside - not so coordinated - and usually ungly players. But you have to have one - according to Lavin.
March 1st, 2006 at 3:59 pm
#37 Paul
The Freeman situation technically is no different that the Beverley situation from what I understand. Correct me if I’m worng, but didn’t Wayne say he WOULD offer him a scholarship if he got his grades up? I assume the same will apply with Freeman: no “official” scholarship offer until we see a transcript (which maybe we already have) and a visit. Of course, that being said I think the “unofficial” offer to Freeman does imply more interest than with Beverley.
To answer The RSCI has Freeman ranked as a concensus top 100 player and Beverley is not. From the prospect rankings I have seen , Beverley is not included in the top 100 in any of them. Anyone know if Beverley is rated highly on any lists? Is the hype around Beverley all coming from recent performances?
March 1st, 2006 at 5:22 pm
Great article; and a really solid road win against a pretty strong offensive team. This is the best that the Illini offense has looked for a complete game in a long while.
I was curious, though, how Minnesota’s defense has performed against other teams. Was last night the long sought maturation of the Illini offense? Or was it that we overpowered a mediocre defense?
In any case, it should be a confidence booster heading into the MSU game and it was great to see everyone so energized and working together to seal the win.
March 1st, 2006 at 6:35 pm
YES. Illinois won the game. All fans of the team should be happy about a win. But let’s not be too happy. We won by 6 against a team barely .500 (14-12). We allowed same said team to shoot over 50% (same feat UNC accomplished against us last year in Championship). Now, unless somebody wants to argue that this Gopher team is as good as last year’s Tarheel National Champions, this team once again underachieved and just happened to get away with it. Nice to see somebody besides Dee score, but a 6 point win against the Gophers is not awe inspiring - not to me. I still see this team as a Sweet 16 loser (at best). Anything better will be an accomplishment worth congratulating them. Back me up Xavier and Kentucky Mike, there are just too many people “ice skating on rainbows” in this GROUP!
March 1st, 2006 at 6:59 pm
RE: Beverley. I read many times that he and his HS coach took Illinois off his list. He is not rated highly on many recruiting lists because the services (Scout, Rivals, etc.) made their rankings last summer. Beverley is by most accounts a late bloomer.
RE: Derrick Rose. His Simeon team won their first Class AA tourney game Tuesday night 62-23. I have no other details on that game. Simeon and Rose play next on Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Chicago Vocational High School,
2100 E. 87th Street, near the I-90 Skyway. For more info contact their AD, Paul Stubblefield. Phone #s and e-mails posted at:
http://www.ihsa.org/activity/bkb/tourney/2pair.htm and http://www.ihsa.org/school/schools/cvocatnl.htm
March 1st, 2006 at 7:18 pm
I take back anything bad I ever said about Jamar. His pass to Augie under the basket was the single best assist I’ve seen all year and I watch a LOT of games. Jamar had about .1 seconds to make that play. Jamar may be a real talent once he gets real comfortable.
The offer to Freeman sounds promising. Why don’t they shut the heck up about transcripts, academics, etc. That’s the kid’s personal business and just talking about it sounds offensive. Talk about the kid’s shooting percentage or something productive and not insulting.
Those kids who will be sitting on Chad Motta’s bench next year may have spotty transcripts.
Obviously, Chad Motta did something very right to get that recruiting class. And one thing he probably did was not publicly discuss any weaknesses in their transcripts, grades, intelligence or anything like that.
Any true Illini fan who wants to experience a national championship would love it if Bruce Weber, national coach of the year had managed to snare even one of those players.
Of course he didn’t and Chad Motta probably will win the Big Ten this year and next. How can Bruce get these kind of results? I don’t think the Orange Krush going to the high school games will do it.
Go Illini! Go Riverton!
March 1st, 2006 at 9:00 pm
OSU 56 NW 53 Final(espn) internet OSU got lay up 54-52 with 10 seconds left. 2 FT with no time. That’s a lousy way to watch a game but no TV. Duke lost! Iowa killed Penn St.
YUCK!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 9:13 pm
Dang! NW gave it a shot but came up short. Oh well, its on to MSU. Lets give it our best shot from here on out and see what happens.
Anyway, as usual, a lot of good posts here and I appreciate reading them from all of you great Illini fans. You guys and gals are great! Thank you and GO ILLINI!!!
March 1st, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Just got back from watching the NU/OSU game. NU guard drives and has an open shot with 15 seconds left from 3 feet and PASSES to another NU player under the basket. Needless to say the guy was not expecting the pass and it goes over to OSU. I feel bad for the kid but GEEZ, all he has to do is lay the damn thing in and NU wins, ILL goes on to win big ten. That’s what happens when you don’t control your destiny.
As a side note, NU grabs rebound with 0.9 seconds left, calls time out and NU coach calls for review of the clock. Ends up at 1.3. As BAM noted, if he had done the same PSU game goes the other way. Good news is that most of this team’s bad bounces have already happened this year. It’s going to be a great BTT and NCAA!
March 1st, 2006 at 10:11 pm
illiniwis: I mean this in the gentlest way, because he’s about to become a household name. It’s THAD Matta. He’s a great candidate for coach of the year. Ohio State is going to be scary good the next few years…especially in two years when Oden steps on campus.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Too bad about Northwestern. Go Purdue! How about throwing an assist to your old boss, Coach Painter?
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:19 am
#48 IlliniAmy, I mean this in the gentlest way, because he’s about to become a household name. Greg Oden steps on the court for Ohio State next season. Ohio State will look scary with the “FAB 5″ next season. But I think the FIGHTING ILLINI will look better!! I say McBride will be a first team Big Ten next year.
March 2nd, 2006 at 3:22 am
The Leon Freeman situation seems pretty bleak to me. Raising the GPA and the ACT score in your last HS semester seems too late. Maybe I’m underestimating the influence of big time college Bball. Maybe the Krush should show up to Leon Freeman’s Earth Science mid-term.
I thought it was a great win at Minnesota. Contributions from everybody.
I’m very excited at what this team is going to look like when Frazier/Smith/Pruitt/Randle all play together for the next two years. If ANY of the new guys (Gordon/Carlwell/Simrau) deliver, the future of the Illini is in good hands.
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:37 am
I can’t find much to complain about in the Illini win over Minny except for the ongoing, obvious FT % problem which everyone is well aware of. I thought it was a great win on the road over a team that is better than it’s record indicates. I hope in the off-season the Illini players work on their technique at the line before they put in a lot of reps. They should have their feet spread apart with one in front of the other & bend at the knees before coming back up to release the ball. I know the Illini coaches have them shoot a lot of reps in practice, but they maybe haven’t had the time to work on technique which can be done after this season is over.
How did Tisdale look last night WRF(35)? People are usually apprehensive about signing a 7FT class A player because they fear he is successful only because of a lack of equally tall opposing players. I have faith in BAM seeing something in him to merit the scholarship, but it’s nice to get an eye-witness account.
Well, I’m so happy about the Illini win over Minn. that I’ll just “ice skate on my rainbow” until the MSU game on Sat.
Go Illini! Long live the Chief!
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:06 am
Sorry guys, but I cant help myself….
#44…who is Chad Motta? Is he realted to Ohio State’s coach, Thad Matta?
Just giving you a hard time!!!
Go Illini!!!
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:15 am
#44 illiwis - That information about Freeman’s academics is not coming out of Illinois camp. It is against NCAA regulations for Illinois to comment on a recruit before he is signed. That has to be coming from the our beloved media…
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:20 am
#42, did you have a bad life or something?
Say what you want, but winning at Minn is NEVER easy. They have beaten many top 20 teams this year at home. Their record looks bad because of one “slump” during the year, that does not make our winning there “skating on rainbows”. Is it like beating UK at Lexington-in most years-NO! But for a team that could have easily gone 0-4 down the stretch, that now can go 2-2 or even 3-1 it was a DAMN big win!
Sorry, you are way to negative for me!
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:21 am
Well, I’ll feed the trolls just this once more since a new one has emerged (IlliniTony-42). No amount of pessimistic, glass is 1/2 empty talk on your part will dissuade me & a lot of others from enjoying even the smallest of pleasures we get from watching our beloved Illini and obviously we will never be able to convince you to appreciate them. If we want to “ice skate on rainbows”, that is our prerogative. If you want to be gloomy & doomy & mire yourself down, that is your prerogative. If you carry this attitude over into your personal life, you must find it hard to see life’s little pleasures. You’re asking for back-up for your statements which shows you know you are probably in a minority. Just let us “ice skate on our rainbows” in peace & start your own blog with X-man, Ky.Mike, DIF,etc., & anyone else you can find who shares your pessimistic views.
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:34 am
Leon Freeman is a big get for the Illini if he can qualify. He plays the wing and would fit well into a three guard offense. Very athletic, can shoot the ball, and likes to go to the rim for tip-ins and dunks. He was being recruited by UConn (among others) last year but they backed off because of his academics.
The story on him academically is that he’s a bright kid who hasn’t really applied himself until recently when he’s realized that his basketball future is dependent on it. He got of to a bad start in high school as he wasn’t really held accountable for anything at the school he was attending. So his mother pulled him out of that school and he transfered to Belleville HS. It’s his mother who talks about his academics a lot and I read somewhere that she really like the Illinois coaches because they don’t just talk to her son about basketball but encourage him to apply himself in the classroom as well.
So it sounds like we’re taking abit of risk on Leon Freeman. But it also looks like he’s worth the risk and is now eager to get his academics in order.
Leon Freeman’s coach and his family appear to have been very receptive and cooperative with the Illini coaching staff which doesn’t seem to be the case with Beverley. Also Beverley’s camp seems to have an arrogance that I don’t get when I read about the recruitment of Leon Freeman. So as much as I worry that Beverley will go somewhere like Michigan and be a thorn in our side for four years, I do trust the Illini coaching staff’s judgement in going after Freeman instead of Beverley.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:16 am
Some comments for #42.
“But let’s not be too happy.” C’mon why do you care about how happy I am or am not over any Illini game, win or loss.
“We won by 6 against a team barely .500 (14-12). We allowed same said team to shoot over 50% (same feat UNC accomplished against us last year in Championship).” Yup, also a team that had beaten a couple of good B10 teams up there at a place where we usually have a rough time. When setting my expectations for this team I remember we did lose to Penn State at home. So a road win at Minnesota was a good win and a good enough reason for me to be happy. It’s so much easier to be happy, it takes less energy.
“Now, unless somebody wants to argue that this Gopher team is as good as last year’s Tarheel National Champions, this team once again underachieved and just happened to get away with it.” Are you inferring we are as good as last year, that subject has been much discussed and I think everyone agrees we are not. How could we be when we lost 5 of our top 7 players?
“I still see this team as a Sweet 16 loser (at best).” I don’t disagree. However I don’t see getting to the Sweet 16 and losing as underachieving for this team. I think all of us on this board hope for the best, but I suppose we all have our own expectations and what we base those on. When all is said and done, even in a worst case situation from here on out - this has been a good year, IMHO. I agree next year is likely to be tough too, but I have enjoyed all the wins and died a thousand deaths will all 5 losses. But I still don’t think this team has underachieved.
Finally, I do not like ice skating and I hate rainbows. I just prefer to watch the game get over any disappointment associated with losing or not playing well within an hour of the game ending and look forward to the next game, whether it be next week or next Fall. Really no disrespect intended - just giving you my take on your thoughts.
Various comments about the Krush travelling the Midwest to support NW and help recruit. Certainly we’re not serious. My neighbor’s son is Orange Krush and I think the kid’s engineering degree is more important than helping recruit or going to other school’s games. It’s one thing to sneak off to an Illini road game, it’s quite another to be busing around the state to the detriment of a very expensive education.
Tom B
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:54 am
#50 Dickie Vitale — I think you missed the forest for the trees. My “gentlest” way comment was because I was correcting illiniwis on the Ohio State coach’s first name — and he is the household name I’m referring to, not Oden. I added the “gentlest” because I’ve found that “internet folk” seem to be touchy when you correct them on spelling, etc., but I think getting Thad Matta’s name correct is a big deal.
Thank you #53 blog proofreader for echoing my sentiments.
That being said, I like your (Dickie Vitale) optimism for next year.
March 2nd, 2006 at 12:34 pm
If the “glass is entirely empty, and no water will ever fill it again” crowd wants something legit to fret about, consider this:
The Zooker has just hired a defensive coordinator who left a job as d-coordinator at Colorado in 2003, after 5 years, to be the d-coordinator at Western Illinois (maybe he was fired?), and left Western Illinois after one year to be the linebackers coach at Louisiana-Monroe (maybe he was fired again?), and left L-M after one year to, it appears, do nothing last year (maybe he was fired a third time?).
March 2nd, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Pistol Pete … Illiwis will probably disagree with me on some points if he is a real Riverton fan and was there last night. But here goes.
Being nice, I’ll just say we have a project on our hands.
Fairly agile and decent hands, lays the ball in nicely and can shoot the short jumper (6 foot in).
Posts up well and can score if they lob the ball in over the opposition. Don’t know what will happen when there are opposing players big enough to stop it. Didn’t seem to jump real well. Not real quick getting to the ball.
Needs to work on foot work.
Played the whole game but couldn’t really get a good read on his stamina.
Not real fast up and down the floor. Not real quick. Our 6′5″ forward that matched up with him early (before he got homered) was alot quicker and gave him fits.
Not a great shot blocker, but did get some blocks.
If he gains strength, if he puts on weight, if he works on his game, if he red-shirts the first year, he’ll be a decent big man that could contribute. A roll player early, a possible post presence in his last 2-3 years. A lot of ifs. But you can’t coach someone to be 7 foot. With work, there is some potential.
But just looking at last nights game overall, I wasn’t all that impressed. At this time in their careers, the OSU recruit (Odin?) would chew him up and spit him out. But Tisdale’s young and has time to improve … a project.
I would like to have seen the game more if the refs were a little less one sided and would have allowed the post battle to continue. But some “homer” calls stopped that. Our 6′5″ forward was giving Tisdale all he could handle, boxing him out about 60% of the time and outscoring him 10-4 going one on one in the first quarter. He was stopping the lobs into the post by just jumping up and taking or tipping the ball. But at the end of the first, the Riverton coach talks to one of the refs who just nods through the whole conversation. When play resumes, there was no difference in style or what Tisdale or our guy was doing vs. the first quarter. But within the first 90 seconds of the quarter, our guy has 3 consecutive fouls called on him. And that was just the start. But I’ll leave it at that because it just got worse from there (never been that angry with the officiating in all my years watching basketball). Point being, it would have been interesting to see how Tisdale responded to the challenge, but we’ll never know.
Saw Coach McClain at the game. Would love to have his honest evaluation.
Would I have offered a scholarship? Not enough evaluation time to tell and don’t know what else is or was available. Maybe this kid fits into a system and compliments others they are bringing into the program that will make the Illini successful in a way we can’t yet see. This I do know. I trust Coach Weber and his staff. They know alot more about the game than I do and they WILL get us to the promised land.
GO ILLINI!!!
March 2nd, 2006 at 2:13 pm
#24, Unfortunately, you’re right. Those were the 3 best refs in the B10, which shows you how pathetic the refs in the B10 are. Until the conference brings in some new young blood, we’ll continue to see the same thing, night in, night out. Ted Hillary must work 70-80 games, he looks exhausted, and the man can’t officiate. He’s horrible. Hightower just shows up, collects his check and goes home. Welmer looks tired too. I think he might be a decent ref, but with the games these guys work, there is no way a 60+ year-old body can take that abuse. there is no shortage of good officials out there, but the major conferences would rather work the “old guard” to death than bring in enough new guys to see that everyone stays relatively fresh the whole season.
March 2nd, 2006 at 2:18 pm
FYI, a poster on Illiniboard reported that Semrau’s line from last night was 38 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks in case anyone cares.
March 2nd, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Some interesting posts on the board today. What’s even more interesting is the conspicuous absence of our consistently harsh and critical posters. But don’t worry, I’m sure DIF, KY Mike, and the like will return if we have trouble at MSU. Seems a little odd they can’t come out and share in a victory, maybe they learned the old addage backwards - “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then start talking”!
Anyway, good win at Minny. Seems like we are progressing on the offense. I would like to see Jamar gain back some more of the confidence he had earlier in the season in his shot though. He seems very tentative. Great game for the seniors, hopefully they can keep that level of play up down the stretch.
On the topic of Leon Freeman, I am hopeful and optimistic that the situation with his academics works out and he can come put on the Orange and Blue. Everything I have heard and read about this kid’s abilities makes me think he would be a great late edition for 2006. He sounds like a very complete player, with good handles, 3 point range as well as good mid-range game, good rebounder, and good finisher. He has size and athleticism. I have heard people that have seen them both play say his game is similar to EJ’s. That is a big statement, but if it’s even close we should be in for a treat!
Lets end this thing right with a win at MSU Saturday. Go Illini!
March 2nd, 2006 at 4:40 pm
I disagree with most of the critical comments on the refs. If they allow a lot of incindental contact, typically, it’s because the contact wasn’t used to gain an advantage.
If it’s used to gain an advantage, then that contact is a foul. Yes, I yell “that’s over the back!” or “He was fouled!” or whatever,… but of course, I’m completely biased.
Frankly, I want to blame the officials for calling an over-the-back, when really I should blame the a. one player for missing the shot, and b. the other player for being in bad position for the rebound.
These refs really are experts. Maybe, just maybe we biased folks should learn to trust their judgement, yes, even when that charge could have been called a block or that jump-ball wasn’t really a foul (IMHO).
Remember, playing a fundamentally-sound game (i.e., moving feet to get position, making open shots) eliminates most stupid fouls in the first place. It’s easy to blame the refs, but really, we should blame the players.
Unless you’re watching an HD game on a huge plasma screen, most of us watching TV see it on in 2-D, with images only a few inches tall. In person, most of us see the players at dozens of feet away. So what looks like a 6-inch player mugging another 6-inch player on a 2-D screen in real life may look like a reaching foul to a man who’s only a few feet away.
If the calls “seemed” to go Illinois’s way in the last game, maybe it’s because we expected them to go Minnesota’s way, because we’re used to it. In truth, our guys played very sound basketball.
(Yes, McBride fouled Grier when he got beat off the dribble. That was his job: keep him from getting high percentage layups. If McBride had Randle’s quickness, it would have been even better for us.)
I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but our players have grown up quite a bit since the (at) Iowa game and aren’t playing to the officials anymore. Neither were Minnesota’s players, for that matter.
For what it’s worth, I’ve seen a lot of overturned calls this year, when someone missed a call and, the team of officials were willing to overturn it. And in the ACC, officials have been suspended for bad calls (that went Duke’s way, and arguably prevented Fl St from winning the first time).
Did anyone see the article on the parent that assuaulted a PREGNANT referee after a 5th and 6th grade game? Here’s the link: http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635188637,00.html
These guys have thankless jobs.
March 2nd, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Those wanting a sneak preview of Derrick Rose (again, PLEEEEEASE come to Illinois in 2007 with your buddy Eric Gordon and the tall trees Cole & Tisdale) can see a photo of his tomahawk dunk from the Chicago Public League Championship game last Saturday. Link is really long but is at ChicagoSports.com
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool/boysbasketball/cs-prepbbkgallery,0,5622959.photogallery?index=22
March 2nd, 2006 at 5:56 pm
Semrau had 38 points and 18 rebounds!?! And Bruce Weber has already decided to redshirt him? It’s starting to look like maybe they should redshirt Bruce Weber next year.
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:02 pm
The following is from scout.com
St. Joseph’s junior wing Evan Turner begins the state playoffs this week in Illinois. The 6-foot-6 standout recently picked up an offer from Illinois.
“I got an offer from Illinois. It felt real good because I wasn’t really sure of their interest in me but now I know I’ve got another option to consider along with a lot of others. That’s just another good plan.”
So now we have another scholarship offer out there. Evan Turner is another good prospect who’d be a good get. But there may not be a scholarship for him if we land Rose and Freeman. Are we offering our scholarships too freely? I’m not really sure what the normal process is.
From the looks of it Freeman and Turner are similar types of players. My thinking is the Illini try to get Freeman this year if he qualifies. If he doesn’t they’d hope to sign Turner who graduates next year.
I want to trust the Illini coaching staff, but I kind of wish we still had that scholarship we gave to Tisdale.
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Sorry you pined my absence! I don’t know about you folks but this is the time of year when I go to cruise control till the tourney. As M.S.U shows only bad can happen when you are playing this time of year and your already in the dance. (The big ten tourney means zilch to me). I thought this game would be tough just because they seem to win at home. Six points and a bunch of missed shorties doesn’t make me feel great but it did look like an offense. (Are the guards being ordered to not give the ball to Pruitt when he gets hot? The guy was on fire and Coach pulls him then he gets back in and he is persona no grata.)
Observations:
1. Dee’s percentage from three to five feet behind the arc is much better than on the line. If you don’t think so you are a moron.
2. Hillary is a boob but Hightower is really bad. Next time watch him for charge calls. Never gets one right. At Kentucky the entire arena would moan (audibly) when he cruised out the tunnel. Very funny!!
3. Sergio McLain’s number being retired? Are you high? Let’s at least make it a minimum of 800 career points. When they say a guy does the dirty work it is usually a synonym for a player everyone likes who isn’t worth a lick. I don’t know if any players have had their number retired but it should be E. Johnson, D. Harper, K.Gill, K. Battle. End of debate! Illini Tony - How many of these so called fans do you think are googling E. Johnson because they have no clue.
4. Tupper gets it right about a third option? You mean all the postings emploring Randle to get involved were not aggressive begging for a third scoring option? I know you would never give me credit. P.S. Who is the third (consistent) option next year?
5. Connecticut had a 19 block Game this year!!!! That’s a whole season for us.
6. Oden is a monster!! He ate Carwell for lunch. If Tisdale is not dominating against shorties, ugly. Again, I get very concerned about projects. Name a big man project that turned into a big time player? (If you say Jens I am going to scream)
Illini Tony - These guys are the ones having a great life. Happy as heck that their favorite team has underachieved for it’s eternity. I know you know how it has really been all these years. ( They could spin a loss to Athlete’s in Action)
One question for the Homers. Who had the highest win percentage for the years 95,96,97? or 00,01,02. My point you don’t know because it don’t matter. Let’s keep our eye on the prize!!!!! The Yankees think a division title sucks. High standards yield high results. Again, in private we all expected this thing to be average. In public I demand a championship. That is what recruits want to see!!!!!!!!
Unyieldingly yours,
March 2nd, 2006 at 9:09 pm
BDog (#64)above you’re dead wrong as we, too, enjoy and cheer with every Illini win…and die with their every loss (more than our share of the latter this year!).
The difference between us and you homers and kool Aid drinkers is simply this..whereas we (the true and tired of 140 years of BS with not a single national championship fans) demand excellence and national championship (one..just one.. please), you guys meekly and sheepishly settle, are exhuberant and besides yourselves with just wins..any wins..a winning season and so on and so forth.
winning is fine and as I said, we enjoy them no doubt more than you guys do…but we try to press and move them (Illini) upward to the next natural level of evolution of excellence in sport while you guys are taking a coffee break and a nap…somebody has got to do the heavy lifting and the hard work…that’s us.
Remember that, if and when the Illini ever would win a championship in football or basketball you guys owe us a big “THANK YOU”. On the second thought, at the rate they are going, I doubt any one of us would be around or alive!
March 2nd, 2006 at 10:24 pm
Gentlemen,
Some of you are wondering what the staff is thinking about the offering of scholarships. Could it be that they are aware of some of the players’ status (see previous Calvin Brock debates)? Are there really only 2 scholarships to bank on? It’s like alot of us are pointing out: with an upgrade of talent looking at Illinois, current players are going to know their skills better improve or their minutes are going to vanish.
Also, what are the repercussions of an NCAA team taking back a scholarship? If all these players are ready to commit to Illinois, then why can’t Illinois renege on a lower tier player’s verbal in favor of a five-star recruit? Apparently, the recruit’s verbal isn’t binding. Why is there a double standard on this?
We must get Rose. I’ll concur with all trolls in their desire for championships on this one. He and Gordon will give us odds on chances of winning a championship in one of the glamour sports. (Hasn’t Illinois won a national championship in something though? tennis maybe?)
Frequent bloggers know that I’m prone to offsetting the trolls’ negative predictions, so here’s one more. Pruitt is going to put the NBA on alert next year when he makes Oden look human.
Looking forward to positive MSU results. Go Illini!
March 2nd, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Semrau might be a little like Jamar– a high-percentage shooter and good scorer, but probably doesn’t have the strength to defend at a Big Ten level right away. Of course, this is all pure speculation on my part, but that’s my hunch. He’ll be a very good player in due time, but I wouldn’t count on seeing him lots next year.
By the way, that picture of Derrick Rose is just sick. Boy, I’d love to have him playing for us!
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:47 am
Illini looked solid in a hostile environment Tutesday night. MSU looked really good against a depleted Badger team last night. With Trannon out w/ a broken jaw, am wondering if the Illini play bigs throughout most of the game. What would be more interesting is a strategy to let Pruitt be the hack-man down low and get Augustine some more PT. An observation this year that will hurt in the B10 and NCAA tourneys is a lack of role-players like Jack Ingram. Bench-players seem almost out of synch coming into the games and missing energy and rhthym.