By MARK TUPPER H&R Executive Sports Editor

CHAMPAIGN - Brian Carlwell's recovery from a severe concussion is proceeding slower than expected. Therefore, Illinois' freshman center is not expected to play in the NCAA tournament.

Carlwell was injured Feb. 12 in an auto wreck when a car driven by teammate Jamar Smith crashed into a tree. Smith, whose blood alcohol level was twice what is said to be intoxicated in Illinois, faces two felonies in connection with the incident. Smith is not playing for the remainder of the season.

Carlwell, however, hoped he might get to play again. But on Tuesday, Illini coach Bruce Weber said Carlwell is still undergoing therapy and is not ready to rejoin the team on the floor.

"He will be with us," Weber said, one day before the team heads to Columbus, Ohio to take on Virginia Tech Friday night. "He is not practicing. It's a lot of physical therapy.

"I talked with him yesterday. It's been a little slower than he thought. There's a little sadness and frustration because he was hoping to maybe have a chance to be a part of the tournament. That was one of the first things the doctors talked about.

"It hasn't come as fast as he'd hoped. But at the same time, he is alive. He went through a very traumatic injury. We're just telling him to stay positive, to keep working at it. It's a good life lesson and make the most of it."

Weber said the blow to Carlwell's head means he's had to relearn some mobility skills.

"He had some trauma to the brain," Weber said. "He just has to recover from that. The hemorrhage has to heal and he's just kind of coming back - learning how to walk, run, jump, catch, all of those things."

TICKET SHORTAGE

The NCAA says there are no tickets available for the tournament games at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. That said, Weber is still hoping for a supportive crowd.

"I don't think we'll get any more tickets than we would have," Weber said. "(Each school) only gets your allotment of 250 or 350. But I hope the Southern Illinois fans will cheer for us. Obviously, a lot of them are my friends. And we could get the neutral fans who are Big Ten fans. That could be a little bit of a difference-maker."

FRIENDLY CONFINES

When Illinois travels to Columbus during the Big Ten Conference season, it's to face Ohio State at the Value City Arena.

NCAA tournament games, however, are played across town at the Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.

The only time Illinois played here was in March of 2004, also for first-round and second-round NCAA tournament games. The Illini have fond memories of that visit.

"We played pretty well," Weber said, recalling a 72-53 victory over Murray State in the opening round and a 92-68 thrashing of Cincinnati in the second round.

"We've talked about it. Rich McBride even made some shots against Cincinnati. Maybe he could do that again, because that would help.

"We probably played as well as we did all year against Cincinnati. We were clicking on all cylinders. We made shots and controlled the game from beginning to end. And we played pretty well against Murray State. It helped us get to the Sweet 16.

"Maybe being there will bring back some positive vibes for our kids."

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.