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Friday, Feb. 3

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Illini halfway home to another Big Ten title

By Greg Taylor

[FEB. 3, 2006]  The Illini have reached the midpoint in the conference title race, and once again they find themselves controlling their own championship destiny. Illinois sits at the top of the standings with a 6-2 mark, tied with both Iowa and Michigan, both teams the Illini will play during a five-day span in late February. Overall, Illinois is 20-2 and ranked No. 6 in the nation by both the Associated Press and the coaches' polls. Did I mention that Illinois just traveled to Wisconsin and won for the second straight year in Badgerland? Surely the orange Kool-Aid is flowing freely in the land of Lincoln!

Eight games remain for the boys in orange and blue. Four of the games will be played in the friendly confines of the Assembly Hall -- and I feel pretty good about four victories in these battles. Four more games will be played on the road, with trips to Ohio State on Feb. 12, Michigan on Feb. 21, Minnesota on Feb. 28 and Michigan State on March 4. The idea of winning all four is absolutely crazy, but here is the point: Go .500 on the road during the last half of the year and you will be seeing another championship banner raised in Champaign. Win three of the four, and you can just about lock a No. 1 seed and hotel reservations for the NCAA's first weekend in Dayton, Ohio (the venue closest to C-U).

However, let's don't get ahead of ourselves, as I am sure Bruce Weber and crew certainly are not. There is too much basketball to be played. So, I want to share with you five reasons why Illinois is in first place at this midway point and five improvements that still must happen if Illinois will become that "special" team that Weber is looking to become.

Five reasons the Illini are in first place:

1. Team balance

I laugh when I hear Illinois is just Dee Brown, James Augustine and a bunch of stiffs. Nothing could be further from the truth. While Dee single-handedly won the Michigan State game, other players have stepped up, seemingly just when needed. Brian Randle and Rich McBride have both keyed victories during the conference race, and Warren Carter was huge in the road win at Northwestern. Jamar Smith continues to shoot like a senior, not a freshman, and will only get better. Throw in center Shaun Pruitt, who was great against Indiana, and subs Chet Frazier and Marcus Arnold, both strong on defense, and the Illini are much more than just a two-man team.

2. Senior leadership

While Illinois is much more than a two-man team, they are led by two strong senior leaders. Dee Brown is the poster child of college basketball and is almost a player and assistant coach in many regards. This is without a doubt his finest season, even though stats may not back that up, and he has helped players like McBride, Smith and Frazier adjust to the Big Ten hoops.

Augie is also great -- although much different from Dee. His leadership was evident in the victory over Michigan, where he owned the first half. Even in the road win at Wisconsin, James played skillfully with foul trouble and grabbed key rebounds down the stretch.

3. Favorable schedule

It has not been a perfect schedule, but I am certainly glad Illinois didn't open the year on the road at East Lansing. I'm also thankful that trips to Madison, Columbus and Ann Arbor were not early in the year. While the "singles" are not favorable, Illinois is in good shape after the road win in Madison. The final four games of the schedule will be very tough, however, and the Illini will need to be playing their best basketball of the year.

4. Player development

I think this might be most important. The Rich-haters were out in packs early in the conference year, but look at where McBride is now. Games against Purdue and Wisconsin showed the Illini nation how important his development is to the future success of our team. Brian Randle has also developed into the defensive stopper Weber wanted and is becoming an offensive threat by driving to the basket with the ball and using his long arms to secure offensive rebounds. Smith is almost automatic -- instant offense -- and Pruitt is becoming a legitimate post threat.

5. Coaching excellence

Bruce Weber and his staff knew from the first day of practice that the 2005-06 Illini would need to be different from the 2004-05 version. Gone would be the excellent offensive flow and the beautiful long-range shooting. In fact, Weber told us from the very beginning that this team would struggle to score. As a result, Jay Price, Tracy Webster, Wayne McClain and Weber made defense the staple of this team. That decision has worked like a charm.

[to top of second column]

Did Illinois look wonderful on the offensive end of the court for most of the first half of the conference? Not at all. But Illinois is leading the league in defense and just held Wisconsin to 51 points on their home court. Only in the home-court struggle with Michigan, where the Illini gave up 74 points, was the defense not sharp. Look at the following points allowed this conference season:

  • Michigan State, 50 points

  • At Iowa, 63 points (loss)

  • Michigan, 74 points

  • At Indiana, 62 points (loss)

  • At Northwestern, 47 points

  • Minnesota, 53 points

  • Purdue, 58 points

  • At Wisconsin, 51 points

Offense is fun to watch, but defense wins championships!

Five needed improvements:

1. Overcome foul problems

Probably the greatest frustration to Illini fans this season is the way James Augustine and Brian Randle have battled fouls. I promised myself not to get into a referendum on officiating, so I will honor that and simply say this: "The guys in stripes have the only opinion that matters." And we need to find a way to keep Augie and Randle on the court for the major part of every game.

2. Consistent contributions from most

I'm in the McBride fan club -- haters need not bother writing or calling; I just don't want to hear it. Now, that said, I really hope Rich can bring consistency each night. I hope Randle becomes a regular double-double kind of guy. I'd love to see Pruitt score in the low post at least a couple of times early in each game. Illinois needs an "A" game from everyone over the next two months.

3. Better free-throw shooting

This part of today's game would probably drive me out of coaching altogether. I can't believe how much Illinois has struggled from the line -- and it is totally unacceptable. The one game where the Illini really shot great from the line was the five-point win over Michigan, where they converted 20 of 24, and that alone was the difference in the game. This area of the Illinois arsenal must change immediately or it will cost the Illini another game (see Indiana game from Jan. 17).

4. Intense beginnings to every game

Illinois started slow against Iowa and never recovered. Illinois started slow against Purdue and Minnesota and was eventually able to right the ship. Against Wisconsin, Illinois trailed by 11 at the 10-minute mark of the first half before going on a 19-0 run. This cannot continue. Especially on the road, Illinois must come out and smack the opponent early and often. I'm not sure why slow starts have plagued Illinois, but a great tonic would an early offensive explosion.

5. Less reliance on 3-point shooting

I love the 3-point shot, and it has really changed the game of college basketball. Last season, Illinois rode the 3-pointer all the way to the national title game. This year, the tendency has been to start chucking up 3s whenever the going gets tough. I'd like to see the exact opposite play out. When the Illini find themselves behind or struggling, take the ball to the hoop. Whether it's a post feed to Augie or Pruitt or a Randle slash or Dee penetration, I want to see the ball go inside. Good things usually happen to those who take the ball to the hoop.

Eight regular season games left. Then it is on to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tourney and the NCAA tournament. What do the next six to eight weeks have in store for Fighting Illini basketball? Another conference title? How about a third conference tourney title in four seasons? Maybe another deep run in the NCAAs? Only time will tell, but I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

[Greg Taylor]

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