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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
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At Iowa, 63 points (loss)
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Michigan, 74 points
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At Indiana, 62 points (loss)
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At Northwestern, 47 points
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Minnesota, 53 points
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Purdue, 58 points
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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] |
