 1. The roster is as talented as any at Illinois since the magical
run of 2004-2005 and is the deepest from one to 10 since Bill Self's
first team in 2000-2001. The '04-'05 team had a seven- to eight-man
rotation, but the starters that season logged a majority of the
minutes. I don't think it is a stretch at this point to see a
scenario where Illini coach Bruce Weber goes nine to 10 deep most
games.2. If I were to pick a starting lineup today, I'd go with
Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale at the post positions and Jereme
Richmond, D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey at the guard spots.
However, Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul have been very impressive
during the first two weeks of practice and could be making a case to
the coach.
3. Senior leadership usually makes a big difference in major
college basketball, and Illinois has four seniors prepared to do
just that. Demetri McCamey is once again the starting point guard,
and "bigs" Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis should lock down the two
starting post positions. Senior Bill Cole is so very positive when
it comes to chemistry and should get some significant time
throughout the year.
4. The sophomores are ready to contribute as well. D.J.
Richardson should once again start at the two-guard, and sophomores
Brandon Paul and Tyler Griffey should be valuable bench players.
Richardson is probably Illinois' best defender, and Paul might be
their best athlete (although Crandall Head might give him a run for
his money).
5. All three true freshmen appear poised to make impacts in their
rookie seasons. Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head
form a very talented true freshmen trio -- all so-called top 100
talent. Richmond and Leonard both look like players who will be
difficult to keep off the court. Throw in redshirt freshman Joe
Bertrand -- a quick and athletic wing who can play some point guard
-- and Illinois looks to be in good shape for the future, as well as
this year.
Of course, much can change over the course of the winter months.
Don't forget last year when Brandon Paul jumped out in a huge way in
the opener at the Assembly Hall and in early December keyed
Illinois' record-setting comeback win at Clemson. And by the midway
point of the conference season, Paul was lucky to get on the court
for more than 10 minutes a night.
6. Outside shooting could be the team's weak point -- other than
7-foot-1 senior Mike Tisdale, who appears to be head-and-shoulders
better than anyone else from beyond the arc. McCamey will shoot in
streaks, and Paul and Richardson both look really smooth at times.
It will be interesting to see how Illinois handles a team that goes
zone and dares them to beat them from the outside.
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7. Illinois' nonconference schedule is very strong and should
give fans an idea pretty quick how strong this team really is. Games
against Texas, Pittsburgh or Maryland, North Carolina, Gonzaga, and
Missouri will all be very difficult, and only the UNC game will be
played in Champaign. Illinois also plays SIU at home in
mid-November, marking the first time Weber will coach against his
former school. The Illini also play UIC in Chicago just before
Christmas.
8. Illinois is playing in the best conference in America in the
Big Ten, where Michigan State and Ohio State are both considered top
10 teams and Purdue and Wisconsin should make the top 25. Illinois
appears to be in the 12-15 range nationally according the experts,
but you can throw all the projections away -- they really don't mean
a thing.
9. Illinois has a pretty impressive recruiting class in the fold
for 2011. With the Thursday commitment of Chicago senior Mike Shaw,
the four-player class features a point guard (Tracy Abrahams), a
small forward (Mychael Henry), a power forward (Shaw) and a center (Nnanna
Egwa), and each is a considered a four-star recruit by Scout.com.
This is shaping up to become Illinois' strongest overall recruiting
class since 2002, the class featuring Dee Brown, Deron Williams and
James Augustine.
10. Prediction time: Illinois will go 12-1 nonconference (losing
at Gonzaga), finish 13-5 in the conference and make it to the finals
of the Big Ten tourney. Illinois will make it to the second weekend
of the NCAAs, and if all the pieces fall into place, they could have
a truly magical season.
Have a great weekend -- go Illini!
[By GREG TAYLOR]
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