Illinitalk

The Illini men faced their first test of the 2009-2010 season against Wofford in Champaign Tuesday night. And although the first half was dicey, the Illini passed, winning 78-64.

Wofford isn't your typical early-season cupcake. The Terriers beat Purdue in West Lafayette a couple years ago, and just last week they beat Georgia, after losing to Pitt by just 3.

And at Assembly Hall, the Terriers immediately set out to prove they can play with anyone, anywhere. Hot 3-point shooting and working deep into the shot clock allowed Wofford to lead much of the first half. But the Illini stepped up on defense and pushed the tempo in the second half to finally pull away.

Lots to like from the Illini:

• Inside game. Mike Tisdale dominated down low in the first half, and Mike Davis became a force in the second half. The Illini had a clear advantage down low.
• Demetri McCamey. The point guard led the Illini with 21 points, including a buzzer-beater to give the Illini a 3-point lead heading into halftime and a highlight-reel behind-the-back layup in the second half.
• Freshman shooting. D.J. Richardson made 5 of 6 from 3, helping the Illini keep pace with the hot hands of Wofford. Although Brandon Paul made the first shot for the Illini, he struggled with foul trouble. But between the two of them, these freshman have accounted for critical scoring for the Illini so far this season.
• Defense. Not so much in the first half, but in the second half, the Illini turned up the pressure and severely limited scoring opportunities for the Terriers. The Illini proved they could make adjustments at halftime that really make a difference.
• Energy off the bench. The Illini off the bench really added energy to the game, especially Bill Cole. Cole had a nice layup on a break, but he also had some great hustle plays, good defense, a nice tip-in, and enthusiasm. Jeff Jordan added a spark on the perimeter, as well.

Of course, it's only November, and there are opportunities for the Illini to improve as they get ready for a challenging conference season:

• Free throw shooting. I'm glad to see the Illini getting to the line. They had 22 attempts compared to 15 for the Terriers. But the free throw percentage needs to go up -- 14 of 22 could easily be the difference in a game in the coming months.
• Rebounding. The Terriers out-rebounded the Illini, epecially in the first half. And the Illini had a significant height advantage. I disagree with the ESPNU commentators, who described the Illini as a strong rebounding team. Mike Davis is solid, but across the board the Illini need to be more aggressive on the boards.
• Controlling the floor. This athletic Illini team can run. They should be pushing the tempo, controlling the game and pushing opponents faster than they want to go. The Illini did this successfully at some points in the game, but the Terriers dictated tempo for close to half the game.
• Defense. Yes, I realize this is in my "lots to like" section. But in the first half, the Illini allowed a few too many open 3s and too much penetration. As the competition gets tougher, the Illini will need to play a full 40 minutes of stingy, aggressive defense. These guys are capable.

And now, on to Las Vegas. Go Illini!

Labels: Bill Cole, D.J. Richardson, Demetri McCamey, Illini basketball, Jeff Jordan, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale

Illini senior Angela Bizzarri won the 2009 NCAA Cross Country national title Monday, sprinting the last 500 meters of the 6k race to win by nearly 5 seconds. She is the first member of the Illini women's cross country team to win a nationa title, and the first Illini chamption in over 30 years.

Congratulations, Angela!

Labels: Illini cross country

I must admit that after watching Gonzaga take Michigan State to the wire and Memphis make it close against Kansas, I realized that I had forgotten how much I enjoy college basketball.

But with the fun of college basketball comes that over-enthusiastic voice from the sidelines. And I heard that voice tonight calling the Carolina-Ohio State game. And I think I heard Dickie V. say that the Illini would be better than expected this year. (Because, of course, it makes sense to talk about the Illini in a semi-final game of a tournament they aren't playing in.) He also got in praise for the Orange Krush and Bruce Weber's recruiting.

I think. I tend to tune that voice out.

Did I hear that right?

Labels: Illini basketball

Although the Illini beat their second "directional" school in as many games, this one wasn't as easy as the first. Northern Illinois challenged Bruce Weber's squad with strong offensive rebounding and points off turnovers. And a half-court bank shot at the end of the first half.

We learned quite a bit more about this Illini team:

• Demetri McCamey is critical to their success. When he's on the floor, the passing is pretty. Really pretty. I'm not sure which was my favorite in this game, but the behind-the-back was impressive. McCamey again led the team in assists. But when he left the game with 2 fouls late in the first half, the Huskies went on a strong run thanks to 3 consecutive Illini turnovers.
• They can find the free throw line. It's nice to see the Illini driving to the basket and drawing fouls. Next step: improve the team free throw percentage.
• Brandon Paul likes to shoot. And he can draw offensive fouls. Paul followed his record debut with a 20-point night, and even though he cooled off in the second half, he continued to play solid defense with some great plays and more than his share of offensive fouls.
• Turovers could be a big problem. They had 14 against the Huskies, who took full advantage of their opportunities.
• Interior defense has pros and cons. Pro - blocks. Tisdale and Davis have shown their ability to block shots, and Dominique Keller and Brandon Paul got in on that action against NIU. Con - lack of physical presence. Tisdale and Davis are talented, slender perimeter big guys, not bang-the-boards, fight-for-space guys. And that could become a problem in the Big Ten.
• Mike Davis is into double-doubles. He had a career-high 17 rebounds and 14 points against the Huskies, and he's been challenged to average a double-double this season. That would be a huge boost for the Illini.
• D.J. Richardson has lots of energy. Should he be able to maintain that all season and channel it into defense, he could grow into the designated top-scorer-shut-down defender, a role up for grabs since Chester Frazier graduated.

The Illini have plenty of things to work on, and the Big Ten season will be tough. After all, the Illini are in the top 25, but that still puts them 6th in the conference. They have time to improve before the schedule really picks up, and they need to take advantage of those opportunities.

But despite allowing a 19-point lead to dwindle to 3, the Illini regained control of the game and took care of business. Nice game, boys!

Labels: Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Demetri McCamey, Illini basketball, Mike Davis

The Illini lost in 3 sets to #1 Penn State last Friday, but they were competitive. Then they finished up their weekend road trip with a solid win at Ohio State. The match against the Buckeyes was on the Big Ten Network, and it was worth watching (especially since the Bears had already put up their disappointing performance for the week).


Coach Kevin Hambly's girls pass the ball well and hit strong. Senior KylieMcCullie and junior Laura DeBruler racked up several kills. And libero Rachel Feldman continues to improve as she fills the hole left by the season-ending injury to Ashley Edinger.


The Illini dominated the first two sets before falling in the third as the Buckeyes finally got thier passing game on track. The forth set was back-and-forth for a while, but the Illini eventually pulled away just enough to take the match.


The Illini should be able to finish the conference season strong, and hope to maintain second place behind Penn State. Then on to the post-season, which should be exciting. Once again, if you want an Illini team to get excited about, check these ladies out.


Go Illini!

Labels: Illini volleyball

The loss to Northwestern was disappointing. The kicking game was...adventurous. The Illini offense really struggled to get going, but the did get back in the game late in the 4th quarter. Not having Juice on the field hurt. As did the questionable interception call at the end of the game.

But, we got a good look at the future of Illini football. Jacob Charest had some great passes and showed promise. He also made some mistakes, but he got quality experience that will serve him well as he takes over the Illini offense next season. Charest shows that he's got a strong arm. His decision-making will develop with time under center.

But I don't have the energy at the moment to dig into that game. I'd rather focus on a few things that haven't made recent posts.

Like the top-10 recruiting class that signed letters of intent for Bruce Weber.

Jereme Richmond followed through on the commitment he made before he even started high school. Richmond hails from Waukegan, Ill., plays wing and is a concensus top-25 recruit.

Crandall Head is set to follow in his big brother's footsteps as an Illini. Like Luther, Crandall plays guard. He recently had an ACL repaired, so he isn't currently playing. He's been around the Illini program since he was in middle school, and now he's officially a member of the Illini basketball family.

Meyers Leonard is a 7' center from Robinson, Ill. According to the Illini staff, Leonard reminds them of James Augustine, with his ability to run the floor. He won the 2A dunk contest last year.

Along with this year's freshman, the future of the Illini basketball program -- back in the national rankings at #23 -- looks very bright.

Go Illini!

Labels: Crandall Head, Illini basketball, Illini football, Jacob Charest, Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard

Friday night the 2009-2010 Illini men's basketball season tipped off with a solid win over SIU-Edwardsville, 96-69. And this could be a really fun basketball season.

Warning: I may sound like a broken record with what I like and what needs work with Coach Weber's team.

What I most appreciated about the season opener was the Illini passing. Sharing the ball and getting assists has become a trademark of the Illini under Bruce Weber, and this team showed signs of continuing this style of play. They had 22 assists on 36 baskets, led by 7 from Demetri McCamey. I especially enjoyed the assists from the big guys -- Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis each had one, and their passing looks great.

This 3-guard offense likes 3s, and they probably won't fall so easily all season, but freshman Brandon Paul made the 3-pointer look incredibly easy all night. Congrats to Paul on surpassing Deon Thomas for the most points in a freshman debut, with 22. Paul had a great game, with 4 assists, 4 rebounds and no turnovers to go along with his team-high 22 points, including 4 from 3-point range.

But the Illini did show they could get the ball inside, at least against the defense of SIUE. Both Tisdale and Davis shot 4 of 5 from the field. They will need to continue to feed the big guys to allow the long-range game to work well.

One big improvement from last year -- getting to the free throw line. The Illini attempted 26 free throws, compared to 23 attempts by SIUE. But with that improvement comes a critical challenge -- making those free throws. With the strength of the Big Ten, the Illini are going to need to do better than 18 for 26, or 69%, from the line. The Cougars only missed 1 free throw.

Though the Illini dominated the boards 41 to 30, I would like to see more aggressiveness and assertiveness as the Illini go for rebounds. However, Davis had 10 boards, and Tisdale and Richard Semrau each had 6.

Perhaps the biggest thing the Illini had going for them in their season opener was their energy. If they can maintain the energy level and speed through the season, they will be competitive.

The Illini are off to a good start, and they have a manageable non-conference schedule. This group should be fun to watch...

Go Illini!

Labels: Brandon Paul, Illini basketball

It's a bronze stove-top hat. You know, like the one often pictured on Abe Lincoln's head. And today it will be presented for the first time. Instead of the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk.

Personally, I've found the best way to handle the ridiculousness of such "PC" moves in sports is to not dwell on them...just let it go. But first, a moment to rant. The new, intentionally manufactured trophy for an in-state rivalry game is a perfect example of hijacking the "organic" process of developing traditions and true rivalries.

Traditions are part of what make college sports so much fun. But traditions are best when rooted in years reality and mythical memories. Did the alums of Texas A&M vote to call themselves the 12th man? Of course not! Rivalries add loads of emotion to college football. But did somebody decide one day that Ohio and Michigan should become bitter rivals? Nope. That's a rivalry that grew over years into one of the most intense in college football.

Trophies are more interesting when they are random and slightly illogical. Like the Illi-Buck. Why a turtle? I don't remember the story at the moment, but the concept of a turtle as a trophy is amusing.

Now, I have nothing against Abe Lincoln, and I'm a proud citizen of the Land of Lincoln. My issue is with the contrived nature of the new trophy. Voting by the fans to come up with a trophy that's more PC? Please. The "Land of Lincoln" has a named derived from the language of the Native Americans who first built the longhouses and learned to master the rivers and forests and plains of our state. Is it discriminating to ignore their contribution to what the state is today? Lincoln wasn't even born in Illinois. And he lost lots more elections than he won. Yes, he was a great president in a very difficult period of our country's history. The Lincoln museum in Springfield is fantastic. But are we ignoring other parts of our history by irradicating any mention of earlier lifestyles and cultures?

But whatever. I'll now just let it go.

Who will bring home the bronze hat thing that was designed by a Hawkeye alum? (Does the fact that it was created by a Hawkeye bug anyone else?) Who knows. Tough to predict. Northwestern is coming off a huge win at Iowa. The Wildcats have Kirk's number. Will they build off of that, or have a natural letdown? And will the Illini play like they have the last 2 weeks, or will the team that played the first half of the season return?

So many questions. Let's see them answered on the field.

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini football, Land of Lincoln Trophy

The Illini women's volleyball team is on an 11-game winning streak, after defeating #15 Michigan and Michigan State last weekend. Ranked #5, the Illini will put their longest winning streak in 17 years to the test at #1 Penn State this Friday night.

And Penn State has a very impressive streak of their own going -- 90 straight matches. The Nittany Lions are riding the longest volleyball winning streak in NCAA history, and the 3rd longest winning streak of any NCAA sport.

Last weekend the Illini broke in a new libero, as sophomore Rachel Feldman took over for Ashley Edinger, who ended her Illini career with a torn ACL. Feldman had an excellent debut match, with 19 digs and successful returns on 41 serves against Michigan.

Michigan took the first set, but the Illini rallied from 5 points down to take a one point lead before losing 27-25. But the Kevin Hambly's girls won the next 3 sets to win the match. They followed this performance with a strong win against Michigan State -- the last team to beat the Illini.

Junior Laura DeBruler earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her performance over the weekend, and she is second in the conference in both kills and points per set.

DeBruler and her team will face a tough challenge Friday Night in State College. But they are firmly in second place in the Big Ten. They will follow up the Penn State match with a Sunday match at Ohio State. That game will be broadcast as a taped game on the Big Ten Network Sunday night. These girls are worth watching. Seriously.

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini volleyball, Laura DeBruler, Rachel Feldman