Those clamoring for a zone defense will get their wish - when the situation calls for it.

One of the buzzwords I've noticed from John Groce after one week at Illinois is "adaptability." It's something to appreciate about Thad Matta, who adjusts the scheme to fit the personnel, often from season to season. Matta and Groce worked together for four seasons.

Not much news on the Illinois front today. But here's a quick roundup (so far)...

A few notes for the morning fix...

-CBS announced this morning that VCU coach Shaka Smart will be an in-studio analyst for its NCAA tournament coverage this weekend.

Who's the next coach? Until we find out, here are a few notes...

Illinois sophomore Meyers Leonard and junior Brandon Paul have submitted their names to the NBA draft advisory board, interim coach Jerrance Howard said.

Just a quick blog... this morning I've talked to a handful of people that know/grew up with/worked with Shaka Smart.

Coaches are positioning themselves for when this Illinois job opens. And interest continues to grow. That includes head coaches lobbying for themselves or their friends. Or assistants positioning themselves for the next staff or their next move.

There's just a whole lot of moving and shaking going on.

The bench points from the first Illinois-Iowa matchup: Illini 44, Hawkeyes 1.

That's misleading, of course. Bruce Weber elected to remove Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul from the starting lineup and bring them off the bench. At the time he wanted to "light a fire" under the veterans. Weber said he would consider all options heading into Thursday's Big Ten tournament opener.

Michigan is the Big Ten's worst matchup for Illinois. Showed again last night. And the Illini's freefall continues. Here's what I wrote...

-Gamer (Illini search for motivation in a dead-end season): Click here.

-Gamer - Bruce Weber: 'It's just a start, hopefully.' Click here.