#10 Michigan St. 63     Illinois 57

When you take on the #10 team in the country on the road, it’s going to be a tough game.  Illinois found a way to hang in there.  They hung in there despite shooting only 40% from the field and 61% from the free throw line.  They hung in there despite having trouble at times with their transition defense.  They hung in there despite being out rebounded 42-30.  They hung in there despite their starting backcourt (McCamey, Frazier and Meacham) shooting 1-17 from the field.  In fact, they lead for pretty much the entire game. 

Even though they hung in there, they blew it.  This game was theirs for the taking.  When it mattered most, Illinois didn’t perform well, and when your playing the #10 team in the country, not performing well means you will ultimately lose.  We saw the difference between a good team and a great team.  A good team can control a game, but a great team can finish one, even when they aren’t at their best.  Michigan St. went on a 9-3 run in the final 4:08 when the game was tied at 54 to secure a win a stay undefeated in the Big Ten.  No doubt they are sitting pretty, with three of their conference wins taking place on the road. 

I feel that Illinois could have secured a victory in this game if they hustled a bit more.  Michigan St. was working that transition offense all game.  Whether it was a defensive rebound, or a steal, the Spartans were pushing up the floor.  There were a number of times when Illinois just didn’t get back to stop it, and it led to some quick easy buckets.  To Illinois’ credit, they didn’t let the Spartans grab the momentum for most of the game, but Illinois didn’t do a great job of keeping it.  There were a few times when Illinois went on some small runs that Michigan St. put an end to by running the transition offense.

Alex Legion had a career high with 15 points, but it had to be one of the ugliest 15-point performances I’ve seen.  You can see that Alex Legion has talent, but I think he needs to learn his role a bit more, and make some better decisions.  It seems like at times he is trying to do too much, and it ends up hurting the team.  He takes some crazy shots, and drives into double coverage down low.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, and I think with some more seasoning he will be very valuable, but he isn’t quite there yet.  Fortunately for him, he has Bruce Weber as a coach, and I feel Weber will try the best he can to get him into situations where he can succeed and get some confidence.

Those are just a couple of things that stuck out to me.  I could go on and on about other topics, but I don’t want to make this too lengthy.  The Illini got Ohio State on Tuesday evening.  The Illini have done great at home so far.  If they keep that up, and sneak out another win or two on the road, they will be sitting pretty come time for the big dance. 

I-L-L…