Paul- Brian Carlwell had four points and three rebounds in seven minutes in San Diego State's big win against No. 15 New Mexico last night. This is his first eligible season with the Aztecs. He's appeared in all 15 games with three starts. Klee

Dan- I'm told the plan right now is for Illinois to play UIC at the United Center next season, with a game against UNLV the following season. It wouldn

Brent- Weber said last night after the Iowa game he wasn't certain what he'll do with the starting lineup against Indiana. Truthfully, I don't think he knew if the changes Tuesday were the right move - but he had to do something.

Here's what he said about bringing usual starters Demetri McCamey and D.J. Richardson off the bench:

Ashu- You would hope so. They brought him back too soon. He came back too soon. I know there are people close to Joseph that want him to shut it down for the rest of the season. He hasn't done anything in practice this week, and Weber said he had fluid drained (again) and had another MRI earlier this week.

"They've got to figure out what's wrong," Weber said.

Joseph Bertrand's complications come to mind as I think about Evan Turner returning to the court tonight against Indiana. You'd figure Ohio State has a handle on the situation... I just hope it's not premature. He has a lengthy NBA career - and hefty paycheck - to look forward to.

Regardless, you can scout Indiana and Ohio State on Big Ten Network at 7:30 tonight.

Klee

Ed- That's why this season has been so frustrating for Weber. And much of the struggles should fall on the coaches. There's a disconnect between some the best players and the coaches. It's been there, off and on, for the past two-plus seasons. Everything's cool when you're winning, but it's more apparent when there are five losses by early January. By making changes - to the lineup, to how they watch film, etc. - I think he's trying to bridge the divide and make them more accountable.

I'll try to make this short to get to as many questions as possible. The main issue, as I've written before, is that their system hasn't been working with this group. Here's one example of how he's tried to fix it. The coaches forced the players to watch the Gonzaga film - and critique themselves. Weber said it's the first time he's done that. "Never before," he said.

"I

Bob- Is it frigid in Champaign today? Yes, yes, a million times yes. It may be toned down more today than when Indiana fans chanted a four-letter word at Bruce Weber two years ago, or when Illinois fans harassed EJ Gordon's family or when IU fans threw stuff at Weber's family decades ago or even going back much further. But I think you'll see Saturday - a late game, on a Saturday, with plenty of time for fans to hydrate - the rivalry is still in terrific shape.

Klee

Jereome- I don't think so. Mike's leading the Big Ten in rebounding - by 2.1 rebounds per game. For a team that struggles in that area, I think you want him on the floor. Coaches would like to see him hit the offensive glass a little more. They say he sometimes has a tendency to float back on defense when a shot goes up.

Klee

JT- Help defense, communication, those are issues on defense. On the plus side, I heard guys like Demetri McCamey shouting out screens last night against Iowa. That's a good step.

A good example of a breakdown is the Matt Bouldin three-pointer that tied the Gonzaga game in overtime. In the previous timeout, coaches reminded the players to NOT lose Bouldin. A staffer suggested they switch to a zone, they did, and they also lost Bouldin, who buried a big 3.

Klee

John- D.K.'s a keeper. This upcoming game Saturday is actually the anniversary of one of my favorite D.K. moments, when he told me his distaste for Indiana extended from its gym to its coach to its fans. But it's not all jokes with Dominique, either. He shares solid insight as well.

Mike Davis is another one. I've always enjoyed Mike. He's sharp. He remembers specific plays from one, two years ago. We have musical differences, but Miley Cyrus is growing on me. I'm thankful Bill Cole has grown into a bigger role. He's become a go-to interview. And he owns his own bowling ball, having rolled in a league with Steve Holdren back in the day. I can appreciate that.

And there are several others.

This is a good team for interviews. I know Bruce Weber would prefer if they weren't so laidback, but it does make for easy conversation with me.

Klee

Pat- Just had lunch with Coach Tate. He laid out an NCAA tournament-worthy plan for the Illini on Tuesday on HQ. He thinks 20-13 overall, 11-7 Big Ten get the Illini in the Dance. Here

Jeff- Thanks for coming by. It was almost a chaotic defense in those comebacks. One thing I noticed in the preseason was how the staff was showing the players to use their inside hand to get deflections. It's a small thing, but I think Brandon Paul, in particular, has taken advantage. He's made a living on deflections and leads the Matto scoring with 75 points. Demetri McCamey is hot on his heels with 73.

Klee

Ralph- I'm in the minority, I guess. I don't think the lineup change impacted last night's game. I think it was used to impact future games - to get their attention, again. Klee

Jason- Yes, Illinois needed an open scholarship for to accommodate one of the 2010 recruits (Meyers Leonard). Legion's scholarship will "move" to the big man.

Klee

MB- The Illinois players were bummed after the Gonzaga game. They were more down than usual after a loss. The Iowa game helped. But it's going to take a winning streak - and an altered approach, playing harder, playing smarter during that winning streak - to get them where they want to be. There were more smiles after the game last night. Demetri McCamey and D.J. Richardson both want to be starters. That's all they've ever really known, especially D.J. But I thought it was positive to see how they performed - Demetri with seven assists and no turnovers; D.J. with a career-high 17 points - faced with change.

Klee

Josh- It's a great question. I've thought about it too much, actually. First, I would put names back on the jerseys. But that probably wouldn't fix the aggression problem. I don't think you can change their personality - that's just who they are. I can tell you that Bruce Weber was at his wit's end with trying to fire them up. They miss Chester more than you think. He was a possessed man in the pregame huddle.

Also, I don't think it helps to point a finger at the officiating, like coaches and players did after the Gonzaga game. Mike Tisdale gets too concerned with the way a game is being called, and it takes him out of his game. He's better than that.

I thought Gonzaga center Robert Sacre put it best:

Jeff- This isn't all on the players, my friend. And I miss the fly fishing in Idaho. Klee

Russell- He's 20. Don't think overexertion is an issue. I would say Mike was a different player after the Clemson game - after the nifty game-winning bucket - and then hit a lull after the NW game. The UI bigs simply were overmatched against Gonzaga. More than the guards, I think it's about matchups with the Illini big men. Klee

Mike- I see one possibility, and he's expected to return to the Ohio State lineup tonight. Klee

JE- I think we saw it in the Vanderbilt game, even if that was sort of an aberration because Illinois shot almost 60 percent. But for the most part we've seen it in spurts. I've seen it at times in practice during certain competitive drills.

(Practice is closed to media now. That usually means two things: it's February, or the Illini have lost some games.)

I think it goes back to how a high-intensity coach handles a chilled-out roster of players. You often hear about how players adjust to a coach - but there's been as much of an adjustment for the coaches to the players. Bruce Weber went from extending the leash to bringing them back in. He's still searching for a middle ground.

I thought this was a telling comment from last night.

Dave- Thanks for the question. I think you're referring to John Wall. And at this point Illinois won't be recruiting Bruce Barron, the PG from Brehm Prep.

Klee

JE- One of the better moments of a postgame press conference came last night, when Weber was asked about the shot-clock violation against Iowa.

"It

Drew- The starting lineup for Saturday hasn't been established. Much will depend on practice this week. The team is off today. An all-junior lineup is a possibility, but I think you'll see the freshmen guards back in the lineup.

Demetri came off the bench for just the third time since his freshman season. Here's what Weber said about the change: