Talk with Illinois men's basketball beat writer Paul Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:29 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Good afternoon everyone. Thanks for coming by. Hope you read all of our coverage from Value City Arena. I'll be here for about an hour, depending on this trusty laptop's battery power. Driving back from Columbus. Fire away.
Klee
Illini1973 from Belleville, ILL...ini — 12:30 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Which is better for our program, one and done in the big dance or playing (hopefully) at MSG? How do the $ shake out?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:33 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Illini- Under no circumstances is an NIT berth preferred to an NCAA tournament berth. That's not to say the NIT can't be advantageous for a team. But it's never preferred to the NCAA tournament. That's the short answer. Klee
walker from mattoon, il — 12:34 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Have we ever had to play the same BT team 2 in a row ?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:36 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Walker- You did it in 2006. Illinois played Michigan State in the regular-season finale (a 75-68 Illinois win) and again in the Big Ten tournament (a 61-56 Illinois loss). These Illini would take a Wisconsin split in a heartbeat. Klee
Ron Weasley from Hogwarts, Wisconsin — 12:39 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Hey Klee,
Is it just me or does this season reasonate how important Chester Frazier was to last years team? I watch this team and I think that the one piece it needs is a tough nosed player who will physically will his team to win games.
Also, does Jon Leur being back in the line up change the way the Illini attack the badgers?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:42 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
RW- Chester's importance to the 2008-09 Illini has been well-documented. He was the team's MVP, the league's best defensive player, and he hated losing more than any athlete I've covered. His absence, however, is no excuse for scoring 14 points in a half at home, especially after watching Michigan put up 83 on Minnesota last night.
Wisconsin is 2-1 since Jon Leuer returned. It's a much different team with him in the rotation. I don't know that it's a better team now, with Leuer, but I think it makes them more of a threat to play deep into March. Illinois would prefer to play UW without Leuer, as we saw in Madison.
You can scout the Badgers against Iowa at 7:30 tonight (Big Ten Network).
Klee
Dave from Champaign, ILL — 12:48 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Paul,
I don't think Illini fans mind it when we get beat by a better team. I think what has the Illini fans so dissappointed with this team is their reluctance to play hard. It was very obvious in a number of our losses and even victories that these guys weren't fighting for rebounds, diving for lose balls and staying focussed on defending their man. I can take losing I just can't take the half hearted effort being made by guts who supposedly love the game and aspire to play at the next level. I'm sure this drives Coach Weber nuts as well. I've seen Coach Keady on severla ocassions pull his entire starting unit until he found some guys who would play hard. It's late in the year but I wish Coach had done this earlier. It isn't one or two guys; they all play like they are afraid to sweat. Is there hope this can get changed for next year or will they sleep walk though another season?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:52 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Dave- With the up-and-down nature of the current team, don't think there's a way to project how the Illini will come out next season. I wouldn't throw all the players in the "afraid to sweat" category, though. A couple of these guys play hard enough. Asked Bruce Weber if he felt the Illini played hard enough last night. Here's what he said:
"I thought they played hard. We competed. They
Tim from CU, IL — 12:53 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Who is on your ballot for 1st team all big ten? Where will Illini players fall on your ballot?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:56 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Tim- Right now I have Evan Turner, E'Twaun Moore, Demetri McCamey, Trevon Hughes and Kalin Lucas - four guards. Demetri's the only Illini deserving of a first-team mention, and he's extremely deserving. Klee
JT from moniticello, il — 12:57 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
How would you access the team's basketball IQ? We seem to push when we need to hold off (Paul's three just before half),go slow when we need to hurry (the Minny first half), foul three point shooters for no apparent reason, the inbounds plays allowed against Minny. I'd say at beast a 4
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:58 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
JT- This team has many endearing qualities, but playing smart isn't one of them, and that's not a revelation. As for in-bounds plays, I think the coaches were as upset with their defense against in-bounds plays as they were with their own in-bounds plays. Believe Weber said Illinois allowed eight points off in-bounds plays against Minnesota.
Klee
joe from chiago, il — 12:59 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
if illinois loses sunday but beats wisconsin friday and beats ohio st saturday, do they get in?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:01 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Joe- Yes, under that scenario Illinois would get in. Here's what our friend Brad Evans, the bracket expert from Yahoo! Sports, told us after the game last night:
"Emerging triumphant in either game with Wisconsin becomes an absolute necessity. If the Illini were to split the critical two-game series, a No. 11 seed seems plausible."
We'll have more from the bracket prognosticators in tomorrow's N-G.
Klee
John M. from Wash, D.C. — 01:02 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Paul,wouldn't you agree that the current situation is because of hype! All of us got sucked in by the scout.com stars, the potential improvement that everyone thought would occur with current and future players and the junior class having a "big season" because there were a couple of potential stars? Should we not take a dose of really strong medicine and just admit that this is not a championship program and won't be in the future?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:06 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
John- There are many factors that contributed to where Illinois is right now. Overhype and recruiting rankings don't affect their play but I think they do affect expectations. I remember seeing Illini Internet gurus touting the 2010-11 Illini as a Final Four team - when Illinois hasn't won a tournament game in four years. Stuff like that makes the coaches look good, but I think it's a disservice to fans. Klee
illinidan from Madison, WI — 01:07 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Who's you Big Ten Frosh of the Year?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:13 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Illinidan- That's a really good question. I was thinking about that on the drive to Columbus. To me it comes down to two guys - Drew Crawford and D.J. Richardson. I was leaning toward Crawford probably two or three weeks ago. It's between Crawford and Richardson for me. I've seen up close how D.J. has been almost invaluable to the Illini's defense, even if he's struggling on offense (8-for-29 last three games). I'm leaning toward Richardson. It's interesting to me how Northwestern was hard after Matt Vogrich but ultimately opted for Crawford, almost out of necessity. Bill Carmody said an assistant coach talked him into taking Drew Crawford. Good teamwork.
Klee
Dom from Kansas City, MO — 01:17 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Hey Klee, can we still blame Weber's early recruiting trouble for the problems of this season? Is this the last year we can honestly give the staff a pass?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:22 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
What's up Dom- The most important part of a coach's job is recruiting. It's all about players, always will be. I haven't given this staff a pass whatsoever. Said all along, for what little this is worth, that Illinois needs to win an NCAA tournament game this season or it didn't succeed.
Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:23 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Marcus Jackson is doing an outstanding job driving this car. He's also singing Taylor Swift, which worries me, but I'm cool with it.
Dano from Houston, TX — 01:23 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Man, we better hope McCamey doesn't pack up and turn pro after the season, huh? We could be looking back on this season as the good ole days for a year or two! What are the odds he leaves?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:28 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Dano- I think Demetri's going to put his name in the draft, and I can dig that. But there's a small chance he leaves. Last night Ohio State's rout started with a 5-0 spurt - with Demetri on the bench with two fouls. That opened the floodgates.
On a related note, as we wrote in the Live Report last night, there's a zero chance Evan Turner returns for his senior season. If there's a percentage less than zero, it's that.
Remember writing how Evan Turner told me he was going to transfer from Ohio State after his freshman season. He was very unhappy and met with his mother and Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins in Oak Park, telling them how he wanted to leave. Now he loves it there, and he carried the Big Ten trophy into the postgame press conference last night. Quite a turn of events.
Klee
Pete from Chicago, IL — 01:30 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Klee, who are your choices to win the tournament in each IHSA Class? Also, is there any news on recruits that we are currently looking at in 2010. Can you give a few names? Thanks.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:31 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Pete- I'll defer to preps expert Marcus Jackson on this one. Here's what he says:
"In Class 1A, the winner of Friday's Macon-Meridian/Salt Fork game has a really good shot. Those two met in the section title game last year and Meridian went on to win the state title. In 2A, Hales is the favorite but Robinson has a chance with Meyers Leonard and Ben Jones. In 3A, Centennial is the team to beat. In 4A, I like Waukegan. They've been tested with a tough schedule."
Klee
TomW from Urbana, IL — 01:32 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
I don't have the facts, but it wouldn't come as a surprise to me that the Illini have attempted the least free throws in the league for the last several years running. Is it our style of play (motion) or or lack of drive, as Dave suggests above? I'd like your opinion on why we get to the line so infrequently and what can/should we do to change that.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:34 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Tom- Thanks for the question. I'll get the numbers and put it on Twitter later today. As far as why, I think it's a combination of several things. One, it's a jumpshooting team, from the guards to the bigs. Two, it doesn't get a lot of dribble penetration. Three, and Bruce Weber points this out often, it's not a team that likes physical contact. You saw that in the Georgia, Gonzaga and Michigan State (the first meeting) games, in particular. Hope that helps.
Klee
William Regal from London, England — 01:36 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Klee - Who is to blame for this team's pathetic peremiter defense this year? I have never seen more WIDE OPEN three pointers in one season than I have by our opponents this year. What gives?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:39 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Bill- It's not a particularly good defensive team. That's been said for a while now. It improved midseason, but I think that was more smoke and mirrors from the coaches - and a weak schedule - than it was lasting. On Sunday they'll have to find Jason Bohannon - or "J-Bo," as Bo Ryan calls him.
Klee
DeWynn Moss from Urbana, IL — 01:40 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
What will it take for Illini fans to stop blaming the officials after every loss? I mean, every game it's the same thing: "The officials are against us. The fouls were uneven." Does it ever end? If so, how?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:43 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
DW- Don't think I have an answer to that question. I think you see it in most fanbases, but this season it does seem to be more noticeable among Illini fans. Personally, I think Illini fans have been tremendous this season. Between the turnout in Chicago, the 3-to-1 ratio in Georgia, the madness for Michigan State... Considering the unpredictable nature of the team, the fandom been remarkable to witness.
Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:44 PM on Wed, 03/03/2010
Going to wrap this up. I know my answers won't ease the anxiety, but we appreciate your time. Looking forward to Wisconsin on Sunday - "Game 7," as Mike Davis put it. Later.
Good afternoon everyone. Thanks for coming by. Hope you read all of our coverage from Value City Arena. I'll be here for about an hour, depending on this trusty laptop's battery power. Driving back from Columbus. Fire away.
Klee
Which is better for our program, one and done in the big dance or playing (hopefully) at MSG? How do the $ shake out?
Illini- Under no circumstances is an NIT berth preferred to an NCAA tournament berth. That's not to say the NIT can't be advantageous for a team. But it's never preferred to the NCAA tournament. That's the short answer. Klee
Have we ever had to play the same BT team 2 in a row ?
Walker- You did it in 2006. Illinois played Michigan State in the regular-season finale (a 75-68 Illinois win) and again in the Big Ten tournament (a 61-56 Illinois loss). These Illini would take a Wisconsin split in a heartbeat. Klee
Hey Klee,
Is it just me or does this season reasonate how important Chester Frazier was to last years team? I watch this team and I think that the one piece it needs is a tough nosed player who will physically will his team to win games.
Also, does Jon Leur being back in the line up change the way the Illini attack the badgers?
RW- Chester's importance to the 2008-09 Illini has been well-documented. He was the team's MVP, the league's best defensive player, and he hated losing more than any athlete I've covered. His absence, however, is no excuse for scoring 14 points in a half at home, especially after watching Michigan put up 83 on Minnesota last night.
Wisconsin is 2-1 since Jon Leuer returned. It's a much different team with him in the rotation. I don't know that it's a better team now, with Leuer, but I think it makes them more of a threat to play deep into March. Illinois would prefer to play UW without Leuer, as we saw in Madison.
You can scout the Badgers against Iowa at 7:30 tonight (Big Ten Network).
Klee
Paul,
I don't think Illini fans mind it when we get beat by a better team. I think what has the Illini fans so dissappointed with this team is their reluctance to play hard. It was very obvious in a number of our losses and even victories that these guys weren't fighting for rebounds, diving for lose balls and staying focussed on defending their man. I can take losing I just can't take the half hearted effort being made by guts who supposedly love the game and aspire to play at the next level. I'm sure this drives Coach Weber nuts as well. I've seen Coach Keady on severla ocassions pull his entire starting unit until he found some guys who would play hard. It's late in the year but I wish Coach had done this earlier. It isn't one or two guys; they all play like they are afraid to sweat. Is there hope this can get changed for next year or will they sleep walk though another season?
Dave- With the up-and-down nature of the current team, don't think there's a way to project how the Illini will come out next season. I wouldn't throw all the players in the "afraid to sweat" category, though. A couple of these guys play hard enough. Asked Bruce Weber if he felt the Illini played hard enough last night. Here's what he said:
"I thought they played hard. We competed. They
Who is on your ballot for 1st team all big ten? Where will Illini players fall on your ballot?
Tim- Right now I have Evan Turner, E'Twaun Moore, Demetri McCamey, Trevon Hughes and Kalin Lucas - four guards. Demetri's the only Illini deserving of a first-team mention, and he's extremely deserving. Klee
How would you access the team's basketball IQ? We seem to push when we need to hold off (Paul's three just before half),go slow when we need to hurry (the Minny first half), foul three point shooters for no apparent reason, the inbounds plays allowed against Minny. I'd say at beast a 4
JT- This team has many endearing qualities, but playing smart isn't one of them, and that's not a revelation. As for in-bounds plays, I think the coaches were as upset with their defense against in-bounds plays as they were with their own in-bounds plays. Believe Weber said Illinois allowed eight points off in-bounds plays against Minnesota.
Klee
if illinois loses sunday but beats wisconsin friday and beats ohio st saturday, do they get in?
Joe- Yes, under that scenario Illinois would get in. Here's what our friend Brad Evans, the bracket expert from Yahoo! Sports, told us after the game last night:
"Emerging triumphant in either game with Wisconsin becomes an absolute necessity. If the Illini were to split the critical two-game series, a No. 11 seed seems plausible."
We'll have more from the bracket prognosticators in tomorrow's N-G.
Klee
Paul,wouldn't you agree that the current situation is because of hype! All of us got sucked in by the scout.com stars, the potential improvement that everyone thought would occur with current and future players and the junior class having a "big season" because there were a couple of potential stars? Should we not take a dose of really strong medicine and just admit that this is not a championship program and won't be in the future?
John- There are many factors that contributed to where Illinois is right now. Overhype and recruiting rankings don't affect their play but I think they do affect expectations. I remember seeing Illini Internet gurus touting the 2010-11 Illini as a Final Four team - when Illinois hasn't won a tournament game in four years. Stuff like that makes the coaches look good, but I think it's a disservice to fans. Klee
Who's you Big Ten Frosh of the Year?
Illinidan- That's a really good question. I was thinking about that on the drive to Columbus. To me it comes down to two guys - Drew Crawford and D.J. Richardson. I was leaning toward Crawford probably two or three weeks ago. It's between Crawford and Richardson for me. I've seen up close how D.J. has been almost invaluable to the Illini's defense, even if he's struggling on offense (8-for-29 last three games). I'm leaning toward Richardson. It's interesting to me how Northwestern was hard after Matt Vogrich but ultimately opted for Crawford, almost out of necessity. Bill Carmody said an assistant coach talked him into taking Drew Crawford. Good teamwork.
Klee
Hey Klee, can we still blame Weber's early recruiting trouble for the problems of this season? Is this the last year we can honestly give the staff a pass?
What's up Dom- The most important part of a coach's job is recruiting. It's all about players, always will be. I haven't given this staff a pass whatsoever. Said all along, for what little this is worth, that Illinois needs to win an NCAA tournament game this season or it didn't succeed.
Klee
Marcus Jackson is doing an outstanding job driving this car. He's also singing Taylor Swift, which worries me, but I'm cool with it.
Man, we better hope McCamey doesn't pack up and turn pro after the season, huh? We could be looking back on this season as the good ole days for a year or two! What are the odds he leaves?
Dano- I think Demetri's going to put his name in the draft, and I can dig that. But there's a small chance he leaves. Last night Ohio State's rout started with a 5-0 spurt - with Demetri on the bench with two fouls. That opened the floodgates.
On a related note, as we wrote in the Live Report last night, there's a zero chance Evan Turner returns for his senior season. If there's a percentage less than zero, it's that.
Remember writing how Evan Turner told me he was going to transfer from Ohio State after his freshman season. He was very unhappy and met with his mother and Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins in Oak Park, telling them how he wanted to leave. Now he loves it there, and he carried the Big Ten trophy into the postgame press conference last night. Quite a turn of events.
Klee
Klee, who are your choices to win the tournament in each IHSA Class? Also, is there any news on recruits that we are currently looking at in 2010. Can you give a few names? Thanks.
Pete- I'll defer to preps expert Marcus Jackson on this one. Here's what he says:
"In Class 1A, the winner of Friday's Macon-Meridian/Salt Fork game has a really good shot. Those two met in the section title game last year and Meridian went on to win the state title. In 2A, Hales is the favorite but Robinson has a chance with Meyers Leonard and Ben Jones. In 3A, Centennial is the team to beat. In 4A, I like Waukegan. They've been tested with a tough schedule."
Klee
I don't have the facts, but it wouldn't come as a surprise to me that the Illini have attempted the least free throws in the league for the last several years running. Is it our style of play (motion) or or lack of drive, as Dave suggests above? I'd like your opinion on why we get to the line so infrequently and what can/should we do to change that.
Tom- Thanks for the question. I'll get the numbers and put it on Twitter later today. As far as why, I think it's a combination of several things. One, it's a jumpshooting team, from the guards to the bigs. Two, it doesn't get a lot of dribble penetration. Three, and Bruce Weber points this out often, it's not a team that likes physical contact. You saw that in the Georgia, Gonzaga and Michigan State (the first meeting) games, in particular. Hope that helps.
Klee
Klee - Who is to blame for this team's pathetic peremiter defense this year? I have never seen more WIDE OPEN three pointers in one season than I have by our opponents this year. What gives?
Bill- It's not a particularly good defensive team. That's been said for a while now. It improved midseason, but I think that was more smoke and mirrors from the coaches - and a weak schedule - than it was lasting. On Sunday they'll have to find Jason Bohannon - or "J-Bo," as Bo Ryan calls him.
Klee
What will it take for Illini fans to stop blaming the officials after every loss? I mean, every game it's the same thing: "The officials are against us. The fouls were uneven." Does it ever end? If so, how?
DW- Don't think I have an answer to that question. I think you see it in most fanbases, but this season it does seem to be more noticeable among Illini fans. Personally, I think Illini fans have been tremendous this season. Between the turnout in Chicago, the 3-to-1 ratio in Georgia, the madness for Michigan State... Considering the unpredictable nature of the team, the fandom been remarkable to witness.
Klee
Going to wrap this up. I know my answers won't ease the anxiety, but we appreciate your time. Looking forward to Wisconsin on Sunday - "Game 7," as Mike Davis put it. Later.
Klee