Deron- Think you've have to consider what this year's been like for big Meyers. Comes from a tiny town, thrown into a big role as a sophomore, the media attention, fan attention, attention from opposing defenses, the daily beating from opponents. It's a lot. I tend to think he's handled it pretty well. Interesting perspective, though. Don't like his attitude but want him back another year. He can work on a few things - namely how he handles bad calls and physical play - but I'd enjoy him while you have him. NBA personnel are still singing his praises, and the Illini are in many ways operating as though he won't return next season. Klee

John- Yes, down the road, and no, that won't happen. I think the world of Jerrance as a recruiter and appreciate his enthusiasm. But the Big Ten has some guys right now - heavyweights in the business - from Izzo to Matta to Ryan to Painter and in between. Not the ideal situation for a first-year head coach in this fishbowl. On a related not, if it were to reach the point where you make a change - and that's still an if - you better nail the hire. Because if you remove Bruce Weber - a great human that happens to be highly respected in the coaching fraternity - you better not whiff. It can always get worse. Ask Indiana (post-Davis), N.C. State and Wake Forest, among others. Klee

Anonymous- Maybe. Doubt it. But that's nothing more than speculation. And I'm not sure what it means either way. These guys are right where I thought they would be, right around fifth or sixth in the league. One preseason magazine asks for my preseason Big Ten poll. I had Illinois sixth. But that misses the point. This season isn't the issue, and I continue to preach that on the radio (here and elsewhere) and in our print and HQ coverage. You have to distinguish this season from the past 4-5. The issue is the .500 Big Ten record A.D. - not just this season. These guys still have time to prove themselves. Last season you had a pretty good idea where it was headed, because you had two-plus seasons worth of evidence to suggest it would disappoint. Klee

Anonymous- It got better. The 2009-2010-2011 classes - at least on paper - were decidedly more gifted than their predecessors. The Chicago and Internet hype machines overvalue most players. I don't think you handled the freshmen well on Sunday. Nnanna Egwu could been used to give big Meyers a breather. Myke Henry played a key role in their first win against Northwestern with six points, including a big three to close the first half, and three boards. Just for comparison's sake, here's a look at the top freshmen contributors in the upper half of the Big Ten (in conference games):

Ohio State –Thompson 2.1 ppg
Michigan State – Dawson 8.7, Trice 3.9
Michigan – Burke 15.5
Wisconsin – Kaminsky 1.2
Indiana – Zeller 15.1 ppg
Illinois – Abrams 3.7, Henry 3.1

Hope that helps. It's just a snapshot, though. Do I think the personnel fits the scheme? In a word, no. I made that pretty clear back in December, right around the UNLV game. Can they overcome it? Yeah. I've said this team is capable of a late run. Still believe that. But that's not the issue. Klee

St. Louis- Thanks for the question. I appreciate Bruce Weber's honesty. Always will. It's refreshing. Is it the smartest thing from a PR standpoint? No. But if we're going to criticize honesty, I think we're all in trouble. I didn't like many of the things said about Demetri McCamey during his career, and I wrote that. And I know decision-makers in Chicago didn't, either. You have to praise at some point or you get blocked out. But I heard the Leonard comment and didn't think much of it. I do wonder - and I could be wrong, but probably not - if sometimes people don't actually listen to radio interviews but simply read the "transcripts" that are posted on Web sites. That happens often. Words get twisted around. This all goes back to winning, though. If they're sitting at 7-3 or 8-2, no one's complaining about an off-handed comment on the radio. It's like the Ohio State game. We're 10 feet from the visiting bench. An Ohio State assistant ripped into Jared Sullinger like I've never seen in a game. But Ohio State is winning and nothing is said about it. The Illinois coaches are tight right now. It's not a comfortable situation. It's why you continue to read how the coaches are trying to "stay positive" with the players, as Weber put it this morning. Klee

MBH- Sure, plenty of questions are being asked. Coaches reasoned that they didn't trust the reserves to defend Northwestern's unique scheme. That doesn't make sense, though. It was a mistake, and they'd handle it differently with a mulligan. So there's that. The question I've had, however, is why there was such an emphasis in the offseason to say they'd play 9-10-11 guys... when that wasn't going to happen. It's not their style. And it's not just a matter of playing fast. Fran McCaffery tried it, and it's not working. The Iowa coach joked the other day that he would like to score 100 points, provided he's the one with 100 and not 90. I don't think you can play fast in the Big Ten because everyone else (outside Columbus) is going to muck it up and make it a halfcourt game. And as the great philosopher Kim English told me, "Whoever controls the tempo is going to control the game." No, it's more a matter of playing to your strengths - and against Northwestern, the clear advantage in the Illini's favor is depth. And by the end of the game it had become a moot point. Klee

Ken- In the last 100 years, the only basketball coach to get fired at Illinois for failing to win – not for cheating or anything else – is Harv Schmidt. That’s what Tate tells me. And yes, that depends on your definition of fired. Clearly, there were other coaches encouraged to step aside. Klee

Anonymous- Appreciate the question, but you're 0-2 today, friend. Ask Brian Barnhart. I have no control over his comments. And that isn't what I said. I stated that even a Sweet 16 run - as joyous and exciting and promising as it can be - might not be enough to change the feeling of this fanbase. It's that deeply entrenched. Not saying that's the correct sentiment or not - just that's how negative it is right now. The smartest thing anyone's said this season - and there have been a lot of smart things said - was Bruce Weber explaining after the Minnesota game that win or lose, he can't really win: "When we win it's hard to take (because) we have to listen to the critiquing. What's the difference." It's quite true. And that's why I don't know if a Sweet 16 run would change the tune with the majority. Klee

Jake- You have to steal a road win to reach .500 in the league. Only three home games left, and you're 5-5. The Nebraska game is the obvious one. Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana are a combined 43-1 at home. I think Illinois can win at Indiana. The Illini's sore spot is on offense, and the Hoosiers are vulnerable on defense. Gotta limit their three-point shooters. That's when the roof comes off that building. And it's going to be nasty over there. This morning I talked to the president of the student support - the Crimson Guard - and he tells me that students will begin lining up outside Assembly Hall at 7 a.m. The Crimson Guard, if you were wondering, claims to be the biggest student support group in the country (7,800 members). "(The Illinois game) doesn't get as much publicity as our rivalries with Purdue and Kentucky, but it's certainly a game that everyone marks on their calendar at the start of the season," he tells me. More on that tomorrow. Indiana's Assembly Hall, I can say, is the only place I've seen an 80-year-old woman swear at an opposing coach. And she was pushing 90. It's fascinating and frightening all at the same time. Indiana has five home games left and they're all sold out, I'm told. To answer your other questions, I don't know if they can dig out of the growing negativity. But you have to let it play out. The previous 4-5 seasons shouldn't cloud what this current group is capable of. We don't know yet. Economics play a bigger role than Joe Fan believes. Thought you overpaid for the football coach, but we'll see. And you probably will have a decision to make on the women's basketball side. The economics of the situation doesn't get as much attention as it probably should. Hey, the ideal situation for Mike Thomas is that Bruce Weber coaches at Illinois for another 20 years. That means he's been successful. If they continue at this rate, however, I don't think you could afford to keep the status quo. Selling this product, with this climate around the program, would be very difficult. Klee

Owen- Sure, thanks for the question. It's a quality collection of coaches for the most part. Good people, for the most part, too. And a gem at the top. And I don't think it meshes particularly well. It's why I advocated a shuffle after last season. Remember, too, many of my opinions are generated from people in the coaching business. It's not just me. But my responsibility is to our readers and to give an honest portrayal of what's really going on - whether it's nice or not. Since you asked for one, here's a specific: when a player goes to three different staffers with a question - and gets a different answer each time - something is fundamentally off. And I've sat in on coaches meetings several times before. Go back and read the story I did last January on shadowing the coaching staff for four days. That provides more detail of how they operate. It's also important to note there are a lot of screwy staffs out there. It's remarkable to me that some of them win. But that's beside the point. I thought the Illini should've made a change after last season. But change isn't their strength. Bruce Weber takes loyalty to another level, and he's not going to make that move voluntarily. Finally, I don't think we're having this conversation if you're 7-3 or 8-2 or something better than .500 A.D. in the Big Ten. But when you're .500 year after year - same old, same old, - these details become more important. Again, the issue isn't coaching ability. It's whether this is the right fit going forward. You can argue all the details and alibis and historical context, but what happened 20 or 30 years ago really doesn't have any bearing on what's happening now. It's a bottom-line business, and a .500 conference record and one NCAA tournament win over five seasons is tough to stomach for a lot of people. Klee

SJ- Players that aren't playing rarely are happy. That's true at any level. I think that's what has impressed me more than anything about this group, how (for the most part) the younger guys have kept a positive approach. Myke Henry might've played just one minute Sunday, but he was cracking a joke at the scorer's table as he checked in. It's an easy group. On the whole, I think they've been positive. Tyler Griffey wants to play more. Same with Myke Henry. Same with Nnanna Egwu. But they haven't publicly raised a stink about it. I think you win your home games the rest of the way. Whether you can steal one or two on the road is another question. This should be an NCAA tournament team. I can't go back on that. As for attendance, since someone asked, and I won't be able to get to their question, it hasn't been great but hasn't been bad. You were averaging 15,428 going into the Northwestern game. That's better than the 1999-2000 season (14,577) that hovered around the Top 25 (which is, yes, slightly better than this group has done) and had several new players in the rotation. But it's not as good as the golden (sellout streak) era from a few years back. The Northwestern game was telling, though. The building had only 2,000-3,000 in it at the final buzzer. Said this on the radio somewhere the other day, but there was a different feeling after that game. It wasn't an angry building; just kind of complacent and accepting. Different feel. We'll see what happens after this week. You need a split. Klee