Tate's Valentine's Day ponderings

Paul Klee's Illinois-Ohio State preview

CHAMPAIGN – Random ponderings on a Valentine's Sunday ... and no matter how far we wander, we always come back to Westchester St. Joe products Demetri McCamey and Evan Turner.

– High school teammates starring for the same college team are common. Less so are prep mates excelling for different Big Ten teams. Texans Deron Williams and Bracey Wright went from The Colony to Illinois and Indiana. Proviso East's Dee Brown and Shannon Brown competed at the UI and Michigan State. Old-timers will recall Quincy's Michael Payne (Iowa) and Bruce Douglas (UI), Rockford West's Nolden Gentry (Iowa) and John Wessels (UI), and Collinsville's Fred Riddle (Iowa) and Bogie Redmon (UI). There are many others.

– Ron Guenther has eased the 2011 football schedule with eight home games, but it's difficult to look that far ahead with Missouri, Penn State and Ohio State waiting early this fall. And for all those who are cheering the 2011 lineup that begins with Arkansas State and South Dakota State, here's the rule: You must attend and sit through those games in their entirely. That is your punishment for wanting easier games.

– Did Evan Turner's back injury (sidelined for a month) make him more appreciative and hard-working upon his return to action? UI coach Bruce Weber notes: "When players realize that basketball can be taken away, they sometimes appreciate it more."

More ponderings

– Has Ohio State's Big Ten streak of eight wins caused us to overrate the Buckeyes? Illinois beat them twice last year, McCamey garnering 13 and 15 points and seven assists in each while Turner had four and 17 points with Chester Frazier guarding him. The Buckeyes went 22-11 last season, losing a double-overtime thriller to Siena, 74-72, in the NCAA's opening round.

– The massive problems of the automobile industry haven't slowed Urbana's Shahid Khan, whose 50-plus businesses around the world supply bumpers, grilles and various auto parts. A St. Louis source estimates the value of the NFL Rams to be $750 million, and his 60-percent acquisition of the team should go through next month.

– Illinois preps are high on the collegiate Player of the Year list with Turner in the chase along with Kansas' Sherron Collins and Duke's Jon Scheyer ... all three vigorously sought but unsuccessfully recruited by the Illini. But when the votes are in, look out for a young Carolinian at Kentucky, John Wall. And even with all these excellent guards, Virginian Scottie Reynolds should receive credit for Villanova's surge.

Still more ponderings

– Sergio McClain flashed a big smile when he was reminded how underdog Illinois defeated three ranked teams in the 1999 Big Ten tournament. Can the Illini complete this trifecta again when, if you pair Turner vs. McCamey and Jon Diebler vs. Bill Cole, an argument could be made that Ohio State has higher ranked players at every position today. Yes, Mike Tisdale is outscoring Dallas Lauderdale, 12.8 to 7.4, and the rebounding is about even, but Lauderdale is shooting an impossible 76.8 percent from the field, leads the Big Ten with 53 blocked shots and is a stout defender. Add in lankies William Buford (top Big Ten freshman in 2009) and David Lighty, and you have the best lineup in the conference.

– Some media speculators are getting ahead of themselves in projecting Texas, Pittsburgh and/or Missouri as new members of the Big Ten. The conference is only now in the preliminary stages of considering where interest might lie. The big changes since Notre Dame rebuffed the Big Ten in the late-90s are (1) the Big Ten Network now hits 73 million homes and (2) each team receives more than $22 million in TV revenue. With those numbers, it's my guess that Missouri would jump if the opportunity arises, and Pitt as well.

– Should the Orange Krush pour onto the court if Illinois wins today? There was more buildup, all day long and in the weeks previous to Michigan State, and it was an instinctive thing. But, yes, if Illinois pulls this off, why not? Who else could say they traveled from the outhouse to the penthouse in nine days?

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.

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