Tate: Weber will dial long distance

To listen to  Loren Tate's radio appearance Tuesday, click here

 

CHAMPAIGN – There are disadvantages to playing a basketball game at Vanderbilt.

The young Illini will leave their comfort zone as they fly to Nashville tonight, move into new surroundings and take the court Thursday (7 p.m.) in front of a rabid fandom that cheered 19 consecutive Commodore victories at Memorial Gymnasium last season.

Ah, Memorial Gym. Built in 1952. And labeled the "Fenway Park" of the Southeastern Conference because of an odd arrangement whereby the team benches are placed on opposite ends rather than the sideline.

"If you coach the team throughout in a verbal way, constantly calling out, it can be difficult to get your message across," Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said.

Stallings just described his close friend and adversary, Bruce Weber. While some say marionettes have no place in the wildly fluid game of basketball, Weber comes as close as anyone in calling plays and directing traffic along pre-prescribed tracks.

"In the first half here, Bruce's offense (on the opposite end) will have a hard time knowing what he wants," said Stallings, "and in the second half, his defense will have a hard time receiving direction. As for me, you get used to it when you do it all the time (10 years)."

OK, Kevin, you're correct that the logistics create a different atmosphere. And visiting teams tend to complain about Memorial Gym because it is a change from the norm. But you played for and coached with Weber at Purdue, and you know that even when crowds are at their ear-splitting loudest, his voice can heard in the next county. And the Illini players have come to recognize it over the din because, if they don't, they'll be seated in close proximity.

Playoff payoff

Like the Illini football game at Northwestern, all these early-season basketball games have postseason implications.

For Ron Zook's gang, it boils down to one contest. Depending on what happens elsewhere with Oregon State, Ohio State and a few others, a 6-6 finish could assure Illinois a bowl game or, at worst, put Ron Guenther in negotiations with a bowl outside those with a Big Ten agreement. With 68 bowl openings, the Illini have a good chance if they qualify.

For basketball teams on Illinois' level, every game is crucial. Here is Vanderbilt, fresh from consecutive NCAA appearances and featuring one of the nation's best sophomores in 6-foot-11 A.J. Ogilvy. The Aussie center racked 578 points and shot 58.8 percent from the field as a freshman.

So a victory Thursday could be meaningful to the NCAA selection committee if, and only if, the Illini continue with a fair share of wins against toughies like Kent State, Clemson, Georgia and Missouri, and finish in the upper division of the Big Ten.

"The postseason is our goal," Weber said. "We want to be competitive in the Big Ten and reach the postseason. What we do early dictates some of that. Some teams have recovered from early setbacks like Purdue did last year, losing to Wofford and Iowa State (plus Clemson and Missouri) and barely beating Missouri State (72-70). They weren't a good team early, but by the end of the season they were. There are different ways to do it but, for us this week, a win at Vanderbilt would be nice and a confidence builder as we go ahead."

Mystery men

Like Illinois, the Commodores are a mystery team that started 1-0 with no one playing more than 24 minutes in a 74-48 rout of Morehead State. Consecutive SEC Players of the Year are gone, Derrick Byars in 2007 and Shan Foster, one of three departed starters in 2008. But Vandy is experienced at the two most important positions, point guard (junior Jermaine Beal) and center (Ogilvy), and have Sweden's 6-7 Jeffrey Taylor leading the high-ranked youngsters on the wings.

"They lost a lot of faces from their success of the last two years," Weber said. "But they have a special guy in Ogilvy. We'll rotate Mike Tisdale and Rich Semrau on him and maybe Dominique Keller. We'll look for weak-side help from Mike Davis. And like the defensive line rushing the quarterback, we'll try to put pressure on the perimeter passers.

"Looking back at Sunday's tape, I thought we played good defense in our win over Corpus Christi. We were in good position and played a team game. But offensively, our big guys want to post up instead of screen, and we dribble too much."

Weber continues to say the lineup won't be set for a month, which is about the time that Alex Legion will join the team.

"I'm still getting a feel for this team," Weber said. "We have competition. Keller called me Sunday night to ask what he can do to get more playing time. I told him to play hard in practice and take advantage of his time in the games."

That's the recipe for everyone. Weber is in the "show me" mode.

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

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