Paul Klee's College Basketball Insider

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Beat writer Paul Klee’s weekly look at the best game in the world:

Team of the Week
UIC: If Jimmy Collins' club could have a mulligan on the season's first week, the Flames (6-2) might be unbeaten. Way back in mid-November, Bradley (67-61) and DePaul (67-63) snuck past UIC. But with road wins in the SEC (at Vanderbilt, 74-55) and ACC (at Georgia Tech, 66-60) the maturing Flames appear ready to compete for the Horizon League title. Scott VanderMeer has been the difference-maker. The 7-foot center has 31 blocks in eight games, or two fewer than the UI roster through 10 games. Saturday's matchup at Illinois State is a big one for UIC. An in-state road win turns a solid nonconference season into an excellent nonconference season.

Team of the Weak
None: The Insider is too full with holiday cheer.

Games To Watch
1. No. 24 Marquette vs. No. 16 Tennessee (8:30 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN) – First-year coach Buzz Williams will deliver top-flight players to Marquette. "He's going to get players," said UI assistant Jerrance Howard, a close friend of Williams'. Now, can he translate solid recruiting into a nationally competitive program, like his opponent, Vols coach Bruce Pearl?

2. No. 22 Davidson vs. No. 13 Purdue (3 p.m. Saturday, CBS) – Regionalized coverage means you get this game in the Midwest, in lieu of the No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 2 Connecticut matchup. Dangerous pairing for Purdue: Davidson will try to use longer possessions to wear down the Boilers' pressure defense and get easy shots.

3. No. 25 Clemson at Miami (Fla.) (6:45 p.m. Sunday, Fox Sports Net) – 'Tis the season to track Illini foes. Each time Clemson wins an ACC game – and the Tigers will win plenty – Illinois' resume gets a boost. And it's a resume that needs a boost: wins against Kent State (3-5), Tulsa (6-4) and Vanderbilt (6-4) aren't looking so impressive.

Conference Call
League     Previous
1. Big East 1
2. Big 12     2
3. ACC     3
4. Big Ten     4
5. Pac-10     5
6. SEC     6
7. Atlantic 10     7
8. Mountain West     9
9. West Coast     8
10. Horizon League     –

Wooden Watch
1. Dionte Christmas, Temple – Excluding Blake Griffin's and Stephen Curry's regular outbursts, Christmas' 35-point barrage in an upset of No. 8 Tennessee was the singular performance of the young season.

2. Robbie Hummel, Purdue – The Big Ten Player of the Week deserves a mention, and Hummel on Monday became the second Boiler this season to win the weekly honor (E'Twaun Moore).

3. Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State – We think the junior guard is the MVC's best player, but to become the league's Player of the Year he must avoid four-point (0 for 7) games like he had Sunday against Morehead State. The Chicago product is here because he attended the Shootout at the Hall with Redbirds assistant Paris Parham.

The Next Files (Shootout at the Hall edition)
1. Jereme Richmond, Waukegan – I've known him long enough to know his on- and off-court issues last season were a result of a teenager (he's 16 now) going through a difficult divorce in the family. When Richmond arrives at Illinois, I think the Illini will use him much like they used Sergio McClain at times, as a point-forward. He's still the top prospect in the UI's stable of recruits, the kind of talent that takes you from the second weekend of the NCAA tournament to the third.

2. Brandon Paul, Warren – UI coach Bruce Weber emphasizes the need for players to "work on their weaknesses," not only their strengths. (It's easier – and more fun – to work on the latter, you know.) "At the college level, there's going to be a lot of players like me," Paul said, adding that gym work will separate him from other 6-foot-3 shooting guards. A few weeks back, I text-messaged Paul to set up an interview. He was doing ballhandling drills, at 9:30 p.m.

3. D.J. Richardson, Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep – No, the Peoria product wasn't in attendance at the Shootout, but his absence reminded me of the difference he can make. He's the best defender of the seven committed or signed prospects, and it was clear defense still is not a priority with most high school stars. "He loves to defend," said UI assistant Wayne McClain, who taught D.J.'s father when the latter was an eighth-grader. "I do think that's a quality you see in a lot of Peoria guys."

Random Thought
I think, by season's end, Alex Legion will be the second-leading scorer on the Illinois roster, in terms of scoring average. For one, I think he's going to take as many shots as the top two scorers right now (Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey). Two, "Scoringwise, offensively, he's probably our best player," Bruce Weber said after practice Monday. There are areas where Legion needs to improve – ballhandling and on defense – but he's going to make an immediate impact on the offensive end. He also was the last player to leave the gym on Monday, something Weber likes to see.

Polling place
How Klee voted in this week's Associated Press poll:

1. North Carolina – Tyler Hansbrough: 10-time ACC Player of Week

2. Connecticut – One of seven Big East teams in our top 19

3. Oklahoma – Jeff Capel cleaned Kelvin's mess in a hurry

4. Texas – Big 12 represents with two teams in the top five

5. Pittsburgh – Three straight road games from Dec. 21 to Jan. 3

6. Duke – Split with Big Ten (won at Purdue, lost at Michigan)

7. Gonzaga – Loss of 7-footer Robert Sacre (foot) a big blow

8. Xavier – Cream of the crop in an underrated Atlantic-10

9. Notre Dame – Mike Brey's a two-time Big East Coach of Year

10. Purdue – As expected, Boilers not sneaking up on anyone

11. Ohio State – Two Ws against ranked foes (Miami, Notre Dame)

12. Georgetown – Outrebounded 53-36 by Memphis – and won

13. Louisville – 11 Big East teams have more wins than UL (6)

14. Wake Forest – PG Jeff Teague reminds of young Jason Terry

15. Tennessee – Lane Kiffin joins Bruce Pearl as the BCOCs

16. Syracuse – The correct football hire: Mike Locksley

17. UCLA – Still the highest ranking for a Pac-10 team

18. Baylor – Outside Big East, Big 12 race could be nation's best

19. Villanova – Famous alum: Jim Croce ("Bad, Bad Leroy Brown")

20. Miami (Fla.) – Averaging 4,035 fans after five home games

21. Memphis – Averaging 17,775 fans after three home games

22. Davidson – Who do you take: Stephen Curry or J.J. Redick?

23. Clemson – Weber on Monday: "The Clemson loss still hurts"

24. Michigan – Why is Illinois playing at 7 p.m. on a Saturday?

25. Michigan State – Hopefully it was a Big Ten Network decision

pklee@news-gazette.com

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