UI Women Live

Final: Illinois 58, Penn State 49

INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Illinois women won at Minnesota on Sunday, Illini coach Jolette Law figured she knew what folks must be thinking, given that her team had won its final regular-season game last season, too -- precipitating a stunning Big Ten tournament run.

"Here they go again," Law said.

Is it time for an Illini case of deja vu? Playing at the No. 9 seed, Illinois thumped Penn State 58-49 Thursday in the first round of the Big Ten tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse, setting up a showdown against top-seeded Ohio State in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal on Friday.

Veterans Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson carried the Illini. Smith finished with 24 points and six rebounds. Simpson, motivated by what she felt was a snub in the All-Big Ten voting released Monday, had 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. She also became the UI's all-time steals leader.

Illinois (10-20) was effective in making the game a halfcourt affair, and the Illini thrived in that setting. Penn State's leading scorer, Tyra Grant, shot 5 of 19 and scored 16 points, three below her average.

Ohio State swept two meetings with the UI this season, winning both handily (67-35, 68-51).

 

Halftime: Illinois 31, Penn State 29

There's no bigger contrast in styles in the Big Ten these days than those offered by Illinois and Penn State, and whichever team can impose its will -- and pace -- on the other will likely determine which team advances to Friday's quarterfinal against top-seeded Ohio State.

Penn State wants to run. Illinois wants it slow. The halftime score provides one clue. At times, Illinois made it a halfcourt affair, and Jenna Smith (12 points) scored at will, continuing a trend against Penn State. Smith had 23 points and 12 rebounds in the first matchup, 22 points and 13 rebounds in the other. Penn State simply has no answer for her inside.

The other end of the court offers more challenges for Illinois. The Illini must prevent the PSU guards from penetrating. Mashea Williams, in particular, knows only one way: putting her head down and driving to the bucket. If Illinois can prevent Williams and, to a lesser extent, Grant from beating them off the dribble, the UI's chances increase.

Keep a close eye on the scoreboard. Illinois is 7-2 this season when scoring more than 60 points, 2-18 when scoring less than 60.

--Last year the Illini rode their orange uniforms into the championship game (as the lower seed in every game, they had to pick one of their road uniforms to wear). This time, they're going with the blue. Why? It just might have something to do with this: In orange this season, the Illini are 1-6. In blue, they're 5-2.

--Illinois is 1-3 all-time against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament, and the only win was a memorable one. Tauja Catchings sank a last-second shot in the 1999 semifinals to life the Illini to a 77-75 win and a spot in the final opposite eventual NCAA champion Purdue.

--The UI crowd is the same size as recent years, and it includes most of the familiar faces you've seen in the past, including Jenna Smith's parents, Gigi Gilbert and Frank Smith. 

Overall, it isn't a particularly large crowd at Conseco tonight. I'm guessing last year's first-session record of 6,432 won't be threatened. Most of the folks cleared out after the Indiana game.

--If you're watching on TV and notice that Penn State coach Coquese Washington looks a little heavier these days, that's because she's about four months pregnant with her second child. One Penn State source said Washington hasn't had it easy, fighting morning sickness consistently until a couple weeks ago. 

--UI fans might want to pay particular attention to Penn State freshman guard Zhaque Gray. The Chicago Hope product was an Illini recruiting target. She hasn't played a big role for the Nittany Lions this season, averaging 3.1 points in limited action off the bench. 

Gray could start next year, though, when Penn State loses starting guards Brianne O'Rourke and Mashea Williams.

30 minutes to tipoff

--Indiana came from behind to beat Michigan 68-50, setting up a Purdue-Indiana quarterfinal on Friday. That's good news for the Big Ten, which is guaranteed to have an in-state team represented in Saturday's semifinals.

The teams met once this season, Indiana winning 71-57 in Bloomington.

--Tipoff for UI-Penn State should be around 3:50 p.m.

--Just saw former WCIA sports anchor Chris Widlic. Somebody was giving him grief because he's wearing a sport coat. Widlic is a bigwig now in the Indianapolis media market.

--I'll be Dave Loane's guest at halftime on the radio side, and we'll have another update here shortly after I finish with Dave.

90 minutes until tipoff

Greetings from Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Illinois women will try to rekindle their good memories from 52 weeks ago.

It's hard to walk into this building and not think about the UI's stunning run to the final in 2008 as the No. 9 seed.  

Jolette Law certainly thinks it is possible. She was bouncing around the Ubben Basketball Complex all week, clearly energized by her team's recent play. She is not convinced Penn State can beat the Illini again.

"It's really hard for people to beat you three times," she said. "I'm not saying they won't beat us, but it's going to be pretty hard for them to beat us this time. My girls are focused. They know what they have to do."

For her part, Law isn't worried about her players living in the past. In fact, she has encouraged her players to have long memories.

"I know in their minds, they remember what happened last year, and that's what I like," she said. "When they ran the ticker and it said, "Minnesota 50, Illinois 61," I bet a lot of people were saying, "Oh, God. Here they go again."

Maybe. But this year is much different. Last March, Illinois was a dangerous No. 9 seed because it had clearly underachieved all season. And its quarterfinal roadblock, Ohio State, was a team Illinois had beaten once (and should have beaten twice) during the regular season.

I won't be surprised if Illinois wins today -- I predicted a four-point UI win. But I can't see the Illini knocking off a very good OSU team on Friday ... unless the Buckeyes' minds are elsewhere.

You can rest assured that Law packed her suitcase for four days.

"Individually, we ain't that great," Law said. "But as a unit, we can be dangerous. They're all starting to buy in, and it's momentum time. We're going to be the spoilers. We're not ready for the season to be over. That's what they shared with me."

--One of the questions surrounding the event is the extent to which a depressed economy will affect attendance. That's very difficult to tell on the opening day of the event because A) the six worst teams are in action; and B) the three-game session starts at noon ET. Even in the best of times, it's hard to ask people to take off a Thursday from work (and potentially a Friday) to watch their teams. The good part for everyone involved is that ticket prices are reasonable ($12-16 for a single session). No mortgage-financing required to afford a seat, unlike the men's Big Ten tournament next week.

A good indication will be Friday's Purdue-Indiana matchup (if the Hoosiers advance) in the second game of the day. If there isn't a decent crowd for a game that usually produces some excitement in these parts, it's a bad sign for the Big Ten. 

--Illinois' defensive approach in this game is the most interesting aspect.

Last time, Lydia McCully drew the assignment on Penn State's 19-point scorer, Tyra Grant, and did an admirable job, holding her to 16 on 5-for-13 shooting. The problem for Illinois was that Grant's supporting cast -- none of whom are standout scorers -- stepped forward to make the difference. If folks like Evelyn Lewis and Julia Trogele and Janessa Wolff are offensive factors today, the Illini will have a tough time reaching the quarterfinals. 

"We did a good job on Tyra Grant," Law said, "(but) everybody else got their numbers."

If I'm coaching, I'd try to clamp down on the supporting cast and make Grant try to beat me by herself. I don't think she can do it.

--Illinois' player to watch today: Lacey Simpson. She was irked big-time that she didn't receive the league's Defensive Player of the Year award from the coaches. Simpson was hyped before the team departed Wednesday from Ubben, bouncing around like she was ready to play the game, which was more than 24 hours away.

If she translates that energy onto the floor today, she'll break the UI's career steals record. She needs three to tie Allison Curtin for the top spot.

--My early, early, early predictions for the 2009-10 Big Ten season: 1. Ohio State, 2. Michigan State, 3. Purdue, 4. Minnesota, 5. Illinois, 6. Penn State, 7. Wisconsin, 8. Iowa, 9. Indiana, 10. Northwestern, 11. Michigan.

Ohio State and Michigan State stand above the rest. Both teams return nearly everyone of significance. Purdue will be a bit inexperienced but talented. Minnesota has four starters back plus top reserve Kiara Buford. I think Illinois will be in a multi-team battle for the fourth spot. Of course, it depends entirely on the development of the freshmen.

--On the subject of next season ...

I caught up with recruit Kersten Magrum last night. The Lincoln-Way East senior's season came to an end in the sectional  last week, and Magrum said she took one week off to decompress before getting back into the swing of things.

Magrum said she is playing soccer this spring for L-W East, the first time she has played for her high school team. She's a regular on the club scene. Magrum, whose older sister played soccer in college, said she decided to join the high school team this year in the interest of gaining conditioning before she arrives at the UI.

Magrum had an outstanding season at L-W East, displaying a terrific midrange game to go with the attitude that the UI coaches rave about. Magrum is the type of player who will do whatever role you ask of her, and she'll do it with aggressiveness and grit. She might one day be considered the Lucas Johnson of the UI women's program.

Magrum said she'll be here on Friday if the Illini advance.

--Indiana fans have a tradition of standing until their team scores its first basket. It took nearly 7 minutes against Michigan today for that to happen, which meant Tom Crean got quite a workout ... which is not to suggest he wasn't used to it.

The Hoosiers' men's coach is sitting in the front row, seated between his wife and IU athletic director Fred Glass. And Crean -- no surprise -- is into the game. He's leaning forward on the railing, clapping encouragement and shouting at referee Bob Trammell.

And he's watching an IU offense that must look familiar. The Hoosiers didn't reach double digits until the 7:27 mark of the first half.

 --It's fun to get a glimpse of the coaches here once their game is complete. The winning staff usually takes a seat along press row to scout its opponent for the next round. It's a rare perspective for the coaches because the NCAA prohibits in-person scouting. A tournament setting like this, where all the teams are gathered in one place, is an exception to the rule, and the coaches like to take advantage. Most often, it is the assistant coaches doing the dirty work, but once in a while you'll see a head coach joining in. The especially studious types will be scribbling on a notepad. Bet they were "A" students in school.

--No surprise: Northwestern dropped the opener against Wisconsin 60-51, extending the Wildcats' misery in this event. They haven't won a tournament game since 2000, when it was played at the RCA Dome (R.I.P.). That's a streak of nine straight first-round defeats, three of them courtesy of Illinois. 

That'll be changing soon. NU coach Joe McKeown has two terrific recruits coming in next season, including the granddaughter of former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian. Let's hope he shows up for a couple games ... with towel.

--I don't expect much coaching turnover in the Big Ten in the offseason, but there's one position that offers some intrigue. Wisconsin's Lisa Stone was on the hot seat a year ago but received a lukewarm vote of confidence from athletic director Barry Alvarez, who made it clear that he expected more from the Badgers in 2008-09. Did he see enough? The Badgers got off to a hot start, beating a Top-10 team in Baylor, but endured some team turmoil (Mariah Dunham was kicked off the team) and faded big-time down the stretch, losing eight of their final 10 regular-season games to finish seventh. My guess is Alvarez will make a change, but Stone can always use next season as a bargaining chip. Wisconsin will return all five starters.

 

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