Illinois-WKU: Upon Further Review
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A four-part look back at Thursday's game, courtesy staff writer Tony Bleill
FIRST 10 MINUTES
Score: Western Kentucky 21, Illinois 13
Star: WKU guard Orlando Mendez- Valdez buried two three-pointers, accounting for two of his team's five threes in the opening 10 minutes.
Key play: A.J. Slaughter's three with 10:02 remaining gave the Hilltoppers their biggest lead at eight and provided further evidence that the Illini were missing their best defender, Chester Frazier.
Commercial break: Not so much a commentary on a commercial here, but the most entertaining part of the first TV timeout was when CBS returned from the break. It showed WKU's goofy mascot, a red furry thing called "Big Red," being spun around on his head by the team's cheerleaders.
What the talking heads said: Analyst Dan Bonner noted that Western Kentucky has a "a basketball program with a tremendous tradition." Does that include, or exclude, the school's 1971 appearance in the Final Four, which had to be vacated because of NCAA rules violations?
What UI fans must be thinking: Can they keep shooting like this the entire game? Would that kid be making all those threes if Chester Frazier was playing?
SECOND 10 MINUTES
Score: Western Kentucky 37, Illinois 28
Star: WKU backup guard Anthony Sally had two eye-catching plays. The first was a lookaway pass to Sergio Kerusch for a fastbreak dunk. Later, Sally drove to the bucket for a little underhanded scoop after switching hands at the last second.
Key play: Sally's scoop with 5:58 to play gave the Hilltoppers their biggest lead, 31-17.
Commercial break: Did anyone else find that Taco Bell ad disturbing? A pregnant man has three plates of nachos in his translucent stomach. Someone please explain.
What the talking heads said: Play-by-play man Kevin Harlan seemed unsure of himself. Whenever he pronounced Mendez-Valdez's name, he did it in a long, drawn-out manner. "Orlando ... Mendez ... Valdez," as if he was looking down at his pronunciation sheet every time he mentioned the player.
What UI fans must be thinking: How many times this season did we give up 37 points in a half?
THIRD 10 MINUTES
Score: Western Kentucky 56, Illinois 46
Star: Sergio Kerusch is a 23 percent three-point shooter, but he drilled another three early in the half, then added a thunderous one-handed dunk off a backdoor feed as WKU maintained its cushion.
Key play: Illinois had crept within seven when Jeremy Evans drove past Mike Tisdale to score and was fouled, converting the three-point play. It was emblematic of Tisdale's tough night and the Illini's porous game-long defense.
Commercial break: Recession? What recession? I haven't seen the same advertisement twice, and only a couple of companies have produced more than one spot.
What the talking heads said: When Harlan described WKU center D.J. Magley as "lumbering" down the court while dribbling after a steal, Bonner wryly noted, "I don't know that he was moving fast enough to be lumbering."
What UI fans must be thinking: Couldn't Chester come in just to play defense?
FOURTH 10 MINUTES
Score: Western Kentucky 76, Illinois 72
Star: WKU's Steffphon Pettigrew scored five straight points to help the Hilltoppers keep their advantage in double figures, then centered two free throws with 30.5 seconds left.
Key play: Anthony Sally's goaltending call on Demetri McCamey's layup that drew Illinois within 71-68 with 32.8 seconds left.
Commercial break: We got fewer commercial breaks because, amazingly, the geniuses at CBS switched to the VCU-UCLA game with 1:19 left in that game. We were then taken on a magic carpet ride between the two games, enough to make you seasick. That isn't supposed to happen, and don't blame the folks at WCIA, who had no control over the situation. CBS has maintained that it protects home teams in their markets, saying the network – for example – won't switch Champaign viewers away from an Illinois game. What happened this time? In any event, viewers here were robbed of seeing the beginning of the UI's comeback.
What the talking heads said: Bonner, in the midst of the UI's comeback said, "This game was OVER." Well, apparently the people at CBS thought so. Not sure UI fans did.
What UI fans must be thinking: I'm going to be late for work today. Why can't they start these games a little earlier?
Thank goodness this season is finally over. When will Weber quit letting McAmey shoot from the outside when he can't hit the side of the barn? Where were the plays in the second half to get their best player, Mike Davis, more involved? Mike Tisdale was invisible. as Ernie Banks used to say, "wait till next year." Hey, by the way, can we recruit a coach?
Weber is still in over his head as Illinois coach. Like his mentor, his slow-down, clutch and grab defensive-oriented teams struggle in the postseason when the games are not reffed like the Big Ten. Weber has to be one of the worst coaches in the country at in-game adjustments.
If Guenther extends this guy, it's pretty clear he hasn't learned any lessons from the Ron Turner fiasco.
I expect to see the kind of posts that precede mine on this site after a loss. I'll take a different approach and thank Calvin, Chester and Trent for their efforts this year. Each of you improved your games this year and provided the type of leadership and hard play needed from senior players. I appreciate your hard work during the year. Good luck to each of you in whatever future endeavors you pursue.
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