Check out the highlights from the game here.
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Sunday's 88-53 win against Western Michigan allowed Bruce Weber a longer look at his reserves. Thirteen players checked in, and 12 of them scored.

"That was the goal, was to get everybody in the game," said junior Mike Davis.

One of those was Tyler Griffey, who didn't play against Vanderbilt, Clemson or Bradley. Weber said he was hoping for 8-12 minutes for Griffey. The freshman played a season-high 16 minutes and made a difference with five rebounds.

"It was a good game and now we can maybe use him a little more," Weber said. "I've said since the beginning he's going to be a very good player for us. I don't have any doubt."

Another reserve that left a mark was Alex Legion, who had six points in 15 minutes. He didn't play in Tuesday's win against Vanderbilt. Legion had two dunks in practice Friday and Saturday – a left-handed tip-dunk and a dunk over Richard Semrau.

"I told him, 'I know he's frustrated.' It's not welfare. He's got to earn time," Weber said. "It's all the guys. You've got to do it in practice every day, you've got to come in to compete. You've got to fight. If you want time, come in and fight people. Not fist fight, but fight them in practice and battle them. I don't think he's always done that."

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Coaches and players have come to joking about the Illini's shooting ability. Five days after lighting up Vanderbilt with 59 percent accuracy, Illinois shot 48.6 percent against Western Michigan.

"I looked at one of my assistants and said, 'God, are they going to miss?' " Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins said.

"I remember another guy on the other team said, 'You guys can shoot.' I said, 'Yeah, we can,' " Davis said.

Despite missing their first eight shots before the four-minute timeout, the Illini eclipsed 48 percent shooting for the fourth consecutive game.

"We could have thrown it up backwards and it was going in," Weber said.

"Bruce told me when we came off the court – he was almost apologetic – 'We just made a lot of shots tonight,' " Hawkins added.

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There was some concern the Illini would come out flat against a MAC opponent. Final exams started Friday – "I have two exams," Mike Tisdale said – and Illinois has shown a tendency to take lesser opponents lightly. Weber seemed even louder than usual, perhaps an attempt to avoid a sleepwalking episode from the Illini.

"Don't get casual!" the coach shouted from the bench in the first half, later adding, "Hey, everybody! Slow down and move the ball!"

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Joseph Bertrand returned to more practice drills Friday and Saturday. The freshman hasn't played in a game since experiencing complications from knee surgery. His former coach with Illinois Wolves, Mike Mullins, spent time with Bertrand in C-U this weekend.

"He really pushed himself to come back from the injury, probably too much," Mullins said. "Right now it's pretty wise to slow it down and let his body tell him when he's ready. If it works out this season, that's great. If it doesn't, he's got a year under his belt, which isn't the worst thing, either."

Teammate Dominique Keller recently spoke to Bertrand and told him "it's not the end of the world" if he's forced to pursue a medical hardship waiver and sit out the season. Keller also used as an example Jamar Smith, a former Illini that was suspended for a season but became the team's best player in workouts.

"I remember when I first saw Jamar on TV, and then when I got here, he looked completely different. All he did was work out," Keller said. "He was the best player on the team after that year. I just told Joe, 'Work on your game and you can take it to a whole 'nother level."

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On a related note, UI associate head coach Wayne McClain recently spoke to an NBA scout, telling him to keep an eye on Smith. The former Illini averages 23.3 points at Southern Indiana and set a program record with nine three-pointers in a game Saturday.

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Some of the recruits in attendance included signed prospects Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head and committed prospect Nnanna Egwu. Rock Island sophomore Chasson Randle, who had 28 points in the Shootout at the Hall on Saturday, also attended.

Randle sat with Egwu, one of his teammates with Illinois Wolves.

"Man, he's growing it seems like every day with his game," Randle said of Egwu, who is also in the 2011 recruiting class. "He's adding the little hook shot and finishing strong at the basket. He has a little outside jumper, too. So he's phenomenal."

Randle said he doesn't have a timetable for a decision of his own.

"I'm pretty open," he said, listing Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Stanford and Wisconsin as potential suitors. Illinois is in good position with Randle.

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The Illinois recruits – Richmond, Head and Egwu – went into the UI locker room at halftime. You can see Richmond again on Thursday when he leads Waukegan against Harrison Barnes and Ames (Iowa) in a game that will be televised on ESPN.

Barnes is the No. 1-ranked small forward in the country, according to Scout.com. Richmond is ranked third at the same position.

"I've played him twice before," Richmond said.

The UI recruit added that he upped his workout load to match those of Barnes. In a conversation with Barnes, Richmond asked him how his jump shot became so smooth. Barnes told Richmond about his 6 a.m. workouts, and Richmond has followed suit.

"If he's doing that, I've got to do that," Richmond said.

"I told him about the fact Harrison Barnes was working out at 6 a.m.," said UI assistant Jerrance Howard. "The next day, I get a call from his high school coach (Ron Ashlaw) asking if he could get in the gym about 5:35 in the morning."

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File this one away in the Nutty Recruiting Stories folder. It comes from Quincy Miller, the highly regarded swingman from Quality Education Academy. Miller played in the Shootout at the Hall on Saturday and returned to Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sunday.

"Someone hacked into my e-mail and sent Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) an e-mail and said I had committed," Miller said Saturday. "It was from my e-mail address."

Miller's reaction?

"I told him it wasn't me," Miller said. "He knows."

Miller, whose family is from North Chicago, said he didn't follow the 2004-05 Illini.

"I've watched Dee Brown highlights, though."