COLUMBUS, Ohio — When he's not watching hoops on TV — outside the gym, his favorite pastime — Jalen James is probably in class.

In his first semester at La Lumiere School in LaPorte, Ind., the UI recruit has a courseload of six classes and at least two study halls daily.

"I like it so far," he said Tuesday night before watching Ohio State beat Illinois 83-67 at Value City Arena.

And, yes, James understands what's going on at Illinois. He knows the coaches who secured his oral commitment probably won't coach at Illinois next season. And he has a bond with those coaches, namely Bruce Weber and Jerrance Howard.

"It's kind of crazy (the criticisms) because they've got a young team," James said. "You can't really blame Bruce for everything because it's such a young team. You've got a freshman point guard (in Tracy Abrams). It's just a young team."

James can't sign a national letter of intent until November. The 6-foot-4 point guard said he hasn't considered his plans if there were to be a coaching change at Illinois.

"I don't know. I don't know what would happen," James said. "Me and my family haven't talked about that yet."

James said he is scheduled to visit the Illinois campus March 2 — the first day of his spring break.

* * *

How to explain the Illini basketball's struggles in recent years?

Actually, Ohio State's resurgence offers one factor — a draw to the state school during an era when the state's high school scene has produced numerous high-level talents.

The three most important on the current Buckeyes roster — Aaron Craft (Findlay), Jared Sullinger (Columbus) and William Buford (Toledo) — are all in-state products.

Before that trio, there was McDonald's All-American Daequan Cook (Dayton), who brought his AAU buddies Mike Conley and Greg Oden along for the ride, Columbus Dispatch beat writer Bob Baptist pointed out. And before that, there were Kosta Koufos (Canton), B.J. Mullens (Columbus) — another pair of McDonald's All-Americans.

Thad Matta has recruited five McDonald's All-Americans to Ohio State. The previous coach wasn't as fortunate, partly because the in-state pipeline wasn't as stocked. In Jim O'Brien's tenure, the only McDonald's All-Americans from Ohio were Jawad Williams (North Carolina), Andrew Lavender (Oklahoma/Xavier) and Ivan Harris (Ohio State).

"That was something O'Brien complained about when he was here," Baptist said. "Ohio went dry during his tenure, except for LeBron (James), who wasn't going to college."

Other notable Buckeyes in recent years include David Lighty, Jon Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale. All were from the state of Ohio. Matta has built a brick wall around the state during his tenure. And the current in-state allegiance rarely has been seen in Illinois.

"There has been much better talent in the state (under Matta). But the cycle may be turning again," Baptist said. "There were no McDonald's All-Americans last year or this year and no Ohio recruits (going to Ohio State) in either class."

* * *

Meyers Leonard took a stand at Value City Arena — on the court and in a back hallway after the Illini lost to the Buckeyes.

In his first time speaking to the media since he was used as an example after a loss to Purdue one week ago, Leonard voiced his opinion on the Illini's late-season nosedive.

"Coach Weber's been behind every single one of us this entire year. And I hope you print this. He's been behind us. He's cared. And he's never put any of us down," Leonard said. "He deserves the best. We're going to see what happens for the rest of the season. But he's been incredible for all of us — not only as a teacher and a coach on the court, but off the court as well, trying to make us good young men."

Leonard had a game-high 21 points and helped disqualify All-American Jared Sullinger with five fouls. He was a bully in the post. That performance came one game after he broke down on the Illini bench during a disheartening loss at Nebraska. The pressure of this season — the NBA talk, the defensive attention, all of that — finally got to him, he said.

"It's hard, especially for me. Sometimes I feel like I take some of the weight on my back, being one of the better players," Leonard said. "It's tough sometimes. I'm 19 years old and I've got a lot coming at me at one time that I haven't been accustomed to."

Leonard's postgame performance — the way in which he handled his comments — was almost as impressive as his game on the court.

At least three times he reiterated his support for the coaching staff, with several of his comments coming unsolicited.

"Coach Weber was the one that said, 'Meyers, you're going to USA Basketball. You're going to train hard and you're going to get ready.' And, obviously, I played pretty well over there," Leonard said. "He's never let me down. I'm tired of people saying negative stuff about Coach Weber, about the rest of the coaching staff and about the rest of the team."

* * *

One thing that's missing from the Illini lineup is the basic of all skills: consistent shooting.

Ohio State made 7 of 13 three-pointers and raced to a 42-26 halftime lead that never was in doubt. Illinois, meanwhile, made 3 of 18 three-pointers.

It was the third straight game the Illini have shot worse than 27 percent from three.

"We haven't shot the three well all year. So that's plagued us," Weber said. "Whenever they shot the ball, you felt like it was going to be all net."

* * *

Next up for Illinois is Sunday's home game vs. Iowa (5 p.m., BTN). After a sixth straight loss, the Illini put on a determined face. But the dramatic slide tells the story of a group that has been beaten down.

"It's a lot of pride (involved)," said D.J. Richardson, who had 12 points. "We've got to get a lot of guys out there that want to put a lot of pride into it."