SB Nation - Alex Legion

The Lazy Blogger's Illini basketball and football preview

Joe Kutsunis — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:05:33 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

Everything points to Juice sitting out the Northwestern game on Saturday with the high ankle sprain. Look for RS Freshman Jacob Charest to start in his place. (Minneapolis. AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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Folks, I am a busy man, I've got alot going on in my life right now. I wont bother you with specifics, but suffice to say, looking at my computer today with the prospect of writing two game previews is much less appealing than it sounds. So I am going to take the lazy man's shortcut here and just combine the two into an unrepentant shortcut of a post.

First the football team. Lucky for me the Big Ten Network (please send me money) replays all of the football games over the course of the week, so I was able to reacquaint myself with the supreme victory over Minnesota from Saturday. Upon a second viewing, with the knowledge of how the game ultimately ended, I have had to reassess the Illini play overall. Adam Weber basically handed the Illini the game in the first half. He stayed in the pocket waaaay too long and took some very dumb sacks as well as throw passes so inaccurate that somewhere Eric Decker is weeping. He wasw much more on his game in the second half, and as a result the Illini defense looked no where near as good as earlier in the game. Basically what I am saying is, the defense is going to have to play better this week if we want to beat Northwestern. Other than Terry Hawthorne that is. That guy is all right.

On the other hand I really like the way Jacob Charest is throwing the ball lately he is hitting his receivers right in the numbers, and provided those receivers don't drop the passes again this week, the offense will move the ball. The real kudos must go to the offensive line who are opening holes for the backs and giving both Juice and Charest a lot more time to work with. You don't have a successful offense without a successful offensive line.

So as long as all that good stuff I just said keeps happening, the Illini should roll. 11am Saturday kickoff.

Now for the basketball team.

Its the big opening game of the real season, and Bruce has suggested he will go with the same starting lineup for last week's exhibition finale. Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis, Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey. No Jeff Jordan for his suspension, so the primary guard sub is going to be Legion, and like the exhibition, Dominique will get alot of action at the 3. Given their loss in OT to D3 Illinois College, SIUE should not pose a legitimate threat to the Illini, but I do want to see some all around better play. The games do count now, so I hope we will see some real dominance on the floor by Mike Davis. Everyone is hoping he will make another big jump this year, and there is no time like the present

Tip Off is tonight at 7.
Once again I will be running an open thread for both games. Please come keep me company.

2009-2010 Team Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

everydayezag — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:22:55 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber has his most talented and deep squad since the 2004-2005 group that made the national title game.

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Since leading Illinois to the Final 4 in 2004-2005, head coach Bruce Weber seemed to face a constant storm of fans questioning his ability to maintain a high level of quality for the basketball program. Weber has faced constant questions about his ability to recruit, as local stars like Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose have elected to go out of state to pursue their college careers. While there have been questions about his ability to lure top recruits to campus, there can really be no questions about how solid of a coach Weber has been. Perhaps the greatest coaching job of his career came last season, when Weber led the Fighting Illini to a 24-10 record and a tie for second in the Big 10.

Expectations will certainly be high for his upcoming season, as Illinois will return the bulk of their scoring and also incorporate some exciting freshman. The hardest individual to replace will likely be Chester Frazier. Frazier was the heart and soul of the 2008-2009 team, as he was a lockdown defender and the type of guy that was willing to sacrifice his body for the team. Frazier showed incredible versatility in averaging 5.7 points,4.8 rebound, and 5.3 assists. Illinois will also need to find a replacement for Trent Meachem. The 6'2 guard was an excellent shooter from behind the arc, and was tremendously effective in stretching the opposing defense. Even with these two gone, this team has the talent and depth to improve on last season and to contend for a Big 10 championship.

Last Season: One of the most important pieces to making the NCAA Tournament is to beat the teams that you can and should beat. Last season, Illinois used this concept to put together a surprisingly successful season that saw the team earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Bruce Weber had this group ready to roll at the start of the season, and they jumped out to a 12-1 record, which included quality wins over Clemson and Missouri. Once Big 10 play started, the Fighting Illini took care of business against the lower half of the conference, while they struggled against the top of the conference. Despite being swept by Michigan St. and Penn St. during the regular season, they were able to gain a lot of confidence with the tournament selection committee by sweeping Purdue during Big 10 play. After being eliminated in the second round of the Big 10 tournament, Illinois was awarded a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for Bruce Weber and his team, their season would come to an end against Western Kentucky in a 76-72 loss in the 1st round.

New Faces: When discussing the new faces for this team, the first name that needs to be discussed is D.J. Richardson. The 6'3 guard has is an absolutely explosive scorer who thrives when the tempo is high and he is able to run in transition. Even more important for the style of play that Illinois is known for, Richardson is an in your face defender who has the quickness and instincts to jump passing lanes with great success. If the early reports are any indication, except to see Richardson in the starting lineup throughout his freshman season. Another freshman guard that will likely be in the rotation is Brandon Paul. Paul is a gifted athlete on the perimeter, but he doesn't quite possess the confidence or attacking instinct that Richardson does at this point. Paul does a lot of things on the court very well, but he doesn't yet possess a unique or excellent ability at any one thing on the court. Paul will be able to provide valuable depth for this team while he continues to develop and improve his game. Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand round out the incoming freshman for Bruce Weber. Griffey is a developing big that does a good job of shooting the ball. However, he will need to improve his strength and physicality before he can play at the Big 10 level. Bertrand is a very physical guard that should be a nice fit for this program. He is a strong shooter from the perimeter, and even more importantly he is a willing and physical defender.

Players to Watch: In Demetri McCamey, the Fighting Illini return one of the most explosive guards in the Big 10. Last season, McCamey led the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game, and was also second on the team with 4.6 assists. McCamey has done a great job developing and improving his game since arriving in Champaign, but this year he will need to mold himself into a leader both on and off the court. Illinois also returns arguably the top front court player in the Big 10. Mike Davis is a rapidly improving power forward, who averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Davis has a tendency to float around the court and does not always assert himself in games. However, when he is involved and playing well, Davis can be nearly unstoppable with his length. Much was expected of Alex Legion when he transferred to Illinois after his time at Kentucky. Legion was unable to make a huge impact in 22 games last season, but the hope is that he can provide the shooting that he was known for as a recruit. If Legion can play up to the expectations he had as an elite high school recruit, this team could have one of the more exciting back courts in the country.

Concerns: At times, we have seen Gonzaga teams that have flat out struggled when facing physical defense. Along with Michigan St., this Illinois group will be the most physical and tough group that Gonzaga will face all season. Guys like Meech Goodson, Elias Harris, and Steven Gray must prove that they can handle the tough and in your face style of basketball that they will see. This will be a great learning experience for the freshman, and the hope is that they will be prepared for this type of game by January.

What we are watching for: I think this will be the type of game where Gonzaga will look use the depth and athleticism that this team has. If the Zags can get out in transition and force this to not be a halfcourt game, then I absolutely love their chances. Guys like Mangisto Arop, Elias Harris, and Rob Sacre will have to look run the court when given the opportunity, as there could definitely be some easy baskets available. If this game turns into a halfcourt game, then Illinois will be able to take long possessions and dictate the tempo and style of the game, which could be a huge problem for this team.

Hail to the Orange in Hall tonight for Missouri Southern

Joe Kutsunis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:44:09 -0000

Many thousand apologies for the conspicuous absence of updates today, much as I would like it to be, blogging is not my full time job. Regardless I am making it up to myself and all of you by giving some fun live coverage of the first exhibition game tonight at the Assembly Hall.

Its the first game in which we will see the Illini not playing other Illini, and for many of us to see what these new freshmen really can do. Plus its the first game of the year, and I welcome the return of competitive basketball in the Assembly Hall. The Band, the Orange Krush, and Bruce Weber destroying his vocal chords, it is basketball season folks!

So with all of that in mind, here are the 5 things I want to learn from the team tonight.

Demetri McCamey is now going to be looked to as the man in control of the offense now that Chester is gone. Is he up to it? We have all heard that he is quicker, smarter and more driven this season, lets see if it translates into his PG play.
Alex Legion, a full offseason and alot more seasoning hopefully has done Alex some good. If he can continue to shoot those 3's like he did in the scrimmage, watch out. Of course if he starts shooting like he did last year, we may see even more of the freshmen guards than any of us expected.
D.J. Richardson and his defense. I was surprised to hear when Bruce said recently that D.J. may in fact be the best defensive player on the team right now. We all know that in a Bruce Weber world that means playing time, so I am excited to see just how good this guy is at "givin' em the business"
Mike Davis's ankle prevented him from having a full normal off season this year. From everything I have heard, he is back 100%, but for the guy who may be most important to the success of this team, I want to see him play alot more minutes of up and down ball to be sure.
Speed. Many Illini fans have long wanted to get back to the up and down fast running Illini of old, but for the last couple years, the players for that type of ball just haven't been here. That may well have changed with the new freshmen and Legion set to log a lot of minutes at guard this year. The Illini of the next couple years may look alot different that to what we have become accustomed to seeing in the Hall.

This isn't technically a real game so for all intents and purposes this is your open thread. Hope to see you here if your aren't there in person.

The Linking Illini is making that smooth smooth transition.

Joe Kutsunis — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:51:24 -0000

Yes, due mostly to the calendar and the sagging interest in a 1 win football team, we now try and make that much needed transition into the basketball side of the college sports year. You may notice a marked change in the demeanor of this blog over the next couple weeks, the posts will seem a tad more optimistic, happier, even jovial. All the while the instances of angry drunken ranting, chair throwing, and pathetic sobbing will probably be lessened somewhat.

Its basketball people, where all of our historic strengths and weaknesses are flipped. Bruce Weber is a coach that is universally celebrated as a man who can maximize talent, but has had trouble always getting those recruiting wins. But that's not the case this year so get happy. Lets have some links (only slightly tainted by football) to celebrate

Zook: Illini will go with two-QB system - Sporting News
You can call it desperation if you want, but frankly this team is 1-6, there is nothing left to do that could hurt this team really. One more loss will eliminate the team from bowl contention (though it is all but assured with Cincinnati still on the schedule) So why not give the guy who will most likely be the choice for starting QB next year get some more experience under his belt. Just as long as lets say Charest drives to the 2 yard line and then gets pulled so we can go 3 plays without scoring.
With the Illini: Basketball team feels pressure to cheer up fans - John Supinie
Hmm, pressure to cheer up fans? Yes I would say so. Winter is a long long long cold and depressing season in Illinois. It is frigid windy and miserable, and the only respite that many of us have is basketball and binge drinking. Take basketball away and you will have a lot of pickled livers by the time April 1st rolls around. So Bruce, for the health and safety of your fans, please keep winning.
Nightcap: Legion heats up... Now must perform in games - IlliniHQ.com
Here is some news that may very well inspire you from giving into the too much the aforementioned football related depression. Alex Legion who was last seen not being the transfer scoring threat everyone thought he would be last year, may have just turned a corner. Keep in mind everyone thought, myself included that Legion would be key to success last year, but the team won over 20 games again without him really ever taking control. Imagine if you will what they are capable of if indeed he can go off like we all predicted. Scary huh?

Fighting Illini Basketball 2009: take nothing for granted.

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:13:11 -0000

Its expectation and prognostication season here in basketball land. Where hope, optimism and good feelings spring eternal. No one is in anyone's doghouse, everyone's team is "primed to make a deep run" into the NCAA, or "make a fight" out of the conference race etc etc. Everyone's recruits are on campus practicing and raising everyone's expectations and getting everyone excited. Well not me. I am totally and completely snake bitten. And I blame the football team.

I'd like to go back and visit the mid August version of me and punch him in his ruggedly handsome face. Me before football season was drunk on Phil Steele inflated rankings and Orange Kool-aide, (honestly I was, it had Everclear in it.) Guess what Phil, the Illini are the number 1 surprise team in the nation, as they have surprised the world by fielding a completely uncompetitive team. But I digress. Setting the bar for success so high is clearly just begging to get let down, so with that in mind I have recalibrated my predictions for the basketball team in a manner that I believe will be much more reasonably attained, thus ensuring my enjoyment.

When the Illini take the court on Friday against their exhibition opponent, ~~the Fighting Cupcakes from Paycheck A&M~~ Missouri Southern, I am going to hope they go out there and just try their best, no pressure guys. My current projections predict no single Illini scoring more than 5 points. I know MS has good big men so I don't think we will win the boards on this one, I just want to see our guys go out there and give it the old college try.

As for the freshmen, well I think pretty highly of them. Brandon Paul was named Mr. Illinois basketball last year, so if he gets called for running up and down the court forgetting entirely to dribble, I will be a tad let down. But hey, these are just kids you know. And as for D.J. Richardson who attended the basketball factory that is Findlay Prep, I expect no more than two or three shots taken "granny style" per game. Hey this is Big Ten Basketball, we ask a lot.

And as for you Alex Legion, who made six 3 pointers in Sunday afternoon's O&B scrimmage, well I had some really really high hopes for you last year, and I got burned pretty good. So this year I am going to set my sights slightly lower, and will consider it a success every game he successfully records a minutes worth of game time.

You see I am trying to take a break from what you might call "common sense." A concept that has routinely put me at a disadvantage in life. Common sense would say, "Hey you've got your awesome front court back, and one of your best scorers in McCamey along with a great defender in JJ! Plus you've got some real talented freshman coming in that are sure to contribute right away!" But common sense is a mean mean trickster.

Common sense would say that the odds of all your established players regressing drastically and all of your awesome recruits being bitter disappointments would be highly unlikely. All I need to do is look at the 2009 Illini Football team to tell me, that common sense can be very very wrong.

Wow, this post ended up being much more of a bummer than I had originally envisioned it.

Bruce Weber Emotional report card

This Post makes Bruce feel:

An emotion we interpret as melancholy, a little bummed, and disappointed in my writing.

Basketball Q&A with Blogging the Bracket.

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:01:35 -0000

The star studded week of basketball enthusiasm continues as we direct questions to Chris from Blogging the Bracket, SB Nation's resident bracketologist and basketball guru. Lets see what he says about the great grindy Big Ten.

HTTO: The Illini surprised alot of people by finishing second in the Big Ten and returning to the NCAA tournament. This year the team loses two starting guards in Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham, but gain several highly regarded freshmen, overall do you see the Illini taking a step forward or backward this year?

I think the Illini will take a bit of a step back without Frazier and Meacham, but they'll still be a contender for an NCAA bid, and maybe in the conference. Demetri McCarney is a good point guard, and if he's as motivated as the offseason chatter says he is, Illinois will have the right guy running the offense. Alex Legion HAS to be better than he was in his first year in Champaign. If Mike Tisdale can be more aggressive down low, the Big Ten better watch out. He already shoots well enough from the field and the foul line to be a force, but he's got to get himself more opportunities to up his scoring average of 10 per game. Mike Davis was only two rebounds short of averaging a double-double last season, so he's likely to have a huge year inside as well. If Bruce Weber can get good numbers out of Dominique Keller, you may see fewer three-guard sets this season.

The freshman class is a talented, local group. Weber has been criticized for not getting the big time local talent, and he did a nice job of quieting those critics with this class. D.J. Richardson's experience at Findlay Prep means he should adjust to the college game quickly. His defensive skills will help fill the void left by Frazier's graduation. Brandon Paul will be a versatile scorer, which the Illini needs. Joseph Bertrand should learn a lot from McCarney over the next two years and give Bruce Weber some good minutes at the point. Tyler Griffey, much like Keller, gives the Illini an inside option beyond Tisdale and Davis if he can show some consistency, especially on the rebounding front.

HTTO: The Big Ten has the makings of a very competitive season, with the talent gap seemingly the slimmest it has ever been. Is it still MSU's conference to lose, or will one of the many challengers take the title from them?

I really think the Spartans are going to miss Goran Suton in the middle and Travis Walton's defense, and that really gives Purdue, Ohio State, or if things break right, Michigan and Minnesota, the chance to steal the league crown from them. If the freshmen mature quickly, the Illini could even surprise and contend.

HTTO: Along those same lines, this looks like it could be a banner year for the Big Ten, with MSU going to the NCAA finals and Penn State winning the NIT and nearly all of the top talent from last year's teams returning do you see the conference flexing its muscle come tournament time? How many teams do you expect to come from the Big Ten in the NCAA tourney, and how do you rank it along with the other conferences this year.

The Big Ten is going to have a great chance to build on the strong showing it had in last year's postseason, especially with the Big East probably being a bit down and the Pac-10 likely being way down. Obviously, I think MSU and Purdue will get high seeds.

For the rest of the league, it's crucial that they make a real statement during the non-conference season. Otherwise, it could be a repeat of last season, where everyone outside of MSU, Purdue, and Illinois really beat the tar out of each other in the league and didn't have the wins outside of the conference to boost themselves out of the middle of the bracket.

From a bid perspective, I think the Spartans, Boilermakers, Buckeyes, Wolverines, Gophers, and Illini are a safe group of six. Beyond that, I feel the only two teams who don't have much hope this season are Indiana and Iowa. While Wisconsin may be down, I'm never going to discount a Bo Ryan-coached team. Northwestern has a real shot at getting their first-ever bid, but they cannot do their usual thing where they lose a headscratcher or two at the end of the year. Penn State will have some real momentum from their NIT triumph and they have a shot to get some decent wins at the Charleston Classic, but it may not be enough with how good the rest of the league will be.

HTTO: Illinois, the state that is, along with Indiana and Ohio routinely manufacture a lot of top tier basketball talent, but are also some of the most often "raided" states by other schools. Do you believe that the reputation of the Big Ten as a low scoring tough defense conference has hurt it in terms of recruiting? The up and down score happy ACC has enjoyed a more positive national reputation (and the benefit of the ACC/Big Ten challenge dominance.) In short what do you believe is the national perception of the conference, and how does it, in your opinion affect recruiting and performance?

Speaking as an SEC grad who grew up watching the Big East, I admit that I make plenty of jokes throughout the season about many Big Ten matchups setting basketball back to Naismith's time. But really, if you look at non-conference and postseason performance, the criticism is pretty unfounded. I mean, eight Big Ten teams have made the Final Four in this decade, albeit with only one winning (MSU in 2000). From a recruiting perspective, it's harder to say. I honestly don't spend a ton of time on recruiting over at my site because a lot of it is a crapshoot. And the Big Ten experience is a great example of this. Sure, Big Ten schools may sign as many McDonald's All-Americans as their counterparts in the other major conferences, but they do land a lot of talented players who believe in teamwork and are coachable. When you combine those two characteristics with the coaching talent in the conference, you're going to end up with teams that feature a lot of "diamonds in the rough" who go on to shock the experts

Pondering the Illini basketball starting 5

Joe Kutsunis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:43:17 -0000

\With the losses of starters Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier to graduation, and the influx of several your freshmen,. the starting lineup for Bruce Weber's Illini is anything but set in stone. 3 starters return in DMAC, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis, leaving two open spots, supposedly at guard.

Between the three freshmen guards, Alex Legion, Dominique Keller, and the possible return of Jeff Jordan, there certainly are alot of options to be explored.

Anyone who has watched a Bruce Weber coached team over the last decade knows that the way to get onto the court is to play defense, which is why if Jeff were still on the team he would seemingly be a natural replacement for the equally gritty Chester Frazier. As of today, Jeff is still not on the team, and were he to rejoin, it would be in the form of a walk on. The second would be obvious choice is Alex Legion, once assumed to be the best scoring threat on the Illini, who struggled with his shot and never broke the starting line up last year. He could take the step needed to become a scoring force this year, but it is far from a foregone conclusion.

The freshmen, with as much talent they are presumed to have, could make the case for starting right out of the gate, with two guards (I assume Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson) joining Demetri McCamey in the back court. This, at least early in the season, seems to be the least likely of all the options. Bruce has never been one to start freshman over upperclassmen unless there is a clear advantage in doing so. Bruce values defense, and ball control, and starting DMAC, who has had problems running the offense in the past, along with two freshmen who may or may not be ready to defend and run the offense. Bruce is not afraid to depend on his defense at the cost of offense. ( See Minnesota or Penn State I from last year.)

I have spoken to a few people and one idea that was suggested seems like it could be fairly plausible. Dominique Keller has proven that he can both defend and get rebounds, two aspects that Bruce always wants. In addition he has shown his ability to be a true shooting threat, and might make an interesting choice to play as a 3/guard. Keller shared the floor with both Davis and Tisdale at times last year, in addition to spelling them. This formation along with DMAC and Legion sounds to me a starting lineup that Bruce could be comfortable with, especially early on.

I get the feeling that we will see a radically different starting lineup later in the season than we do for the first game. The freshmen are probably going to have to work their way into a starting role and we will see a lot of shuffling throughout the season. I think though that there are a few things we can rely on.

1.)Demetri McCamey will be starting at guard

2.) Mikes Tisdale and Davis will be the big men

3.) If Jeff Jordan returns he would also be a starter, at least early on.

I for one have a lot of expectations for the freshmen, Brandol Paul and D.J. Richardson could very well establish themselves as the best two guards on the team and push for starting jobs very early on. It all probably all depends on how committed these kids are to playing the intense defense that Bruce always rewards.

Illini basketball Q&A with The Big Ten Geeks

Joe Kutsunis — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:51:43 -0000

Wait wait wait, I'm hosting a Q&A? What sort of bizzaro world is this?

Yes its true, I recently asked Josh and Mike of The Big Ten Geeks blog, a blog dedicated to an intense statistical analysis of Big Ten basketball, to answer a few general questions about their thoughts on the Illini. Big Ten Geeks is known for its frequent use of tempo free statistics, a formula which uses voodoo and black magic to adjust for up tempo and low tempo teams. If you don't read this blog, I suggest you stop making excuses and go over there and learn something.

HTTO You know I am sure that last year's Illini team could be go through some major scoring droughts last year, do you see that problem being fixed this year, with the addition of freshmen D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul or should Illini brace themselves for more Minnesota style slug fests?

BTG. Last year? That watching-paint-dry offense has been around since Dee Brown left town. Still, Illinois' offense was a sort of marvel of mediocrity. The team didn't shoot 3s, didn't get to the free throw line, and they didn't get any offensive rebounds. Hard to score a lot of points that way. Yet the team was still good enough to win 24 games.

As for this season, the team will almost certainly get better at getting to the free throw line, simply because there's nowhere else to go but up. As for the contributions of the freshmen, I certainly think there's the potential for them to add better 3-point shooting and an ability to get to the line. But it will likely come with the cost of turnovers, a relative strength for Illinois last season. So the offense might be more exciting, but probably a bit more frustrating as well.

HTTO Alex Legion has been something of a disappointment for Illini fans who were expecting him to be the scoring threat the team was missing. Do you think that heading into this season we should expect much more from him?

BTG He shot 24% on 3s, and 34% on 2s. I'd say he was a disappointment! Like the free throw situation, there's nowhere to go here but up. And frankly, there's a lot of potential. Yes, Legion was a highly ranked recruit, but there are also encouraging signs in his stat line (if you squint really hard). When Legion was on the floor last season, he shot the ball a ton. Now, that likely means one of two things. One, he's an incredibly selfish player. Two, he's actually pretty good, and he's used to taking (and making) a lot of shots in practice. Turning around a high shot-volume player tends to have a pretty big impact on the team, too. For instance, perhaps the biggest reason for Michigan's resurgence was the fact that DeShawn Sims started making his shots. Frankly, there might be no player more important to the Illini's season than Alex Legion.

HTTO: What do you think about Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis, big guys who shoot but not rebound. Can this team keep winning without the benefits of offensive rebounds?

BTG. Teams can be effective without a lot of offensive rebounding (take the 04-05 Illini, for instance). It's just that usually such a team is heavy on the three pointers. I'm not sure that the Illini's mid-range jumpshot offense will work again this season -- it was very reliant on seniors who took care of the ball -- so something has to change for them to maintain their success. I think it's more likely that the freshmen and Legion add to the perimeter attack than it is that Davis and Tisdale suddenly become beasts on the offensive boards, but both are certainly possible.

HTTO Overall with the conference very much on the rise, where do the Illini fit in, can they press for another Big Ten crown, or is that too optimistic?

BTG:It's probably too much for the fans to expect the Illini to be legitimate title contenders, but it's a realistic goal. Really, there are 7 teams in the Big Ten that, if they took the crown, it would not be a complete shocker. It's been a while since the conference has been this good, and this deep. It's certainly a nice change of pace from the last 8 or 9 years. Fans can expect to at least be a bubble team (hopefully the Committee won't punish the teams for beating up on each other, but you never know), and anything on top of that is gravy.

HTTO Last year, other than the Illini, the Big Ten made a strong showing in the tournament. This year the consensus is that the league is primed for a big year, overall do you see the conference living up to those expectations, like say winning the ACC/Big Ten challenge?

BTG There are probably 2-4 teams capable of making a deep tournament run (Michigan State and Purdue the most notable, but don't sleep on Minnesota or Ohio State). And yes, this really ought to be the year that the Big Ten shuts up ESPN.

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Matt Pilgrim Moves On, and Other Tidbits

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:39:47 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Mr. Unpopular? Coach K is in second place in his home state.

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The big news of today is that Matt Pilgrim has decided to play for Travis Ford at Oklahoma State University. That's good news for Pilgrim and good news for Travis Ford.

Coach Calipari was reportedly working with Josh Pastner to try to get Pilgrim to Memphis, but apparently, that didn't work for Pilgrim for some reason. As we all no doubt remember, Pilgrim was said to have been very impressive in workouts last year versus Patrick Patterson, and was highly touted by some recruiting insiders around the UK program. Now he his headed west, and I hope the NCAA can see their way clear to let Pilgrim play immediately. It's bad enough that he wasn't invited back to the UK team, but it would be heaping insult onto injury if the NCAA forces him to sit out yet another year, which presumably would also cost him a year of eligibility.

Now for the rest of the news, of which there is not too much today.

UK Basketball News

Can Patterson improve draft status?
Maybe he can, but he would have to do something we haven't seen so far, like handle the basketball and shoot from the perimeter.
Calipari hopes to see a more confident Miller
I think we will see Miller more confident. He seemed to gain confidence noticeably at the end of last year.
Meeks has no regrets
Jodie has no time for regrets. Making an NBA team is hard.
Heh.
Xavier Henry = Alex Legion, or Michael Bradley? Well, he certainly had a better upside than either of those two.
Kendrick Shoots Up The Rankings
Hmmm ...
X’s & O’s of Basketball: John Calipari Dribble Drive Motion Drop 5 Offense
More interesting DDMO stuff.

UK Football News

Hartline says he's 'the guy'
'"I don't really read the newspapers or message boards too much," he said. "My mom does, and it upsets her, but some of the things I've heard people say about me are the same things they said about (ex-UK quarterback) Andre (Woodson). The next thing you know, he blows up.'

Interesting. So if the kids themselves don't read the on-line stuff, the parents apparently do.
Cats in no rush with football recruiting
Kentucky is trying to get involved with more elite prospects. We definitely need to do that.

Other UK Sports News

None today

NCAA Sports News

One-and-done controversy still lingers
I think it's time to just shut up and see what happens. This thing may resolve itself.
Henry-Kansas Saga Offers Proof NBA Rule Wrong for College Basketball
"Clearly, the Henry boys and their dad have little interest in school. The NBA and it's minimum-age requirement is forcing a one-year marriage between the Henrys and KU we all know will end badly. C.J., a 23-year-old former Yankees prospect and a skilled 6-foot-3 point guard, could have given the NBA a shot but he's a bit rusty after a few years in the minors, and doesn't possess the can't-miss talent of his younger brother in basketball."

If it ends badly, it will be because the Henry Boys don't have discipline to do the right thing. They should both have gone to Europe if they see college as that much of a burden. It's also interesting to note that Xavier Henry is a good student. But in spite of that, he can't be troubled to go to class and live up to his end of the bargain? I think he can and will.
Dan Wolken: Tigers pursue class of the class
Pastner has Memphis recruiting going in the right direction, that's for sure.
Devils may play more zone this season
Heh. That should be interesting.

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Federer Outlasts Roddick at Wimbledon for 15th Major Title - NYTimes.com
An amazing tennis match. I have never seen a 30-game set before.

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Poll: Roy Williams is more popular than Coach K
Heh. I love stories like this. Even Duke fans like Roy Williams better than Carolina fans like Coach K.

UK Basketball: Straddlin' the Fence

Ken Howlett — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:56:49 -0000

The opinions are strongly held and varying -- Billy Gillispie is the man for the job; he just needs more time, or Billy Gillispie is the man that needs to find a real estate agent to dump his 12,000-square foot fortress of loneliness, and right quick.

Both sides of the aisle have valid, cogent points; they both can claim reasonable, and persuasive arguments; most importantly though, they both possess righteous passion regarding Kentucky basketball.

The "Billy Must Go" Set

The most common argument from this side of the debate is that (1) Gillispie is too hard-headed for his own good, (2) too in love with his own philosophies, and (3) too out of touch with what it takes to win at a high level, i.e. he's in over his head. (4) They've grown tired of players performing effectively one game, only to be relegated to the pine the next. (5) They're distressed by the Bobby Knight-treatment of sports reporters, (6) and many are quickly becoming fed-up with Gillispie's classless attitude toward the "Voice of the Wildcats," Tom Leach.

(7) After watching nearly two complete seasons worth of head-scratching moves, some fans have simply grown weary, and frustrated. (8) Watching Gillispie's teams play sketchy man-to-man defense, especially when his two UK teams are/were prototypical zone defense teams, have left many Big Blue supporters feeling fatigued. (9) And it doesn't help that recently the team has played like they don't "mean it," making it harder to find fault with those who espouse that he must go.

It's not dissimilar to a prosecutor attempting to build a case that he/she is bringing to trial: If only one or two of the above indiscretions were all the anti-Billy crowd could come muster as a basis for his immediate dismissal, then their argument would be much weaker. But considering the mountain of evidence in existence, one finds it more difficult to dismiss their points as the ravings of the Wildcat lunatic fringe.

The "Billy Must Stay" Set

What many of Gillispie's supporters will yell from the mountaintop is that (1) Billy inherited a roster more suited for the OVC, not the SEC. Kentucky, especially recently, has been hurt by the lack of a big man to take some of the heat off of Patrick Patterson, say the Billy backers. (2) Billy's bad luck is another point of contention, that many say is not his fault: The transfer of Derrick Jasper robbed UK of a potential starting lead guard, and the loss of Alex Legion left UK with only one bona-fide outside shooting threat.

Gillispie's group will also point to (3) his revival of two bottom-feeder basketball programs, in Texas A&M and UTEP. How could he have accomplished the near impossible by turning around those two programs if he didn't know what he was doing? (4) One of the by-products of those remarkably quick turnarounds are numerous conference Coach of the Year awards that Gillispie has collected atop his otherwise empty mantle. It begs the question: How can a guy so respected by his peers not know what he's doing?

And finally, (5) what would firing a coach after only two years, especially when he took over a program lacking in top 20 talent, say to the currently happily employed potential Barnhart targets? MITCH -- "I know we got rid of Billy after only two years, but some of the things he did were very disturbing. You'll get more time." Billy's backers say that wouldn't wash with the top-notch coaching talent that UK would be pursuing.

(6) An unintended result of an immediate banishment of Billy is the possible transfer of current UK players, leaving the roster thinner than the Olsen twins. Also, the potential of committed players begging out of their Letters of Intent is another real possibility. (7) That would elevate UK's status as an unstable program to heights never seen before in these parts.

Says the coach's supporters, (8) Billy deserves time to get his own players in Lexington. Every coach deserves at least four years to fill the roster with his recruits, then we'll make a judgment. Those are the most often-heard words of prudence coming from the Billy must stay crowd. And they ring true, at least to me.

Straddlin'

What we must remember 'Cat fans, is that both Parties, err, sides of the debate, are right. That is a rarity indeed. I find myself swinging from side to side, unsure which course of action is the best for the program ...

But in the end, what I think, what you think, and what former players think, is moot. The only two opinions that matter are those of UK President Lee Todd, and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart. They are both paid a handsome sum to ensure the integrity of the University, and it's athletic department, remain strong. Also, they are both charged with ensuring that the basketball coach is living up to the standards set by his predecessors.

At the same time, they must not de-stabilize the "Roman Empire" of college basketball by making indiscriminate decisions based on incomplete data. And with college basketball's preeminent program teetering on the verge of irrelevance, careful consideration must be given before action is taken.

Where's the D?

For those looking to place blame for UK's 3-7 record over the last 10 games, look no further -- In UK's first 20 games they gave up an average of 63.5 points per game, 36.4% field goal shooting, and 32.9% three-point shooting. If one takes out the aberration that was the VMI game, their first 20 games defensive numbers look like this: 60.9 points per game, 35.6% field goal shooting, and 31.8% three-point shooting.

In their last 10 games, the numbers look decidedly un-Kentucky-like: 73.2 points per game, 43.1% field goal shooting, and 38.0% three-point shooting.

I don't know why Alex Legion transferred. I realize he reportedly has an aversion to playing defense, but he would fit right in with this group of defense-less 'Cats.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

SB Nation - Alex Legion

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UK Basketball: Straddlin' the Fence