SB Nation - Chester Frazier

Brandon Paul and Mike Davis lead Illini past NIU, have I heard this before?

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:53:04 -0000

Yes the long awaited reaction to last nights intrastate match between the Illini and the Huskies of Northern Illinois has finally arrived. I feel that the win over the Huskies, while not as comfortable as the win over SIUE has taught us much mroe about how the Illini will perform this year as a team, and there is a lot more good than bad.

If nothing else the game showed us that Brandon Paul's earlier stellar debut against SIUE was no fluke, as he posted another 20 point game, this time doing all of his scoring in the first half. D.J. Richardson has not had the regular season scoring explosion to match Paul yet, but he is still contributing in no small amount putting in 31 minutes and getting steals and assists as the current second option for running the offense after Demetri. I have no doubt that the scoring torrents will come sooner or later though, just as we saw in the final exhibition game against Quincy.

Speaking of Demetri McCamey, I know its very early in the season, but it has become very apparent that DMAC is a completely different player than we have seen before, and in a very good way. DMAC had 10 points, 8 assists, 3 steals and a block. He even ended up being second in the rebound column with 5 (more on that later.) The only blemish on his stat sheet being his 4 turnovers. The stats however do not do justice to some of the coolest passes I have seen Demetri ever make, specifically finding Mike Davis for the easy points down low. I said before that when Demetri was out of the game, the offense does not move with the same rhythm or efficiency, and this was still true last night. But maybe it looks to our eyes even worse than it is because DMAC is getting it and running the offense that well. I know its premature to say so, but with stat lines and play like last night McCamey could very well be on his way to being a true replacement for Chester Frazier, but with the threat to still go off for 20 in a game, which is something different entirely.

My ~~last~~ next note on the game should be the so-so lackadaisical performance of Mike Davis. All he did was record 14 points, 17 boards, (4 offensive) and a couple blocks. Yawn. In all seriousness, this performance only seems to reinforce my belief that Davis will be First Team All Big Ten this year and that he is on his way to another big jump this year. This is Mike's second straight double-double, and doesn't look like he will be easily stopped from doing so against most teams. We already know he can score, but getting boards like he did last night, especially on the offensive end are hopefully a sign of things to come.

Overall the rotation of the big men is going much deeper than last year, where there were really only 3 players that got all the minutes down low last year, this year Tyler Griffey and Bill Cole have been getting very good minutes to spell Tis Davis and Dominique Keller, who got 10 points and 2 blocks in his own right.

Of course the who night wasn't all roses and happiness, the team had trouble keeping NIU from creeping back into the game on multiple occasions and the virtual disappearance of Mike Tisdale in the first half are things that both need to be addressed. The team definitely ratcheted down the defense in the second half, but the team defense was not as consistent as it needs to be in order to fully control a game like Bruce wants to. In future against other Big Ten teams that will defend you brutally and leave you bruised, this team may not be able to count on explosive wide open shots for Brandon Paul like the ones that carried the team in the first half.

The next two games of course are very much still warm up games, but I will be there on Saturday night to cover the Illini game against the Presbyterian Blue Hose. Yeah, yeah we all know the jokes. Am I being irrationally exuberant about this basketball team? Maybe I am, but I am going to enjoy top 25 winning basketball until someone can convince me otherwise.

The Linking Illini can't compensate for lack of sun, cause the summer's all gone

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:39:38 -0000

Ahh signing day! Mid-November! When the weather gets alot less autumnal and nice and alot more rainy and miserable. Today we talk about Basketball recruiting, and such and a little bit of drama (OMG) with the local media and coaching staff.

The music for today: The Kinks, a band from an era that, as this video will show, rock singers could be ugly as sin and still be considered sex gods.
ONWARD AND UPWARD WITH THE LINKS!

It’s been three years to this day - pjstar.com
Hey its college basketball signing day! The day when you could field a schooner in the America's cup propelled purely by the exhales of thousands of relieved Coaches. (That was a yachting reference, because this is a classy ass website.) While I wont go into why the actual act of signing a letter of intent is an important aspect of the recruiting process (See: Eric Gordan) I will use it as an excuse to point out how loaded of a class we have coming in next year. A class headlined, of course, by Jereme Richmond, the recruit that arguably turned the whole recruiting drought around. He committed even before any of the freshmen that are on campus right now. Think about it.
Tate: I stand by my letter - IlliniHQ.com
Loren Tate, a man who has no time to coddle or kid glove anybody, takes time to defend a recent letter to Ron Zook, or rather a letter published in the News Gazette that assessed the Ron Zook era rather negatively. It has caused a stir among the adults in town, so I figured it was worth my comment here. A word if warning to Ron Zook, Loren Tate has been writing about Illini football since the min 60's and this is his 7th coach in that time. He is like Fidel Castro, he will outlive us all and speculate on our replacements.
Don’t misjudge importance of Jordan’s return to Fighting Illini | The Daily Illini
I am comfortable with Jeff getting lots of playing time, even with a crowded guard lineup. He can pass the ball very well and could be the defensive stopper in the mode of Chester Frazier that Bruce is desperately looking for. He is going to have to work through the two game suspension first obviously, but more importantly he is going to have to get back to full conditioning, because the freshmen have already shown that they love to run and push the ball up court quickly, and taking the summer off doesn't really get you ready for an up and down the court game. I won't criticize too loudly though, the blogger/student lifestyle and diet has left me a doughy mass of a human. Ironic that its mostly out of shape non-athletes like me that spend so much time obsessing over other people playing sports. I think I need to get out more.

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.

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

Jeff Jordan leaving team for academics. A surprising player continues to surprise.

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:08:47 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

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Off season news, are you ever good? According to today's Sun Times heir apparent to the throne of Chester Frazier as defensive standout and passer, Jeff Jordan announced today that he would not be playing for Bruce this winter. Not to transfer to another school for more playing time or a scholarship, because both were basically his for the taking. (Well not the scholarship.) No he is leaving the team to focus more on his academics. Not because he was failing and hadn't qualified for play, but so that he can be the best student he could be while trying to be successful in something other than basketball. I am puzzled, intrigued and fascinated by this, I have to say.

Situations like Jeff's do not come around all that often. Sure lots of children of NBA players get to play in college, lots of them in Division 1. Very rarely though do they come from someone with as much name recognition as Jordan. More than a few people must have wondered why someone who could have gotten a full ride at a mid major would want to be a walk on at Illinois, where, in most years at least playing time would be hard to come by, Equally many I am sure wondered if inviting Jeff to play for the Illini was little more than a publicity stunt by Bruce to distract from problems in his program. On the one hand though, Jeff proved that he was perhaps better than his walkon status let on, earning a huge amount of time at point guard as a walk-on, and even earning a full athletic scholarship the second half of last year. On the other, maybe it is clearer why Jeff would want to come to a place like Illinois, after all, we do have a fairly impressive Academic resume (#10 public school,according to US news and world report.) And while our admissions boards might be as crooked as George Ryan and Rod Blago combined, most people seem to benefit from their time here in Champaign.

Most people are not in a position like Jeff, are there really that many students who could afford to turn down a full athletic scholarship, or have the same amount of athletic pressure? Jeff has enough money to play basketball at a Division 1 level for fun, and has decided that he wants to make a name for himself in something other than basketball. I respect that, and wish him well. In my book, he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone.

As for what this means for the basketball team, it all but guarentees that a freshman will be starting at guard next year, (with the outside chance of having 2 frosh start, depending on Legion.) Should we start asking ourselves if Bill Cole, with his 3 point range, might make a decent Legion-style guard? More importantly I hope Demetri will have improved his passing and decision making, because with out Jeff there is going to be a definite vacuum for true point guards. No matter what it means for the team, I wish JJ well in his pursuit of a degree, there is more to life than basketball, even if your name is Jordan.

Expectations are everything: a look back at the full breadth of the '08/'09 season

Joe Kutsunis — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:17:10 -0000

Lets take a trip back in time shall we? The day is October 11, 2008. The location: Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The Illini dropped a disappointing game to the Golden Gophers, and all though the Illini came back in the closing minutes, ultimately it wasn't enough to win. The loss was so deflating that by the end of the game, very few people were left in the stands. Even fewer waited around to see "the world's largest outdoor basketball practice" as it had been unfortunately named. Where a year before hand the Assembly Hall had been packed for Midnight Madness, now the Illini basketball team took the court at a very sparsely attended kickoff to their season. The expectations for the year were clearly reduced.

The team's 07/08 campaign was not one worth remembering, a losing season, a recruiting defection, a player suspended for nearly killing a team mate, that team mate possibly never regaining his full abilities. Anger, infighting and not living up to expectations. Bruce Weber's job even appearing to be in jeopardy.

Following that season a lot of changes took place. Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt graduated. Brian Carlwell transferred, a depressing end to a once promising career at Illinois, but one that was more than likely hampered by the car accident with Jamar Smith. Jamar violated his probation and was finally removed from the team. Rodney Alexander transferred to Oklahoma City University.

There were three new players to the team, Stan Simpson, who took a redshirt, Dominique Keller, another JUCO, and Alex Legion, who transferred the previous year but still had to wait until halfway through the season before he could begin playing. Recruiting, the Achilles heel of Bruce Weber's tenure was looking up thanks to the addition of former player Jerrance Howard as an assistant coach. The '09 commits seemed to be a bright light at the end of the tunnel, but the 2008 season did not look to be all that bright.

This could seem like a long protracted apology or excuse for why the Illini lost in the first round of the tournament, but its not. I am simply trying to provide some context for this season, as much of a failure and a breakdown as last season was for the basketball team, I believe this season was a success that eclipses that failure.

I have been told that the expectations for a season do not matter, and that the success of a team should be judged solely on the end result. I have also been told that no matter how bad we thought this team could have been, the fact that they did not live up to the expectations they had established for themselves through a season of play matters even more. Essentially that a team that won 24 games in the regular season and finished second in the Big Ten should have been able to win at least one tournament game.

So that's the question, what set of expectations do you use to judge a season?

I for one think that you can't judge a season without context, nor can you determine it's success purely upon the team's performance in the tournament.

I honestly think as far as an entire season goes this was a phenomenally successful season for Weber, and showcased just how good of a coach he can be. Without the team's best shooter (Jamar Smith), and the supposed team savior (Alex Legion) never finding his shot and riding the bench all season Weber put a team together that won 12 games in conference.

He did it with a former walk on at shooting guard, a player who was never a real scoring threat at point and 3 sophomores who all had potential but no guarantees that they would pan out. Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis were both undersized big men who relied on open shots and jumpers to score and had trouble getting rebounds because of their light weights. Demetri McCamey, although having shown flashes of NBA talent is, and probably always will be inconsistent, but when he does show up, he is the most talented player on the team.

There are people who would respond then, that if he can engineer a successful season in which the team beat 2 sweet sixteen teams, why couldn't he beat WKU in the first round. My answer would be, in the same way that the team lost to Penn State twice in the last month. This was a very good team, but a team that is also limited in a lot of ways, and always vulnerable to the inconsistency youth. This team lived and died by the jump shot, and when it was not there it was as vulnerable as any team in the nation. This was a shortcoming that was almost always masked by lock down defense. When the shots don't fall and the defense has a Chester Frazier sized hole, the team is very vulnerable.

There are people who want to categorize this as a letdown, as an individual game yes I would agree, I think we could have beaten the Hilltoppers. But as a season, where this team began and where it ended up are miles apart. If there was one year where the the lackluster recruiting came home to roost, it was this year. For the past 3 seasons the best players on the team were the ones graduating. This year for the first time in some time, there is real talent to build on for the future and incoming talent that will actually play a large role in the team's success. Given what Weber could do with a team that was a work in progress, it should be exciting to see what he can do with the level of talent that it incoming.Better times than this are ahead, and a team that overachieves with this level of talent foreshadows a team with a great coach. It may be optimistic, but I do believe this season's success is nothing but a good sign for next year. If nothing else, it has raised our expectations.

I know my opinion isn't universal, so feel free to share your thoughts on Bruce, the team and the season.

NCAA Round 1, Illinois vs WKU: Dont Believe the Hype

Joe Kutsunis — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:39:39 -0000

So, by now you have read all about it, without Chester, the TV says, this team is sunk. Forget the strong team defense, forget the massive height advantage the Illini big men enjoy, and most of all forget the bad losses the Hilltoppers suffered to teams outside of the top 100 RPI. All you need to know? Illinois can't score, the Big Ten is always and forever will be weak, WKU made the Sweet 16 last year with the #22 overall draft pick, and a coach that doesn't coach there anymore. I don't know why I am even bothering to right a preview for this game, because the outcome seems preordained.

But you of course know something better, that on a team where every thing is balanced, and revolves around operating as a unit. even the loss of Chester Frazier wont drastically change the face of this defense. This team is alot like the Michigan team which we faced in the BTT, but not as good. A team we beat without Chester. While Chester is the best defender by far, Jeff Jordan and Calvin Brock are no slouches themselves, and will I believe show the Hilltoppers the best defense they have seen all season.

Given the height advantage enjoyed by Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, if the guards can work the ball into these two, the scoring should not be entirely too difficult. WKU has given up huge amounts of points all year long, their defense is not as good as Purdue's, Minnesota's or Penn State's. Scoring droughts, with the Illini are always a worry, but these scoring droughts occurred against teams that are much better equipped size wise to defend them, and against teams that do not rely on purely outscoring their opponents, as WKU does.

Yes Slaughter and Mendez Valdez are talented players, but neither are Courtney Lee. As much as has been advertised about their team knowing how to win in the tournament, it is important to know that the coach that took them there is now the head coach of South Carolina.

I have every confidence that with the amount of rest the Illini have been allowed, and with the advantages we enjoy among personnel, the Illini will be successful against WKU.This game seems to me very similar to the last game against Michigan, with the amount of rest a team with our lack of depth has been afforded by the week off, and a week for Bruce to prepare a gameplan this game should be a victory.

I think Chuck D and Flav said it best.

Bracket Breakdown: South Regional

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:42:36 -0000

Our tour of the bracket moves on to UNC's regional in the South. (Previously, the East and Midwest Regions.)

After the jump, analysis on why the South has the toughest top four seeds in the field, coupled with tough outs among the lower seeds. This will be an exciting region to watch and could feature numerous upsets.
SOUTH REGION EFFICIENCY BREAKDOWN

All data from Ken Pomeroy. Teams listed in order of best to worst within each category. Each team's national rank is listed in parentheses.

South Region Adjusted Efficiency


Bracket Rank	Offensive Efficiency	Defensive Efficiency
1	North Carolina (1)	Illinois (4)
2	ASU (5)	Gonzaga (9)
3	Gonzaga (6)	SFA (13)
4	Oklahoma (8)	UNC (35)
5	Syracuse (10)	ASU (36)
6	Clemson (12)	Temple (40)
7	Michigan (41)	Syracuse (42)
8	LSU (51)	Butler (45)
9	Butler (63)	Oklahoma (46)
10	WKU (68)	Akron (50)
11	Temple (69)	Clemson (52)
12	Illinois (97)	LSU (53)
13	Akron (153)	Michigan (67)
14	Radford (187)	Morgan St. (92)
15	Morgan St. (210)	Radford (166)
16	SFA (242)	WKU (168)

SOUTH REGIONAL BREAKDOWN

Best First Round Match Up: (7) Clemson vs (10) Michigan

The once-proud Michigan program fell on hard times after the departure of the Fab Five, culminating in missing the NCAA Tournament for more than 10 straight years. Anyone who saw the fans and players go absolutely crazy on Selection Sunday after being chosen as an at-large bid understands how much this means to the program. Rest assured -- John Beilein will have his team ready to play. This game may feature the most interesting defensive match ups of any first-round game, with Michigan's 1-3-1 zone against Oliver Purnell's full-court pressuring version of "40 Minutes of Hell."

Upset Watch: (5) Illinois vs (12) Western Kentucky

Former Texas assistant Ken McDonald is in the final stages of his first season as head coach of the Hilltoppers, a team that made the Sweet 16 last season and possesses a win against overall number one seed Louisville. Illinois isn't as bad as their famous 39-33 loss to Penn State earlier in the season, but will have the heart and soul of their team -- senior point guard Chester Frazier, their best perimeter defender -- for only a few minutes, if at all. Teams seeded in the 12 slot have won about one in three first-round match ups since 1985 and Illinois looks the most vulnerable. However, Western Kentucky is a terrible defensive squad (168th in adjusted defensive efficiency) and even though the Illini aren't an efficient unit themselves, they do pass the ball extremely well and will run their motion offense.

Home Court Advantage: (1) North Carolina

The Tar Heels won't have to travel far to play their first-round match up, just down the road to Greensboro, where fans will have ample opportunity to mix it up with Duke fans watching the Blue Devils in their regional. The bigger concern than obnoxious Duke fans is the status of Tywon Lawson, the guy who makes the Tar Heels transition game go. Everything hinges of Lawson's health for the consensus preseason best team, which could have to deal with LSU, the SEC's best team and a hot Gonzaga squad to get into the Elite 8.

Best Individual Match Up: ASU's James Harden vs Temple's Dionte Christmas

Harden isn't the most athletic player in the country, but he changes pace and uses hesitation moves to maximize the effect of his physical skills. He does so well enough for DraftExpress to consider him the second-best prospect for the 2009 NBA Draft, trailing only Blake Griffin. With the court vision to find his teammates and a defensive-minded attitude, Harden does more than score the basketball.

Christmas is a scorer with better elevation and shooting form than Harden, and only averages one point less per game. Also capable of getting his teammates involved, Christmas must stay out of foul trouble on the defensive end against Harden, while running the Sun Devils' star off his catch-and-shoot jumper, as Harden shoots the ball poorly off the dribble.

This may be the best match up on the wing in the first round.

The Game College Hoops Fans Should Hope Happens: (1) North Carolina vs (4) Gonzaga

This potential second-round match up could be the end of the road for the Tobacco Row All-Star squad if point guard Tywon Lawsone can't get healthy. With adjusted offensive and defensive efficiencies both in the top 10, the Zags are the epitome of balance, with six players who could lead them in scoring. They're also the hottest team in the country after blowing through their conference tournament and have a chip on their shoulder after bowing out in the first round of the tournament the last two seasons.

Most Interesting Tidbit

LeBron James may well be rooting for his hometown Akron Zips when they face Gonzaga -- Keith Dambrot, the Akron coach, was the high school coach of James at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, even helping the superstar with his jump shot before his first NBA season.

Most Likely High Seed to Lose: (2) Oklahoma

The Sooners are widely considered the weakest two seed in the Tournament and could have problems if they face Clemson in the second round. If Clemson can slow down Blake Griffin, the game will fall into the hands of the OU perimeter shooters, who have been inconsistent all season. With sensational frosh Willie Warren slumping down the stretch, it could spell an early exit for the Sooners.

It's Banner time!

BoilerTMill — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:30:19 -0000

Much like Purdue's basketball season, today had its ups and down. I got in the car and heard the new HURT song when I started driving to Marion, which rocked. A St. Patrick's Day race in downtown Indy delayed me from getting my coffee, which sucked. My breakfast sandwich from Dunkin's rocked, but I got pulled over on the way to Marion. Kokomo lost, but Purdue won in the ultimate up and down. Both were in games against rivals that had already beaten my respective teams this season. In the end the Purdue win triumphed over everything, even the difficult Marion loss. I am very happy that I can sit on my couch with laptop in hand exhausted and sated, knowing that the morning will bring the Big Ten HoopsDay 5k and the potential to hang a new banner in Mackey Arena.

It has been a relief the past two nights to see the team that we all expected to see for the past few months. It's amazing how just a few minors tweaks can make us look like an entirely different team. We're hitting our shots again. We're disrupting teams on the defensive end. When we're hitting shots from outside it frees things up for JaJuan in the paint. The motion offense we run actually has motion in that regard. Things are running so smoothly right now that we will be very dangerous in the big tournament next week if it keeps up.

It was a fun day to be JaJuan Johnson

Positives from the Illinois game:

Robbie Hummel - For the second straight game he gave us the play we have desperately needed from him. Robbie has become the type of guy that is essential to our offense because he opens things up for everyone else. This is because of Robbie's versatility. He play virtually anywhere on the floor, a trait that no one else has on our team. JaJuan is primarily and inside guy. E'Twaun is a shooter and a slasher. Keaton is strictly a shooter, but can occasionally drive. LewJack pushes tempo and distributes. Robbie can do all of these, and that allows everyone else to do what they do best. Best of all, Robbie's back is holding up nicely with games on consecutive games.

Chris Kramer - Chris' offensive play gets back to a key point for our offense. When we get surprise offense him, such as 8-10 points when he usually only has a couple, that is another thing that opens things up everywhere else. Kramer is also a guy that gets what I like to call momentum points. For example, his authoritative dunk last night was worth just two points, but it had untold value in terms of setting tone and gaining momentum. Since many of Kramer's baskets come from steals created by his defensive play they lend themselves to getting the crowd involved. They also motivate the rest of the team and play a vital role in giving us confidence.

JaJuan Johnson - It was a doubly good day for JaJuan. He had a Chevy Player of the Game level of performance. Later in the evening his old high school, led by future teammate Patrick Bade, won its first ever regional title by taking down state power Lawrence North in a shocking upset. JaJuan is another guy that provides momentum points because you have to be clinically dead if you don't get out of your seat when he thunderdunks like he does. If he can ever become a dominant rebounder he will have a completely unstoppable game. When our defense contains the perimeter like we have in the past two games it allows JaJuan to eliminate everything within five feet of the basket. Just wait until we get to the NCAA Tournament and we start plying teams that haven't seen him yet.

Defense - Illinois is an up and down offensive team. When they are hitting they look very good, but today was one of those days, especially in the first half, where Illinois was completely disrupted by our defense. A large reason for that is the loss of Chester Frazier, who clearly makes them go. After Meacham made those two early 3-pointers we made the necessary adjustments and Illinois did virtually nothing for the rest of the half. It's easy to win when you hold a team scoreless for the last eight and a half minutes of the half.

Negatives from the Illinois game:

Second half - The second half of this game seemed very lackluster to me. Instead of going for the kill we just kind of held them at arm's length and didn't allow them to get too close. We still hit some shots, but it was almost like we simply tried to conserve the lead and energy for tomorrow instead of push for more. Hopefully this strategy will pay off in the long run.

Ohio State Preview: Eleven Warriors game wrap

Tomorrow is obviously a big day for us. We get another team that is capable of playing very well or very poorly, just like Illinois. Today was a day when they looked every bit as good as their talent level on paper indicates. We have seen both already. In Columbus Evan turner and William Buford went nuts. In West Lafayette we stomped the life out of them. I think we'll see a little bit of both in this game. Ohio State will play better because they will certainly remember the 25 point loss at Mackey Arena. We will play better because we have the confidence of that win.

The same things from my earlier Ohio State preview will apply tomorrow. We have to step out and not let Turner and Buford drive. When they drive they can either finish or set up Mullens and Lauderdale for easy baskets. We have to rebound well, which we refused to do in Columbus. Robbie Hummel will be huge in this area. He has been a rebounding machine in this tournament, and he was absent in the overtime loss at Ohio State.

JaJuan and Chally have to repeat their performance from the second Ohio State game. They completely dominated Mullens and Lauderdale the second time around. We had a 32-17 rebounding edge in that game. Surprisingly E'Twaun led in rebounding that day with 10. It's time for him to get more involved in the flow of things too. I honestly feel like we're going to take this thing tomorrow. We're finally getting on a bit of a roll at just the right now. Let's go raise a banner tomorrow. Purdue 62, Ohio State 58

For now though I am exhausted. It's time fall asleep on the couch and get ready for tomorrow. I apologize for the disjointed thoughts here tonight, as I am so tired I feel like I am just repeating myself. I will be running in the 5k in the morning at 11am, then I will be trying to scalp some tickets and actually attend the game. Though I won't be online since I'll probably be at the game, the Big Ten bloggers have proposed a giant Cover It Live to participate in for the final. That will be going up some time before tipoff, so I encourage you to stop by and participate.

Illini play best game of their season, advance to face Purdue

Joe Kutsunis — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:11:27 -0000

The way the Illini beat Michigan yesterday made me realize that I had underestimated this team. Without their best defensive player, the team defense of the Illini stepped up to hold Manny Harris to only 9 points, and Sims to 15. Considering that the two combined for 45 against Iowa the day before, that is no small feat. Calvin Brock, Jeff Jordan, and even Demetri McCamey all put forth probably their best defensive efforts of the season. Especially Brock, who replaced Frazier in the starting line up and was brilliant in his defense, never allowing Manny Harris to get comfortable.

Mike Davis needs to be spotlit for his performance as well, because frankly he played out of his mind. He had yet another double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but also had 2 blocks and 3 steals. It seems that every time we think he has hit a plateau, he jumps up another level. I would say he has more than made up for the missed free throw at the end of the Penn State. He keeps getting better and better, and I have a feeling that he will not be staying all the way to his senior year. He may not have reached his full potential yet, but he getting hot at just the right time.

I hope he stays hot, because todays game does not look any easier. As the Illini look to defeat the Boilermakers for the third time this season, something that is always very difficult. In fact the tables were turned last season, as the Illini had lost both regular season games to Purdue, only to beat them in overtime. The talent level of the Boilermakers is too high to be mandhandled by the same team three times in a season. Especially since Robbie Hummel will be back playing now. If the Illini play like they did against the Wolverines, I believe that they can beat Purdue. PU however has broken their slump as well, playing exceptionally well against Penn State last night, nearly running them out of the gym in the first half. The game plan against Purdue doesnt change, play very tough defense and be efficient on possessions. I am looking forward to see if Tisdale can pick up his game tonight against Jajuan Johnson. If our big men get the looks they were getting against Michigan last night, we should have no problem scoring. The trick will be keeping the guards from getting open looks from beyond the arc, a range that the Boilermakers, just like the Wolverines, can be lethal from. If for some reason, Chester is able to play today, it would be gravy, if not, I no longer worry about the team's defense without him. Something that definitely comforts me about next year's team as well.