Sam Maniscalco was Mr. Clutch tonight; Photo by Cary Frye

Every year, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge falls right around my birthday. This makes things easy in terms of a present, as all I ever ask for is an Illini win, and this year they listened to my request. After a shaky start, the Illini had a fantastic second half and beat Maryland 71-62.

This is a really big win for Illinois. It was the first road game, and Maryland was by no means easy to beat. As predicted, Coach Weber didn’t dig deep into the bench, but the standard guys got it done and now Illinois is 7-0. This was the third straight Big Ten/ACC Challenge win, their sixth win total- tying them for the most Big Ten/ACC Challenge wins in the Big Ten (Wisconsin also has six).

The Illini scored first, but then Maryland took over and led by as many as 9. Illinois continued to stay in the game, but Maryland led all the way up to halftime, 35-31. In the second half, Maryland got tired and Illinois took over. Two Brandon Paul free throws tied the game up four minutes into the half at 37-37, and then a few minutes later a Sam Maniscalco three gave Illinois the lead, which they held onto until the end. Maryland kept the game super close, but Mr. Clutch Maniscalco made shots when it mattered, and played the shot clock like a violin. Up by 9 points with 30 seconds to go, the game was essentially in the bag.

After tonight’s performance, I am super duper excited about this team. I’d like to welcome Paul back to the Illini again, as he had 17 points, 3 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. The real star tonight was Maniscalco, who had 24 points, with five coming behind the 3-point line, where he was 5-8.

Another key to the game was assists. Illinois had 13, while Maryland just had 5. Then there is the fact that Illinois made 18-20 free throws, though we have to remember that Nnanna Egwu wasn’t a part of that stat (I kid because I care). The Illini had 21 fouls, something that they will need to watch out for. On the whole, you have to be extremely pleased with this game. The only real problem I can see is that Weber relied heavily on  his starters, leaving the freshman (aside from Tracy Abrams, who had 3 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists) on the bench. The older guys were getting the job done, but as the season goes on Weber is going to need to rely on the bench just a little more.

Now I can finally exhale and believe that these guys might be able to do something this year. I was fully prepared for Illinois to lose this game, and write about how it’s understandable, they’re young and on the road. The crowd was loud and obnoxious, but they were able to focus and win the game in a convincing fashion. I have to give a ton of credit to Maniscalco, who really led the team to this win. Picking him up as a senior was an excellent move, and it seems like he is doing exactly what Weber wanted.

Thanks again for this fantastic birthday present guys, I’ll see you on Saturday at the Assembly Hall vs. Gonzaga. It’ll be nice to be home again, and the Illini should be overflowing with confidence.

Despite the massive fail that engulfed the end of the Illini football season, AJ Jenkins and Whitney Mercilus were still named First-Team All-Big Ten. In fact, nine total players were awarded with all-conference accolades. 

In total, five Illinois football players were named to the All-Big Ten teams by coaches and media, while four others earned honorable mentions. Senior wide receiver Jenkins and junior defensive end Mercilus were first-team picks by both the coaches and media.

Junior bandit Michael Buchanan was a second-team selection on both teams, while senior offensive tackle Jeff Allen and sophomore linebacker Jonathan Brown were named to the second team by the media. Allen, Brown and senior linebacker Ian Thomas were honorable mention selections by the coaches, and senior defensive back Tavon Wilson was on the media’s honorable mention list. Senior kicker Derek Dimke and junior defensive back Terry Hawthorne were honorable mention picks by both groups. Sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is Illinois’ honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Mercilus led the nation in sacks (14.5), sacks per game (1.21) and broke the Big Ten record with nine forced fumbles, one shy of the NCAA record of 10. A finalist for the Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player, Mercilus has lived up to his name, forcing a fumble in four straight games and in six of the last seven, whileregistering at least one sack in 10 of 12 games this season. He led the Big Ten with 19.5 tackles for loss and is close to breaking Simeon Rice’s UI sacks record of 16.

Jenkins logged a Big Ten-best 84 catches for 1,194 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He ranks second on the Illinois single-season receiving yards list and third on the receptions list. Jenkins accounted for 53.3 percent of Illinois’ receiving yards this season, by far the highest percentage in the nation. He broke Illinois’ single-game receiving record with 268 yards on 12 catches against Northwestern and followed that up with 182 yards at Indiana the next week, breaking the Big Ten record for most receiving yards in consecutive games.

Congrats to everyone who earned recognition, despite the horrific nosedive that attacked the football season this year.

Click here for the full list of Big Ten Players who received recognition.

I’d like to go on the record as saying I will not be upset if Illinois loses this game tomorrow – as long as they make it a good show. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll be upset for sure, but I won’t be devastated. I truly believe it is entirely possible for Illinois to bring home the W, especially considering this is the first season for head coach Mark Turgeon, but it is by no means a given.

This is the first new coach for Maryland since 1989, as Gary Williams decided to retire last year. Williams brought home a national championship in 2002, and his name will forever be attached to the University of Maryland. A new coach can always shake up a team, and it also leads to top recruits bolting and players opting to transfer.

So far, Maryland is 3-2 for the season, with losses at Alabama (ranked 16 this is legit) and a home loss to Iona (ouch). With a win at Colorado the only teeny tiny feather in the cap of the Terrapins, they have a lot to prove as well.

Regardless of what Maryland has or hasn’t done so far, this is the first real road trip for Illinois. Cancun doesn’t count because it was a neutral site, and a small venue. Maryland fans will be screaming about their precious turtles and it’s going to be distracting. Not to mention the fact that this is the first team Illinois will face that plays in a major conference. Though Richmond’s A10 conference is an up and comer, it’s not the same as the ACC. We’ve got six freshmen who did some cool things on Sunday, but that was at home against a team that is no 0-6. Myke Henry may be fearless according to Coach Weber, but he’s not going to have 14 points.

To make things even more stressful, this is the first Illini game that will be on ESPN. No more BTN or obscure website, this is the big leagues. The Maryland game is certainly going to be a wake up call, but not necessarily a loss!

Despite Myke Henry's 14 points on Sunday, he won't see much PT at Maryland; Photo by Cary Frye

Illinois has played Maryland many times, and the two teams actually faced off last year in Madison Square Garden. Illinois got the W there, but as far as the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, we’ve seen Maryland three times and never won. Coach Weber is 1-2 vs. Maryland, and the overall record is Maryland leads 5-3 with the Terrapins getting the edge. Clearly, it’s payback time.

In terms of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in general, the ACC usually kicks the Big Ten in the butt. I have to wonder what will happen next year as all the conferences go haywire. Will this challenge still exist? If you’re the Big Ten, I guess you can’t be too sad if it does go away. The Challenge started in 1999, and the overall record is 10-2 in favor of the ACC. Every win for the Big Ten is important, which is why there is just a little more added pressure on the Illini to perform. Click here to see more about how the Illini have performed in the Big Ten – ACC Challenge.

I’m guessing we’ll see a lot more upperclassmen in the game than we did on Sunday, but I hope that Weber gives the new guys a chance to prove they can get it done when necessary. He’s going to need to feel comfortable leaning on the freshmen as the season progresses, and tomorrow will be an important game for them to highlight what they can (and can’t) do. They’re going to be nervous and they’re going to mess up, but the important thing will be to see how they recover.

I’m not going to make a prediction, as I’m just as curious to see how the Illini react to this game as everyone else. What I do know is that we’re going to learn a whole bunch about this team tomorrow evening.

The game will be on ESPN at 6:30.

Mike Shaw was one of the many freshmen who enjoyed tons of PT today; Photo by Cary Frye

It was a bit tough paying attention to the basketball game today as news of Ron Zook’s firing echoed through the Internet and social media channels. Also, the Illini had control of the game from the start, so there was no need to get concerned. After two close games in Cancun, Illinois had an easy time with Chicago State at home, winning 90-43. I had hoped for at least a 20-point victory, so I was pretty pleased.

Coach Bruce Weber stressed earlier in the week that he wanted to use a lot of the bench today, and his wish came true. With Illinois up early, most of the second half consisted of a freshman lineup with the only upperclassmen being the less commonly used Joseph Bertrand and/or Crandall Head. Normally this would make me convulse, but it worked. What’s most reassuring is that even when the court was filled with less familiar faces, Illinois still stayed on top.

The starters of the game were still the usual suspects: Richardson, Paul, Meyers Leonard, Tyler Griffey and Sam Maniscalco. But these guys got a lot of rest in the second half. Overall, Weber had 14 different players in the game, 12 with significant minutes. This is going to be helpful throughout the season.

Myke Henry, who was out for a few weeks due to an ankle injury, was back in the game for the first time today and logged in a whopping 21 minutes, second only to fellow freshman Tracy Abrams (24). Henry was also tied with Chicago State’s Jeremy Robinson for the honor of the leading scorer of the game with 14 points.

Henry came out to speak to the press after the game, and it was clear he was both ecstatic and a wee bit shy. Richardson had to push the mic a littler closer to the freshman as he expressed that the game today was a confidence boost. Weber commented that Henry has no fear, and he proved that by shooting (and scoring) within just a few seconds of entering the game.

Freshman Mike Shaw clocked in 17 minutes and had a team-high 6 rebounds, while Crandall Head played 20 minutes. While not a freshman, Head sat out the first four games and hasn’t been to effective before today. Head only had 2 points, but he had a game-high 6 assists.

Weber gave Nnanna Egwu 14 minutes, and we also got to see more from Ibby Djimde (13). Thankfully, it probably won’t be necessary for these guys to be in for too long in a normal game, because they’re a bit rough around the edges. Egwu did have 11 points, but he is still a bit unpredictable. He tends to foul and miss pretty easy shots. He missed a dunk with about 5 minutes left, but got his own rebound an was fouled on the second try. In the end he got 3 points out of it (shocker he made a free throw!) but really he should have just made the basket.

Mike Shaw had a team-high 6 rebounds; Photo by Cary Frye

If you’re Weber, you have to feel pretty great about this win. Yes, the Chicago State Cougars are not a tough team, but after the games in Cancun were so close I was a bit worried. This was a game they were supposed to win handily, and they did. And, it’s nice to know that the backups have started to mature, and Weber will be able to count on them in the future. It’s not likely that Henry will see this many minutes again, but it’s great to know that he can handle it if necessary. Just 11 TOs compared to the Cougars’ 22, and 34 rebounds compared to 28. Illinois shot 57 percent for the game, and kept Chicago State down to just 34 percent.

The biggest concern for Weber (and me) at the beginning of the season was that he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the team. Would the young guys play well? Would the upperclassmen step up and lead? The latter isn’t quite clear, but the former has been addressed today. The young guys keep getting better and better, which makes me feel good about the rest of the season – and next season. Chicago State Head Coach Tracy Dildy, who has seen most of the freshman in action for years since many come out of Chicago, commented that he’s seen a world of difference in terms of their growth just since the summer alone.

The Illini have advanced to 6-0, and here’s hoping they don’t follow the same path that the football team after reaching this milestone.

On Tuesday, we’ll get a real legitimate glimpse at the Illini the road in hostile territory when they face Maryland. “[It was a] positive day for our guys,” said Weber. “Obviously the competition gets much tougher as we go to Maryland and Gonzaga and continue into our schedule.”

Cancun was a road game, but there were about 12 fans, and 6 were Illini fans. Maryland will be a whole new ball game, and I’m anxious to see what happens. “You go on the road first time it’s not that easy,” said Weber. “You find out a lot about your team.”

It's official: Zook has been fired.

I just received the official announcement on Zook’s fate from the University of Illinois athletic department. No more rumors, no more whispers, Ron Zook has officially been fired as the head coach of the University of Illinois football team. The “Zook Era” ends today after seven seasons.

The University of Illinois Director of Athletics Mike Thomas officially let the press, and the public, know that today that Ron Zook will not be retained as head football coach, ending a seven-year run that saw the Illini qualify for three bowls, including the 2008 Rose Bowl.

“I assessed the entire program and felt that it was time for a change in leadership,” Thomas said. “It is imperative that our program shows some consistency and competes for championships, and I think a change in coaches can help us get there sooner. I wasn’t here seven years ago when Ron Zook took over as coach, but it’s clear the program is in better shape than what he inherited. I believe we need new leadership to take the program to the level to compete for championships on a consistent basis. This is an extremely competitive conference, and we are determined to go head-to-head with the very best.”

Note that in his comments, Thomas said a change in coaches…

The Zook Era
Zook was named head coach at Illinois in December, 2004, and compiled a record of 34-51, including 18-38 in Big Ten play during his Illini stint. After starting the 2011 season with six-consecutive victories and earning a Top 20 ranking, the Illini suffered through a six-game losing streak to end the regular season. In 2007, Illinois surprised many with a 9-4 record, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play to finish in second place. The Fighting Illini posted a memorable 28-21 victory over top-ranked Ohio State at Columbus that season to propel them into a Rose Bowl invitation. Following the 2007 season, Zook was named the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Zook is one of only four coaches to win games at Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, and produced three first-round NFL draft picks in the last four seasons.  Illinois’ 38-14 victory over Baylor at the 2010 Texas Bowl was Illinois’ first bowl victory since 1999.

But, the three seasons of bowl eligibility were also interspersed with two wins in 2005 and 2006, five wins in 2008 and three in2009. Zook finishes his Illinois tenure with a winning record over just Indiana among conference opponents.

Thomas indicated a national search would begin immediately and that he hoped to name a new coach as soon as possible.

“We will begin the process of finding a new coach as soon as possible,” Thomas said. ”Obviously, we have some hiring policies and regulations to follow, and some candidates may be involved with their own teams and bowl preparations, but I expect to move forward quickly.”

Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, who was head coach at Wyoming from 2000-02, will serve as interim coach should Illinois be invited to participate in a bowl game.

   Polls listed as AP/Coaches                                                 *Led Gators to Peach Bowl berth

According to a report from Bob Asmussen of IlliniHQ.com and The News Gazette, Ron Zook has been officially fired as the head coach of the Illinois football team.

This news was pretty much expected after the loss to Minnesota yesterday capped off a season that started brilliantly (6-0), then ended abysmally (six losses in a row). Fans expected this news to come after today’s basketball game against Chicago State (where I am currently sitting), but apparently Mike Thomas couldn’t wait – and neither could the fans.

Zook’s teleconference had been pushed from 2pm to 3pm due to the bball game, though most likely that won’t be happening anymore.

To read the full article from Asmussen, click here.

Let's all get ready to say goodbye to Zook!

With today’s loss to Minnesota, Illinois becomes the first team in history to start the season 6-0, and finish with 6 losses in a row. That’s right, they made history today, but certainly not the kind of history a team (or coach) should be proud of.

Full disclosure – I gave up on the game today. This is the first time in the season that I stopped watching an Illinois game at halftime, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. The Illini were down 20-0, a double digit deficit we’ve seen a few other times this year (Purdue and Michigan are prime examples). Minnesota is literally the bottom of the Big Ten, and even though this was a road game, it should have been an easy win.

Illinois was favored by 10 points today, and silly fans foolishly guessed the game would be a blowout. In fact it was, just the wrong team was ahead in the end. Prior to today’s game, Illinois failed to score in the first half four times in a row – and then lost. They managed to get on the board against Wisconsin, but it didn’t matter. Yet again today, Illinois decided not to score in the first half. The game appeared hopeless, and that turned out to be a fact – so I went to the movies.

Here we are at the end of the season (a full, sad recap will follow in the next few weeks) and no one could’ve predicted such a massively embarrassing fail. While Illinois may still be offered a bowl bid, they barely deserve to go. I don’t see how Zook will be able to turn the team around in the next few weeks, that is if Zook is even the coach by that time, which is quite doubtful.

Even before today’s game, there were rumblings that Zook would be out at the end of the season. After today’s loss, it’s pretty much a guarantee. Minnesota isn’t a good team, and they didn’t play like a good team. Illinois simply played worse. QB MarQueis Gray had a reasonable game with 172 yards and 2TDs.

As with every game, Illinois just couldn’t get the offense going. The defense figured out what to do by the second half, as Minnesota only scored one TD in the third quarter and 0 in the fourth. Sadly, defense only plays half the game. QB Nathan Scheelhaase did nothing, and backup QB Riley O’Toole wasn’t much more effective. The one TD of the game for Illinois came from a 11-yard rush from Troy Pollard.

While the game was basically pathetic on the Illini side, they did actually succeed in a fourth-down fake punt move. That’s not something you see every day, and that fake punt led to the Pollard TD. Too bad they couldn’t have done that 3 or 4 more times.

The season is now over, and Illini fans can safely put all the focus on basketball without wasting time hoping that the football team will do something right. The only fun part now will be guessing who will replace Zook next season, or sooner.

Illinois will accept a bowl bid if one is offered. IF.

Brandon Paul with the trophy, care of his Twitter account.

Last night’s game was much tougher than necessary, and it was certainly ugly at times, but the Illini managed to pull out another win against Illinois State, 63-59. Not only did Coach Weber get his 301st win (I forgot to mention number 300 on Tuesday), but they also got a pretty little trophy for winning the Cancun Challenge!!

Illinois State sure gave the Illini a game, and that Jackie Carmichael was pretty awesome. He had a game-high 17 points, five of which were from 3-point land. In general, it was 3′s that helped the redbirds lead by as much as 7 points in the second half.

The Illini didn’t really play to the best of their abilities, and honestly I feel like it was sheer luck that gave them the win – similarly to Tuesday’s win against Richmond. The redbirds had a chance to take the lead with a 3, but some kid stepped out of bounds with just a few minutes to go and Illinois got the ball back. After that, Illinois kept the lead and survived until the end. Tyler Brown threw up a hail mary 3 with just .03 seconds left to go with the score 59-61 – and that could have been the end. He missed, and then Brandon Paul made two free throws on the other end to get that final score.

There were four Illini in double figures, but no one had a breakout game: Sam Maniscalco 14, Richardson 13, Leonard 10, and Paul 12. Leonard also had 8 rebounds, and Paul had 5.  It was nice to see Paul getting back into the swing of things (he also had 6 assists and made free throws when it was important), and Richardson was as solid as always. In fact, he was named MVP of the tournament thanks to his consistency.

Though the game was a mess and Illinois almost got their butts handed to them, the good thing is that they came back. This is the first time all season that they’ve trailed in the second half, and it wasn’t until just under 8 minutes that a Maniscalco basket tied the game up. Illinois stayed on top for the rest of the game, but ISU was right behind them.

Last year, they would’ve lost this game. Two years ago in Vegas, they pretty much did lose this game. The great thing about basketball, is all you have to do is win. A win by 10 points and a win by 4 points are the exact same thing. I wish that the game hadn’t have been quite so close, but if nothing else this is a learning experience. I’m a tad concerned about our depth, because Coach Weber did a lot of talking about how many guys would be able to come in and play, but I feel like it’s the same people over and over. With Griffey and Leonard in foul trouble, why not more Mike Shaw? Joseph Bertrand has had a lot of success lately, and he only played 15 minutes (and scored 6 points). What’s the scoop with Crandall Head, and have we lost faith in Ibby Djimde all together?

Overall, I do like the look of the team. Two games in a row that weren’t stellar, but they led to the Illini being tournament champs. Maniscalco is looking to be the glue that we had hoped, Richardson’s mojo is on track, and Leonard has shown himself to be a beast. Tyler Griffey and Bertrand are also helping out in ways that aren’t as easily measured, but are equally as important. When Paul is on, he is ON.

Now here is the skeptical me. This was a tournament they were supposed to win. Richmond was probably the only real challenge, but even so, Illinois was going to look pretty bad if they didn’t win, and those wins didn’t come easy. Nevertheless, they’re young, and they did it. And I’m happy!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Illini fans, and to the team itself. I’ll be heading to the game on Sunday on my way back to Chicago, and I’m excited to see the guys in person again in Assembly Hall. They will face Chicago State at 12, and I’m ready to see a game with lots of players involved doing what they do best.

Sam Maniscalco had 19 points to beat Richmond; Photo by Cary Frye

After leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, Illinois held on to win against Richmond tonight, 70-61. Richmond cut the lead to as close as 5 points with just over a minute to go, causing Illini fans across the globe to throw their hands up in despair. Luckily, Richmond missed a few jacked up 3s down the stretch, because Illinois sure wasn’t doing itself any favors by missing free throws at the end of the game (including an all out airball by Brandon Paul).

In the first half, Illinois was on fire. With a halftime score of 37-19, it was all about Illinois – mainly Meyers Leonard, Sam Maniscalco and DJ Richardson. Then, in an effort to resemble last year’s team, Illinois fell asleep at the wheel and let Richmond crawl back into the game and get WAY too close.

Perhaps I’m making this into a bigger deal than it really was, as Illinois still won by 9 points and will go on to face Illinois State tomorrow for the championship game in the Cancun challenge. But, it’s been a while since I’ve had to feel stressed at the end of an Illini basketball game – and it’s not a feeling I like. As I paced around like a crazy person, my dog stared at me confused for a while until he realized that it must be basketball season again.

Leonard was by far the star this evening, with a season-high 22 points. He also had 11 rebounds, giving himself a nice double double for the night, and his first as an Illini. Add 5 blocks to that and he’s got to be happy with his performance. Maniscalco had an Illini-career-high 19 points. In the end, Leonard and Maniscalco combined for 23 of the team’s33 second-half points. It’s great that they did so well, but what happened to everyone else?

DJ Richardson did his job with 15 points, and Joseph Bertrand and Tyler Griffey were there to do the little things that are necessary along the way: rebound, hustle, and steal. Paul had exactly 0 points tonight to go along with his airball, and the freshman never got going either. Nnanna Egwu had two shots blocked in a row, which shouldn’t be happening to a guy that’s nearly 7 feet tall. Maniscalco got the start over Tracy Abrams, who had 0 points accompany his four fouls.

Defense was strong in the first half when Illinois held the Spiders to just 19 points, but they scored 42 in the second half and knocked down 8 3s. Darien Brothers led the way for Richmond with 22 points, and if the Spiders had made a few more free throws (they were 17-24), then the game could’ve been a lot scarier. Speaking of free throws, in the first half Illinois couldn’t miss, but when it was important, they couldn’t get the ball to fall. Still, 23-28 isn’t half bad – and it’s nice to make it to the line 28 times.

Tomorrow, Illinois will have to muster up the energy to play Illinois State at 8:30 in the championship game. It’d be nice if there were a few new guys calling the game, because the Boston accent or whatever on that one guy was tough to swallow – not to mention he stated at various times that both Richardson and Leonard (who he referred to as Miles) were good looking guys. I know they need to dig for things to say sometimes, but come on!

Let’s hope that they enjoy the fact that the Illini won tonight, and learn from the fact that Richmond almost stole that win away in the last few minutes.

Frazier, before shaving his head.

Chester Frazier, the video coordinator for the Illinois basketball team, has left his position in order to get back in the saddle of professional play. Coach Bruce Weber announced today that Frazier is heading back to Germany, where he played during the 2009-2010 season, to resume his professional career.

A former Fighting Illini point guard from 2006-09, Frazier has been the UI video coordinator since August 2010. He will play for S.Oliver Baskets in Wurzburg, with head coach John Patrick, who coached Frazier two seasons ago at Gottingen. Frazier is one class away from earning a master’s degree in educational policy studies. He will finish his coursework online next semester and still plans to enter the coaching profession after concluding his playing career.

“I felt like this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Frazier said. “I still have that drive to play and have missed being on the court more than I ever imagined. I can’t wait to get back out there and compete. At the same time, everyone knows I bleed Orange and Blue. I will miss being around the Illinois program on a daily basis. I’ll be staying up late watching all the games just like I did the last time I was in Germany. I want to thank Coach Weber and the staff for all that they’ve done for me, and wish the players all the best this season.”

Frazier has always been a hard worker and I was excited when he returned to Illinois to contribute to the team. However, he always wanted to play professionally, so you can’t fault a guy for heading back to pursue his dreams. I do have to wonder why he has decided to leave the team after the year has already begun, but I’m not sure we’ll have the answer.

Though I’m sure he will be greatly missed, I can’t imagine this having too much of an effect on the team. More than anyone, the players should understand Frazier’s decision to return to the court.

I’m sure IlliniNation wishes him nothing but good luck on his latest endeavor.