Though Paul is a junior, he's never seen Illiinois come out a tournament winner; Photo by Cary Frye

As I write this post on a gloomy, cold and rainy Chicago day, the Illinois basketball team is in Cancun living it up. Well, they’re probably actually practicing or watching some tape, but I’m guessing they had a little bit of fun along the way. And I’m sure they’ve got a killer view.

The Cancun Challenge actually started in Champaign last week against SIU-Edwardsville, and then continued on last Thursday against Lipscomb. Now they get to actually travel to Cancun, where they will face Richmond tonight at 8:30PM Central.

Coach Bruce Weber is gunning for his 300th win tonight, which will be a nice number for him to take home. Last year’s Richmond team had a nice little run in the NCAA Tournament, ultimately losing to Kansas in the Sweet 16. In fact, if Illinois had beaten Kansas first, then this would’ve been a rematch for the two teams.

This game is supposed to be the first challenge for the Illini (well people said Lipscomb would be the first challenge, but it wasn’t too tough), and while it should be more difficult since they’re away from home, I can’t say this is the same team of Spiders as last year. Richmond is 3-1 for the season, with a loss at Davidson. We all know Davidson Tournament darlings thanks to Stephen Curry, but he’s not there anymore. And since he left that team is hardly the same, either.

Basically, it’s going to be tough to see how much of a challenge Richmond will be until they step onto the court. They are certainly a much more experience team with five seniors, and they’ve got some height here and there (Josh Duinker and Luke Piotrowski are both 6-11). Since neither team has really played a tough game as of yet – and Illinois hasn’t left the comfy confines of the Assembly Hall – this game has the potential to be a really exciting one. Unfortunately, I’m not interested in exciting, I’d rather win.

On the plus side for Illinois, I will not be in attendance for their early-season tourney this year, as Cancun just wasn’t in the budget (instead I’m saving my pennies for Hawaii next year!). I went to Vegas two years ago and then New York last year, only to watch a team other than Illinois win the tournament. In Vegas, they didn’t win squat, while last year they lost to Texas and then beat Maryland. No one on the team has won a tournament, and so everyone has their eye on the prize.

Right now, Illinois has a few AP votes, which is a tad premature, but a tournament win this weekend would certainly raise their stock, and the confidence of the youngsters. After facing Richmond, Illinois with either play against Rutgers or Illinois State – both entirely beatable teams. Every year I feel like they Illini have a chance to win a tournament, but this year, I’m sort of expecting them to win. No pressure or anything!

The game will be airing on the CBS Sports Network at 8:30pm.

At least Illinois gave Wisconsin an actual game yesterday, in the first half that is. Which is strange, because they hadn’t scored in the first half since playing Indiana on Oct. 8. This gave people hope, because in the last four games they hadn’t scored until the second half, and lost. However, yesterday they proved it doesn’t matter when you score, you can still easily lose, and that’s what they did, 28-17.

In fact, Illinois scored a whopping 17 points in the first half, while Wisconsin scored only 7. However, those 7 points landed on the board after Justin DuVernois dropped a snap and got attacked before he could kick the ball to the other end of the field. After the tackle, Wisconsin had the ball inches away from their own goal line, and scored easily before the half. I’m not sure if it would have been better for DuVernois to just eat the safety and make Wisconsin take the ball on the other end of the field, because maybe they would’ve scored anyway, but maybe not.

In the second half, it was all about Wisconsin. They scored 21 straight points and Illinois did the opposite of what they had been doing in the past and failed to score int he second. QB Riley O’Toole took some pressure off of Nathan Scheelhaase throughout the game, his 2 interceptions weren’t helpful.

Donovonn Young was the star with 2 TDs, obviously both in the first half, while no one else did much of anything. It seemed like Illinois had turned a corner in the first half and all of the whispering put them into action. But nope.

Next week, they’ll be up against the worst team in the B1G, Minnesota. There is no reason to lose this game, except for the fact that it’s on the road. However, it really barely matters. A loss could mean Illinois is left out of the bowl conversation, while a win would probably mean they’ll at least go somewhere. Honestly, at this point, do fans even care?

The game will be on Saturday Nov. 26 at 2:30

Joseph Bertrand is doing his "thang" this year; Photo by Cary Frye

Coach Bruce Weber warned the Illini not to overlook Lipscomb on the schedule, and they took his advisc to heart with a 79-64 win tonight.

As is now tradition for the 2011-2012 Illini, the game was a bit too close in the first half with a sloppy Illini start, only to have them safely run away with the game in the second half.

Fouls were a bit of a problem all around, and Meyers Leonard sat out for most of the first half after earning two quick fouls in the first few minutes. No matter, the Illini adjusted to life without Leonard and did what they had to do. Nnanna Egwu filled in nicely with 4 blocks, 4 rebounds, and 4 points (and 3 fouls but who’s counting).

The winner again tonight was DJ Richardson, who had 17 points. Joseph Bertrand contributed quietly as always, and was just 2 points shy of a double double with a game-high 8 rebounds and 11 points. Sam Maniscalco and Brandon Paul also were in double figures in points with 15 and 12, respectively. Tyler Griffey also stepped in for Leonard with 6 rebounds and 5 points.

Though he wasn’t in the game long, Leonard still made his presence known with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Crandall Head made his season debut and brought 4 turnovers to the table, along with 3 points and 2 fouls. He did have 2 assists, but is it wrong for me to expect more from him? I know he needs to adjust, but sadly these stats might be typical for him this season.

I have to say I’m pumped about this team and ready to see what they can really do. They will finally head out on the road next week, but the court probably won’t be very hostile in Cancun. However, it’s still going to be far from the comforts in Champaign. Technically the last two games against Lipscomb and SIUe were part of the Cancun challenge, and thank goodness they won so they can face some higher caliber teams at the next step.

First on the Cancun list is Richmond, a respectable Tournament team last year. This could be the first true challenge for Illinois, and on the road nonetheless. I’m ready to see how they can truly handle the pressure, and if they can overcome their sloppiness in the same way they have in the first three games of the season.

The bad news? Illinois had 21 turnovers. The better news, they were 17-22 for free throws. More bad news? 28.6 percent from behind the arc. We’ve got a few things to work on.

Oh, and I have to say it was quite exciting to see the game on a proper TV channel and in HD no less. It was strange not to have the Facebook and Twitter buttons on the top as I’ve gotten used to on BTN.com, and it was weird to actually see the faces of the guys through a crystal clear lens. Didn’t realize quite how bad the footage was online until I saw how it was supposed to be.

Next game will be on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 8:30.

Here's hoping DJ Richardson continues to have solid games; photo by Cary Frye

Bruce Weber took a quick moment speak with the press today about the upcoming game tomorrow against Lipscomb, who he thinks might be the toughest opponent for Illinois yet.

Word is that Lipscomb’s best player was out in their 3-point loss to Gardner-Webb on Sunday, and it isn’t clear if he will be in the game tomorrow.

As for the ailing Illini, Weber reported that Devin Langford saw the doctor yesterday, and is not ready to play just yet with that broken finger. Weber thinks that Langford won’t be cleared until they return from Cancun late next week.

Crandall Head has sat out his required four games and should be involved tomorrow, though it’s not clear how. Weber said that Head has had a pretty good attitude on the bench, but what he needs on the court and off, is discipline. His brother Luther had issues as a youngster, and straightened himself out quite nicely. I hope Crandall can do the same.

I don’t expect Lipscomb to be a huge challenge, though they do have a 6’10 center in Stephen Hurt and a couple of 6’8 guys in Marvin Williams and Justin Glenn.  The Illini aren’t used to dealing with taller/bigger guys, but they’re going to need to get adjusted before playing teams in major conferences. Weber said he’d like to see Meyers Leonard get more involved in terms of defense, so we’ll see if that comes together for them tomorrow.

The game is finally on an actual TV station for the first time this year, but I don’t think it will truly rattle the guys until they are on ESPN or something of the like.

The Illini face Lipscomb at home on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 8pm on the BTN.

Things sure got testy during yesterday’s B1G football presser, as Illinois coach Ron Zook left abruptly after Shannon Ryan from the Chicago Tribune asked him about his future after this season.

Rumors have been swirling about what will happen to Zook after this season’s radiant 6-win start and then abrupt downward spiral of 4 losses which will probably turn into 5 after Wisconsin on Saturday. Nonetheless, I’m not sure what people really expect him to say when responding to this question.

Would they like him to say: “Well golly I sure screwed up this season and I’ve already started cleaning out my office! See you guys around.”

Zook probably doesn’t even know himself what the future will bring, and my guess is he’s frightened because he knows that without that Texas Bowl win last year he might already have been out.

However, there are certainly more graceful ways to address such a question without giving a reporter an angry stare and storming out. Take a look at his reaction here:

http://illinoishomepage.net/finfulltext/?nxd_id=310827

Someone who feels pretty confident about his team and his job might’ve said “The only future we’re worried about right now is that game on Saturday against Wisconsin, and we’re just tuning out the rest.” Or, he also could’ve simply said “next question please.” Instead, he made himself look worse by walking out.

So, what about that game on Saturday? For the first time all season I’m barely interested in even watching. Wisconsin isn’t quite the powerhouse that people predicted with road losses to Michigan State and Ohio State. There is a chink in the armor, and it appears to be on the road. Perhaps if Illinois can get it together the team can pull off a win, but it is doubtful.

Wisconsin is ranked No. 15 right now, and a win would be a huge coup for the Illini and would certainly guarantee a spot in a BCS bowl. It would also give the Illini confidence enough to win against an easy team like Minnesota for the first road win of the season next week. Right now, Illinois has 6 wins making them bowl eligible, but 7 losses could put them out of the running despite those wins.

I don’t see how Zook and the others can be confident about the game this weekend, especially after the arrests and shootings last weekend. The team had a nice long rest before hosting Michigan last week and the offense was still as lifeless and dead as a doornail. The team doesn’t look the same as it did in those first few games (perhaps those two or three close games were a fluke), and I’m not sure how they’re going to get it together.

Zook has promised that adjustments have been made, and he has to know his job and reputation are on the line. But that knowledge could just lead to frantic desperate plays that lead to an ugly loss. The defense has been doing its job since day one, how about the offense gets into the action? I love me some Nathan Scheelhaase, but maybe Riley O’Toole needs a little bit more time in the game to shake things up. How about AJ Jenkins and Jason Ford get some mojo advice from DJ Richardson, who has been on fire on the basketball court as of late. We’ll see Saturday what these changes are, and if they even matter.

Fun facts:

• This week’s game marks the 78th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers. Illinois leads the all-time series 36-34-7 and holds a 20-14-3 series edge in Champaign.

• Illinois and Wisconsin have not met since 2008, a 27-17 Badger win in Madison. The last meeting in Champaign was a 31-26 Illini win in 2007 over the fifth-ranked Badgers. Prior to the 2007 UI win, Wisconsin had won four straight in the series.

• Illini head coach Ron Zook is 1-3 in his career against Wisconsin, while Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is 2-1 against Illinois.

• All-America candidate Whitney Mercilus continues to lead the nation in sacks (12.5), sacks per game (1.25) and forced fumbles (7).

• DE Whitney Mercilus and LB Jonathan Brown rank fourth and seventh nationally in tackles for loss per game with 1.75 and 1.61 TFLs per game, respectively.

• RB Troy Pollard is averaging 7.6 yards per carry, the 13th-highest per carry average in the nation and the best in the Big Ten.

• Illinois is 14th nationally in fewest penalty yards per game (38.5).

The game will be on ESPN2 at 11am on Saturday.

Tyler Griffey and D.J. Richardson each had career highs tonight in the Illini 66-46 win over Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. Griffey had his first career double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, which was also a career high. Richardson had 20 points, which didn’t surpass his career high, but at least tied that number. He was just one missed free throw away from having a new high this evening, but it’s still an impressive feat.

Richardson and Griffey, both starters, were the only Illini with double digits in scoring. Joining them in the starting lineup were Meyers Leonard with 8, Brandon Paul with 8, and Tracy Abrams with 5. Abrams was a bit off tonight, with just 1 assist and 5 turnovers, though he had three steals.

As far as rebounding, everyone got into the action. Leonard had 11, Paul had 6 and Sam Maniscalco, Mike Shaw, and Nnanna Egwu each had 3. Total, the Illini had 45 rebounds to SIUE’s 25.

While the game started off a little sloppy, by the end everyone calmed down and contributed in their own special way. Leonard had 5 blocks, just one behind his career-high 6 on Friday, and Egwu and Paul each had 2 blocks. While Richardson was the high scorer, Paul had impressive numbers everywhere else, including a game-high four assists.

Also the Illini were strong on the defensive end, holding the Cougars to under 50 points, Mark Yelovich had 13 points, and Corey Wickware had 12. No one else on SIUE broke into double digits.

Twelve different guys made an appearance tonight, and each added a little something to the game. This success came though Myke Henry, Devon Langford and Crandall Head were all still unable to play. Speaking of Head, tonight was the last of his four-game suspension, and it will interesting to see what he contributes come Thursday against Lipscomb. Abrams is having no trouble running the point, and Maniscalco is right in there to help out when needed. Not to mention that Paul had the most assists out of anyone.

What the Illini do need is someone besides Richardson to put up some major points. Head probably isn’t the guy to do that, so it’s not clear where those points come from as the season continues.

I’m still wary of what the Illini will do this year, because they’re still young and they make a lot of mistakes. They had a whopping 22 turnovers tonight, compared to SIUE’s 15. However, they did have 45 rebounds, 7 steals, and 11 blocks, which is nothing to sneeze at. Despite my apprehension, I’m ready to see what they can do against a serious opponent.  That won’t be happening Thursday, but Richmond could be the first true test on Nov. 22. They’ve showed impressive moves so far, but they’re also a foot taller and a lot stronger than all of their opponents, which won’t be the case as the season continues.

Up next, the Illini play Lipscomb on Thursday at 8pm. This game will finally actually air on the Big Ten Network, instead of online.

In addition to a basketball win and a football loss, a lot more went down this weekend down in Champaign.

The weekend started off on a high note with Illinois beating Loyola-Chicago in the basketball season opener. Then, Saturday evening things took a turn for the worst with a loss to Michigan.

On Sunday, the bad news continued to pour in. First, senior LB Trulon Henry was shot in the hand at an off-campus party early Sunday morning. He had to have surgery immediately, and will miss the rest of the season.  There were two others injured in the incident, when a man fired into a crowd on a patio following a fight.

According to the university, Henry only went to the party to give a ride home to some younger teammates who wanted to leave when they realized the party was heading south.

Zook says that there will be no disciplinary action for anyone. The team doesn’t have a curfew on a Saturday night, so there is no real punishable offense.

The Chicago Sun Times reported the following information on Henry, the older brother of former Illini ArreliousBenn, who now plays for Tampa Bay.

“Henry, 27, who lives with his wife and daughter in Champaign, played at College of DuPage before transferring to Illinois. Since serving a four-year prison sentence for the armed robbery of a bank branch in a supermarket in Washington, D.C., Henry has been a model citizen.”

That would’ve been bad enough, but that bad news kept on coming when news came that freshmen Kenny Knight and Jordan Frysinger – freshmen WRs who are both redshirting this year – were arrested Saturday night. Knight is being charged with aggravated battery and resisting a police officer, while Frysinger is only being charged with resisting arrest.

According to the Champaign News- Gazette, officers arrived in response to a report of a confrontation near midnight. When they got there, they saw blood coming from Knight’s mouth. The officer told Knight to wait, but instead Knight and Frysinger decided to make a run for it.

Both players have been suspended from competition while the investigation is completed, but will be allowed to practice.

Last on the list of bad news to come this weekend, freshman basketball player Myke Henry has injured his ankle and will be out 10 days. Henry missed the first exhibition of the year due to a thigh bruise, and played 19 minutes against Quincy with 8 rebounds and 8 points. He was less effective and played just 4 minutes against Loyola-Chicago.

While losing Henry for 10 days isn’t a major blow, it’s just sort of annoying. This is the time where Bruce Weber needs to figure out the team, and needs everyone involved. However, it’s certainly better than getting shot or arrested.

Photo by Richard Paul Kane

After the Illini won 6 games in a row, everyone was debating whether or not they were “for real.” For some the answer has been apparent for the last three weeks, but now it should be crystal clear to everyone: nope.

On a windy day in Champaign this weekend, the Illini did the same thing they always do and avoid actually making any touchdowns until the second half. At that point – as with the last four games – it was too little too late and the Illini lost to the Wolverines, 31-14.

Even though the Illini gave up 31 points to Michigan, there is no way you can blame the defense. They did their job as best they could, but eventually, it gets tiring being on the field ALL THE TIME. With the offense doing nothing, it’s difficult to shoulder all of the responsibility.

At halftime, Illinois had just 30 yards of offense, and zero points. However, the Illini were only down 14 points at halftime -they’ve overcome much higher deficits in the past – and it’s not like Michigan was really doing a stellar job and had a number of opportunities to get more TD’s in the first half.

The fact that they never even got the ball past midfield until late in the third quarter was a good indication of where the game would go. Though the Illini finally scored some points with a Nathan Scheelhaase TD and then another one by Jason Ford, Michigan got another TD with just 3 minutes to go and the Wolverine lead was insurmountable. If I were Ron Zook, I’d be a little concerned about my job at this point.

In the end, both teams had 3 turnovers, and Michigan had 362 yards compared to 214 from Illinois. Illinois was just 5-17 in third down efficiency, something that they’ve done much better with in earlier games in the season. Each team had 3 fumbles as well. Looking at the stats, the major problem is the yardage, because everything else is pretty equal.

The Illini are now 6-4, and though they were bowl eligible over a month ago, they could still go 6-7 for the season and be left in the dust when the bowls come a’calling. Frankly, at this rate I’d be embarrassed to see what they’d do in a bowl game anyway, and I’m not sure they deserve an invitation. The super partnership of Scheelhaase and AJ Jenkins has faded, and Jenkins had 0 touchdowns for the night. While Ford had a touchdown, most of the time he either drops the ball or runs about half a yard before being tackled.

I would like to give the defense a shout out, and especially Whitney Mercilus, who leads the nation in sacks. The offense, however, needs some help.

As if the continual losses weren’t enough, LB Trulon Henry is now out for the season after being shot in the hand (more on this in a bit). Henry is pretty integral to the defense, but in addition to that the team sure didn’t need any other distractions.

Next week, Illinois will welcome Wisconsin to Memorial Stadium, and I don’t have any faith that they will win that game. After that, they will head to Minnesota on Nov. 26. Minnesota is at the bottom of the B1G barrel, but that doesn’t mean a win will come any easier.

The Wisconsin game will be at 11am on ESPN2.

Leonard had a career-high 15 points and 6 blocks; Photo by Cary Frye

It was all about the big men tonight in the first victory for Illinois this season, as they beat Loyola-Chicago 67-49.

Meyers Leonard was on fire tonight with a team-high and career-high 15 points, and he also tripled his record of 2 blocks by stopping the ball six times tonight. To top it off Leonard had 2 rebounds, 2 steals and his first 3-pointer as an Illini.

Though Leonard didn’t start tonight, he wasn’t bothered. “I responded well,” Leonard said. “I came out and played hard. I don’t have a problem with coming off the bench. It’s all about whose on the floor at the end of the game during crunch time.” Weber also commented that Leonard’s positive attitude about not starting showed his growing maturity.

Athletes are always hard on themselves, and Leonard did comment that he should’ve had more rebounds.  “I definitely need to rebound the ball better,” he said.

Tyler Griffey also got into the action with 10 points, including 2 from behind the arc. Nnanna Egwu was the last big man to earn accolades tonight with just 2 fouls over the course of 22 minutes (sadly that’s a record low for him), as well as 4 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.

It wasn’t just about the big men, as Tracy Abrams had a team-high (and game-high) 7 rebounds in the win tonight,  and Brandon Paul contributed 14 points.

Though Loyola-Chicago hung around way too long and had a little extra life at the beginning of the second half, in the end Illinois ran away with the game- thanks to the efforts of Leonard. Loyola caught up to within 4 points with just over 13 to go in the game, but then Mike Shaw had a jumper, Egwu had a block, Paul had a block, Paul rebounded his own missed shot and then got 2 points and a free throw, DJ Richardson had a steal, Maniscalco had a shot, Paul had a 3-pointer, Richardson had another steal, Leonard had a dunk and then all of a sudden the lead was 12. At that point, the Illini took over. Everyone got involved, and it made a difference.

Of course this was supposed to be an easy win, but it’s exciting to see the guys in action against a DI team nevertheless. Also, the guys were having good time and it was fun to watch.

Sam Maniscalco got some serious minutes with 19. He only scored 5 points, but he does have a calming presence on the court. Weber said his goal was to get Maniscalco about 15 minutes, and he exceeded that number. But, Weber commented Maniscalco does need to get his conditioning back up.

You have to hand it to Loyola-Chicago for staying in the game as long as they did, and F Walt Gibler had a game-high 19 points. In the end, it wasn’t enough. “For 30 minutes we were making it a game, but we just ran out of gas,” said Loyola Coach Porter Moser.

Overall, Coach Weber was pretty happy about how hard the guys played. He was pleased with the energy Abrams brings, and that Paul and Leonard stepped up when necessary. While we had some interesting lineups with Egwu and Leonard in at the same time, as well as Maniscalco and Abrams, Weber liked the result and we might see this again in the future.

Let’s hope tomorrow’s football game against Michigan has the same positive outcome.

The Illini have made mincemeat out of the exhibition opponents Wayne State and Quincy, but now it’s time for the big leagues: Loyola-Chicago!

Well, maybe not the big leagues, but finally the game will actually count. At least the Loyola Ramblers are actually a Division I team. The last time the Illini met the Ramblers was in 2001, before Coach Weber took the reigns. The overall record for the Illini against Loyola is 11-3, and Illinois leads the series 8-0 at home.

The game still won’t be aired on TV, so there won’t be any added pressure. It can be found on BTN.com, just like the exhibition games. I will be in attendance for the first time this season, and it will be nice to not have to worry about the computer.

I don’t expect anything tonight other than a solid Illinois win. However, as always, it’s going to be fun to see which players will stand out and potentially earn more PT as the season gets deeper.

The game will be tonight at 8pm.