I can see where BP might get frustrated trying to get around all those screens, and Tis have trouble following Nankivil out to the perimeter. But what about the other way? With Leuer out, who does Wisky have to stop either Tis or MD down low? Their bigs may be a tad stronger than ours, but not quicker. Usually the trouble with Tis is stronger and faster opponents -- a la Draymond Green. I think feeding our bigs will exploit an advantage we have. And I think our two frosh guards have a quickness advantage over whoever will guard them.

Wisky doesn't have the athletes Sparty (or OSU, for that matter) has, but they do rely more on shooting threes. I believe BW must tell our guys to stay with their man (at least past the arc) and not worry about the penetration. They generally don't do it that much, although Bohannon did it some against MSU, in what now looks like a big off-day for Sparty, given their inspired performance against us.

Philly Boy

Illinois center Mike Tisdale will have to play through pain this week with a sore left knee after a collision during the 78-73 victory over Michigan State Saturday.

Supinie

On paper, we have the more talented team or at the least just as much talent. Wiscy is not about individual talent, though. The sum is so much better than the roster indicates. Wiscy is about controlling tempo, running a boring but effective flex offensive system that generates open shots that its players are drilled to make, defending in a way that makes teams take open shots generally just inside the 3-point arc (lower-percentage shots that even if made give you just 2 points), getting back quickly on D and boxing out like nobody's business.

Wiscy's style will drive DJ and especially BP crazy. I don't see them being factors at all Tuesday night. With Leuer out, Wiscy also plays basically 3 small guards, a SF and a center who likes to shoot 3s, so Tisdale will not match up well on the defensive end. He'll have to guard Nankivil, who is a good 3-point shooter. Tis will have a hard time keeping Nankivil from getting treys all game.

HeartofaChampion

DMac is clearly point number one. While Evan Turner and Kalin Lucas are bigger names in the Big Ten, they simply don't carry the level of responsibility for their teams that Demetri does. Look at Turner's and Lucas' supporting casts, especially with respect to offensive capability - neither of them have to so often make miracles out of nothing as DMac. When we play tough opponents, it's like our boy is trying to make Christmas dinner out of a few salt packets and a box of old macaroni. The reason McCamey "dribbles so much", as many a simpleton will claim, is because there are no other Illini who are, at this point, effective with the ball off the dribble. When DMac runs the motion from the top of the key, it's often just a matter of the other players shuffling around until circumstances are suitable for him to actually *do* something worthwhile. The level of ingenuity he is often forced to produce is utterly impressive, and because he is a skilled passer (both in terms of technique and vision), he gets his teammates involved, even though it's often really just a soloist act.

OrangeNBrood

It's hard to hear yourself think in Assembly Hall -- especially when the Illini fans smell an upset win over a top-five opponent -- let alone hear your coach screaming from the sidelines at crucial moments. Fortunately for Weber, he didn't have much reason to yell at his star point guard on Saturday night. McCamey was just that good.

McCamey went for 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting Saturday night, leading Illinois to its thrilling 78-73 win over No. 5-ranked Michigan State. McCamey was most deadly behind the 3-point line, hitting 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, including the most important shot of the night -- a high-arcing 3 that gave the Illini an eventually insurmountable 73-68 lead with :39 seconds remaining.

espn.com

With the strides of a smooth athlete, Brandon Paul raced to the hoop and flushed a SportsCenter-worthy dunk that sent the Assembly Hall into a tizzy.

Barely two minutes later, D.J. Richardson slammed another one, and the 16,618 went bananas. And that's why these buzzworthy freshmen faxed a letter of intent to Bruce Weber's office 15 months ago: to rebuild Illinois basketball into what it used to be.

"I saw Illinois slipping down. I didn't want that. I wanted to come in here and help the program," Richardson said after Illinois beat No. 5 Michigan State 78-73. "All four freshmen, we believed in that. We knew we could get it back."

Klee

"I don't think we needed to do it, but the whole day, the buildup, and some kids were there at 7:30 this morning," said Illini coach Bruce Weber. "They probably had a bunch of Red Bull and had so much energy they didn't know what they were doing. Our kids loved it."

Tupper

With ESPN Gameday and Michigan State in town Saturday for a nationally televised showdown, it's an ideal atmosphere for recruiting.

The Illini have a number of recruits and potential recruits expected to visit campus this weekend. Among those who will be attending are class of 2010 signees Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head and Meyers Leonard, as well as Class of 2011 verbal commitment Tracy Abrams.

Chris Hine