Tournament best case/worst case scenarios: Illinois

Best Case: Unsatisfying, underachieving season takes a turn at the 11th hour, when a team led in scoring by three seniors finally finds its sense of urgency. Demetri McCamey racks up 20 points and 10 assists against UNLV. Then, in the Jilted Fan Base Jihad Game against Bill Self and Kansas, coach Bruce Weber devises a brilliant game plan to neutralize the Morris twins and the Illini score their biggest win since 2005. They then defeat Louisville to reach the final eight before losing to Notre Dame. Weber is freshly appreciated by Illinois fans. As an added bonus, coach Bruce Pearl and Tennessee are routed in their first game and Pearl is given a one-year show-cause penalty.

Worst Case: Unsatisfying, underachieving season continues on same dismal path for 40 more minutes, when senior-led team loses ugly to UNLV -- coached by another former Illinois boss, Lon Kruger. Illini go 6 1/2 minutes without scoring in the middle of the second half to blow an eight-point lead and lose by two when 7-foot-1 Mike Tisdale turns a low-post catch into a fadeaway 18-footer that misses at the buzzer. Tired of looking at the skinny upper bodies of Tisdale, Bill Cole and Mike Davis, and tired of listening to fans call for his job, Weber at least changes strength coaches. Meanwhile, Self wins another title and Pearl goes to the Final Four.

Pat Forde