ESPN

Illinois announced Monday it has changed the name of Assembly Hall to the State Farm Center as part of a 30-year, $60 million agreement which will help fund the building’s upcoming renovations.

"We are extremely proud to announce this relationship with State Farm, one of the most respected corporate brands in the world," Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said is a statement. "State Farm has been an outstanding partner for the University of Illinois for more than two decades, and this agreement will carry that partnership forward for at least three more. The Assembly Hall is one of the most recognizable structures in the nation and, at 50 years of age, has served the UI campus, community and Central Illinois very well. This agreement will ensure State Farm Center will serve those same constituents, and even more, for many years to come.

"From the very early stages of this project, it was clearly apparent that naming rights for the building would play a major part in the funding model. This agreement complements support from campus and our students while supplementing support from the community."

The arena has been named Assembly Hall since it opened on March 2, 1963. The arena is scheduled to undergo a major renovation beginning later this year and be completed in the fall of 2016 in time for the 2016-2017 Illini basketball season.

State Farm and Illinois have partnered together in the past. The company's Bloomington, Ill., headquarters are located 50 miles from Illinois' campus, and the school's buildings include the State Farm Research and Development Center.

Seton Hall sophomore guard Aaron Cosby didn't realize when he narrowed his list of schools to transfer to that his final choices -- Illinois and Missouri -- were rivals.

"I didn't even know until I was on Twitter," Cosby said by phone Wednesday. "Fans from both schools were talking about each other. I asked if this was some sort of rivalry, then I found out they play every year. I had no idea. I didn't do it on purpose."

Needless to say, Cosby will soon be adding another piece of drama to the annual Illinois-Missouri Braggin' Rights Game. He'll be eligible to play in his first one in the 2014-2015 season after he sits out next season.

Cosby will visit both schools in the coming days. He flies to Illinois on Thursday and will stay there until Saturday. On Saturday, he'll travel to Missouri and depart there on Monday. He plans to make his decision next week.

What the winning school will get is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound combo guard who started 58 games for Seton Hall in his first two seasons. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds as a sophomore. He also shot 42.6 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-pointer range and 75.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Cosby could see himself playing for either program.

"With Illinois, I like coach [John] Groce," said Cosby, who is from Louisville, Ky. "He had offered me when he was at Ohio. I've known him since then. I like how he coaches and his playing style. I like what he's done at Illinois. They had a great year. They exceeded expectations."

Cosby also has a list of positives for Missouri.

"Missouri is kind of the same thing," Cosby said. "They have an up-tempo style of play. Coach [Frank] Haith really took charge of the recruiting. He made it clear he wants me, and that I will really fit well with his style."

(Read full post)

Illinois sophomore power forward Mike Shaw announced Tuesday he was transferring to Bradley.

Shaw, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, averaged 0.9 points, 0.8 rebounds and 3.6 minutes as a sophomore at Illinois. He will sit out next season per NCAA rules and have two years of eligibility remaining.

“I just felt comfortable with Bradley,” said Shaw, who announced he was leaving Illinois last week. “I didn’t have any intention to get it done this quick, but you just have that feeling. I like where coach (Geno) Ford is taking the program. I like the fan base. I like the school. The fact (assistant Ronald Coleman) is there also had an impact. The practice facility is off the charts.

“This feels good. I have another chance. It’s an opportunity to get better, work on my game and continue to play. It’s definitely something that’s refreshing. It’s an opportunity that not too many people get. It’s really a blessing.”

(Read full post)

 
AUSTIN, Texas -- Somewhere lost in all the pomp, circumstance, inspirational montages and endless car commercials of the NCAA tournament is the little secret someone forgot to mention to Colorado and Illinois -- in order to win, you must put the ball in the basket with at least a modicum of regularity.

That's not to say the seventh-seeded Illini and No. 10 seed Buffaloes missed all their shots. But each did miss enough -- 11 straight for CU to end the first half; 14 in a row, including 11 3-pointers, for the Illini at the start of the second half -- to build unnecessary and frustrating drama into a game that could have been void of both. (Apparently it is in the contract of both teams that, since this is March, they must provide some madness. And boy, were the coaches plenty red in the face.)

But, finally, the drama came to a close, along with Colorado's season, as Illinois' 16-point lead -- built during CU's horrid shooting stretch -- was enough to withstand a 23-2 Buffaloes run -- made possible by the Illini's putrid shooting stretch -- to eke out a 57-49 win in the second round on Friday.

"It's easy to come back. It is hard to come back and win,'' CU coach Tad Boyle said. "Our scoring droughts are tough to deal with. We played well enough to win today. We just didn't play well enough down the stretch to win.''

It's hard to say Illinois (23-12) played well enough to win, either. The Illini shot 13 percent in the second half. But they pulled it out at the end.

"It was only fitting that the game was maybe as strange a game -- as far as the ebb and flow of it -- that I have been associated with this group,'' said Illinois coach John Groce. "We have done it the hard way with this group a lot.''

"We just find ways,'' said Illinois guard Tracy Abrams.

Now it is time for Illinois to try to find a way to win against Miami, which appears to be about as intimidating as Tony Montana. The Illini get the No. 2 seeded Hurricanes here in Austin on Sunday. So they get to deal with size -- three players of 6-foot-10 or better in the rotation; speed -- Shane Larkin moves like mercury on marble; and an experienced coach -- Jim Larranaga has been there, done that, with much less talent, just a few years ago at George Mason. It appears to be a daunting task for an Illinois program that slogged through the first nine games of its Big Ten schedule at 2-7. Miami started ACC play 13-0, by the way. Oh, and the Hurricanes had a 27-point win over then-No. 1 Duke.

"I know that they have got great size and they are going to play very hard,'' Groce said.

Illinois had its win over a No. 1, too, beating Indiana 74-72 on Feb. 7. So the Fighting Illini are capable. But they also need to be held culpable for their errors. It was those errors -- all 14 of them in a row -- plus a couple of turnovers, that might leave some wondering just how big a mismatch Sunday will be. (Did anyone mention Miami won 78-49 and had nine guys score in the first half against Pacific on Friday? Well, it did.)

OK, there are a few glimmers of hope. Illini guard Brandon Paul didn't improve his shooting percentage -- he is a 40 percent guy -- but did make 9 of 10 free throws, five of which helped seal the game. In fact, for as bad as the Illini were from the field (30.8 percent), they were solid from the line (70.8 percent).

"D.J. [Richardson] was in my ear, telling me to just keeping fighting,'' Paul said.

Then there was the defense and the rebounding. Illinois has now held two tournament teams under 50 points in its past three games -- Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament and Colorado (21-12) on Friday. The Illini, despite giving up 14 rebounds to Josh Scott, were able to win the battle of the boards 37-36. And that was crucial in a game where misses were rampant -- and will be crucial again against the taller, thicker Hurricanes.

Illinois proved it could close. After failing so miserably from the field and falling behind, the Illini finished on an 18-5 run. One might say that they looked into the abyss and didn't blink. Miami looms large; if they can look at the Ibis and do the same, they just might be OK.

CHICAGO -- Illinois coach John Groce doesn't preach patience, so it makes sense Brandon Paul wanted his "one shining moment" a week early.

In the first game of the Big Ten tournament at the United Center, Illinois and Minnesota were tied with overtime looming. Paul got the ball in an isolation against Gophers guard Austin Hollins at the top of the key, crossed him over going left and shot a fadeaway 15-footer for the win. The Illinois bench went nuts. The Illinois fans erupted. Gus Johnson went Gus.

March had officially begun.

Read the entire column.

Illinois was selected Sunday to play in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed and will play No. 10-seeded Colorado in Austin, Tex. in the East region on Friday.

The Illinois-Colorado winner will play the winner of No. 2-seeded Miami and No. 15-seeded Pacific in the third round on Sunday.

“Our main goal throughout the season was just to get better every day, putting 100 percent,” Illinois senior guard Brandon Paul said. “3-19-13 (first day of the NCAA tournament) was on our wrist bands, and when we finally saw our name called it was pretty much a blessing. We were excited about it, and we were excited about the challenge ahead.”

The Illini went 22-12 overall and 8-10 in the Big Ten. Their quality wins included at Gonzaga, Ohio State, Indiana and Minnesota, who they defeated twice. They are ranked No. 39 in RPI and No. 63 in ESPN’s BPI.

Colorado was 21-11 overall and 10-8 in the Pac-12. The Buffaloes’ quality wins include Arizona, Baylor and Oregon. They are ranked No. 38 in RPI and No. 39 in BPI.

Illinois began the season with 12 consecutive wins and shot up to No. 10 in the AP poll. After a 13-1 non-conference season, the Illini dropped seven of their first nine Big Ten games. They bounced back with a win over No. 1-ranked Indiana on Feb. 7 and closed out the conference season winning six of their final nine games.

“They had that (tournament) goal from the very beginning when I met with (them),” Illinois' first-year coach John Groce said. “They really solidified that as something they wanted to do in the fall when we first got together and talked in particular to our seniors. To see that come to fruition in a way they had to grind it out and be really tough at different parts of the season when maybe others doubted them, but I think it’s a great life lesson for our guys. Certainly not satisfied because we have work to do, but I’m a proud for those guys.”

Groce said after Friday’s loss to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament he was happy with the way his team was playing headed into the NCAA tournament.

“I would like to play two complete halves defensively and offensively. But I like our mindset,” Groce said. “I like our body language. I like our passion. I thought we really competed in this tournament both days. I thought we really played hard. I thought we played for one another. I think the guys are playing the game right way. Hopefully, we can continue to move forward here in the next few days and figure out how we can put together two halves when we’re defending and playing good offense. I think that’s the next step.”

Illinois did not appear in the NCAA Tournament last season and has been selected twice in the previous five years. The Illini haven’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2005.

Illinois fired Bruce Weber after the program failed to reach the NCAA Tournament last season. Groce was hired after taking Ohio to two NCAA tournaments, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012 in four seasons.

CHICAGO -- Illinois coach John Groce said Friday he is confident the Illini accomplished enough this season to be selected to the NCAA tournament.

"At this point, I think we've done what we needed to do, but again that's out of my hands," Groce said following Friday's loss to Indiana in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. "We have 22 wins. We play in the best conference in the country. We won seven of our last 11 games. Three of those four losses were on the road to teams who were a combined 51-5 at home.

"The fourth one is to Indiana today, who has been ranked No. 1 in the country more than anyone all season. We play good basketball. We're in a good league. We got six top-25 RPI wins, third most in the country. But again, I don't make those decisions. That's them."

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Illinois in his latest bracket on Friday. Lunardi put Illinois as a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 Oregon in the round of 64.

Illinois is ranked No. 62 in ESPN's College Basketball Power Index. The Illini went 6-9 against top-50 BPI opponents. Their quality wins include Gonzaga on the road and at home against Indiana and Ohio State. They also defeated Minnesota twice, including in the Big Ten tournament on Thursday.

Illinois began the season with 12 consecutive wins and shot up to No. 10 in the AP poll. After a 13-1 non-conference season, the Illini dropped seven of their first nine Big Ten games. They bounced back with a win over No. 1-ranked Indiana on Feb. 7 and closed out the conference season winning six of their final nine games.

Illinois did not appear in the NCAA tournament last season and have been there just once during the career of the Illini's seniors.

"We're looking forward to the (selection) show," Groce said. "I know our guys are. We've had that as a goal since we first got together in the spring. The seniors told me that's what they wanted to do. It's pretty cool. We're approaching the date."

CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at Indiana's 80-64 win over Illinois in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals at the United Center on Friday.

<How it happened: Poor shooting coupled by the play of Cody Zeller led to a disastrous first half for Illinois. The Illini shot 7-of-27 from the field, and Zeller scored 14 points in the first half to give the Hoosiers a 35-21 halftime lead. The Illini's offense awoke in the second half, but their defense still couldn't find any answers for Indiana. The Hoosiers' advantage never fell to less than eight points in the second half. Brandon Paul and Tracy Abrams each scored a team-high 16 points for Illinois. Indiana's Victor Oladipo had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Indiana out-rebounded Illinois 38-26.

What it means: Another win over Indiana could have helped the Illini for seeding purposes, but the Illini are still considered a lock for the NCAA tournament. They went 6-10 against top-50 BPI opponents and have high-quality wins at Gonzaga and against Indiana and Ohio State. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Illinois as an eighth seed as of Thursday.

Player of the game: Zeller was a factor, but not a huge one in the teams' first meeting this season. He stepped it up in Thursday's rematch. He finished with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds.

What's next: Indiana moves onto the Big Ten tournament semifinals on Saturday. The Illini will return to Champaign and wait for their name to be called on Sunday.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A few quick thoughts from Michigan's 71-58 victory over Illinois.

Overview: Call him a Renaissance Man. In Sunday's win over Illinois, Michigan sophomore Trey Burke hit the 1,000-point scoring mark by varying it up for the Wolverines. A steal and layup, here. A finger roll, there. A deep 3 for good measure. Some fast breaks. And why not a pair of free throws?

Burke was the obvious highlight -- in what was mostly a sloppy game -- becoming just the seventh true sophomore at UM to hit the 1,000-point mark, joining the likes of Jalen Rose, Phil Hubbard and Chris Webber.

But here are some other thoughts on the Wolverines’ late surging win over Illinois.

Turning point: With a slim three-point lead and just less than 16 minutes left in the second half, Jordan Morgan made a no-look pass to Glenn Robinson, who threw down a dirty dunk, energizing a near dead Crisler Center. During the following timeout, for the first time during the game, Michigan looked relaxed, exchanging high fives. But Robinson then followed that up with yet another dunk, extending the Wolverines’ lead to seven. From there, it remained close, but UM controlled the game better, and finished out with a win.

Key player: Burke, as always, proved vital for the Wolverines’ success. Following his 1,000th point (which came on a free throw), he didn’t even react. It was business as usual as the sophomore finished with a game-high 26 points, eight assists and just one turnover.

Key stat: 16:30 -- The amount of time that passed before Michigan even took a lead over Illinois. The following three and a half minutes were nothing spectacular, and UI would take the lead going into halftime. But it was an especially sloppy stretch for Michigan. The usually strong 3-point shooting team made just two attempts from behind the arc in the first half (29 percent) and only made it to the free throw line three times, putting together a frustrating half everywhere on the floor. Combine that with their six turnovers, and it was a 16:30 that John Beilein will be glad to forget.

Miscellaneous: Michigan improved to 16-0 at home this season with its fifth-straight win over the Illini. … Freshman center Mitch McGary picked up his second career start. He finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and a block. … Brandon Paul, who averages 16 points per game, was held to 10 and forced into four turnovers while dishing out just one assist.

Next game: The Wolverines close out the conference schedule with two less-threatening road games at Purdue and Penn State, but their two weekends at home with Michigan State and Indiana will provide plenty of excitement. Illinois heads home for a matchup with Nebraska, its last home game of the season.

Illinois senior guard D.J. Richardson was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday.

Richardson averaged 18 points on 50 percent shooting and 2.5 steals in the Illini's two wins over top-20 opponents last week. He had a game-high 23 points, including 15 in the second half, in the Illini's upset of No. 1 Indiana. He also had 13 points and two steals in Illinois' 57-53 road win over No. 18 Minnesota on Sunday.

It was Richardson's first Big Ten Player of the Week award and the third for the Illini this season (senior guard Brandon Paul and sophomore guard Tracy Abrams).

Richardson shared the award Monday with Wisconsin junior guard Ben Brust, who played at Mundelein (Ill.) High School. Brust forced overtime against Michigan on Saturday by hitting a running shot near halfcourt and later connected on the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime. He finished with 14 points in the upset. He averaged 16 points for the week.

Illinois coach John Groce said Friday he was happiest for his seniors after all they've been through following the Illini's upset of No. 1 Indiana on Thursday.

"I'm happy for the seniors not only what they battled here in the last week or month, but they've been through a lot of things during their careers," Groce said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "The way those guys stepped up yesterday, the way they came together. I mentioned to my assistant with about three minutes to go, ‘My gosh, we played our tails off.'"

Illinois seniors Tyler Griffey, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson have endured plenty of ups and downs throughout their careers. In the past two seasons, they've gone 23-3 in non-conference and been ranked as high as No. 10 in the country only to struggle in the Big Ten with a 9-19 mark. With Thursday's win, they improved to 3-7 in the Big Ten this season.

(Read full post)

Jereme Richmond is eyeing another basketball comeback in attempt to put his troubled past behind him and has signed to play with the Sauk Valley Predators in the Premier Basketball League.

Richmond, a former McDonald’s All-American and Illinois player, is currently serving an 18-month probation sentence after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon on Jan. 23, 2012. He was originally arrested Aug. 9, 2011 after allegedly confronting his ex-girlfriend's father.

Richmond’s probation was temporarily lifted in October of 2012 and he spent a weekend in jail after testing positive for marijuana and failing to comply to other conditions of his probation. He has since followed his probation and had a status hearing in early January. His probation will be complete on July 23.

Richmond said Sunday he is ready to move on with his life and career.

“From now until July to even beyond that, I plan on being the best person I can be,” the 20-year-old Richmond said. “I’ve learned so much being in this situation. I’ve been humbled. Basketball is a gift. I’ve been showed the game can be taken away from you at any time.

“This time I’m around, I want to take advantage of the opportunity given me. The money isn’t important to me. It’s more important to play the game I love and not take it for granted.”

(Read full post)

The Big Ten is the subject of today's King Court and the CBB Live Extra video, so we decided to have our writers answer a few questions on the nation's top conference.

Among the Big Ten’s title contenders, which one is best built for a deep March run?

Eamonn Brennan: You're really going to make me answer this, huh? Fine: Michigan. Er, Indiana. No, Michigan. No, Indiana. Why are you doing this to me? Here's the thing: Right now, the Wolverines look like the better team. Quite possibly, they are. They are athletic and versatile and incredibly good on the offensive end, and they're led by the best point guard in the country in Trey Burke, who reminds of the cool confidence of Chris Paul more and more every time I watch him play. But Michigan is still just the 39th-best defense in the country, per KenPom.com, and traditionally that kind of D makes it hard to make a deep tournament run. Meanwhile, IU is not only playing top-five offense, but top-15 defense, too. But the Hoosiers have recently allowed a score of opponents to crawl back into games, and have shown themselves not only vulnerable, but even rattled, down the stretch at home and on the road. My head tells me the answer to this question is Indiana. My gut tells me Michigan. Does one of them have to be wrong?

How many losses will the Big Ten champion have -- and who will be that champion?

Myron Medcalf: The Big Ten is the most competitive conference in America. Just check out the past week’s sequence of events. Wisconsin won at Indiana and then lost at Iowa. The Hawkeyes followed that victory with a 72-63 loss at Ohio State. At one point, Iowa was down by 23 points in that game. There’s so much quality and parity in this league that I can’t see the eventual champ earning the Big Ten title without four losses. I think 14-4 will win the conference. With everything that’s transpired, it’s difficult to envision the schools with one loss (Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana) escaping with fewer than three more losses in conference play, because the next tier (Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin) has already knocked off every team in that group.

As for the second question, I believe Michigan will ultimately win the championship for reasons that aren’t all quantifiable. Yes, the Wolverines are first in adjusted offensive efficiency and 39th in adjusted defensive efficiency. But they also have the best player in the country, Trey Burke, running the show. He’s going to lead them to the title by elevating his play in UM’s toughest games. But I’d like 24 hours to reconsider this choice.

What have you been most surprised by in the Big Ten this season?

Andy Katz: I knew Michigan had the potential to be an elite team, but had no idea the Wolverines had the makeup to win the national title. The backcourt of Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. is truly exceptional. This duo can definitely lead the Wolverines to the title if they get the right amount of help from the post. Freshman Mitch McGary is getting to be more effective with each passing game. Michigan has also fully bought into John Beilein's system. He truly is enjoying this team, maybe as much as if not more than any other he has coached. You can tell how much he can't wait to teach them the nuances of his system, enhance their fundamentals and tinker during the game to ensure a victory.

Will Illinois turn it back around, or was the first month a bit fluky?

Scott Powers: Illinois has been like a knuckleball this season. At times, the Illini have been untouchable -- in blowouts against Butler and Ohio State and a rare win at Gonzaga. Other times, the Illini have been knocked around no matter the opponent. I believe somewhere in the middle the true Illinois team lies. The Illini are tough when they shoot well outside, and they possess some individual talent, but their rebounding is shaky and their depth is minimal at some positions. They’re not a top-tier Big Ten team, but they also aren’t a bottom-tier one. They’ve undoubtedly dug themselves a hole with a 2-4 start in conference play, and it doesn’t help that their next two games are hosting Michigan and at Michigan State. Yet in the end, I predict Illinois will turn itself around just enough to finish .500 in the conference and put itself in the NCAA tournament discussion.

Reggie Hearn's 20 points led five players in double figures as visiting Northwestern beat Illinois 68-54, the third consecutive loss for the No. 23 Fighting Illini.

Seth Greenberg goes to the game film to preview the matchup between Minnesota and Illinois.