ESPN Men's Basketball

As reporters huddled around Bruce Weber for what might have been one of his final news conferences as Illinois head coach, a Big Ten tournament official entered the room to say that time had nearly expired.

“Two minutes,” he yelled.

Weber’s team had just lost to Iowa 64-61 in the opening round of the conference tournament. The loss might have spelled the end of his tenure at Illinois, one that reached its peak with an appearance in the national title game in 2005. But in a win-now landscape, 12 losses in his team’s last 14 games blemished his legacy.

“One minute,” the tourney official announced.

Weber’s flushed face, hoarseness and measured pace suggested that the trials of recent months had truly taken a toll. With each query, he tried to maintain a sense of normalcy.

But when asked about the support he’s received throughout his challenges this season, Weber’s eyes welled up, his voice cracked and tears collected on the bottom rim of his eyelids.

“I can’t explain to you how many people have contacted me. I mean, literally thousands. Guys who don’t even know me,” Weber said.

“We’re going to be closing the Illinois locker room,” the Big Ten tournament official announced again.

Weber’s remarks concluded with talk of a meeting with Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas. No specifics. A brief smile.

And with that, Weber walked into a room and closed the door, unsure of his fate.

The struggles that plagued his program this season were crippling again Thursday.

The Illini committed 12 turnovers. NBA-bound Meyers Leonard scored a team-high 18 points (9-for-11), but he should have had more, given the number of times his teammates failed to find him.

Brandon Paul, the team’s leading scorer entering the game, recorded four points (2-for-11) in what he called one of the worst performances of his career.

“We just have, I feel, like every piece that a team could possibly need, where we’re just missing that one thing,” Leonard said.

There were missed dunks and layups. There were several bad shots that seemed to follow the same pattern. With the shot clock at Bankers Life Fieldhouse set to expire, the Illini would waste the possession with an NBA-range 3-pointer or an off-balance jump shot.

When Iowa’s Aaron White secured a vital offensive rebound in the final seconds, Illini players looked at one another seeking answers. At one point they were leading with a score of 40-33.

Missed opportunities. They’ve defined the entire season for a team that beat Gonzaga in the nonconference season and Ohio State (ranked fifth at the time) on Jan. 10.

After Thursday’s game, Weber said the gap after that Ohio State victory might have squelched the team’s momentum. The Illini didn’t play for nine days and returned to action with a 54-52 loss at Penn State on Jan. 19. It was the beginning of a 2-12 stretch that will likely lead to the NIT.

“We started out pretty well. We didn’t play pretty basketball, but we were finding ways to win with defense and hustle and togetherness, and won some close games,” Weber said. “I’m sure a lot of people feel maybe the Ohio State game was the turning point, because all of a sudden expectations changed, mind-sets changed. And then I don’t think it was really a good situation after Ohio State to have nine days off.”

Even after the Illini’s title-game appearance in '05, Weber scored some of the top recruits in the Big Ten and the country. Demetri McCamey, Jereme Richmond, Leonard and others provided the Illini with the firepower to compete in the Big Ten and beyond.

But Weber never moved the Illini past the second round of the NCAA tournament after that loss to North Carolina in the national championship game. This season’s difficulties seemed as baffling as any he’s had in recent years. The Big Ten was rebuilding. The Illini appeared to have a promising crew with Leonard, Paul and D.J. Richardson leading the way.

A team that was expected to compete for the Big Ten title, however, finished at the bottom of the league. As a result, negative speculation about Weber’s job status has grown.

“No, not at all. You hear stuff going around campus. People say stuff here and there. We still did what we had to do,” Richardson said about the rumors’ impact on the team.

But the chatter couldn’t have helped this squad as it tried to regain a portion of its swagger while the losses accumulated.

And now, Weber, Illini fans, players and staffers will have to wait for Thomas’ verdict, one that isn't expected to extend his coach’s time in Champaign.

Weber reached the NCAA title game seven years ago. That’s an eternity in today’s college basketball climate. Winning, however, changes the perceptions of a program. Fans and supporters crave more.

And Weber, in the years that followed that magical 2004-05 campaign, couldn’t give them want they wanted.

Only time will tell if he’ll have another opportunity to try.

Weber opened his postgame presser by saying, “I just feel bad for [players] that they didn’t have more success.”

The latter, in high major college basketball, is all that matters.

Overview: Both Iowa and Illinois entered the Big Ten tournament in need of a championship to earn a trip to the Big Dance. Iowa had managed to impress in stretches this season (the Hawkeyes swept Wisconsin) and was mentioned as a sleeper in the buildup to the Big Ten tournament. Illinois, however, had fallen on hard times. The Illini had lost 11 of their past 13 -- a stretch that might cost Bruce Weber his job -- prior to Thursday’s 64-61 loss to Iowa.

After a back-and-forth first half that featured a 50 percent shooting clip for Illinois and a 46 percent mark for Iowa (Illinois had a 31-27 lead at halftime after a D.J. Richardson 3-pointer at the buzzer), Illinois stormed out to a 40-33 advantage just minutes in the second half. But Iowa returned fire with a 22-8 run that gave the Hawkeyes a 55-48 advantage midway through the second half.

It was just a four-point game in the final minute, and a crucial Iowa turnover seemed to put Illinois in a position to change the outcome. But the Illini coughed the ball up before they could do anything with that vital possession. Joseph Bertrand hit a 3-pointer with 16.1 seconds to play, cutting Iowa’s lead to one (62-61). But a pair of free throws by Matt Gatens put the Hawkeyes ahead again by three.

Turning point: The Illini appeared to possess a little mojo at the start of the second half, but Gatens squashed that momentum with a pair of crucial buckets near the 14-minute mark. Gatens hit a deep three, then dunked off a turnover on the other end. The game turned off that stretch. Iowa began playing with more vigor, which led to the run that turned the game in the Hawkeyes’ favor.

Key player: Gatens was a star for the Hawkeyes. He scored 20 on 7-for-12 shooting. Beyond the box score, however, the senior stayed calm when Illinois started to pull away at the start of the second half. He also had three rebounds and an assist. He converted all four of his free throw attempts, including two in the final seconds.

Key stat: The Illini committed 12 turnovers compared to Iowa’s six. The Illini went 7-for-25 from beyond the arc.

Miscellaneous: The Illini made this game far more difficult than it had to be with tough shots toward the end of the shot clock … Meyers Leonard scored 18 points in what might have been his final game at Illinois … Freshman Aaron White (13 points) could be a Big Ten star next year.

What’s next: Iowa moves on to face Michigan State at noon on Friday. Illinois will probably end up in the NIT. The bigger question is how long Weber will be on the sideline.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- He laughed, not out loud, but certainly to himself every now and again.

How could he not?

Not long ago, Brandon Paul was thinking he was going to stop taking 3-point shots. Maybe not altogether, but certainly cut them down -- go for more of a sure thing, such as drives to the hoop.

His confidence was somewhere near the curbside thanks to an abysmal outside shooting slump that started in the first game of the season and really hadn’t abated since. Paul was shooting 28 percent from beyond the arc, down from 36 percent just last season.

Which is why, as Paul was shooting off his back foot with a hand in his face, beating the shot clock with a swish of the net, knocking down eight of 10 from beyond the arc and scoring 43 points in Illinois’ 79-74 upset of No. 5 Ohio State, he just had to chuckle.

“I did laugh a couple of times,’’ the 6-foot-4 junior said. “After the first few went in, I just decided I was going to keep on shooting. It was big for me because I’d been looking down on myself because the shots weren’t going in.’’

Clearly he was saving up.

Paul’s 43 points were the third most by any player in Illinois history. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he's the only college basketball player over the past 15 seasons to score at least 43 points while attempting 15 or fewer shots. Now that's efficient.

Heck, his point total was only five less than his team scored in a game against St. Bonaventure earlier this season.

Yes, it was a no-he-didn’t, oh-my-goodness jaw-dropper of a night, one that made you shake your head even when you watched it live.

Every shot Paul hit was crucial. He scored 10 points in a row to erase an eight-point first-half deficit and scored the final 15 of the game -- none bigger than his last 3 of the night.

With Illinois clinging to a 71-70 lead and less than a minute left, the Illini got the ball with just 4 seconds left on the shot clock. They inbounded to Paul, who somehow beat the disappearing clock to sink a 3 from the deepest corner of the baseline with Aaron Craft’s hand right in his face.

“We wanted to make him shoot a challenged shot, and he did,’’ OSU coach Thad Matta said. “It was a great shot. We were there. Aaron almost fouled him, but it was as big as an ocean for him tonight.’’

Truth is, it’s not Paul’s final dagger that will haunt the one-time prohibitive Big Ten favorite Buckeyes, who now have dropped to 3-2 in league play. It’s the two-minute span in which Paul didn’t score a point. Ohio State led by 11, 48-37. The fans were groaning, sensing that the Bucks were about to cruise to victory and turn an entertaining game into a walkover.

Instead, the Illini scored nine unanswered points, with an exclamation 3 from D.J. Richardson after Illinois doubled player of the year candidate Jared Sullinger, forcing him into a turnover.

Illinois shot 61 percent from beyond the arc against a team that had allowed opponents to sink only 30 percent from long distance. Illinois also dropped 74 on a team that ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 54.9 points per game.

Bruce Weber's team went toe to toe on the boards (28-27 edge to OSU) against a team that outrebounds opponents by an average of 8.7 per game.

That span and those numbers are what will have Ohio State looking hard in the mirror.

That and the unkind bookends of history. Just a year ago, the Buckeyes rallied from a 13-point deficit against the Illini. Weber was quick to remind his team of that during a huddle after it had regained the lead.

No doubt Matta might offer up that bit of information in the future.

“You get to the round of 32 and then the Sweet 16, and you get comfortable,’’ Sullinger said. “You get beat.’’

It would be easy to write off this loss as a bad night for the Buckeyes and a ridiculously good one for Paul. It’s not altogether inaccurate. But Matta looks a little more critically at his team and doesn't think anything is quite that simple.

He watched the film of Ohio State's 76-47 win Saturday against Iowa, a victory most viewed as a sign that OSU was back from its loss to Indiana, and saw things differently. He saw a team that made mistakes despite what looked like an overwhelmingly strong defensive effort. A team that is full of good kids but still needs a presence and a leader, especially at practice.

He’s not ready to sound the alarm, even if his players are starting to ding it for him.

Somewhere in the middle is probably the right reaction. This isn’t wholesale panic time in Columbus, not with three losses to three good teams. Yet in a league as deep and as difficult as the Big Ten, there’s little room for error, especially with what stands as an even more crucial game against Indiana looming Sunday.

“We’re not going to bite on fool’s gold,’’ Matta said. “We have to play better. Unfortunately the numbers [from the Iowa game] were a little bit misconstrued, and those got blown out of the water tonight.’’

Certainly some of that was due to Illinois, or more specifically Paul.

There are some things no one can guard against, and that includes a guy who’s turning a Division I basketball game into a game of H-O-R-S-E.

Paul’s night started out about as horrifically as a night can begin. He coughed up four turnovers in the first seven minutes and didn’t have a bucket to negate the miscues.

It wasn’t exactly what Paul was imagining when he was roused from his pregame nap by a text from his coach that read simply, "This is your time. Be special."

“The way he started," Weber said, "he was special bad."

By the end, he was unforgettably spectacular. Laughing all the way to victory.

Saddle Up is our semi-daily preview of the night's best basketball action. It laughed at this gif, and now it almost feels bad. Almost.

No. 4 Baylor at No. 18 Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3: There's an interesting dynamic brewing around Baylor, even as this team has streaked to a 15-0 start and, as the faceless Stats LLC writer behind our afore-linked pregame preview wrote, its "best start, longest-ever win streak and highest ranking" in the history of the program. Despite all that, people seem to be wondering why the Bears, good as they are, aren't better?

More specifically, they seem to be asking why Perry Jones III, the most gifted athlete in college hoops, doesn't dominate games in proportion to his ability. They ask why Jones, with his soft touch and 6-foot-11 frame and his top-five NBA lottery status doesn't produce the consistent low-post bucket feast of Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger, or the face-melting highlight reel of Thomas Robinson. You look at Jones on the court, and you see what NBA scouts see: Incredible size, incredible length, incredible touch. But the box scores only rarely align with our eyes.

To hear Baylor coach Scott Drew tell it, it sounds rather simple: Jones is still developing:

“I think Perry’s more physical this year. He is stronger, bigger, more mature,” Drew said. "He wasn’t one of those 24-year old freshmen. He’s a younger guy, and as he continues to develop he’ll be able to take more advantage of things inside. And he’s shooting the 3 now. He’s definitely a different player. I think it’s just all age and maturity. That’s what the NBA sees – they see every year he gets closer and closer to it."

Jones may have to grow up in a hurry Tuesday night. There are few interiors in the country as well-suited to match up with Baylor's length and athleticism as the Kansas State Wildcats, which most recently ended Missouri's perfect run with an emphatic effort at home. If Baylor wants to escape the Octagon of Doom with its own perfect record intact, it will have to survive a sluggish, slow, hard-fought defensive battle of a game. In the immortal words of Chicago Bulls local analyst and all-around hilarious human being Stacey King: It's a man's game. No boys allowed. (And yes, I really just wanted to quote Stacey King. Can you blame me?)

The good news for Baylor comes on two fronts:

1. This is a good defensive team in its own right. In fact, with rare exceptions the Bears have been much better defensively team than on the offensive end all season long. The Bears rank No. 35 in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, per Pomeroy; they're No. 13 defensively, allowing opponents .87 points per possession. That's really good.

2. Baylor has a fully developed, capital-M man of its own on the low block. His name is Quincy Acy.

If you're looking for the Bears' interior star thus far this season, look no further. While Jones has posted decent numbers peppered with the occasional flash of brilliance, Acy has been in beast mode all season long. Perhaps that is the best argument for the power of development in college hoops: Acy has a fraction of Jones' natural talent, but more often than not this season he's been the more productive and effective of the two.

At this point, pining for consistent dominance from Perry Jones seems a little bit silly. He's clearly improved, but he's still not quite there yet. The good news for Baylor, especially as the meat of their Big 12 begins to challenge them on a frequent basis (the Bears travel to Kansas Monday and host Missouri next Saturday) is that Jones isn't the only talented player on this roster. There's Acy, there's guards Pierre Jackson and Brady Heslip, there's gifted freshman Quincy Miller, there's Cal transfer Gary Franklin. Jones looks like he should be a transcendant star, but he isn't. Individually, none of the Bears are without their flaws. And neither, despite its record, is this team.

Oh well. There's no use pining for something that isn't there, at least not yet. What the Bears are already is still awfully good. They'll need to be to stay undefeated tonight.

No. 5 Ohio State at Illinois, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN: First and foremost, NBA scouts should love this one. Why? Because they get a chance to measure Illinois sophomore forward Meyers Leonard -- a potential first-round pick whose stock should rise as the season continues -- mano a mano with surefire lottery pick Jared Sullinger. That matchup, pitting two of the Big Ten's three or four best big men, is the one to watch. It's a good one.

Where Illinois coach Bruce Weber may direct more of his concern is, well, everywhere else. The Illini have been a thoroughly mediocre offensive team for pretty much the entire season, thanks in large part to the fact that Leonard simply doesn't touch the ball enough. Instead, those touches and shots go most frequently to guard Brandon Paul, who is still taking the highest percentage of his team's possessions and shots despite his effective field goal percentage of 42.1 and his offensive rating of 91.7. Paul might be the only Illini player who can consistently get to the rim, but that apparent talent doesn't seem to be doing much good. Just as often, Paul decides to shoot a three, where has gone 21-of-74 (28.4 percent) on the season. Yikes.

Considering the presence of Leonard, and the fact that fellow backcourt mate D.J. Richardson actually is efficient (off. rating: 116.4; eFG%: 54.4), Paul's chuck-happy ways constitute a drastic misappropriation of resources. That, more than any other reason, is why the Illini have struggled thus far this season. They may be able to hold Ohio State's offense in relative check tonight. The Illini do defend, Leonard can (conceivably, anyway) present some resistance to Sullinger and the benefit of an Orange Krush-led home atmosphere should be a huge leveling force.

But if Illinois takes the usual diet of bad shots and silly threes against this No. 1-ranked efficiency defense, which is holding opponents to (get this) .78 points per trip this season, they might not break 50 points. Whatever the final tally, it will be ugly.

Everywhere else: No. 13 Louisville will try to avoid a loss in a slightly tricky road game at Providence. ... No. 3 UNC will host Miami. ... No. 7 Michigan State gets Iowa in East Lansing, and if the Hawkeyes double down on their NYE win at Wisconsin, the world will officially cease to make sense. ... Georgia travels to No. 19 Florida. ... Florida State will attempt to halt its ugly recent slide at Virginia Tech. ... Vanderbilt looks to stay unbeaten in SEC play at South Carolina. ... and UNI goes to Omaha to face No. 21 Creighton in another huge MVC game with potential NCAA tourney bid implications.

Wednesdays are always big nights in college basketball. Here are some predictions for this evening’s games (I’m including my take on Kansas State-Kansas in case you missed it at the bottom of my game preview):

No. 20 Marquette at No. 9 Georgetown

The Golden Eagles bounced back from a home blowout against Vanderbilt by beating Villanova 81-77 on New Year’s Day. Still, Buzz Williams’ team is struggling without 6-foot-11 center Chris Otule. Georgetown was far from impressive in a 49-40 victory over Providence one day earlier. Both teams are very well-coached and are considered contenders for the Big East title. The Hoyas get the nod here, but only because they’re at home. This could be the game of the night.

Prediction: Georgetown 60-57

No. 3 Duke at Temple

The Blue Devils have won their past three games by an average of 32.3 points, but Temple should provide a much stiffer test. Fran Dunphy’s squad has won three straight since a Dec. 17 setback at Texas, but the Owls don’t have enough firepower to upend a Final Four contender.

Prediction: Duke 82-69

Notre Dame at Cincinnati

The Bearcats have gone 6-0 without suspended center Yancy Gates, who will return tonight. The Bearcats have been playing with a four-guard lineup, so it will be interesting to see how they alter their game plan with Gates. Notre Dame is in rebuilding mode and will be hard-pressed to beat Cincinnati on the road.

Prediction: Cincinnati 75-66

Illinois at Northwestern

If John Shurna and the Wildcats want to have any chance of earning the first NCAA tournament bid in school history, they’ve got to win games against similar opponents at home. Stopping Illinois standouts Meyers Leonard and D.J. Richardson won’t be easy, but I think Northwestern can pull it off.

Prediction: Northwestern 68-67

Iowa at Minnesota

If the surging Hawkeyes can beat a good Wisconsin team in Madison, I’ve got to think they’ll have a chance at Minnesota, which is 0-2 in the Big Ten after road losses against Illinois and Michigan. This would definitely qualify as an upset, but not a huge one.

Prediction: Iowa 72-66

No. 1 Syracuse at Providence

The Friars lost by 24 points against St. John’s and then scored only 40 in a setback at Georgetown. Syracuse should roll.

Prediction: Syracuse 85-66

Wichita State at Evansville

Just two games into the conference season, and the Shockers are already in a difficult position following a home loss to Creighton on New Year’s Eve. They can’t afford a road loss to an Evansville team that upset Northern Iowa on New Year’s Day.

Prediction: Wichita State 74-68

No. 22 Kansas State at No. 15 Kansas

Kansas State has lost its past five games at Allen Fieldhouse by an average of 18 points. Kansas is as vulnerable as it’s been in years, but Kansas State relies on several young players -- namely freshmen Thomas Gipson and Angel Rodriguez -- who have never experienced this kind of environment. The Jayhawks will win tonight but don’t be surprised if the Wildcats return the favor when Kansas visits Manhattan.

Prediction: Kansas 75-63

Upset of the night: Texas Tech over Oklahoma State

Gallagher-Iba Arena is traditionally one of the toughest places to play in the Big 12. But Oklahoma State fans may not be as excited about this season’s team. Two more players -- Fred Gulley and Reger Dowell -- have decided to transfer in recent weeks. Third-leading scorer J.P. Olukemi tore his ACL last weekend and is out for the season, and highly touted freshman Le’Bryan Nash has been a disappointment. Texas Tech is rebuilding under first-year coach Billy Gillispie, who may have the conference’s top freshman in forward Jordan Tolbert.

Prediction: Texas Tech 66-59

Saturday’s slate of games featured some surprising finishes. Teams were exposed. Others were discovered.

It was a tutorial on the unpredictable ebb and flow of the college basketball scene this time of year. Here are a few things I learned:

No. 1 Syracuse 88, North Carolina State 72

What we learned: The Orange aren’t just deep -- they're really good

Syracuse has been praised as one of the deepest teams in the country. The Big East power possesses a talented backup at every position. Sometimes, however, the “depth” tag suggests a team lacks individual talent. That’s not the case with the Orange. North Carolina State started strong but Syracuse didn’t panic. It just turned to its stars. Dion Waiters (career-high 22 points), Scoop Jardine (16 points) and Kris Joseph (21 points) led an SU squad that hit 56.5 percent of its shots. North Carolina State was up early and then -- Bam! -- the Orange snatched the game back. Even with a target on their backs as America’s new No. 1 team and a highly publicized investigation of a former assistant coach, they continue to operate like a team without any distractions. Cuse has survived every Bernie Fine development and overcome the obstacles on the floor. Can’t get overly excited quite yet about a team that just played its first road game, but the Orange seem to have it all right now.

No. 13 Florida 84, No. 22 Texas A&M 64

What we learned: Florida’s backcourt is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams

Well, the Aggies don’t belong anywhere near the top 25, judging by Saturday’s lopsided loss to the Gators. They can’t score. The Big 12’s worst scoring offense and worst free throw-shooting team couldn’t find the buckets to compete with Florida. Give UF credit for attacking early (opened the game on an 18-2 run), putting its potent offense to work and getting to the free throw line (30 attempts). The Gators are going to have trouble against bigger teams given their size disparity, but as Saturday’s game proved, opposing teams continue to have problems matching up against a team with their backcourt depth (three guards scored 16 or more, led by Kenny Boynton’s 22 points and his six 3-pointers). One question remains, though. Patric Young took two shots. You have to wonder whether he’ll become a more consistent part of Florida’s offense in SEC play. One thing is clear: When this team gets going, it’s a hard one to stop. There are still defensive concerns, but the Gators are going to compete in the SEC if they continue to produce this level of offense.

No. 7 Baylor 86, BYU 83

What we learned: Perry Jones can lead Baylor to a national championship

Baylor’s NCAA title hopes will be directly linked to its identity outside of Waco. The Bears were 1-3 away from their home floor during the nonconference portion of last season’s schedule. Those road woes followed the Bears into the Big 12 season. In a gritty game Saturday against a BYU squad that’s always tough on its home floor, Perry Jones III scored a career-high 28 points and played with the heart that’s expected of a star. After suffering a late knee injury, Jones checked back into the game and scored on a putback with 20 seconds to play that capped the win. Pierre Jackson blocked Brandon Davies’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer. BYU held a 13-point lead in the first half, but Jones kept the Bears alive in a hostile environment. He’s NBA-lottery good. We knew that before Saturday’s game, but since his return from an NCAA-mandated suspension at the start of the season, he’s looked like an NCAA championship-caliber leader, too.

Gonzaga 71, Arizona 60

What we learned: Gonzaga is not discouraged by early struggles, but Arizona might be

This was a significant game for a pair of teams that had dropped from the rankings in recent weeks as they failed to meet preseason projections. Both needed this game in Seattle. Gonzaga played like it understood the stakes. Arizona did not. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead to start the game, and Zona spent the rest of the contest trying to close the gap. But that early onslaught from Gonzaga set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. The Zags held off Arizona’s late charge that cut the deficit to 62-56 with 2:03 to play. The Wildcats’ leading scorer, Solomon Hill, went 1-for-7 and finished with six points, his second single-digit effort in three games. The fall continues for Arizona, an Elite Eight team last season but one that has lost four of its past seven games. Give Gonzaga credit, though. The Zags seemed motivated and focused, despite suffering their recent ups and downs. Saturday’s version of Elias Harris (25 points) should help Gonzaga in what should be an excellent WCC race with BYU and Saint Mary's. Hopefully, the 2-for-11 player who showed up for last weekend’s loss to Michigan State never returns.

UNLV 64, No. 19 Illinois 48

What we learned: UNLV is legit

With about 41 seconds to play in this game, Illinois' D.J. Richardson drove right in and went up for a dunk that wouldn’t have affected the outcome. But Quintrell Thomas swatted the shot like it mattered. Thomas and Mike Moser gave UNLV a combined 30 points with leading scorer Chace Stanback (2 points) struggling, as UNLV strolled into Chicago and locked up an Illinois team that came in at 10-0. The Runnin’ Rebels now have dropped a pair of undefeated, nationally ranked squads (North Carolina, Illinois), and their only two losses came against quality opponents on the road (Wichita State, Wisconsin). This Mountain West standout is legit. The Rebels can clamp down defensively. Illinois went 16-of-63 from the field (7-of-25 from the 3-point line). Surprisingly, Illinois didn’t feed big man Meyers Leonard (3-of-8) enough in the second half. During some stretches, Leonard’s teammates just missed him and settled for bad shots. Other times, however, Leonard couldn’t breathe with UNLV defenders swarming him.

No. 4 Louisville 95, Memphis 87

What we learned: Josh Pastner is still trying to figure out this team

Let’s start with giving Louisville credit. The Cardinals held off Memphis’ relentless pursuit, after watching their 13-point second-half lead become a 58-55 deficit. Behind Russ Smith’s career highs of 24 points and seven steals, Louisville pulled off a solid home win. But it also was another game in which Memphis baffled observers with its inefficient use of its immense talent. Will Barton is special (28 points, 16 boards), and he’s surrounded by a variety of highly skilled athletes. But that hasn’t been enough for the Tigers. Their four losses have come against quality opponents, but at what point will this group get over the hump? When will it stop playing in spurts and begin improving shot selection in tight stretches? Those are all key questions for Pastner going forward. He has some talented players on his roster. But getting all that talent to work together is still a challenge.

More observations from Saturday:

* No. 2 Ohio State stayed strong when Jared Sullinger left Saturday’s 74-66 victory over South Carolina with a foot injury, but you have to wonder whether the sophomore’s ailments will hamper him and the program the rest of the way.

* With Cody Zeller, who scored 21 points in Saturday’s 69-58 win over Notre Dame in Indianapolis, the No. 20 Hoosiers can compete for the Big Ten title.

* Both Mississippi State and Detroit proved they’re legitimate conference contenders during the Bulldogs’ 80-75 victory over the Titans. MSU is 11-1 now, while the return of center Eli Holman (12 points, 9 rebounds) increases Detroit’s potential of winning a Horizon League title.

* The Missouri Valley race will be the most competitive in the country. Indiana State’s 61-55 win at No. 25 Vanderbilt was just a reminder of the conference’s parity and talent. The Sycamores will compete with Creighton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Missouri State in what should be a heck of a two months in the Valley.

* J'Covan Brown continues to keep 9-2 Texas afloat in the Big 12’s fringe contender conversations. He scored 23 points in a nice 77-65 victory over Temple.

* A game-winning tip-in with a second to play by Butler’s Andrew Smith helped the Bulldogs snap a three-game losing skid with a 67-65 win over Purdue. The Big Ten is really big this season, and Purdue lacks a consistent interior presence. That will create a variety of issues for the Boilermakers in conference play.

Hopefully, you ignored college football. Hopefully, you procrastinated putting up your Christmas decorations. Hopefully, after Kentucky's thrilling win over North Carolina this afternoon, you stayed plopped in that couch groove, remote in one hand and snacks in the other, ready to flip from one hoops affair to the next.

Why? Because UK-UNC was merely this Saturday's opening salvo. Sure, it was the best and most important and most entertaining and most talented and most insert-your-adjective-of-choice-here game of the day. But it wasn't the only one. Let's run through the rest of this afternoon's action -- beginning with Xavier's remarkable comeback win over Purdue. (Tu!)

No. 11 Xavier 66, Purdue 63: Technically, a brief glance at the Game Flow illustration in the link to the left tells the story here. The Purdue lead was 20-6 after 10 minutes. It was 33-22 after 20 minutes. It was -- get this -- 55-36 after 30 minutes. Then, in the final 10 minutes, and especially the final five, Xavier staged a marvelous comeback, ending the game on a 30-8 run and holding on in the end to get the most unlikely of wins.

You can look at the box score and know this, and therefore know the story of the game. But believe me when I say this is one you had to see to believe. In particular, you needed to see X guard Tu Holloway, whose late-game transformations -- Holloway goes from inefficient to "oh my God, did you just see that?!?" -- are one of the strangest and most compelling performance storylines in college basketball this season. It pains me to say this, but in his past two games, Tu Holloway became college basketball's Tim Tebow. (I know, I know. I couldn't resist.)

As in Xavier's victory at Vanderbilt on Monday, Holloway was pedestrian to downright bad for much of Saturday afternoon. Before the final five minutes, he was borderline invisible, when he wasn't committing one of his six turnovers, that is. And then, just as it did Monday night in Nashville, something clicked. After the five-minute mark, Holloway went 3-of-4 and scored 13 of his 21 total points, including the three consecutive dagger 3s he stuck in the closing moments when his team needed them most. He won the game with his shooting and finished it off with his free throws.

It's strange, this lightbulb that seems to click only in the closing moments. But whatever it is that goes off in Holloway's head when the game is on the line in the closing moments, Xavier fans will take it. Thanks in large part to Holloway's late-game heroics, the Musketeers end this week with two crucial nonconference wins over two power-six teams, one of which came on the road.

There's a ton of season left, but would anyone want to draw the Muskies in an elimination game right now? For all its occasional struggles -- and by occasional, I mean "for the first 35 minutes of any given game" -- this Xavier team not only appears to be balanced and talented, but also appears to be as difficult an out as any team in the country. If you're up on the Musketeers, you better bury them deep. As long as Holloway's on the floor and the lead is mathematically in reach, you're never, ever safe.

As for Purdue, Matt Painter and Co. will certainly be unhappy to lose a game they controlled for so long in such heartbreaking fashion. And the sight of Robbie Hummel wincing at the end of the Boilermakers bench -- Hummel was crippled by apparently excruciating cramps for much of the afternoon -- was certainly an unwelcome one. But there are bright sides. For one, Hummel's injuries were merely cramps. (Seeing the Purdue senior, in the midst of a heartwarming comeback from two major ACL surgeries, hold his leg after contact is the quickest way this side of an Eli Roth movie to feel one's stomach turn in knots.)

More important, it should be noted that Purdue was the vastly superior team for much of the game. A loss is a loss, of course; no distinction will be made for its type during the résumé comparison season in early March. But the Boilers can take something from this game. They were the better team for its majority -- on the road, in a tough environment, against an experienced and talented team, with its best player cramping late -- and at the end of the day, maybe that's what's worth remembering.

No. 16 Marquette 61, No. 7 Wisconsin 54: Make no mistake: Marquette is a good team. Arguably a very good one. Even without star Jimmy Butler, last season's do-everything scorer, rebounder, glue guy and teammate extraordinaire, the Golden Eagles are still very good.

Even so, this is a borderline shocking result. Why? Because Wisconsin doesn't lose at home, like, ever. Before Saturday, in 11 seasons under Bo Ryan, UW was 156-11 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers were working on a 23-game home winning streak against all opponents; the last time they lost a nonconference home game was Dec. 23, 2008. So for the Golden Eagles to come in and get a win in this underrated in-state hoops rivalry -- well, yeah, that's a shocker, no matter how good this Marquette team is.

Of course, the Badgers gave Marquette the opportunity almost from the starting tip. Wisconsin posted an uncharacteristically awful shooting performance Saturday afternoon, particularly in the first half, when the Badgers scored just 22 points and found themselves in a 10-point hole at halftime. Things improved slightly in the second, but UW still finished 16-of-50 from the field and 5-of-19 from 3. For a team averaging 44 percent from 3 and 50 percent from 2 this season -- a team that relies on slowly working the ball in pursuit of a high-percentage final shot -- that simply won't get it done.

Wisconsin's slow pace -- its greatest advantage at times -- also makes it very difficult for the Badgers to mount a comeback. They tried, and cut the lead to within striking distance late in the second half even despite a tough charging call on point guard Jordan Taylor that cost the Badgers a three-point play and sent Taylor to the bench with his fourth foul. But Marquette was just as good down the stretch. Guard Darius Johnson-Odom didn't have a hugely efficient night (17 points on 15 shots), but anytime he can get his 18-foot step-back jumper off, it becomes an unstoppable offensive weapon. Meanwhile, Marquette is getting good contributions from sophomore Vander Blue and freshman guard Todd Mayo (younger brother of O.J.).

Wisconsin may have shot itself in the foot in this one -- not unlike Tuesday's close call at North Carolina -- but Marquette deserves the credit. The Golden Eagles took advantage early, made enough plays to finish the game and in the process notched one of the biggest wins of Buzz Williams' ever-promising tenure at the program. Impressive stuff.

Illinois 82, No. 18 Gonzaga 75: Maybe Gonzaga beats Illinois on a neutral court. But maybe not.

That's the feeling one got while watching this game, in which Illinois -- a young team but one with talent, which is something yours truly has been saying all season -- never looked overmatched or overwhelmed against a ranked Bulldogs team with designs on a deep tournament run. A little like UK-UNC, this win didn't feel like the benefit of home-court advantage as some deciding factor. Illinois can play with people. Now we know.

Of special note? Illinois forward Meyers Leonard. The sophomore missed much of the first half thanks to foul trouble, but he returned in the second with a determined style of play. The end result: 21 points and 6 rebounds on 9-for-11 shooting from the field. Those are impressive tallies any way you slice them, but considering Leonard posted those numbers while matched up with Gonzaga center Robert Sacre, they're doubly so. Throw in the balanced performances from starters D.J. Richardson (19 points), Brandon Paul (13 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) and Sam Maniscalco (10 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds) and, well, don't look now, but this Illinois team might well be better than last season's disappointing senior-led squad. It certainly looked the part Saturday.

No. 17 Pittsburgh 61, Tennessee 56: In Maui, the Tennessee Volunteers proved themselves to be a flawed but hard-nosed and pesky bunch, one that would refuse to roll over for their apparently more talented opponents. That quality was on full display against Pitt, which led UT by eight with 1:46 to go. That's when the Vols began fouling, and after an elbow cost guard Ashton Gibbs a technical foul -- and gave Tennessee the customary shots and possession -- the Panthers missed the front end of two one-and-ones and watched as Trae Golden's 3 cut the lead to 58-56 with 11 seconds remaining.

It wasn't pretty, but the Panthers pulled this one out after forcing a jump ball on Tennessee's key possession late. They'll be thankful for that when seeding time comes around this spring. But let it be known: Tennessee was supposed to be rebuilding. That may be true. But don't tell the Volunteers. Because they aren't yielding anything in the meantime.

Other noteworthy results from the afternoon: The jury is still out on Iowa State; the Cyclones don't have any truly bad losses (at Drake is forgivable, and so is a home loss to UNI), but after Saturday's 75-65 loss at Michigan, Fred Hoiberg's rebuilt team hasn't made us sit up and take notice either. ... Ryan Boatright's home debut after a six-game NCAA rules suspension went swimmingly: The freshman guard scored 23 points and led his team to a game-opening 14-2 run in what was arguably a struggling UConn team's most impressive performance of the year, a 75-62 victory over Arkansas. ... Usually, UCLA-Texas is a marquee game. Not this season. The Bruins are now 2-5 after today's home loss to the Longhorns, which was briefly interrupted by a power surge that caused the lights to dim in the aging Los Angeles Sports Arena, UCLA's temporary home. One imagines Ben Howland would have preferred the lights stay off. ... BYU played at the home of the Utah Jazz (hey, there's nothing going on there) and dusted off Oregon with a 13-0 run in the second half of its impressive 79-65 win. Noah Hartsock led the way with 23 points and 12 boards for the Cougars. In other news, the Horizon League began conference play -- yes, conference play -- on Saturday, with the two biggest results a 77-71 overtime win by Valpo at Butler and Cleveland State's 66-61 win at preseason Horizon favorite Detroit. We know to never count out Butler (or Detroit if Eli Holman ever returns), but it's becoming apparent that the Crusaders and Vikings are the teams to beat in the Horizon.

Thanks to Illinois and West Virginia putting together an exhibition scrimmage at Aviano Air Base in Italy during their preseason tours, we have our first glimpse of what college basketball in 2011-12 will look like.

This wasn't a pick-up game or a Pro-Am showcase. It was two college teams going at it for 20 minutes in five-on-five action with refs, and you can watch some highlights here of Illinois winning 47-26 before an estimated crowd of 500.

D.J. Richardson led the Illini with 11 points, and Darryl Bryant and Kevin Jones had eight points apiece for the Mountaineers.

But mainly, the two teams got to entertain the troops, and afterward Illinois coach Bruce Weber called it a rewarding experience.

"They're going to battle and they're thanking me for coming to entertain them, to have a fun night of basketball that they don't get to see," Weber said. "It was very inspirational."

The two teams got to scrimmage the airmen as well, and one of them might have actually stolen the show during a dunk contest, according to Stars and Stripes.

A team made up of Aviano airmen and dependents served as a warm-up act for both teams by playing them for 10-minute contests. West Virginia won, 25-7, and Illinois came out on top, 26-12.

Players from the two collegiate teams and from Aviano then engaged in a dunk contest. Illinois’ Joseph Bertrand and 7-foot-1 center Meyers Leonard advanced to the finals along with Aviano’s Douglas Henderson. Henderson was mobbed by his teammates as well as a few collegians after finishing a dunk in the preliminary round that included him throwing the ball off the wall behind the basket.

Illinois began last season with high expectations, a national ranking, and a 10-1 start that seemed to signal that it might have been its year in the Big 10. Things didn't work out that way, as the Illini played unevenly in conference games and endured frustrations with senior Demetri McCamey along with the eventual departure of McDonald's All-American Jereme Richmond.

This preseason, the team is trying to wash away what happened last season and starting off by openly discussing what happened. Center Meyers Leonard, coming off his freshman season and a summer spent with the USA Under-19 team in Latvia, even pointed the finger at himself, according to ESPN Chicago.

Leonard's first season didn't go as he hoped on the court, and he admitted he often allowed his anger to boil over.

"I got frustrated last year some with myself, some with the coaches," Leonard said on Tuesday. "I would talk back. I was pretty immature to be honest."

From Gatehouse News Service:

"It trickles down a lot," junior guard D.J. Richardson said Tuesday. "It messes up the team. We had problems last year. We were still able to win games. We were inconsistent.

"You couldn't really sense it until you go back and look at it at the end of the season. We were trying to win games. At the end of the season, that’s when you noticed how many problems you really had."

Consider those comments good news for Illinois coach Bruce Weber since the first step to correcting a problem is recognizing there was one in the first place and not shying away from it.

Illinois has plenty of talent returning in Leonard, Richardson and guard Brandon Paul. The 7-foot Leonard compiled a 63 percent shooting percentage in nine games in Latvia and was under the watchful eye of Weber during the team's training camp in Colorado Springs as the coach was on the USA selection committee.

Now it'll be up to Weber to rebuild a team with more of a winning attitude. He'll get a head start on it as the Illini head to Italy in August for a preseason tour and some much-needed bonding time.

Thus far, the signs have been positive.

"I think this whole group is coachable," Weber told ESPN Chicago. "I think the other guys ... it was misconstrued they weren't coachable. I think they had limitations. They could only do so much with strength and physicality.

"I think maybe that extra discipline, that extra toughness, that extra work ethic, maybe they learn from the others. I tell them all the time to learn from past experiences, from others' experiences, their failures, so you can have success."

Remember when Bruce Weber couldn't recruit?

For a while there, that implication -- whether true or false -- hung like a weight around Weber's neck. Illinois fans saw their guy could coach, but Weber's best seasons (including the brilliant two-loss run to the national title game in 2005) came with the benefit of predecessor Bill Self's players. Once those players left the program and the talent (and wins) seemed to dwindle, Weber was stuck answering the age-old succession question: Yeah, but can he recruit? More specifically, can he recruit in Chicago?

The first question has been settled by the past two signing days; Weber's 2009 and 2010 classes were both among the 15 or 20 best in the country. And if there was any remaining doubt about the second question, Weber's 2011 class has made it officially moot.

That's because the 2011 class, which Weber officially inked yesterday, features four players ranked among the top 20 at their positions and three in the ESPNU 100 and -- get this -- all of them hail from Chicago. Forward Mike Shaw, small forward Mychael Henry, point guard Tracy Abrams and Nnanna Egwu all played their high school hoops in and around the Chicago area at schools like St. Ignatius, De La Salle Prep, Orr Academy and Mt. Carmel high school. There are other good Chicago-area players heading to other schools in the class -- Kentucky commitment Anthony Davis, the No. 2 player in the class, for one -- but the depth and breadth of Weber's domination in the area is impressive all the same.

This isn't the first time Weber's done well in Chicago, of course. Top 2010 recruit Jereme Richmond hails from Waukegan, Ill. His classmate, Crandall Head, is from the city proper. In 2009, Illinois Mr. Basketball Brandon Paul, a Gurnee, Ill., native -- brought his talents to Champaign, Ill., too. Weber had made serious strides in the city before 2011. But altogether, with the 2011 class in the fold, six of Weber's past 11 recruits come from the Chicago area. Only D.J. Richardson, a Peoria, Ill. native, can be counted as top Weber recruit who isn't from the Second City.

In other words, the question is answered. Yes, Bruce Weber can recruit. Yes, he can recruit -- maybe even own -- Chicago. And yes, after once feeling the pangs of uncertainty about their new coach, Illinois fans can rest easy. The Illini are going to be good for a while.

The drill, you know it. Here are five things I can't wait to see in the Big Ten this season:

1. How -- and whether -- Purdue recovers

At the risk of overplaying the Robbie Hummel story (he was, after all, the story of Big Ten media day, too), I'm going with this at No. 1. To me, there is no greater intrigue in the league this season than in finding out just what effect Hummel's ACL tear will have on his team in 2010-11. We know from last year's injury that the forward added far more to Purdue's offense than to its defense. Purdue's offensive efficiency drastically declined after Hummel's first ACL tear last February (thanks in large part to a couple of 40-point stinkers in games against Michigan State and Minnesota, the latter of which saw the Boilermakers score 11 points in the first half), but there was some sign Purdue had righted the points-per-possession ship during their run to the Sweet 16. Defensively, the Boilers were not only fine, they were better with Hummel out; coach Matt Painter changed his team's style, focusing less on offensive rebounds demanding his team get behind the ball with all five players. With Chris Kramer still patrolling the perimeter, and a much more careful Boilermakers team on the floor, Purdue ended the season with the third-most efficient defense in the country.

The problem is that not all of Hummel's contributions, even on the offensive end, are quantifiable. Hummel's versatility as a point forward with 3-point range opened the lane for JaJuan Johnson and made it difficult to impossible to double the big man on the elbow and short post. Hummel drew a high number of fouls, distributed the ball well without turning it over, and was in many ways a glue guy who played with the efficiency of a star. Kramer's defense (and sneaky good, fourth-option-type offense) is also a major loss. Painter is a more than capable coach with more time than last year to figure out how to replace Hummel (and now Kramer), and he has a large amount of depth to utilize in that process. But it's hard to imagine these Boilermakers being as good as last year's pre-ACL version.

2. A healthy Kalin Lucas

It's no wonder Michigan State is ranked just behind Duke in just about everyone's preseason top 25. The Spartans went to their second-straight Final Four in 2009-10 without the help of their best player, guard Kalin Lucas, who was a contender for Big Ten Player of the Year until an Achilles tear forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of the season. The 2010-11 version gets Lucas -- and everyone not named Raymar Morgan and Chris Allen -- back. Toss in a talented recruiting class with at least one likely contributor (freshman Keith Appling) already in the mix, and you get a loaded, experienced team as talented as any in the country. The real draw, though, is Lucas -- how he recovers, how he leads, and how he closes his Michigan State career after being forced to watch from the sidelines during last year's triumphant and unexpected finish.

3. Bruce Weber's best team in years

Even in down years, Bruce Weber's teams did one thing. They defended. Weber is a defensive coach, and his ability to get his players to play stifling man-to-man defense out to 30 feet has been one reason why a lack of talent in the post-Deron Williams era hasn't gotten him in more trouble with his fan base. But no such problem exists this season: Illinois returns all five starters from last year's team. Three seniors, including All-Big Ten preseason pick Demetri McCamey, are back. Last year's two highly touted freshman -- Brandon Paul and Big Ten freshman of the year D.J. Richardson -- will look to make the freshman-to-sophomore leap. And another big-time recruiting class, including forward Jereme Richmond, the No. 23-ranked player in the class of 2010, shouldn't need much time to make an impact. There is no small amount of expectation surrounding this team: The Big Ten's media picked Illinois to finish fourth behind Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue, and the Illini are ranked No. 13 in the AP preseason poll. That's a big jump in expectations for a defensively mediocre team that limped to an NIT finish last season, but it's a warranted one. Now Weber just has to remember how to get his guys to play defense. With all that talent, the offensive end -- and an NCAA tournament bid -- should take care of itself.

4. Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger

Losing a high-usage player of the year like Evan Turner isn't the sort of thing your program is supposed to immediately overcome. But Sullinger, the No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2010, could push the 2010-11 version of the Buckeyes to be even better than last year's team. The four non-Turner starters -- versatile guards William Buford and David Lighty, sharpshooter Jon Diebler, and bruising center Dallas Lauderdale -- return. By plugging Sullinger (not to mention top small forward prospect DeShaun Thomas) in, Ohio State won't have to play four guards this season. They won't lack frontcourt depth when Lauderdale gets in foul trouble. They won't have to play their starters an insane number of minutes. And, if Sullinger plays to expectations, they'll have as effective a low-block scorer as any team in the country. It's hard to pick Ohio State over Michigan State to start the season, but by the end of it, Ohio State could very well deserve that distinction. They might just be the second-best team in the country.

5. Another ho-hum Wisconsin season

And rest assured, denizens of Madison: I mean "ho-hum" in the most complimentary way possible. This is a stat I've written before, but one that bears repeating: In Bo Ryan's tenure, the Badgers have failed to finish worse than fourth in the Big Ten exactly zero times. In nine seasons, the Badgers have failed to win 20 games only twice, and failed to win more than 24 games three times. The man and his program are models of consistency. That consistency hasn't exactly translated into tournament success; Ryan's teams have been past the second round of the NCAA tournament only three times in his tenure, and they've gotten past the Sweet 16 just once. But, still, how good must it feel to be a Wisconsin fan? To know, before the season even starts, that your team is going to be in the Big Ten mix?

That feeling shouldn't change this season. Wisconsin lost guards Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon, but it returned Jordan Taylor and potential Big Ten Player of the Year Jon Leuer, an efficient high-usage forward who rebounds on the defensive end and scores from everywhere on offense. He's perfect for Ryan's slow-swing system, and Ryan's system is perfect for the Big Ten. The Badgers will have to make sure last year's stellar turnover rate stays something near to stellar, and the loss of those experienced guards will be an early challenge, but would you wager, even in a very tough Big Ten, on a Bo Ryan team finishing outside the league's top four? There's no reason to start now.

For the next month or so, our friends at The Mag are previewing one high-profile school per day for their Summer Buzz series. For the sake of all that is synergistic, yours truly will be attempting the same, complementing each comprehensive Insider preview with some adjusted efficiency fun. Today's subject: Illinois. Up next? Purdue.

What happened to the Illinois defense?

For all the ups and downs of Bruce Weber's tenure at Illinois, there has always been one thing the Illini do well: defend. Weber's teams aren't hard to figure out, but they've always been consistent. They play tenacious man-to-man defense out to 30 feet. They lock down perimeter threats and hedge ball screens before rotating, recovering and forcing the offense to start all over again. They don't give you anything easy.

There's no junk involved, and very little zone. Weber's teams are defensively simple. They're also simply ruthless.

To wit, here are the defensive efficiency numbers of Weber's teams since his first season in Champaign (calculated as opposition's points per 100 possessions; tempo-free numbers courtesy of Ken Pomeroy):

• 2003-04: 92.1. Rank: 35. Record: 26-7.
• 2004-05: 87.4. Rank: 11. Record: 37-2.
• 2005-06: 90.5. Rank: 21. Record: 26-11.
• 2006-07: 84.7. Rank: 3. Record: 23-12.
• 2007-08: 89.9. Rank: 21. Record: 16-19.
• 2008-09: 86.5. Rank: 4. Record: 24-10.

Then, in 2009-10, something funky happened:

• 2009-10: 92.7. Rank: 49. Record: 21-15.

The Illini went from the fourth-ranked defense in 2008-09 to the 49th, in the process posting Weber's worst defensive coaching season in his seven-year Illinois career.

This can't be blamed on a dearth of talent. In the past, Weber's teams haven't needed talent to defend; those 16-19 Illini from 2007-08 may have been horrifically inept with the ball in their hands, not to mention one of the least athletic teams in the Big Ten, but they still held opponents to fewer points per possession than last year's squad.

"Demetri [McCamey] went to the Deron Williams Skills Academy and the LBJ Skills camp and he heard the same thing I told him all last season: you need to start guarding people," says Weber.

Illinois' perimeter defense was perhaps its weakest component last year -- the Illini didn't turn anyone over, and opposing teams scored 33.3 percent of their baskets against Illinois from beyond the arc. Some of that is surely McCamey's fault. As one of Illinois' veterans and a supposed team leader, McCamey had his fair share of disagreements with Weber throughout the season, and perhaps a lack of effort on the defensive end was one of the causes.

It also didn't help that Weber had to rely on two talented but inexperienced freshmen -- Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson -- at backcourt positions for much of last season. Both players can score, but neither was a particularly adept defender; if you looked for it, you could see that confused "But I was helping over here!" look on walks back to timeouts pretty much every game. A year later, both players should be much better.

There is more talent on the way, too. Weber has long been criticized by some Illinois fans as an X's and O's guy who can't recruit, one who could coach up a group of second-tier players but couldn't land the talented in-state recruits Illinois churns up each and every year. No more. Paul and Richardson were big first steps. The coup de grace comes in the form of Jereme Richmond, the No. 4 small forward in the class of 2010. Richmond is known as a polished scorer who needs to add strength, but his length and athleticism should make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball.

Same goes for Meyers Leonard, a 7-foot center ranked No. 4 at his position in 2010, whose name sounds like a big four accounting firm. (That's not just me, right?) Leonard will be the strongest player on his team, and his sheer size should help bolster Illinois' interior and defensive rebounding.

What it all adds up to is a talented, experienced Illinois team adding a potentially elite scorer and some much needed interior girth. So, yeah, Illinois should be better at putting points on the board in 2010-11. That's always a bonus.

But where the Illini's season will really be made -- or broken -- is whether they can correct last year's ugly team defense. That answer will come down to this: Were the 2009-10 Illini a statistical outlier? Or simply a group that isn't all that good at playing defense, no matter how good their coach might be at teaching it?

If it's the latter, Illinois will be pretty good, but that's it. If it's the former, then Michigan State and Purdue won't be the only legitimate contenders for the Big Ten title. We'll see.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A word of advice for Ohio State's upcoming opponents in the NCAA tournament.

Think twice before talking trash, especially to superstar Evan Turner.

Illinois learned that lesson the hard way in Saturday's Big Ten tournament semifinal. As the Illini raced out to a 37-31 halftime lead and shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc, they let Turner and his teammates know about it.

"They were just running their mouths, just too much, that was it," Turner said. "They were hitting shots. They're frontrunners, and they were running their mouths entirely too much."

Turner still seemed upset by the talk, even after Ohio State finished off an 88-81 double-overtime win to advance to Sunday's tournament championship game. He showed much more emotion than normal in the second half as Ohio State took control with a 20-0 run, saw the lead slip away, and still found a way to prevail.

"It definitely got me going," Turner said. "For them to start running their mouths and stuff, it really, really annoyed me. When they were talking to me, I thought about all the things we'd been through. I started thinking about all the sand pits, all the injuries, we always battled through that.

"I knew the type of team we had, and I knew what we had was way tougher than what they had."

An annoyed Turner still proved to be a very good one, as he recorded 31 points on 10 of 18 shooting, and added 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals. The National Player of the Year frontrunner scored 21 points in the second half of regulation and the two extra sessions before fouling out with a minute left in double overtime. Almost every time Ohio State needed a big basket, Turner provided it.

Players on both teams agreed the trash talk exceeded normal limits. Illinois forward Mike Davis said the officials warned players multiple times.

"It was so competitive out there, that we were all talking and trying to win the game," Davis said. "We've played them three times, they beat us twice, they definitely like to talk trash and we weren't just going to back down.

"[Turner] took over the game in the end and got the win."

For a while, Illinois seemed to rattle Turner, who committed five first-half turnovers and 10 for the game. He coughed the ball up just before halftime and started jawing with Illinois' D.J. Richardson on his way to the tunnel.

"We got in his head a little bit and made him frustrated, made him turn the ball over," Illini guard Demetri McCamey said.

Turner continued to stew in the Buckeyes' locker room well after the final horn.

"I don't like people talking," he said.

Turner and the Buckeyes once again made the loudest statement, as they push for a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

"[Illinois] decided to talk a little bit," Buckeyes wing David Lighty said. "But they can't say nothing now. Who won the game?"

Illinois now will wait for its NCAA tournament fate after missing several excellent chances to record another signature win. The Illini certainly looked impressive at Conseco Fieldhouse, and with five wins against top 50 RPI teams, they have a strong case for the bracket.

"Definitely, in my mind, I believe we're one of the top 65 teams in the country," McCamey said. "But it's not up to me."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Once again, Illinois is finding its groove at the Big Ten tournament and can cement itself in the NCAA tournament field with 20 more minutes of good basketball. Ohio State needs a sharper second half to remain alive for a No. 1 seed.

Quick thoughts at the halftime break, with Illinois leading, 37-31:

• Illinois did a great job of hanging tough despite Demetri McCamey's slow shooting start (0-for-5), and McCamey kept his head up, which hasn't always been the case this season. D.J. Richardson, Mike Davis and Brandon Paul sparked the Illini on a 14-0 run midway through the half that turned the game around. After getting picked by Evan Turner early in the half, McCamey returned the favor and scored his first points on a 3-point play. Illinois still likely needs more scoring from McCamey (three points, 1-for-6 shooting) to hold off Ohio State.
• Three Illinois freshmen -- Richardson, Paul and Tyler Griffey -- are all making nice contributions today. Richardson leads Illinois with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Griffey has seven points on 3 of 3 shooting after replacing Mike Tisdale, who fell into early foul trouble.
• Turner didn't have the greatest half with the ball i his hands (five turnovers), but backcourt mate William Buford picked up the slack with 11 points and five rebounds on 4 of 8 shooting. Buford will be Ohio State's top option in 2010-11 if he returns to school, and he certainly looks comfortable scoring the basketball today.
• Turner fell to the floor at the end of the half after coughing up the ball, and he seemed to be upset with an Illinois player as he walked off the floor. McCamey, who teamed with Turner in high school, might have said something to the star. It'll be interesting to see how Turner responds in the second half.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The 2010 Big Ten tournament has reached the semifinals. Here's a look at the two matchups on tap today at Conseco Fieldhouse.

No. 1 seed Ohio State vs. No. 5 seed Illinois (CBS, 1:40 p.m. ET)

Records: Ohio State (25-7), Illinois (19-13)

Season series: The Buckeyes swept two games from Illinois and did so in convincing fashion, pummeling the Illini 72-53 in Champaign and 73-57 in Columbus.

Advancement: Winner faces Purdue or Minnesota in the championship game Sunday (CBS, 3:30 p.m. ET).

What to watch for Ohio State: Evan Turner's legend grew Friday as the National Player of the Year frontrunner hit a 37-foot shot as time expired to lift the Buckeyes to a 69-68 victory over Michigan. Turner has been very good against Illinois this season, averaging 16 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the two meetings. Ohio State called Friday's game a wake-up call after a 10-day layoff, and Turner and his teammates need to reclaim their defensive swagger. Illinois big men Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis turned in one of their best performances Friday against Wisconsin, and it'll be important for Buckeyes center Dallas Lauderdale to stay out of foul trouble. Buckeyes sharpshooter Jon Diebler was on fire in his last game against Illinois, swishing 7 of 14 attempts from 3-point range.

What to watch for Illinois: The Illini likely put themselves in the NCAA tournament with the Wisconsin win, but they can virtually guarantee a spot with a win today. Star guard Demetri McCamey comes off one of his more complete performances of the season (13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds), and he'll need an even better effort against the Buckeyes and Turner, his former high school teammate in Chicago. Tisdale did a nice job of extending Wisconsin's defense Friday, hitting two 3-pointers and several long 2-pointers. If he can bring Lauderdale or David Lighty away from the bucket, it should free up opportunities for others. D.J. Richardson looked like a freshman for much of Friday's quarterfinal win, but he found his shooting stroke late and never lost confidence. He needs to be a factor today if Illinois plans to advance.

Quotable:

Ohio State forward David Lighty: "It's a wake-up call. Watching games [Thursday], watching Syracuse go down, watching Kansas go down to the wire almost and things like that, it's kind of like we almost did the same thing. We have to get our minds right. It's like second lift, second wind for us."

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber: "No matter what, [Ohio State has] to be feeling relieved about [Friday's win], and then second, 'We kicked Illini butt two times.' I hope we can have a little bit of a mental edge."

No. 2 seed Purdue vs. No. 6 seed Minnesota (CBS, 25 minutes after Ohio State-Illinois game)


Records: Purdue (27-4), Minnesota (20-12)

Season series: Purdue crushed Minnesota 79-60 in West Lafayette on Jan. 5 and found a way to escape Williams Arena with a 59-58 win Feb. 24 after losing star forward Robbie Hummel to a season-ending knee injury in the first half.

Advancement: Winner faces Ohio State or Illinois on Sunday in the championship.

What to watch for Purdue: The Boilermakers missed 10 of their first 11 shots Friday against Northwestern and likely can't afford another slow start against surging Minnesota. Juniors E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are really answering the bell in Hummel's absence, and both men need strong performances again today. Johnson recorded a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) in the 1-point win at Minnesota, while Moore recorded 18 points and five assists in the teams' first meeting. The Boilers amped up their defensive intensity Friday and will try to fluster Gophers guards Devoe Joseph, Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber. Purdue won Friday without much from senior guards Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant, who struggled with poor shooting and cramps. Both men need to be better today.

What to watch for Minnesota: The Gophers have put themselves firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, and they probably will put themselves into the field of 65 by beating Purdue. Aside from an ugly loss at Michigan on March 2, Minnesota has played pretty good ball the last three and a half weeks. Minnesota already has avenged a 1-point home loss to Michigan State and looks to do the same against Purdue. The Gophers' interior defense needs to be good on Johnson, but Tubby Smith is getting very solid play from forward Damian Johnson and center Colton Iverson right now. Minnesota has more length from Purdue and needs center Ralph Sampson III to bounce back from a poor performance Friday (0 points, 2 rebounds). Remember that Sampson had the best game of his career against Purdue in Minneapolis, recording 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Quotable:

Purdue coach Matt Painter: "Our next opponent, no matter who it is, we have to out rebound them, but if we don't, we have to shoot the ball better. We're not going to get out rebounded and shoot the way we did [Friday] and win basketball games. You've got to understand how you're going to win, but you've also got to understand how you're going to lose and be proactive about that as a coach and really drill that home to your players."

Minnesota coach Tubby Smith: "We're as talented as anybody when we play the right way. I think every coach in America feels that way about their team, especially when they get to this level. If you don't feel that way, you're not going to win any games. I've got as much confidence in this team as in any team I've ever coached."