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July 2010

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Mar

6

Heartbreak Hotel for the Illini

Filed Under Game Analysis, Commentary, NCAA Basketball

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For about 34 minutes of game play last night, the Illinois Fighting Illini showed the focus, determination and ability to bounce back from adversity that will be necessary in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.

However, those last five minutes, in which Penn State sophomore guard Talor Battle’s layup with 0.3 seconds remaining capped a 14-3 run and gave the Nittany Lions an improbable 64-63 victory, were a tough pill to swallow after what had been a very gutsy effort to that point.

This devastating loss stirred up ugly memories of the 2007 NCAA Tournament when the Illini collapsed late in the second half in what had been a dominating performance but turned out to be a first-round loss to Virginia Tech.

With that said, it was great to see Illinois — especially Demetri McCamey — come out from the opening tip and play with energy and vision. The Illini were clearly prepared for the Penn State rematch and may have played its best road game — up to those last five minutes — since the Big Ten opener at Purdue.

Ultimately, this game revealed several things about Illinois.

When moving the ball on offense and hitting open shots, the Illini will be highly competitive in games.

However, this reliance on too many jump shots, along with the Illini’s lack of a legitimate presence in the post, will be the team’s ultimate undoing in the NCAAs.

It took the Illini 65 minutes to get to the free throw line in its two games against Penn State, a program that has improved greatly over the last couple of seasons but is still far away from being a heavyweight (except when playing Illinois).

If there’s one thing to know about the NCAA Tournamnet, it’s that refs carry way-too-tight whistles and that games come down to foul trouble and free throw shooting.

This does not bode well for the Illini, which relies on a bunch of overachievers who will have those moments in games — like the last five minutes against Penn State — in which those jump shots will not fall and points will be next to impossible to come by.

This inability to get to the free throw line will only exacerbate Illinois’ scoring problems.

Unfortunately, one has the feeling that this Illini team will bow out in the NCAA tournament like so many past Illinois teams have — due to being in foul trouble and going in those prolonged scoring droughts.

But at least the Illini are going back to the Big Dance. Not many would have expected this team of question marks to deliver what has been a very satisfying season.

Now next week’s Big Ten Tournament is still very important for the Illini.

Lose early in its first Big Ten game, and Illinois will be viewed as a team on the downside, thus pushing them to a six and maybe even a seventh seed.

Now if the Illini can rally and get to the Big Ten Tournament championship game, this will hopefully ensure them of a five seed, which would be well-deserved considering Illinois’ surprising consistency and resiliency all year long.

Who would have thought that the Illini’s first losing streak — stemming from these back-to-back losses to Michigan State and Penn State — would have come this deep in the season?

Now having success in the Big Ten Tournament will not be easy as teams like Minnesota, Michigan and Northwestern all need big runs to make it into the NCAAs.

But the Illini will have something to prove as well in Indianapolis next weekend, a point that Head Coach Bruce Weber will not let be lost on his team.