Illini eager to meet one of their own
Once the relief of seeing its name pop up as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament subsided, Illinois set its sights on a team it hadn’t seen much of that is coached by a man the program knows well.
The Fighting Illini has a 6:20 p.m. Friday date in Tulsa, Okla., against UNLV (24-8) and coach Lon Kruger, who was head coach at the school from 1996 to 2000.
Illinois (19-13) coach Bruce Weber has never gone head-to-head against Kruger, but faced him several times when he was an assistant at Purdue. Weber said the tournament selection committee isn’t shy about setting up matchups with extra intrigue.
“I think they always look for little storylines to add to the drama of March Madness,” he said.
“I’m sure they don’t take that much time to find them all, but when they pop up there and there’s an opportunity, I’m sure it’s something they feel adds to the excitement. I’m sure CBS appreciates it.”
With a victory over UNLV, Illinois could face another of its former head coaches in Bill Self of Kansas, who preceded Weber in Champaign.
For now, the Fighting Illini are just happy to be in the tournament.
Illinois was on the wrong side of the bubble last season and the senior-laden club remembers the disappointment well.
“Last year, we thought we were getting in and we had to play in the NIT and that’s probably the worst feeling to have as a player, to have a dream of winning a national championship one day and then not even get in,” said senior guard Demetri McCamey, the team’s leading scorer with a 14.8 average.
“Today was a different story.”
Despite lofty expectations this season, the Illini nearly played their way back to the wrong side of the bubble. Illinois returned most of last year’s team and was bestowed with a lofty No. 13 ranking in the preseason poll but finished the year 6-10 after a 13-3 start.
The Illini started 3-0 in conference play before limping home to finish 9-9 and in a four-way tie for fourth place. Illinois last won consecutive games on Jan. 2 and 6.
Weber hoped the team would make one last run in the conference tournament to solidify a tournament bid, but the Illini blew a 12-point lead in losing to Michigan.
McCamey, who said all he saw of UNLV was highlights when it beat Wisconsin, has been one of the reasons for Illinois’ inconsistent play.
The preseason All-Big Ten selection saw his scoring and assist numbers drop from last season and he went through a six-game stretch in league play where he failed to top six points four times.
“We’ve been up and down, but it’s a new season now. The Big Ten tournament, the regular season, it’s all out the window,” he said. “We’ve done some good things and done some bad things, but it’s all over. We made the tournament and now we’ve got new life.”
The familiarity doesn’t stop with the coaches. Illinois guard D.J. Richardson, who also has taken a step back this season after an outstanding freshman year, played his senior year of high school at Findlay Prep in Henderson with UNLV forward Carlos Lopez.
Within minutes of the selection show, Lopez and Richardson were exchanging text messages.
McCamey said Richardson will help in breaking down the UNLV game film because of his familiarity with several Rebel players.
On the court, Richardson has struggled mightily in his last seven games. He has made just 7 of 31 shots over that span and failed to score more than five points in any contest.
Illinois could provide some trouble inside for an undersized UNLV squad. The Illini start three big seniors in 6-9 Bill Cole, 6-9 Mike Davis, and 7-1 center Mike Tisdale.
Davis, at 12 points and seven rebounds per game, is the best of the bunch.
Without all those seniors, Illinois will look dramatically different next season, when it starts a two-year series against UNLV with a Dec. 17 meeting at the United Center in Chicago.
The Rebels have won four straight games against Big Ten opponents, including a 74-68 win over Wisconsin in the 2007 tournament.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.