Undersized Illini fall to Northwestern

For those who watch the end of the Illini game against Northwestern, perhaps you noticed this but maybe not.  John Shurna, listed at 6-9 for the Wildcats was guarded by Brandon Paul, the outstanding 6-4 guard for Illinois.  Shurna was basically unstoppable during much of the game, and is quite a player.  Meyers Leonard at 7-1 was guarding Davide Curletti, a 6-9 forward for Northwestern.  Drew Crawford, the 6-5 guard for Northwestern was guarded by Joe Bertrand, who is listed at 6-5 for Illinois.  Reggie Hearn, a 6-4 guard for Northwestern was guarded by DJ Richardson, listed at 6-3 for Illinois, but likely 6-2.

Years ago, Northwestern would frequently be dominated by a larger Illini team, due to their small size.  So it's interesting that Illinois has been unable to put players with size on the floor this year against teams like Northwestern.

Interesting Song about Coach Weber

Here's an interesting rewrite of any old song in memory of Bruce Weber, courtesy of IllinoisLoyalty.com's Redriver: A long long time ago I can still remember How that TEAM used to make me smile And WE knew if WE had OUR chance That WE could make those people dance And maybe they'd be happy for a while But February made me shiver With every LOSS HE'd deliver Bad news on the doorstep I couldn't take one more step I can't remember if I cried When I read about THE LOSING SLIDE But something touched me deep inside The day the BUBBLE died ... So bye, bye MR. STUBBORN GUY TURNED MY TV TO THE selection show but the GAME WAS A LIE And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing this'll be YEAR WE QUALIFY This'll be the YEAR WE QUALIFY Did you write the book on MOTION And CAN YOU UNDERSTAND HIS DEMOTION If the AD tells you so? Now do you believe in goin' to the hole? Can Brandon save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow? Well, I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancing in the gym You both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those orange and blues There was a big time teenage Simeon stud With a sweet spin move and a jumpshot too But I knew we were just a dud The day the BUBBLE died I started singing Bye, bye Mr. Weber guy Took his team to the NIT, BUT the fans asked why? And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing this'll be the year we qualify This'll be the year we qualify Now, for six seasons we've been on our own And we've grown use to the screamin' tone But that's not how it used to be When the Luther played for the championship crown with his pals, D. Williams and Dee Brown And a voice that came from you and me Oh and while the coach was looking down The phone man stole his jeweled clown The courtroom was adjourned No verdict was returned And while Jerrance waited with no remarks The team practiced for a lark And we sang dirges in the dark The day the bubble died We were singing Bye, bye Mr. Short Bench guy turned the tube to the tourney but we were a little nigh And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing next years team will qualify Next years team will qualify Helter skelter in a summer swelter The championship run was just an old shelter four and one and falling fast Leonard's foul my achin ass The players tried for a forward pass With the Chester on the sidelines in a cast Now the half-time air was sweet perfume While merrymen played a marching tune We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance 'Cause the players tried to take the field The selection committee refused to yield Do you recall what was revealed The day the bubble died? We started singing Bye, bye Mr. Hard Luck guy filled out my bracket, but my team was shy And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing next years team will qualify Next years team will qualify Oh, and there we were all in one place A fandom lost in space With no time left to start again So come on Mike be nimble, Mike be quick Mike Thomas sat on a candlestick 'Cause firing Coach means we'll have to spend And as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in hell Could take another bubble shell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the bubble died He was singing Bye, bye Mr. mid-major guy tried to tell the merrymen, but they could only deny And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing my oh my, we didn't qualify My oh my, we didn't qualify I met a girl who wore orange and blue And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away I hoped for a big ten tourney run Where no one could deny us, oh what fun But the competition said no way And in the streets the students screamed The old men cried, and the fools dreamed But not a word was spoken The referee's whistles all were broken And the three young men I hoped for most Parker, White, and Okafor, the post They caught the last train for the coast The day the bubble died And the merrymen they were singing Bye, bye Mr. Weber guy Mediocre is better that half the teams, no one can deny And them good old merrymen were drinking whiskey and rye Singing you'll be sorry we fired that guy You'll be sorry we fired that guy Bye, bye Mr Weber guy We'll cheer for you 'till the day we die And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye Singing oh my, oh my, why oh why?

Paul Klee was listening to Weber after the Minnesota game, and I found this amazing from Bruce Weber. From Klee's article: After Saturday's 77-72 overtime loss to Minnesota, Bruce Weber suggested that win or lose — he can't really win. "They're all hard to take," Weber said after Illinois suffered its third straight loss. "When we win it's hard to take (because) we have to listen to the critiquing. What's the difference?" If Weber is not willing to be critiqued by the media and/or fans, he might as well pack it in and head to a mid-major by resigning from Illinois' head coaching position. Being critiqued is part of coaching a major program such as Illinois, and something that Henson, Kruger, and Self were able to take, that's for sure. In fact, they have all survived the fans and Chicago media quite well. I recognize that Weber has been a fine coach for the Illini for many years, similar to Henson, but for a shorter time. But it might be the right time for a change, since the Illini just don't look too promising this season. But let's see how the season progresses. Weber might still turn it around since we can still make the tourney and could develop into an interesting tourney team. If it doesn't work out, I like Jerrance Howard to take over the team, since he is a great recruiter and has played under Kruger, Self and Weber a good mix of coaching philosophies for any young coach to follow.

That was a disappointing loss to Wisconsin today, but very predictable. The Illini are mostly featuring a 4 guard offense that passes the ball around and has trouble getting it to Meyers Leonard, their athletic center. Most of the season, the ball handling has been sloppy with too many turnovers. That was not the case today. The biggest fundamental flaw for the Illini is the struggle to block out and rebound the ball on the defensive end. They gave Wisconsin too many chances today and it cost them dearly. Bruce Weber has not been using much of his bench, either. Egwu gets on the floor when Leonard is in foul trouble, Sam Maniscalco provides relief when healthy to Tracy Abrams, and Tyler Griffey seems to enter the game when the rebounding woes are evident. With losses at Penn State and now the home loss to Wisconsin, the Illini are no longer looking like a sure tournament team. Will have to see how they turn things around, with the next game at Minnesota. I hope Bruce Weber can shake things up and try some bench players in some kind of a rotation. The bench scored zero points today, which is rarely going to win games. Would like to see Henry in for some serious minutes, since he is one of the better scorers on this team, and the guards looked tired today.