Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Ten (23-11, 9-7)
Seed: #12
West Region
RPI: 29
Big Wins:
11/25 vs Bradley (75-71), 1/30 Michigan State (57-50), 3/9 vs Indiana
(58-54)
Bad Losses:
12/29 at Xavier (59-65), 1/3 at Michigan (61-71), 3/3 at Iowa (53-60)
Last NCAA
Appearance: 2006, Second Round loss to Washington
Coach:
Bruce Weber (10-5 in 5 NCAA appearances)
Probable
Starters:
Chester
Frazier, Sophomore, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 4.4 apg, 4.5 rpg
Rich McBride,
Senior, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.3 apg
Brian Randle,
Junior, Forward, 7.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Warren Carter,
Senior, Forward, 13.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Shaun Pruitt,
Junior, Center, 11.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg
Key
Roleplayers:
Calvin Brock,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 3.6 rpg
Trent Meacham,
Sophomore, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 1.8 apg
Marcus Arnold,
Senior, Forward, 2.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Why They Can
Surprise:
Shaun Pruitt
has quietly put together a great season. The 6-10 junior averages 11.6
points and a team high 7.6 rebounds per contest. After waiting in the wings,
Pruitt has emerged as a major force under the basket and he will work hard
on the glass on both ends of the floor.
Power forward
Warren Carter has had a breakout season of his own and leads the team with
13.7 points per outing. Carter can step outside and hit the outside jumper
as well, but he tends to move a little out of his range to put up some
unnecessary three’s. Small forward Brian Randle was supposed to be the big
scorer for the Illini, but battling injuries much of the season has hindered
his consistency.
Why They Can
Disappoint:
If you would
have asked an Illini where the strength was before the season started, they
would have said the perimeter. However, over the course of the season, the
big guys have emerged. Unfortunately, nobody has told that to the guards.
The frontcourt trio shoots over 48% from the floor, while the team as
a whole shoots 43%. The poor perimeter shooting numbers are because
of bad shot selection by guards like Rich McBride, Chester Frazier and Trent
Meacham. The backcourt depth took a major blow when Jamar Smith, along with
center Brian Carlwell, were involved in a car accident. Smith, who averaged
8.1 points per game, will not return for the tournament. Carlwell, who
averaged only 7.0 minutes per game, may be available for the tournament.
Who To
Watch:
While the
guards may not look inside enough, they do have the ability to take over a
game and it is easy to understand why the keep on chucking up the long ball.
That is especially true for McBride. The senior takes nearly eight
three-pointers per game and makes just 2.6 of those attempts, yet he has the
ability to get hot and hit five or six in a game. Frazier has become a
quality Big Ten caliber point guard and can do enough scoring to keep the
defense honest. The 6-2 sophomore is a pesky defender and has the tough job
of keeping the team playing together on the court during times of adversity.
Joel’s
Bracket Says: Second Round loss to Southern Illinois
