Illinois Fighting Illini
Big Ten (17-15, 6-12)
Illinois is ever the consistently inconsistent team. The last four seasons they have reached the 20-win mark, albeit with double digit losses in each of those years. This is a program that wins a chunk of games every year, but has recently faltered during pockets of the season. The 2011-2012 season has been no different. The Illini started 10-0 and looked poised to battle for the Big Ten title. They then became the up-and-down team that has been their identity in recent seasons. They hit a three game losing streak in January that pushed them further from the top of the standings and a six game skid that took them way out of the race. The slide at the end of the year ended up costing Coach Bruce Weber his job.
Big Wins: 12/3 Gonzaga (82-75), 1/10 Ohio State (79-74), 1/31 Michigan State (42-41)
Bad Losses: 1/19 at Penn State (52-54), 1/28 at Minnesota (72-77), 2/18 at Nebraska (57-80)
Coach: Bruce Weber (9 seasons at Illinois)
Why They Can Surprise:
Sensational performances strung together by superstar junior Brandon Paul. He came up huge against Ohio State with 43 points in 36 minutes. He only averages 14.7 points per game, but he can go off at any time. In a one-and-done situation, Illinois will need special performances like that to take out more talented and athletic teams. The emergence of sophomore 7’1” center Meyers Leonard has been great for Illinois this season. If he can continue his productivity in the postseason, Illinois will have a nice inside-out game they can work with. Bruce Weber’s guidance and tournament experience may help them come up big come March.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Illinois is not really great at any one thing. They score under 66 points per game and give up a lot of rebounds to the opposition. The Illini are also a poor defensive team on the perimeter. Teams shoot 38 percent from behind the arc against them. The combination of those two stats is a recipe for disaster. Teams that score a bunch from 3-point range and hold Illinois in the 60-point range have generally had success against them this year. Any game in the tournament could come down to one shot, and that is this team’s Achilles’ heel.
Probable Starters:
Brandon Paul, Junior, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 2.9 apg, 4.7 rpg
Joseph Bertrand, Sophomore, Guard, 6.5 ppg, 1.3 apg
D.J. Richardson, Junior, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 1.7 apg
Tracy Abrams, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg, 1.9 apg
Meyers Leonard, Sophomore, Center, 13.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Sam Maniscalco, Senior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 2.3 apg
Tyler Griffey, Junior, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Nnanna Egwu, Freshman, Forward-Center, 1.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.7 (221st in nation, 9th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.2 (96, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (140, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.0 (167, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.8 (204, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.6 (274, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.5 (89, 6)
Rebound Margin: 1.5 (131, 7)
Assists Per Game: 12.3 (218, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.5 (163, 11)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Illinois 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over UNLV
Illinois 2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
Illinois 2010 NIT First Round win over Stony Brook
Illinois 2010 NIT Second Round win over Kent State
Illinois 2010 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Dayton
Illinois 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Western Kentucky
Illinois 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Virginia Tech
Illinois 2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over Air Force
Illinois 2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Washington
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
