The Illini Head to Evanston

The Illini head to Evanston tonight to take on the Wildcats of Northwestern in a battle that features two teams in need of a win to help their March resume. Bruce Weber’s team will enter Welsh-Ryan Arena tonight at a 12-7 clip, 4-2 in the Big Ten. Northwestern on the other hand is 13-5 overall but only 2-4 in conference play.
A lot of fans will point to Illinois’ advantage in the all time series (127-34) and assume that anything short of a blowout win is a let down, but this year things are different. The Wildcats are in real contention for their first trip to the NCAA tournament in program history, so it’s a safe bet that they will give 110% every time out… but then again, you would expect that from this team anyways. Head Coach Bill Carmody has put together a roster of guys who may not be able to jump out of the gym, but they have bought into their roles for this team. Guys like John Shurna could walk right by you on the street, and you wouldn’t look twice… but get him on the court, and you have a player with great heart, hustle, and basketball IQ, maybe the most underrated attribute in today’s game.

Northwestern has always liked to slow things down and make you grind it out on defense, but this year's team likes to move the ball a little bit more quickly. Carmody’s team currently ranks eighth in the NCAA with three point shots made per game… they also are top five in three point shots taken… meaning that there has been a big boost in offensive attempts this season. Twice already this year, including the game in Champaign, Northwestern has taken 47 three point shots in a game… which now sits as the Big Ten record. The Illini bigs are going to have to be ready to get out on the perimeter because in all honestly, the line-up Carmody deploys will mostly likely look like four guards.

What we need to see

1. The Bigs Going Big. Northwestern really lacks a post presence. Luka Mirkovic is listed at 6’11”, 243 lbs. but has never really been a rebounder. Kyle Rowley is one of the biggest bodies in the country at 7’0”, 280 lbs. but lacks athleticism and has trouble covering bigs who can shoot. I hope to see a lot of touches inside, especially after Tisdale and Davis combined for 50 points last time out against the Cats.

2. Guard the Perimeter! I don’t know if I will ever sit through another basketball game where I witness 47 three point attempts from one team… just a crazy stat in itself, but when you realize that the 34% they shot from deep was better than the 33% that they shot from the field in total… you wonder if the team has simply lost all confidence in the inside game. I don’t expect to see 47 attempts again, but guarding the perimeter will be key tonight.

3. Come out Aggressive both halves. Both Bruce Weber and Matt Painter commented that the Illini could have been up 15 points at the half instead of just 4. And even those 4 points didn’t help much seeing as Purdue came out with a purpose in the second half and scored 7 points right off the bat. Weber has tried everything to get this team to play with a chip on their shoulders, but in the end it’s up to the guys.

Quick Hits

• Illinois plays three of its next four games on the road, beginning Saturday night at Northwestern.

• Illinois’ 11-game winning streak over Northwestern is tied for the longest active streak in the Big Ten over a conference opponent (tied with Ohio State’s 11-game win streak over Penn State).

• Demetri McCamey has accounted for nearly 60 percent of Illinois’ offense over the last four games.

• McCamey has scored 972 career points, ranking 44th on the UI all-time list. He is just 28 points away from becoming the 42nd player in school history to join the 1,000-point club.

• McCamey tallied his seventh 20-point game of the season with a season-high 28 points against Purdue on Tuesday. He now has 14 career 20-point games to lead the Illini.

• McCamey has scored at least nine points in 12 straight games. Over that stretch, he is averaging 17.1 points (216) on 51.8 percent shooting (73-141).

• In conference play, McCamey ranks first in the league in both assists (7.2 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.6). He has totaled 43 assists in Big Ten games, 13 more than the next closest assists leader.

• Mike Tisdale (all games) ranks third in the conference in field goal percentage (.574), sixth in free throw percentage
(.844) and fifth in blocked shots (1.8 bpg).

• D.J. Richardson ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.1 percent (37-82).

What does it all mean?

I would guess that this one is going to be close in the beginning due to the crowd and the energy the Wildcats will have playing at home against the in-state rival. Last time out Northwestern started the game on fire. I don’t think the shot will go in to begin with and the Northwestern offense will go a little bit more traditional. Get the ball inside to Tisdale and Davis and this one should be a W. Illinois 71, Northwestern 64.