Illini Tale of the Tape: Western Michigan vs. Illinois (12/13/2009)

Good morning. Here’s another Illini Tale of the Tape, this one of the Western Michigan blowout from December 13, 2009.

If there’s one thing that can be depressing about reviewing these games in June (besides revisiting tough losses to teams like Georgia, Missouri and Gonzaga), it’s hearing the Christmas music during commercial breaks.

There’s something very unsettling about that.

Alright. Let’s do this thing.

Western Michigan Broncos (3-3) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (7-2)

For reference, here is Western Michigan’s starting lineup:

G Mike Douglas, G David Kool, F Martelle McLemore, F Flenard Whitfield, C Donald Lawson, Head Coach Steve Hawkins.

Commentators: Ari Wolfe and Kendall Gill

Where I Was for This Game:

I believe I had either a game or practice with the eighth-grade basketball team that I was coaching. Safe to say, I did not see this game when it was live and recorded a replay. This is my first viewing of this game.

What I Remember from This Game:

● Not much, except that Western Michigan had some kid named David Kool who was supposed to be a great scorer. Kool was averaging 23 points per game entering this contest and would end up averaging 21.6 ppg in 2009-2010. He had consecutive 30 points game on his belt when arriving in Champaign.

Things That Stood Out/Surprised Me During This Viewing:

● This was Bruce Weber’s 100^th Game at the Assembly Hall (83-16 at the time). Weber was 45-4 in nonconference games at the Assembly Hall entering this game.

● Wolfe says at the start of the telecast that Kool may be the best player on the court.

● In his last two games when he averaged 23 points per contest, Illinois junior guard Demetri McCamey was 16-for-21 from the field. He also had 12 turnovers combined in those games, with 6 each contest.

● A bit surprising, Illinois has held 8 of its first 9 opponents to under 45% shooting. Wolfe says the problem is not with this team’s defense, though it’s safe to say that this is not one of Weber’s stronger defensive teams.

● This was Illinois’ second game of the season against a team with the nickname “Broncos.” Eight days earlier, the Illini defeated Boise State in a sluggish and sloppy affair.

● Didn’t know that Vanderbilt (Illinois’ previous opponent) and Western Michigan wear the same uniforms.

● Knew that Illinois won this game, but thought that they may have had a disappointing letdown in the second half. That was not the case, as Illinois continually extended its lead in the second half.

● Learned that Western Michigan Head Coach Steve Hawkins was a disciple of the late John Wooden. Guess Hawkins used to work a lot of Wooden’s camps.

● Was also educated on Western Michigan forward Flenard Whitfield, who not only has a cool-sounding first name and had a strong 17-point effort against Illinois but was recruited heavily by Michigan to be a wide receiver. Whitfield chose the basketball route instead and gave Mike Davis and Keller some trouble at times.   

Commentary

Wolfe calls this a dangerous game for Illinois (similar to the Wofford game). Gill describes the keys to the game as follows: Wofford needs a big game from Kool and to get Illinois’ big men in foul trouble (when factoring in the Illini size advantage). Conversely, Illinois needs to contain Kool and share the basketball.

● Offense: Illinois leads 4-2 at the under-16. It’s frigid in December and at the Assembly Hall, as Illinois is 0-for-9 from the field at the start. McCamey is 0-for-3, Davis 0-for-2 and Richardson 0-for-2. The Illini have done a good job getting the ball inside on a couple of possessions but are not converting. In other cases, they are settling too early for contested jumpers. Illinois looks a bit sloppy as all 4 points have come at the line. Both teams have combined to miss 15 shots since WMU’s opening score.

Up  15-5 at under-12 as the offense has begun to thaw, with consecutive threes from Richardson and Keller. Have hit their last four shots, with four assists on those baskets.

19-2 run propels Illini to 25-7 lead with 9:13 left. Illinois is up 25-10 at the under-8 as the offense is clicking, generating a lot of its points off energy from the other end.

At under 4, the Illini lead 38-15, with 9 players already scoring and the outside shot having been found. Big lead is allowing Weber to get needed playing time for Legion and Griffey.

Up 48-25 at the half (with Illinois having its biggest lead at the break all season). Great contributions again from the bench (the second straight game). With just four points in the first four minutes, Illinois scored 44 points in 16 minutes. That’s not bad. Illinois is shooting 53% from the field, though they  have been outshot by 8 (fourteen to eight) at the free throw line. Great contributions from the bench give Illinois a 20-point advantage in bench points (24 to 4). Illinois is 6-for-7 from three.

Up 56-35 at under 16 of second half. Offense hasn’t been as efficient or moved as well. On a positive note, Illinois has been getting the ball to Davis and Tisdale on the interior.

Up 64-39 at under 12. McCamey is doing a good job of continually attacking and not letting up. Good to see.

Up 30 at under 8. This has been all Illini, as Gill says the Illinois team is playing like sharks smelling blood. Gill issues a challenge though: can they sustain such concentration the rest of the way? Weber will be interested in seeing this as well.

Up 33 (84-51) with 3:41 to go as the bench is doing a nice job of extending the lead.

Illinois eventually finishes with an 88-53 victory. A few bad shots were taken in the final minute (when it would have been wise to dribble the shot clock out), but that’s about the only negative thing that can be said at this point.

● Defense: Up 2 at under-16, Illinois is having some problems in the transition defense, though Western Michigan hasn’t been converting shots. Kool is 0-for-2, but Paul with 2 fouls. Western Michigan to shoot 2 free throws out of under 16, with the Broncos hitting 1 of 2.

Lead by 10 at under-12. Held Western Michigan to one field goal in this spurt, a difficult runner against Davis. Western Michigan is 0-for-6 from three and Kool has yet to score. Illinois has given up a few offensive rebounds to the smaller Broncos.

Up 15 (25-10) at under-8. Defense really picked it up in that last segment, limiting possessions to one shot and really focusing on getting the ball in transition. Western Michigan is 0-for-10 from three, though they have gotten some good looks. If there’s one thing that I’ve seen early in the season, it’s that you can get good three point shots against this Illinois defense if you work the shot clock. In other words, Illinois is not all that great at defending for the whole 35.

Western Michigan hits its first three at 6 minutes, for a 31-13 game. Now 1-for-11 from three in the game. Kool gets on the board at 5:47 with two free throws. Illinois is up 38-15 at the under 4. Kool, the ninth leading scorer in NCAA at the time, has not made a field goal. Gill makes a good point about Kool struggling with athleticism and length of players like Richardson and Paul. Western Michigan is shooting 17%.

Illinois leads by 23 at the break. Last stretch was a bit of a letdown as Whitfield got going, but impressive overall defensive effort in the first half, especially when the shots weren’t falling early for Illinois. Kool has been made into a non factor in the first half, and WMU is shooting 21% as a team and 1-for-14 from three. This could be a blowout if Illinois brings the defensive effort early in the second half.

Illinois leads by 21 (56-35) at the under 16 of second half. Kool has got two field goals and Western Michigan picked it up from the field in the first couple of minutes of this stretch. Illinois’ defense was better in the last few minutes of this stretch. One disturbing thing is that Davis and Tisdale have been lazy on a couple of closeouts.

Lead by 25 (64-39) at under 12. Better job of tightening up there in second four minutes of half.

Extend the lead to 30 at under 8. Simply having its way with the Broncos. Kool has three field goals in the second half but has not hit a jumper in the game.

Have extended the lead to 33 at under 4, with all reserves in the game. Have been doing a good job, with the exception of one possession where WMU gets two long offensive rebounds but does not score. Kool finally hits a jumper at 4:40, with a nice split of the screen and pull up. A tough night, though, as he misses a three on next possession. WMU is 3-for-27 from three in the game.

Illinois wins 88-53. Not much to complain about, as the Illini take care of business against a team they should beat at home. Western Michigan is held to a dismal 24.2% shooting performance, but did get 29 three point shots off. However, when you miss 26 of them, you’re never going to win.

● Bruce Weber: After the Vanderbilt victory earlier in the week, Weber said that this game would tell a lot about his team’s maturity. Can’t be happy at the start, as the Illini look lethargic in first four minutes.

Brings Dominique Keller and Bill Cole in at under-16 for some energy. Can be heard screaming a lot on the sidelines, which usually means that the Illini are not active enough on both ends.

Up 31-13 at 5:48, Weber has an interesting lineup on the floor in Legion, Jordan, Cole, Davis and Griffey. Not sure that I’ve seen this lineup all season.

At the end of the half, Weber has to be happy as the Illini woke up and really started hitting on all cylinders at both ends.

Sensing a letdown in energy, Weber continues to yell at his players to “Move” the ball on offense in the first four minutes of the second half.

With a 25-point lead out of the under 12, Weber has another unique lineup on the floor with McCamey, Legion, Cole, Griffey and Keller. One starter and four reserves – this is a good time for McCamey to lead the second unit and show some more leadership.

Has five reserves in the game at 5 minutes (Jordan, Legion, Semrau, Simpson and Griffey). Nice time to evaluate the bench.

Overall, Illinois wins by 35, and Weber has to be happy with how the Illini played all night, especially after a cold start in the first four minutes. 12 of 13 Illini players score in the game.

● Demetri McCamey: Gives up dribble penetration on first possession, leading to defensive breakdown, a Western Michigan bucket and a quick foul on McCamey. Containment and fouls have been early season difficulties for McCamey. Misses pull up three at 16:47 and several jumpers in the lane.

Gets on the board on 13:30 as a Davis defensive rebound fuels a break. Cole assists on the layup for McCamey, who did a nice job of filling the wing on the break. Illinois up 10-5 at this point on what Gill describes as a “textbook break.” Gets lucky on next possession as he once again gives up dribble penetration but Western Michigan misses a layup.

Beats Kool to a loose ball at 9:20 and gets an easy layup as a result of his initiative. Illinois rolling to a 25-7 lead, prompting a second Western Michigan timeout. Has played the whole game thus far. Nice help-side defense at 7:53 when it looks like he has a weak-side block of a Western Michigan big man. Is called for a foul that leads to under-8.

Turns the ball over while splitting the defense with a little more than 18 minutes to go in the second half. Does a great job of making up for the turnover by getting back on defense and swiping the ball away from Whitfield (who had an easy layup) and out of bounds. Great effort there. Sweet crossover dribble move and attack with 15:50 to go gives Illinois a 56-35 lead. Penetrates on the next possession but turns the ball over on a difficult pass to Paul, leading to the under 16 timeout.

Attacking the lane in the second half, as he hits Tisdale for a layup out of the under 16 for a 58-35 lead. Great steal with 14 minutes left in the second half. Got posted up and shot out of the cannon when stealing the pass over-the-top and then getting on the break, drawing a foul and hitting two free throws to give Illinois a 62-37 lead. Turns the ball over on the next possession when he attacks the basket on the break. Ball went off his leg. I can live with that turnover as McCamey is really getting into the lane.

Lazy pass at 11:09 is stolen, leading to a WMU layup. Makes up for mistake with a beautiful three-point play at 10:51. Beautiful crossover there and use of the left hand to throw up the floater, which actually slipped out of his hand. Illinois up 69-43.

Done for the rest of the game. Finishes with 11 points and 5 assists, and cuts his turnover total to 4 (versus 6 in the last game). Good effort in the second half, with the Illini up big, is a positive.

● Brandon Paul: Begins the game on Kool. Good activity early, as he closes out and contests a missed Kool three and then gets an offensive rebound off a Tisdale miss, drawing a foul and hitting both free throws for a 2-2 game. Gill describes Paul as a “diamond in the rough” with the “best hairstyle in college basketball.” On a serious note, Gill says he loves Paul’s size, saying that he did not have that body until he was an upperclassman at Illinois. Paul is guilty of a bumping foul against Kool at 18:11. Good job of getting in the passing lane and deflecting a pass intended for Kool out of bounds with 16:41 to go. Good post defense on Kool forces an air ball, but Paul turns the ball over on the ensuing possession with a travel. Commits his second foul, leading to the under-16 timeout. Does not play the rest of the half due to foul trouble.

Misses a corner three at the start of the second half (nice baseline drive and crosscourt kick by Richardson on that play). Turns the ball over on the next possession, as he penetrates into no man’s land and tries to make a pass to McCamey at a bad angle. Kool steals it and gets an easy layup for his first two and a 48-28 game. Misses another corner three at 17:43.

Scores for the first time in a long time when he gets a two-hand put back of a missed Davis jumper at 14:17. Nice interior position there and attack on the weak side of the glass. Paul’s athleticism can make him a very good rebounder.

Has a nasty block at 7:14. When a bigger Bronco blows baseline, Paul is waiting the rim, emphatically swatting the ball back to half court. I like the fact that Paul sent that ball down court, which could have started a break for the Illini. Follows up with a strong defensive rebound on a missed WMU three, and hits one of two free throws.

Only plays 14 minutes due to foul trouble in the first half and finishes with 5 points.

● D.J. Richardson: Big Ten Network begins Illinois’ first offensive possession with a terrible corner baseline angle in which you can’t see the offense develop. Anyways, Richardson forces and misses an awkward jumper at the top of the key. Gill calls that a freshman play. Forces a travel at 18 minutes.

Nice dribble drive and use of left hand when missing a layup but drawing a shooting foul at 13:54. Gill makes a good point about the importance of attacking the rim when the outside shots aren’t falling. Hits both free throws for an 8-5 lead at 13:47. Picks up full court defense. Follows up with a three at 12:44 for a 13-5 lead. That’s his 18^th three of the season. Sets up a Keller three at 12:05 when he dribbles baseline and hits the Illini center at the top of the key for a wide open luck.

Buries a three at 9:42 for a 23-7 lead. Nice draw and kick there from Keller. Beautiful curl and drive at 8 minute mark, but misses a tough spinning layup.

Frustrates Kool into a travel at 2:36 and then an off-balance miss at the end of the half.

Sneaky steal at 17:12 of the second half when he hangs around in the WMU backcourt after a Davis hoop.

Another sneaky steal at 8 minute mark when he strips the ball from behind and is fouled. Follows up with a beautiful drive and twisting layup in the lane that Gill scores a 9. Whatever it’s worth, Illinois is up 30.

Good use of Semrau screen and dribble leads to top-of-key jumper at 6 minute mark.

12 points (2-for-3 from three) in 27 minutes.

● Mike Davis: Averaging 9.9 rebounds per game. Illinois continues to go inside in first four minutes, but Davis misses a face-up baseline jumper. Later misses a right-handed baseline hook.

Keeps possession alive with rebound and later scores Illinois’ first basket with a nice floater in the lane at 14:46 for a 6-3 Illinois lead.

Western Michigan finally gets on the board at 8:53 with an and-one and free throw. Davis with the foul there, and was outmuscled on the play by the bigger and more physical Western Michigan player (Whitfield). A play is symbolic of how Davis can struggle with his lack of upper body strength.

Cans a mid-range jumper at 7:20 for a 27-10 lead. Nice patience on that offense by Illinois in the motion led to a good open look for Davis, who has struggled with his shot in last couple of games. Gets another mid-range jumper at 5:20 for a 33-15 lead. Beautiful form there. Feeling it, misses a secondary transition mid-range jumper on next possession. Later pays back Griffey for his help defense earlier when he swats a WMU shot at the goal after Griffey had been beaten. Nice job on the defensive board in the first half, finishing with a total of 8 rebounds and 6 points.

Good catch of an inbound pass under the basket at 17:33. Shows nice control in holding onto the ball and hitting a right-handed hook towards the lane. Follows up with a baseline runner. Good job of using the bounce and his upper body for a 20-point lead. Gives up an open and uncontested three to Whitfield on the next possession. Lack of a closeout there.

Out of under 16, has a chance to track down a loose ball following an errant Kool pass at half court, but doesn’t. Not great energy there.

Good offensive stick back of a Tisdale missed hook out of the under-8 puts Illinois up 77-45. Has 12 points and 10 rebounds, for his fifth double double of the season (10 games). Had nine double doubles as a sophomore. Goes 6-for-10 from the floor, making up for difficult shooting efforts in previous two games.

● Mike Tisdale: Illinois goes to Tisdale on second possession, and the big man misses a lefty hook towards the baseline. Like the fact that Illinois is going early to Tisdale there and trying to take advantage of his size. They don’t do this enough. Poor defensive transition at 17:33 leads to an open WMU three, that is missed. Makes up for it on the other end, by crashing the offensive board on a missed Richardson pull up and connecting on both free throws for a  4-2 lead. Tisdale is 23-of-24 from the free throw line early in the year.

Commits a shooting foul, leading to under-12.

Misses offensive tip in off Keller miss on first possession out of under 12. On next defensive possession, does a good job of sliding his feet and staying straight up on a contested and missed Western Michigan shot. Blocks a Kool shot at 10:24 and then hits a hook shot on the following possession.

Late closeout at 2:50 leads to a made jumper from inside the three-point line from Whitfield, who is not known for that area of his game. Weber gives Tisdale an incredulous look from the sideline.

Nice half hook at 18:45 of second half for a 50-30 Illinois lead. However, on the other end, lets the much smaller Kool score on a layup. Needs to show more resistance and go for the block there. Blocks Lawson at 16 minute mark. There’s some resistance.

Nice finish out of the under-16 with a layup off of a great McCamey feed. Absorbed contact there and finished strong. Gill says that Tisdale would not have finished that play last season.

Eight points on only 7 shots, but does have 9 rebounds, which is a big improvement from his normal totals of 4 or 5 rebounds.

● Dominique Keller: Enters at under 16. Assists on Davis score. Hits a three at 12:05 for a 15-5 lead. Nice assist from Richardson.

Misses difficult runner out of under-12. That’s an unorthodox Keller shot from a difficult angle.

Hits another unorthodox one-hander at 2:39 for a 42-19 lead. Another play set up by a head fake and nice use of the dribble. Follows up with a three at the top of the key on the next possession. Beautiful arc there. Comes back on the next possession with another three. Illinois with a 48-21 lead. Whitfield and Keller are engaged in a one-on-one war as he scores a baseline jumper on Keller and then draws a foul and hits two free throws for a 48-25 game with 40 seconds left. Keller has 11 points off the bench in the first half.

Enters in second half out of under-16. Badly misses a forced and rushed turnaround at 12:43. Was fouled on that play, though, and hits both free throws. Shoots air on next shot (another force) and fails to get back, compounding his errors with a foul leading to the under 12. Weber could be heard yelling at Keller to get back.

Provides little resistance as Whitfield abuses him at 10:30 in the lane for a WMU bucket. Hits nice baseline runner at 9:15. Another Keller basket set up with a head fake at three point line and aggressive dribble drive. Illinois up 71-45.

Scores a point per minute (16 in 16) and shoots 5-for-7 from the field. Second straight strong effort off the bench.

● Bill Cole: Enters at under 16. Beautiful pass on McCamey’s first score in transition.

Scores on basket interference off fast break with 11:02 remaining. McCamey returns the favor there with a transition assist. Illinois leads 18-7. Cole was a bit soft on that attempt. Could have gone up stronger but gets the two anyway.

Hits a corner three at 3:40 for a 38-12 lead.

Gives Illinois a 40-17 lead at 3:17 with a difficult floater in the lane. That shot was created by a nice ball fake at the three point line and dribble drive. Rarely see Cole make such a play off the bounce – certainly positive to see.  7 points in first half is his best offensive output of the young season.

Enters at 14 minutes of second half. Fails to hit rim on his first shot (a three) and then gives up a basket to Kool on defensive end. Let Kool get to the basket and failed to provide much resistance.

Bad box out at 11:20 leads to a WMU offensive rebound and two free throw attempts.  Over the back offensive foul at 10:07.

Does not score in second half, but did a nice job in first 20 minutes. Finding a role on this team as a hustle guy.

● Alex Legion: Enters the game for first time at 9 minute mark of first half.  Shows a rare dimension of his game: a baseline drive and score at 6:49 for a 29-10. Good use of his upper body there to create some space on the banker. Nice defense at 5:10 as he closes out on an open WMU three. Buries a three at 4:30 as Legion is doing a good job on both ends. Illinois up 36-15 at 4:15.

Enters at 12:43 of second half.

Nice curl off a screen at 11:40 needs to another bucket. Filling it up thus far. Gives up open three on next defensive possession; shot is missed though. Flat footed, hits the side of the backboard on a corner shot with 8:55 left. Good movement without the ball on that play, but didn’t get his feet properly set.

Misses a three at 3:16, and Gill makes a good point, how Legion is always looking for the three and rather needs to look to expand his game. On the next Illini possession, Legion misses a three from the corner.

Has seven points in 15 minutes, which is like 30 minutes for this kid.

● Tyler Griffey: Enters for the first time at 8:17, coming in for Tisdale.

Great help defense at 6:35 as he comes over and strips the ball from a Western Michigan big who had spun past Davis. Took the ball right out of his hand. Follows up on next possession with a right-handed half hook for a 31-13 lead. Weber could be heard yelling “Move the ball” on that possession. At 4-minute mark, fails to move his feet, allowing defender to blow by him. Davis blocks the shot, but Griffey fails to be strong with a defensive rebound.

Enters at 12:43 of second half.  Nice post denial on first defensive possession of second half leads to Illini steal.

Misses first shot of second half at 10:08. Makes a nice steal and save to Legion on the following defensive possession. When Legion turns over the ball and gets beat by his defender, Griffey plays great help defense, cutting off the baseline and driving opportunity and prompting a Western Michigan turnover. Gets lost on defense at 8:40, allowing a WMU easy inside touch. However, the WMU player misses the chip shot.

Hits a baseline jumper at 5:13. Nice stroke from the baseline. Work on offensive boards at 4:56 pays out with a foul and two free throws, which are both made for an 84-46 lead. Misses a baseline jumper at 4:20. Good look but was fading there.

6 points and an impressive 5 rebounds in 16 minutes. In comparison, Keller only had 3 rebounds in 16 minutes.

● Jeff Jordan: Comes in for first time at 7:53. Bad turnover at 5:49 as he had the ball taken away from him on a dribble hand off. Gets called for a questionable blocking call at 3:32, leading to a WMU basket and free throw. Clearly had position but have been under the rim.

Good dribble drive at 59 seconds, but forces a pass to Tisdale, leading to a turnover. Should have pulled up there as he had an open shot.

Enters around 10-minute mark of second half. Hits high-floating banker at 8:21. Good move and adjustment of his shot there for a 73-45 game. Misses jumper at 7:30 off a screen. Like the fact that he was looking to shoot that mid-range shot off the screen.

Was fifth guy off the bench tonight, where he belongs, and did a good job when in the game.

● Richard Semrau: Comes in for first time at 6:48 of second half. Nice closeout on first defensive possession against an open three. However, Illinois fails to box out down low and Western Michigan is fouled, getting two free throws. Nice screen at 6 minutes opens up a top-of-key jumper from Richardson. Makes an errant pass (and turnover) on next possession. Following Griffey make, crashes the defensive board on a Kool missed layup.

Hits a corner jumper with 3:05 to go. Nice form there.

Finishes with 2 points and 2 rebounds in 7 minutes. Ideally, this guy would get 7-10 minutes each game.

● Stan Simpson: Enters at under-4 and misses his first shot. Good offensive rebound of Legion missed three at 3:16 extends possession and leads to a Semrau jumper from the corner. Misses tough baseline jumper with two minutes left in game. Certainly looking for his shot when touching the ball, but you can’t blame the kid when you sit so much. That was the story of my game during my high school career. Hits his jumper with 36 seconds left to give Illinois an 88-53 lead. Embarrassingly misses an open dunk and a jumper with 11 and 7 second s left in the game. When you’re up this big, there’s no need to shoot.

● Bubba Chisholm: Enters with two minutes left in half.  Chucks up two threes and misses.

Overall: Illinois takes care of business with a 35-point drubbing. Nice to see the team not have a letdown following the Vanderbilt game, and to keep extending the lead in the second half rather than making things interesting (see the Boise State game). Especially  noteworthy is another strong effort from the bench, and the defensive job on Kool, who wasn’t as “Kool as the other side of the pillow” while finishing with 13 points.

Play of the Game: With Illinois cruising in the second half, up 23 with about 10:55 left, McCamey crosses over the WMU defender several times at the top of the key before making his way into the lane. Swarmed by three defenders, McCamey looks like he switches the ball to his left hand when throwing up a high-arching floater (degree of difficulty: 8) that falls through the basket. The ball actually slipped out of his hands, but McCamey will take this basket (and put it on his college career reel). McCamey completes the three-point play.

Positives

● Overall team defense.

● Not having a letdown after Vandy win.

● Keller and the entire bench.

● Balanced playing time.

● A lot of minutes for Legion and Griffey.

Negatives

● Needless shot selection in final minute (really picking hairs here).

Players of the Game: Dominique Keller

Provides Illinois with the type of game off the bench that Bruce Weber desires. Illinois begins pulling away at under 16 in first half when Keller and Cole are inserted into game. Gets 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Back-to-back strong efforts off the bench. Gill says this is the type of effort that Illinois needs from Keller, the lone senior. Of course, Keller’s senior season would not be as effective as his junior year.

Well, that’s it for another Illini Tale of the Tape.

Coming tomorrow, I’ll get to examine an Illini loss to Georgia, a game that would hurt us come March.

Until then.