Illini Tale of the Tape: Illinois vs. Northwestern Wildcats (1/23/2010)
By Editorial Staff
During the course of a season, there are typically a couple of games that a team wishes it could have back.
For the 2009-2010 Illinois Fighting Illini, a January 23rd loss at Northwestern certainly fit that bill (as did a home loss to Purdue just days earlier).
With Northwestern struggling mightily in the second half, Illinois could not extend an 8-point lead as its own offense went stagnant and played without any direction or hunger.
Late in the game, Northwestern would storm back and punch the Illini in the mouth, leading to a very frustrating 5-point loss.
Through 20 games, the Illini would be a gross 12-8, leaving me even more convinced that this team was NIT bound.
Where I Was for This Game: Watching from home, thinking that a road victory against a Northwestern team with serious NCAA Tournament aspirations would look great on the Illini resume, and at least wash out the recent home loss to Purdue. Of course, I knew that this wouldn’t be an easy game, as Illinois never plays well at Northwestern and this Illini team had struggled mightily in guarding the three, a specialty of the Cats.
What I Remember from This Game:
● Illinois getting out to a decent lead in the first half, but failing to put Northwestern away in the second half, ultimately letting the Cats hang around for too long. The Illini actually were up 51-44 at the under-8 point of the second half before everything went to hell. In all fairness, Illinois lost the game well before this run, as the Illini could not extend its lead as NU was bricking shots left and right.
● Personally blowing up and cursing at the television in the second half as Illinois failed to extend the lead with NU struggling for about 12 minutes before going off on the content Illini in the last 8 minutes.
● Northwestern scoring on its final 14 possessions of the game, with Wildcats’ Jeremy Nash, John Shurna and Michael Thompson all playing key roles in the comeback.
What Stood Out/Surprised Me Upon A Second Viewing:
● I totally forgot that Illinois came out awful in this game before waking up and taking control, albeit for a brief amount of time. Illinois was down 13-2 at the 14 minute mark of the first half before going on an 8-0 run to make it 13-10 at the under-12. Illinois would score 37 points in the final 16 minutes of the first half and lead 39-36 at the break.
● Forgot that Dominique Keller had a nice first half and earned the second-half start ahead of Mike Davis, who was MIA in the first 20 minutes after having a great game against Purdue.
● Slipped my mind that Illinois had won 11 straight against NU entering this game. Well, that streak would end after this game. Quite honestly, Illinois should have probably lost the last two games against NU previous to this one. NU’s last victory against Illinois occurred during Weber’s first season with the Illini, when an Illinois team of sophomore stars (Dee Brown, Deron Williams and James Augustine) were upset at Welsh Ryan in January 2004.
● In doing these Illini Tale of the Tapes thus far, I have not gotten too angry watching some of these tough defeats. However, I was surprised how this game got my blood going again (as it did when it originally occurred). Illinois seriously had a chance to put this game away for about 5-6 minute period in the second half, and let NU hang in due to offensive possessions spent sleepwalking. Brutally cold in the second half, NU caught fire in the last 7 minutes as Illinois got what was eventually coming.
Before I start to break down this game any further, let’s look back at the previous season matchup between the teams.
In the Big Ten Opener (December 30, 2009), Illinois outlasted Northwestern in overtime at the Assembly Hall. Mike Tisdale had a career-high 31 points and Mike Davis added 20 points and 17 rebounds. John Shurna led the Cats with 27 points. Northwestern hoisted up an amazing 47 three-point shots in this game. Illinois really struggled guarding the three, along with the dribble handoff and penetration of the Cats. For a more in-depth review of this game, see the Illini Tale of the Tape: Northwestern Wildcats vs. Illinois (12/30/2009).
Of course, the last time these two teams played in Evanston (during the 2008-2009 season), Illinois played an awful 35 minutes before going on a crazy 17-2 run (capped by a Demetri McCamey bank shot with seconds left) to pull off a stunning comeback.
Alright.
Let’s do this thing.
Illinois Fighting Illini (12-7, 4-2) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (13-5, 2-4)
Illinois will start the game with Demetri McCamey, D.J. Richardson, Bill Cole, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale.
Northwestern’s starting lineup is as follows:
G Michael “Juice” Thompson (Junior), G Jeremy Nash (Senior), G/F Drew Crawford (Freshman), F John Shurna (Sophomore), F/C Luka Mirkovic (Sophomore); Head Coach Bill Carmody.
Announcers: Wayne Larrivee and Jim Jackson.
Prior to the game, Jackson lists Shurna and Tisdale as the key players to watch. Jackson makes a good point about Illinois needing to get the ball to Tisdale early and often, as doing so usually means an active game from the Illini center rather than a quiet one.
Jackson lists the Illini keys to the game as dominating the paint, executing against the NU zone (or what Weber has described as the mone; that is, a mixture of man to zone), and finishing the game strong.
As for Northwestern, Jackson says the Cats must compete on the boards, force Illinois turnovers and avoid empty possessions.
● Demetri McCamey: Misses a curl jumper on Illinois’ first possession. Good execution and spacing there, but the shot didn’t go. Slow closeout on Crawford at 18:48, as the NU freshman buries an open three to make it 3-0 NU. That play was set up by Shurna getting behind the Illini defense in the transition. Draws a holding foul on Thompson at 16:46, as McCamey finally looked to be aggressive after playing a bit passive on the last couple of Illinois possessions.
On the bench out of the under 16 after an underwhelming start. Back in at 15:08 for Richardson. Tries to force a bounce pass through two NU defenders at 13:54, leading to a turnover and NU break. McCamey does a good job of getting back and blocking Crawford’s shot in the lane, but Nash crashes the boards and is fouled by Jordan. Nash hits both free throws as Illinois trails 13-2. McCamey then attacks on the next Illini possession, using a crossover to get into the lane and hit a layup for a 13-4 deficit. A nice play at 12:10, getting in the passing lane to steal a backdoor pass from Thompson and then running the break and dishing to Keller for a two-hand slam.
Stop the presses. McCamey with great court awareness and help line defense at 10:19 as he gets position and takes a charge on a driving Crawford, who beat Richardson to the baseline. McCamey then makes a beautiful skip pass to Richardson for a three and then breaks down the NU defense with a penetration and draw and kick to Richardson, who hits another three and is fouled. Great rebound and push off a missed Thompson layup at 7:52 leads to his own layup and a 26-20 game in favor of Illinois. McCamey is rolling, as he catches a dangerous floating pass from Richardson against the 1-3-1 and then attacks the middle of the defense with the dribble before hitting a one-handed push shot in the lane for a 28-22 ILL lead.
Is locked in, hitting a deep and difficult three at 5:14 to put Illinois up 33-27. McCamey with 9 points. Called for a questionable holding call at 4:23, off the ball guarding Crawford, who misses the first before hitting the second. Illinois is up 34-30.
Bailed out at 1:16, as he overpenetrates and is trapped. Illinois uses a 30-second timeout. Draws a questionable reaching foul on Nash at 4.2 seconds left on a drive to the basket. Illinois caught a break there as Nash got all ball. Anyways, McCamey hits both free throws to make it 39-36 ILL with 4.2 seconds left. Good defense by McCamey at the end of the half, moving his feet and keeping his hands up as Crawford missed a three at half court.
Illinois gives up an offensive rebound at the start of the second half, as McCamey failed to get his butt into Mirkovic. Responds with a beautiful assist on a Keller layup at 19:08. Nearly steals the ball from Thompson on the next defensive possession. Is out of control on the next Illini possession, traveling at 18:48. Don’t like the turnover, but you have to like the fact that McCamey has come out aggressive. Misses an open three off a beautiful curl play with 17:22 to go (similar to the first shot of the game for the Illini). Did a good job of catching and squaring there, but couldn’t convert. Bill Cole fouls Michael Thompson on the rebound attempt. Took off a step too early on a wild scoop show with 16:08 to go in the half. One more dribble there and he would have made that shot on the break.
Nice long rebound off a missed and forced Thompson three and ensuing push at 13:08, when he dishes off to Paul, who is called for an offensive foul.
Poor dribble containment out of the under-12, allowing Crawford to blow by him and draw a shooting foul on Paul. Gets bailed out on a foul with 10:28 to go and only 3 seconds on the shot clock, as Thompson reached in and picked up his fourth. Illinois’ offense has gone stagnant; way too much standing around. Poor dribbling at 9:48, overpenetrating on the play and leaving Keller out to dry with a tough pass. Keller travels on that play, though the turnover should have gone to McCamey. Terrible (and quite frankly a very lazy) closeout on Nash at 8:40. Nash gets baseline on the play but is stuffed at the rim by Bill Cole. Immediately gets trapped in the backcourt at 8:31, forcing McCamey to call a timeout. Illinois with poor spacing. He has been a bit lethargic in the last 4-5 minutes and it has shown in how bad the offense has moved and looked. Time for McCamey to step up and lead this team as a bigger lead has been there for the taking in the last couple of minutes and Illinois is not taking advantage. Picks up a stupid pushing foul on Alex Marcotullio at 7:26, leading to the under-8 timeout. I hate to use that word, but that was an unnecessary and poor play. Terrible judgment by McCamey.
Overdribbling leads to McCamey getting caught in the air at 6:08 and throwing up a wild pass that results in a loose ball on the floor. Shurna gets on the floor and Davis apparently ties him up, but is called for a foul, his fourth. McCamey is playing some of his worst ball of the season in the second half. After NU takes a 53-52 lead on a Nash three, McCamey picks up another offensive foul, pushing off at 5:12. Welsh Ryan is going nuts, and Illinois doesn’t know what’s going on. A timeout and reaming would be nice, and Weber takes one.
Nice crossover and finish (plus the foul) at 2:03. Is screaming after the play, which has cut the game to 61-56 NU. McCamey has no business screaming with the deficit Illinois is in, as evident by the fact he misses the ensuing free throw.
Fouls Thompson with 47 seconds left, and the NU guard hits one of two to make it 66-61 Northwestern.
Overall: Finishes with 13 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 39 minutes. The old Demetri McCamey reared its ugly head tonight, as the Illini point guard had 6 turnovers. Barring roughly an 18-minute period from the middle of the first half to the first couple of minutes in the second half, McCamey did not play with enough leadership, urgency or direction, especially within the offense.
● D.J. Richardson: Turns the ball over at 18:25. The Illini offense was stagnant there out of an inbounds play after Davis was fouled by Nash on the floor. Richardson tried to cover a lot of ground from above the top of the key to the rim, and carried the ball. Commits an unforced error at 16:09, throwing an errant pass way over the head of Jeff Jordan (and thus out of bounds) while attacking NU’s zone pressure.
A nice job of not settling for a three at 12:35. After missing a three off an inbound curl play, Richardson relocates at the top of the key and receives a pass from Griffey, who hustled down the offensive rebound. Instead of firing a three, Richardson used a pump fake and dribble move to take a mid-range jumper, which he hit to cut the Illini deficit to 13-8.
Richardson buries a three at 10 minutes as Illinois does a great job of moving the ball through the 1-3-1 zone. A great skip pass from McCamey, and a fantastic job by Richardson of catching and shooting. Illinois leads 18-15. Richardson follows up on the next possession by filling the wing and sliding into an open three, set up by beautiful penetration from McCamey. Richardson buries the three and is fouled. Richardson completes the 4-point play, and Illinois is up 22-15. The Illini are on an amazing 20-2 run and playing with great urgency on both ends. Beautiful over-the-top pass against the 1-3-1 zone at 8:16, leading to a Tisdale layup and 24-20 Illinois lead.
Misses an open corner three at 3:53. Good dribble penetration and kick from McCamey; Richardson was unable to hit, though it looked there was contact after the shot, with Richardson spun around. Anyways, Richardson does not get the call, and then gives up baseline to Crawford on the other end. The NU freshman hits a running one-handed push shot to make it 34-32 ILL. Got to cut off the baseline there. Called for an off-the-ball foul that leads to the under-4 timeout. Crawford splits one of two out of the under-4 as Illinois is up 37-33.
Quiet start to the second half, but makes a great dribble drive to the baseline at 14:14 before he hits a difficult reverse layup to put Illinois up 49-41. A great job of attacking, controlling his body in the air, and getting the difficult shot off. Illinois with its biggest lead of the night (8 points) after this make.
Terrible decision making at 11:08 as he tries to dribble through the Northwestern trapping defense and throws a lazy pass, while falling down, in the lane. The ball is picked off by Mirkovic, who beat several Illini to the floor for the loose change and then hit Shurna for a transition layup and 49-44 ILL lead. Hits a baseline jumper at 10:07 to put Illinois up 51-44. That play occurred when Cole missed a three, got the long rebound and dished to the open Richardson.
Misses a quick but open jumper at the free throw line out of the Illinois timeout at 8:31. That play opened up against the trapping full court defense. Richardson needs to bury that look.
Out of the under-4, Illinois has a 35-second shot clock violation and NU responds with a three on its first possession. Richardson can’t keep Thompson out of the lane, and Shurna buries a three in the corner as Cole was a half-second late on the closeout. NU leads 61-54 with 2:14 to go.
Hits a banker with 20.8 seconds left as Illinois trails 68-63 and takes its last timeout. Richardson then fouls Shurna out of the timeout. Shurna hits both free throws to make it 70-63 with 19.9 seconds left. Richardson misses a three and then grabs a rebound, before hitting a jumper with 11.6 seconds left to make it 70-65 NU.
Misses a three at the buzzer as Illinois deservedly loses 73-68 to Northwestern.
Overall: Leads Illinois with 17 points and also has 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 turnovers in 31 minutes. As has been the case with Richardson thus far, he was the best player on the court in stretches and then quiet at other times. Still, for a freshman on the road, he had a good game. Too bad most of the upperclassmen didn’t do their part on this night.
● Bill Cole: Strong closeout of a missed Shurna three-point attempt on Northwestern’s extended first possession. Good recovery on Shurna after Thompson tried to hit him with a fast-break layup. Shurna will have to dish out to Crawford, who buries a three.
Good over-the-top defense and deflection of an NU post pass nearly leads to a turnover out of the under-16. Picks up Thompson’s second foul at 14:58, using a good pump fake at the top of the key to draw a foul on the floor. Is then replaced by Paul.
Good job at 16:52 of the second half, catching the ball in the corner from Richardson and then using a nice ball fake to dribble drive to the hoop and bank in a layup for a 43-39 ILL lead. Looks gassed and is replaced by Paul at 16:37.
Misses a deep three at 10:07, but secures the long rebound and finds Richardson on the baseline for a short jumper and 7-point (51-44) Illini lead. Great hustle and recovery at 8:40 as he gets to the help line and blocks a Nash shot at the bucket. The ball bounces off Nash to Illinois. Cole bailed out McCamey there, who was lazy in his closeout to Nash on the perimeter.
Gets beat out of the under-8 on a beautifully designed backdoor play that results in a Shurna dunk and a 51-46 ILL lead. The NU crowd is back in this game, thanks to the Illini playing like jerks in the last 5 minutes.
Overall: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 22 minutes. Had some good moments here and there, but does not do much for the amount of time he’s getting. With that said, Cole at least brings consistent energy, which is a lot more than some of his teammates.
● Mike Davis: Good job of moving his feet and recovering on Nash, who traveled off a head fake after Northwestern was moving the ball through the Illini defense. Turns the ball back over at 17:54, after catching an post entry pass from Cole, slipping on the floor and traveling. Commits a foul on Mirkovic at 17:40. Good job of getting into the middle of the zone at 17:25 but threw up a wild one-hander that clanked hard off the back iron. Lack of patience there from Davis. Beautiful over-the-top pass to Tisdale at 16:35 leads to a dunk and 4-2 Illinois deficit. Late to recover off a ball screen for Nash, who gets into the lane and draws a shooting foul at 15:51, leading to the under-16.
Badly misses an open baseline jumper at 14:18. Was wide open there but hasn’t been hitting that shot for weeks. That shot looked mechanical and flat-footed.
Back in for Keller at 10:44 after Illinois has tied the game at 15. Slow rotation and closeout on Shurna at 8:36 leads to only NU’s second three of the game but a 22-20 Illinois lead. Fails to box out a crashing Nash at 6:56, leading to an offensive rebound and a Paul foul that takes us to the under-8. Nash hits both free throws out of the under-8, to make it 28-24 Illinois.
Nice pass to Paul in the middle of the 1-3-1 at 5:53. Paul is fouled on the play. Picks up a bumping foul on Nash at 5:38. That’s two fouls on Davis, whom Larrivee says has been quiet thus far. He’s been quiet in 5 of 7 Big Ten games for the Illini. Nash hits one of two free throws to make it 30-27 ILL.
Benched in the second half for the more effective Keller. Back in at 17 minutes, getting Keller. Nice backside defense at 16:17, coming over to help Tisdale on Mirkovic and alter the shot of the NU big man. His man, Ivan Peljusic, travels on the next NU possession, leading to the under-16 timeout.
Finds himself in the usual position of leading a fast break at 13:21 after a Jordan steal and turns the ball over when he tries to pass the ball right back to Jordan. Provides good help for Paul at the 12:40 mark, as Illinois forces a jump ball and retains possessions. Gets good post position and a nice touch at 12:28, and his fade-away rims in and out. Tough break for Davis, who can’t buy one tonight. Davis only has 3 shots. Davis picks up a foul on Mirkovic at 11:38, leading to the under-12 timeout.
Here comes NU, as Crawford blows by Davis at 6:44 for a layup and 52-48 game. Davis didn’t even look like he wanted to guard there. Picks up a questionable foul at 6:08 as he gets on the floor for a loose ball. Is called for an over-the-back foul on Shurna, who hits both free throws to make it a 52-50 game. Davis is out of the game with four fouls and replaced by Keller. NU is now in the bonus.
Overall: Was physically on the floor tonight, but you wouldn’t know it. Another rough game, following a stellar effort against Purdue. Goes scoreless on the night and only has 2 rebounds in 23 minutes, with the latter a better indication of his total lack of activity in this game. Seemed frustrated at times as Illinois didn’t get him touches. But Jim Jackson hit in the head: you have to be active to get involved. Davis was nowhere to be found in this game.
● Mike Tisdale: Good job of using his length on first possession of the game, closing out on a Crawford three. Unfortunately, Tisdale’s man, Mirkovic, gets a defensive rebound down low. I believe that it was McCamey who was switched on Mirkovic and failed to box out. Poor post defense at 17:40, allowing an easy post pass to Mirkovic and then failing to move his hips. Tisdale was straight up there as Mirkovic got away with a hook and got to the rim before being fouled by Davis. Mirkovic hits one of two free throws to make it 4-0 NU. Great post position and catch of an over-the-top pass from Davis at 16:35. Tisdale then goes up and slams the ball down with authority (and two hands) to make it 4-2 NU. Great to see Tisdale finish strong as opposed to laying up the ball (which he did in the Missouri game). Picks up a bad foul at 16:17 as Crawford drove baseline and hit a reverse layup. Tisdale grazed him, but should have avoided contact. Another ticky-tack foul for Tisdale, who tends to pick up these cheap ones. Anyways, Crawford hits the free throw and NU leads 7-2.
Absolutely awful post defense at 14:16 as he fronts Mirkovic way to high, thus allowing an easy over-the-top pass and a layup for an 11-2 NU lead. Why is Tisdale fronting Mirkovic? This guy has no back-to-the-basket game and went 3-for-13 from the field at Illinois. Gets replaced by Griffey with just under 13 minutes to go.
Back in for Griffey (two fouls) out of the under-12. Can Tisdale stay on the floor here without committing his second foul? Great post, catch and bank shot finish (plus the foul) at 10:44 as Illinois is finally showing some emotion. Tisdale pumps his fist and Keller gives him a chest bump. Where has this emotion been? Tisdale hits the free throw (Illinois’ first of the game compared to 8 already for NU), and the game is tied at 15. Northwestern gets its first field goal in a while, as Mirkovic gets post position again on Tisdale, who has his hands straight up but fails to move his hips. Mirkovic gets away with another hook with his elbow and scores, cutting the Illinois lead to 22-17. Nice catch of a beautiful over-the-top pass from Richardson at 8:16, and a strong bank-shot finish puts Illinois up 24-20. Again, gets caught over the top of Mirkovic at 7:36, allowing an easy post pass and finish for the NU big man. Illinois leads 26-22. Tisdale was expecting help there, but none was to be found. Once again, why front Mirkovic?
Nice catch of a beautiful Paul feed through the 1-3-1 at 6:40. Looks like he could have turned and dunked it; went up a bit soft but was fouled on the play. Tisdale misses the first free throw and the second free throw as NU’s Kyle Rawley is brought into the game. Rawley immediately posts up Tisdale on the other and scores to make it 28-26 ILL. A big 4-point swing there as Tisdale (86% from the line) uncharacteristically misses two and the rotund Rawley (not a scoring threat) gets an unlikely bucket. Rawley scores again at 4:54 as the Illini were a victim of some bad luck there. After Crawford missed a three, Richardson tried to save the ball by throwing it off Rawley’s foot. Rawley was able to catch the ball, put down a dribble, throw his body into several Illini defenders and then bank in an unorthodox shot to make it 33-29 ILL.
Good post catch at 2:37 but Rawley forces him farther out than Tisdale likes. Rawley also bothers Tisdale with his body, and the Illini center travels on a step-through move. Didn’t look comfortable there. Gets tied up on the next possession as a driving McCamey threw a pass to Tisdale, who caught the ball but was bumped off again by Rawley. Tisdale made the mistake of bringing the ball down too low, and NU’s Nick Fruendt was able to come down, help and tie him up. The possession stays with Illinois, but these last two plays are indicative of Tisdale’s need to be stronger in the post.
Caught a bit high on Mirkovic at 16:40 of the second half, but at least does a good job of hustling and deflecting the entry pass out of bounds. Gets caught high again on Mirkovic at 16:17. The NU big man gets the entry pass and goes baseline but Davis is there to alter the shot.
Terrible defense on Mirkovic at 15:11. After Mirkovic caught the ball at the free throw line, with his back to the basket, Tisdale was slow to move his feet as the NU center make a spin move to the baseline and scored a left-handed layup. Not enough resistance from Tisdale there as Illinois leads 45-41. Larrivee says Tisdale got lulled to sleep there. Tisdale wakes up on the next Illini possession, getting behind Mirkovic. McCamey finds him and the Illini junior center lays in a lefty-layup for a 47-41 ILL lead. Mirkovic is dominating him on the other end, in terms of fighting for and getting post position. At 14:32, Tisdale is too high again and slow to get around Mirkovic, who luckily cannot handle a hot feed from Shurna as the ball caroms out of bounds. Called for a tough hand check foul at 13:44 as Illinois had really extended the NU possession. Tisdale unfortunately got switched on Nash off the dribble drive and couldn’t keep up. Tisdale is replaced by Keller after his third foul.
Back in at the under-12. Misses a half hook at 9:08. Finally got a touch in the post but seemed satisfied with getting the ball. Immediately took the shot and didn’t work for a better one, especially since he was pushed out a bit. That was a bit of a bailout shot.
Doesn’t box out Mirkovic at 4:55 as the less-talented NU center gets an offensive rebound off a missed Nash three. NU extends the possession and later scores on a Thompson three, set up by a Mirkovic screen. Illinois trails 56-52 with 4:10 to go, as NU is on a 15-3 run. Fails to even go for a baseline pass from McCamey at 2:53; luckily, a diving NU player knocks the ball out of bounds, leading to the under-4. Poor effort by Tisdale.
Fouled at 1:35 as McCamey found him off a screen and roll. Tisdale was a bit soft on that play but did keep the ball high. He hits two free throws to make it 63-58 NU as Jordan is brought in for Richardson.
Tisdale hits a three with 5 seconds left to make it 71-68 NU. Then fouls Nash on the inbounds, and Nash hits them both to make it 73-68 NU with 4.1 seconds left.
Overall: Like Davis, Tisdale is maddeningly inconsistent. A very soft game, finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds in 37 minutes. Those numbers don’t look terrible but the less-talented Mirkovic really had his way with Tisdale in this game, finishing with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and several floor burns. Add onto that NU backup Kyle Rowley came in the first half and pushed Tisdale around for 4 points and 3 rebounds in just 6 minutes. Weber indicated at halftime that Tisdale needs to play much tougher. Like Davis, you don’t know what you’re going to get from Tisdale from game to game. That may be OK for underclassmen but is not the case when you’re a junior. Tisdale was 5-for-6 from the field and is a victim of not enough touches; with that said, Tisdale could be more active and demanding of the ball.
● Brandon Paul: First Illini off the bench, replacing Richardson at 17:40. Plays until the under-16 timeout.
Back in at 14:41, replacing Cole. A nice use of the head fake, one dribble and pull up to hit a free throw line jumper at 13:06, cutting the NU lead to 13-6. Follows up with an aggressive/out-of-control drive at 12:44, resulting in a missed layup. Tisdale gets the offensive board, though, and is fouled on the floor.
Beautiful drive to the basket at 11:21 to cut the game to 15-12 NU. That was an explosive but patient and under-control move from the top of the key, and a fantastic use of the left hand to bank in the shot and shield the ball from the defender. Follows up with a beautiful, over-the-top post feed to Tisdale on the next possession, resulting in a three-point play. Misses an open corner three against the 1-3-1 at 8:53. Was a bit mechanical on that shot; didn’t explode into it.
Man, Paul is playing a great floor game thus far, making a beautiful feed from the top of the key through the 1-3-1 to Tisdale down low. Tisdale is fouled on the play by Thompson, who now has 3 personals. Great flash through the middle of the 1-3-1 at 5:53. Paul is fouled on a nice feed from Davis and hits two free throws to put Illinois up 30-26.
Misses a jumper at 1:03. I liked that play though by Paul, who caught the ball at the top of the key behind the three-point line. Typically, Paul would have fired that shot. Instead, he used another pump fake (his second of the half) to create some space, take a dribble and fire a shot. While he may have been better to take another bounce or two into the lane, that was a mature play from Paul. Follows up with an aggressive drive off an inbound at 57 seconds, but misses a tough banker. Illinois gets several offensive rebounds on that possession before Keller is called for a push off. Paul fails to box out Mike Capoci on a missed three at 34.7 seconds, and the NU reserve kicks out to Nash, who buries an open three to make it 37-36 ILL.
Back in at 16:37 of the second half, getting Cole.
Aggressive drive and runner goes down out of the under-16, giving Illinois a 45-39 lead. Maybe not the best shot, but that was all on Paul’s athleticism there. Makes a layup on the break at 13:08 but is called for an offensive foul, negating the basket. Paul left his feet a bit early, but that looked like a phantom call to me, as Thompson fell before there was contact and Paul nearly jumped over Juice’s head. I don’t like that call at all. There was no contact on the replay, and Paul showed great ball control there. Thompson apparently attended the Derek Fisher summer camp for flopping. Paul does a good job of tying up Shurna at 12:50. The possession arrow goes to Illinois. Good help from Davis as well on that play, as Shurna initially beat Paul. Takes and misses a bad three at 11:46, as he had Davis posted down low. Poor decision there (a rarity for Paul in this game).
Called for a blocking foul at 11:25 as Crawford beat McCamey and missed a shot in the lane. Paul is replaced with Cole as Crawford splits one of two to make it 49-42 ILL.
Back in at the under-8. Gets fouled while attacking the rim at 7:01. Splits one of two free throws to make it 52-46 Illinois. Misses a forced fall away jumper at 5:32; had to put that shot up as the Illinois possession was down to 2 seconds left. Illinois looks like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off on the offensive end. Of course, Nash responds 10 seconds later with a three pointer in the secondary transition and NU leads 53-52. Unbelievable, with the once frigid Wildcats on a 12-3 run.
Bumped on a drive at 4:02. NU with just three fouls.
Commits a freshman mistake at 1:53, getting in the air and fouling Shurna. Illinois has at least gone to some trapping to try and stem the momentum. Paul with 4 fouls and Illinois is down 7 (61-54) with 1:52 remaining. Buries a big three with 52 seconds left to cut the game to 65-61. Rushes and misses a three on the next possession; failed to draw rim there. Not the shot Illinois wanted. They needed a three but didn’t have to settle. Illinois has to foul Nash with 33 seconds left and a 66-61 deficit. Paul fouls out and Nash hits both free throws to make it 68-61 NU.
Overall: Some freshman mistakes late, but his best game of the Big Ten season since the second half of the season opener against Northwestern. Finishes with 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 23 minutes. Those numbers may not look great, but Paul played under much better control in this game than he has in a long while. Not an efficient scorer yet (4-for-10 from the field), but Paul and Richardson were not the ones who looked like freshman on this night.
● Dominique Keller: In at 14 minutes for the struggling Davis. A great job of running the break at 12:10, as Keller fills his lane following a McCamey steal and then slams the ball down with one-hand to cut the game to 13-10 in favor of NU. Great explosion and energy there. Replaced by Davis at 10:44.
Back in at 5:38 for the quiet Davis, who has two fouls. Great drive at 4:42, throwing up a flipper that spins in and out; Keller did draw a foul on Mike Capoci. Keller has that look as if he can score a lot tonight. Keller makes the first but misses the second free throw as Illinois leads 34-29. With NU sagging off Keller on the perimeter and focusing on Tisdale, Keller hits an open three to make it 37-32 ILL with 3:16 to go in the half.
Good post up of Crawford at 1:48 but misses a baseline push shot. Good look, but the shot was a bit rushed. Larrivee says it looked like Keller lost the ball on the way up. Grabs a defensive rebound on the next possession as Illinois catches a break, with McCamey briefly losing Crawford, who missed a wide-open three.
Deservedly gets the start for Davis in the second half. Comes up with a nice help side block on Mirkovic at 19:27, after the NU center had grabbed an offensive board. Unfortunately, the ball is swatted out to NU, which misses another three (Shurna from the corner). Keller does a good job of running down the court, and a pushing McCamey finds him on the baseline. Keller uses a good ball fake to create some space and bank in shot over Mirkovic for a 41-36 ILL lead at 19:08. Great box out and rebound at 18:44 following a Shurna miss from the corner. Is slow to close out on Nash at 18:26 as the NU senior buries a three to cut the game to 41-39 ILL. There seemed to be some confusion on that play, as McCamey was seen pointing out for a switch. Keller was nowhere to be seen on Nash there. Hard to tell what happened as the Big Ten Network was showing a replay and got back to live play right as Nash was getting ready to shoot. Misses an open three at 18:07; Keller is certainly looking for his shot and won’t be mistaken for being afraid to shoot.
Back in at the under 12, for Davis. A good job of picking Nash up off a screen and then sliding his feet to force a wild layup that is missed badly. Travels at 9:46, as he got back down the court and McCamey overpenetrated and left him out to dry with a tough pass. Keller gets replaced with Davis after the turnover, which resulted from poor spacing.
Hits a big baseline jumper at 3:55 to cut the NU lead to 56-54. Nice penetration and kick by Richardson there. Follows up with lazy defense at 3:21, communicating to Tisdale to switch on a screen and roll against Nash. Well, Tisdale can’t contain Nash off the dribble, and the NU senior hits a driving layup to make it 58-54 NU with 3:21 to go. The bottom line: Keller needs to get over that screen, because he can at least stay with Nash off the bounce while Tisdale can’t.
Fouls Shurna with 11.6 seconds to go. Shurna hits one of two to make it 71-65.
Overall: 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 3 turnovers in 19 minutes. Does not always make the best decisions or show the greatest effort on defense, but Keller at least came to play in this game. Provided a nice scoring and energy boost in the first half and got a deserved start in the second half. It’s a bit strange at this point of the year that Keller and Griffey don’t get a little more time given the ups and downs of both Davis and Tisdale. Granted, both of these reserves are not that great defensively, but neither is Davis or Tisdale.
● Jeff Jordan: In at 16:17 for Cole. Richardson sails a pass over his head shortly after his insertion into the game.
Out of the under-16, nearly comes up with a loose ball following a Cole deflection. A good job of hitting the floor. At 15:09, he turns the ball over against the NU pressure, resulting in a Wildcat break and a Crawford layup (plus the foul on Richardson). Crawford misses the free throw and NU leads 9-2.
In at 13:44 for Richardson. Immediately comes in and does a great job of getting his hands in the passing lane, stealing an NU pass and kicking the ball to Davis on the break. Unfortunately, Davis tries to go back to Jordan and turns it over on a bounce pass that wasn’t there.
Comes back in at 1:35 for Richardson. Fails to find and box out Nash with 59 seconds, as the NU senior crashes a missed Shurna three and lays in the ball to make it 65-58 Northwestern. Larrivee describes that play as a dagger. McCamey was originally on Nash but had to help on the play. He lost Nash and then boxed out Mirkovic, who was right there. Jordan failed to cover the weak side there.
Overall: 0 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 turnover in just 5 minutes of action.
● Tyler Griffey: In at 12:44 for Tisdale. Immediately grabs an offensive rebound and kicks out to Richardson, who buries a two to cut the game to 13-8 NU. Commits a pushing foul on Mirkovic at 12:27. Allowed post position there. Bumps and fouls a driving Shurna, leading to the under-12. Shurna hits both free throws out of the under-12 to make it 15-10 NU.
Does not play in the second half.
Overall: Only 1 minute in this game, with both Davis and Tisdale struggling. That’s a bit difficult to swallow, especially when considering how Griffey played against MSU at the Breslin Center a week before. I’m not sure Illinois would have been worse off with Keller and Griffey or Cole (at the four) than Davis and Tisdale at times.
● Bruce Weber: Prior to the game, Weber says that Illinois will need to play much better against Northwestern than in the previous game, especially with the home court advantage now in favor of the Cats. He cites the keys as guarding Northwestern from the three and getting the ball inside to Tisdale and Davis. Let’s see if the Illini follow suit.
Illinois trails 7-2 at the under-16. A lethargic start as Illinois has 3 unforced turnovers and has gotten Tisdale and Davis only two touches inside. On the other end, Northwestern is hoisting up threes (with Illinois doing a better job of closing out) but outhustling the Illini on the boards. For a team that has lost 5 nonconference games and two straight Big Ten games, you would think the Illini would come out with some urgency. Not the case with the 2009-2010 Illini, a team that Weber has struggled to motivate and become consistent.
Weber comes out with his energy guys, Cole and Jordan, along with Richardson, Davis and Tisdale. Well, Illinois has no energy in the first 6 minutes of this game, trailing 13-2 at the 14-minute mark and only getting off 4 shots. However, in the last couple of minutes of this spurt, the Illini suddenly pick up the energy, beginning on the defensive end, which translates to the offensive side of things. Illinois is being more patient offensively and thinking out there, using head fakes to get better shots rather than relying on difficult jumpers. McCamey has been a spark after a lethargic start, while the three freshman (Richardson, Paul and Griffey) and the lone senior (Keller) have all contributed in this spurt. One bad thing: Illinois already has 7 team fouls. NU is struggling from the field but will be at the stripe for the rest of the half, so Illinois must not foul.
Illinois has tied the game at 15 at 10:44, but Weber brings Davis in for Keller. I would have liked to see Keller stay on the floor with an Illinois unit that had been playing with good energy and been on a 15-2 run here. Don’t get the quick hook of Keller here for Davis, who has been struggling. Davis doesn’t do anything in the next four minutes on the court. Why not reward Keller, who actually looked interested in this game, or go to someone else like Griffey or Richard Semrau (who may not be good for the NU dribble/screen offense but could play better post defense than Tisdale)?
Anyways, Illinois is up 28-22 at the under-8. The offense has been clicking big time, scoring 26 points in the last 6 minutes (compared to just 2 points in the first 6 minutes). A 20-2 run was capped by 7 straight points from Richardson (a three, and four-point play), and McCamey is really playing with urgency. During that run, NU did not have a field goal, only scoring from the line. After the run, however, Illinois has had some defensive breakdowns, with Davis slow to recover on a Shurna three and Tisdale getting caught too high or with stiff hips against Mirkovic in the post. Illinois has done a good job of getting Tisdale some touches against the 1-3-1 and generally attacking it lately after a turnover-marred start. Still, Tisdale’s 7 points have been matched by Mirkovic. With that said, Illinois is suddenly playing with the best urgency I’ve seen in a long time. Can the Illini sustain it? Illinois is now 12-for-18 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three.
Illinois leads 37-32 at the under-4. Illinois is very crisp on offense, pretty much getting whatever it wants. McCamey and Keller are playing well. With that said, NU is staying in this game due to some unlikely contributions from Kyle Rawley and the free throw line. Illinois has piled up the fouls in this half, and committed a couple of off-the-ball fouls that have allowed NU to stay within striking distance. NU is really cold from downtown this half; you get the feeling (like the first half against Purdue) that Illinois should be up a little bigger. The Illini left three points at the free throw line in that segment.
Illinois is up 39-36 at the half. During an interview heading off the court, Weber says Illinois has to do a better job of boxing out and eliminating the second-chance points. He also calls out Tisdale, saying that he isn’t fighting hard enough down low and is giving Mirkovic dead layups. Weber adds that Tisdale is struggling and needs to grow up as a player. Weber concludes that Illinois was up 4 against Purdue at the half, and came out and gave up the lead quickly in the second half. Hopefully, they can avoid the same fate in the second half.
Here are some key halftime stats: Illinois is shooting a scalding 61% from the field; NU 41%. Illinois is 4-for-7 from three; NU just 3-for-14 (in the first game between these two teams, NU had 3 or 4 threes in the first couple of minutes of the first half). Illinois is 7/10 from the free throw line; NU 11/16. Illinois technically won the rebounding battle 17 to 14, but did give up 6 offensive rebounds. NU has capitalized on those second chances, scoring 12 points to just 2 for the Illini. Illinois has a 12 to 4 advantage in bench points at the break. Keller and Paul played well. Larrivee hits it on the head: NU has to feel lucky to be in this game, especially with Thompson playing just 8 minutes due to 3 fouls.
Kudos to Weber out of halftime, as he starts Keller instead of Davis, who was great against Purdue but has been nonexistent in this game. Illinois leads 43-39 at the under-16 as both teams are bit sloppy and too rushed in the half court. McCamey has been playing too fast and the Illini haven’t got any touches to Tisdale. NU is getting open shots but can’t throw the ball into the ocean right now.
Illinois leads 49-41 at the under-12 timeout. While this is Illinois’ biggest lead of the game, you get the feeling it should be much bigger at this point. First off, NU is really struggling on offense, missing everything and shooting only 19% from three. Secondly, Illinois has gone four straight possessions without a basket. Two of those possessions were consecutive fast breaks that resulted in turnovers, and the next possession was a Davis jumper that went in and out. Illinois is seemingly controlling this game but not putting it away. What should be a 12-14 lead is only 8! Illinois is a bit too complacent for my liking.
Illinois leads 51-44 at 8:31 of the second half after McCamey is forced to call a timeout when trapped in the back court. Both teams have gone cold in the second half. NU can’t buy a bucket, but Illinois is letting the Cats hang in this game due to ineffective offense. We’ve seen this before in the Bruce Weber era. Illinois’ offense stops moving and the Illini fail to take a bigger lead, allowing the opponent to hang in. Illinois should be up double-digits if it was executing here. It’s time for Weber to get on his team in this break (especially McCamey) out stepping up its intensity and extending this lead. The Illini are playing a dangerous type of game here.
Ok. This game is starting to piss me off. Illinois still leads 51-44 at the under-8. NU hasn’t scored in forever, but neither have the Illini. At least NU is getting open shots. The Cats just can’t buy one. On the other hand, Illinois is running an offense that is stuck in mud. There is no ball movement or post touches, and it’s as if the air has been taken out of the ball. No urgency at all, and I can’t believe that Weber has let this go on for more than 5 minutes. Put some guys in who want to finish this game, as McCamey is reverting to his old self and Tisdale and Davis are just slogging around out there.
Well. The NU run has finally come as the Cats come out like gangbusters out of the under-8. NU leads 53-52 with 5:12 to go, thanks to a 12-3 run sparked by attacking the rim, getting on the floor for loose balls and pushing for open shots. Illinois’ inability to extend the lead and play with any urgency on offense has finally caught up. Sometimes, you get what you deserve. The blame here goes to two people: McCamey, for running a terrible point in the last 7 minutes of this game, and Weber, for letting his team slog around for way too long. Very disappointing.
Illinois is down 58-54 at the under-4 (approximately 2:53 remaining). NU is rolling with momentum on its side while Illinois looks like a deer in the headlights. Larrivee says that both teams need this game if they want to play in March, and apparently NU wants to play in the tournament, and Illinois could care less. NU has 3 timeouts left; Illinois with 2. Illinois with 8 teams fouls versus only 3 for NU. That doesn’t bode well. Let’s see what Weber comes out with out of the timeout. Illinois doesn’t recognize the shot clock and has a 35-second shot clock violation. Everyone on Illinois, players and coaches included, have been caught sleeping in this second half. Illinois with 16 turnovers in the game, NU with 7.
Down 65-61 with 52 seconds left after Paul hits a three and Weber takes a timeout. Illinois extends to full court but Thompson easily breaks the pressure before being fouled with 47.5 seconds. Illinois eventually loses 73-68.
Overall: Not one of Weber’s best games. Illinois came out and slept walk through the first six minutes, looked like gangbusters the rest of the first half, and then was very sloppy and stagnant in the second half, all the while Northwestern couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn and Illinois failed to extend an 8-point lead. Would have liked to see him get on his team for not finishing this game when it was there for the taking? One thing I did like was the benching of Davis in favor of Keller at the start of the second half. Would like to see this team figure out a way to get the ball inside more often.
Overall: Illinois drops what could have been a double-digit victory if the Illini had any urgency or killer instinct for a good 7 minutes in the second half, losing 73-68. A win at Northwestern would have looked good in March, but this was just another game that would leave you scratching your head and wondering “What the heck is wrong with this team?” Well, the 2009-2010 Illini fail to play with any consistency or urgency, thinking that they can coast through periods of the game and then furiously come back and pull it out in the end. Unfortunately, Weber let them get away with this effort for far too long in the second half, before NU came to life and took this game. With that said, Illinois probably didn’t deserve to win the first game against NU, so things justifiably balanced out here. Make that 3-straight Big Ten losses for Illinois, which is looking like a middle-of-the-conference team more than a top-of-the-conference contender after a deceiving 4-0 start.
Player of the Game: From NU, it would be senior Jeremy Nash, who tied a career-high 20 points and was really active in the second half, specifically in the final 7 minutes when NU scored on its last 14 possessions. For Illinois, I’d say the freshmen Richardson and Paul, who both had mostly controlled and definitely strong performances on the road.
Play of the Game: With 14:14 to go in the second half, Richardson hits a ridiculous reverse layup to put Illinois up 49-41. However, Illinois fails to score on its next four possessions, or to extend the lead any bigger. After the under-8 timeout, Illinois sees a 7-point lead quickly go to the wayside as a struggling NU team finally gets hot and takes it to the complacent Illini.
Things I Liked:
● Not a lot besides Paul having a controlled game, Richardson being solid, and Keller playing with energy.
Things I Didn’t Like:
● Mike Davis was nowhere to be found.
● Mike Tisdale didn’t get enough touches and was badly outplayed by Luka Mirkovic.
● Demetri McCamey reverted to his old self, making terrible decisions and directing a listless offense.
● Bruce Weber sitting idly by for far too long as Illinois failed to extend a lead for 7 minutes in the second half before the NU bleep-storm hit them.
Well, that’s it for another Illini Tale of the Tape.
Up next will be the Illinois-Penn State game from January 27th.
Until then.