I asked women's basketball guru Tony Bleill about the recruiting class. Right now, there doesn't appear to be anything going on, Tony said. And Coach Law isn't sharing any kind of backup plan with Tony or any other reporters. We'll keep after her.

Bill,
Great question. I'm sure Illinois will try to utilize the new rule, but the how is a bit tricky. In both 2009 and 2010, the Illinois Big Ten schedule ends a week earlier than everyone else. So, Northwestern has a game the Saturday before Thanksgiving against somebody other than Illinois. Remember, Illinois can't play home games on Thanksgiving weekend because of conflicts with the state finals. And, frankly, Illinois loses some of the benefit of the state finals if the coaches are on the road for a game. Here are the three options as I see them: 1) Play a home game on Thursday against either a Big Ten team willing to move or a nonconference opponent with television appeal; 2) Play a Sunday game after Thanksgiving with a team willing to move or a nonconference opponent with television; 3) Play an away game on Saturday against a Big Ten team. To me, option three is the least desirable for Illinois. I think the Sunday home game has real possibilities. It would be a big draw for television if Illinois continues to play like it did this season. And it would allow the coaches to be here for the state finals. Heck, maybe they could give the players Thursday off to go home and reconvene during the weekend.

Let's package the anti-Chester Fraziers all in a bunch. My question: you want Frazier out of the lineup, but who are you going to replace him with? Demetri McCamey was 0-for-4 with two assists and two turnovers against Arizona. He's the guy that can and will be be the team's best penetrate-and-create guard, but he's not there yet. That is what Illinois envisions in McCamey. The coaches see him as the guy who can break down a defense, but they don't trust his decision-making yet. McCamey does things in practice that no one else on the team can do. But whether you agree with it or not, the coaches are looking for consistency, not a flash here and a flash there.

So no, I don't think Chester is in danger of losing his starting spot. But there is competition there, so that could change. Arizona had to take Jerryd Bayless off the point after just a few minutes into the first and second halves on Saturday. The reason? Frazier's defense.

Mangino,
I think Ron Zook has a chance to win the award, especially if fan voting is involved. There are a bunch more computers in Illinois than in Kansas. Ron Zook is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is the Football Writers version of the coach of the year. I put him first on my ballot. Going from 2-10 to 9-3 was more impressive to me than Mark Mangino taking Kansas from 6-6 to 11-1. Illinois has more quality wins than the Jayhawks.

Mike,
We have plenty of the posters at The News-Gazette. That's 15 Main Street in downtown Champaign. There is parking to the east of the building. Come in and say hello to friendly Lynette. We are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hi Jimmy. I asked Fred Kroner, our preps guru. Here's what Fred said:

Urbana has struggled this year, but one of the Tigers' most consistent players has been senior Rakeem Sallee. CPCI has just one returning starter from last year, senior forward Quinn Steffen. An interesting note about CPCI is that during the past six years, CPCI and Tuscola have won the most games (135) in boys' basketball of any school in The News-Gazette circulation area.

Unity has one of the area's premier multi-sport standouts in junior guard Zebo Zebe. He put up 31 in a recent game against Chrisman. The Rockets also have a person with a reputation as a strong defender, senior Shane Woodcock, whose twin brother Heath is also a prominent squad member.

OrangeKrush,
Ron Zook keeps his scholarship numbers secret. He doesn't want other schools to use his numbers against him in recruiting. Makes sense. The reason Illinois is able to take more than 25 players is because they didn't have that many in the 2007 class. So, anybody who enrolls in January, which will be several players this season, can't count back. That leaves 25 spots for guys who will join the team in August. Though there won't be the marquee names of last year, this looks like it could be a better overall class for Illinois, top to bottom. The coaches aren't done working. There are plenty of spots open and Zook will try hard to fill them with superstar players. Remember, the bump from the Rose Bowl year will really come with next year's recruiting class.

What's up Ryan. The player who has surpassed all expectations is Mike Davis. He's the one that I think can play professionally at some point. Davis is doing things in practice where you just say, "Yikes." Then, like most freshman, he does things that make you say, "Yikes." So he's got a ways to go. You've seen his athleticism. But coaches like his shooting form as well. That's been another surprise. Once he gets stronger I think Davis will play at the 5 at times. His length and hops will allow him to do that. I think the best thing about Davis is that he wants to get better.

Over the next three years, expect to read a lot of "how did everyone else miss on this guy" stories from different media outlets. Illinois didn't miss on him, and I think it will pay off down the road.

Larry Becker,
Based on my quick count, Illinois has between 8 to 10 spots left. Among the players on Ron Zook's wish list are Jacksonville running back Jamie Harper, Cleveland receiver Cordale Scott, Iowa offensive lineman Sam Hoch, East St. Louis defensive lineman Brandon Harold, Greenbelt (Md.) defensive back Okechuckwu Okoroha and Hyattsville (Md.) receiver Kenny Tate. Illinois has a chance to get at least a couple of those guys and maybe more.

You would think Illinois would be a prime locale for an elite big man in the 2009 or 2010 recruiting classes, given its incoming guards. Depending on what's available in-state, and there's some doubt whether there are a lot of options, the Illini are going to look from coast to coast for that big-time big man. They have some flexibility on this one. With the four verbal commitments spanning those two classes, they've put themselves in an enviable position in terms of who they add to those classes.

Ryan,
I haven't heard anything yet about items that might be for sale, but I'd start with a Lego set to reflect the new look. I've seen those at other schools and it would be a big hit at Christmas. I'm sure there will be stadium figures you can buy like at other schools. Maybe they'll attach a miniature Ron Guenther figure for the top of the new press box. I've asked often about the panels. The best answer you get is that they are in storage. I wouldn't keep Dana Howard's panel there very long. He's big and knows where they live. They need to come up with a way to use those panels, which are really cool. Maybe they can hang outside the stadium. Or they might put them up in the Great East Hall. I don't know if they will be done for '08, but the new gate entrances sound cool, especially the one with the lifesize Red Grange statue to the west of the stadium.

Yes, I am fairly certain Bruce Weber is aware his job description includes recruiting.

Dave C.,
Other than Notre Dame, Missouri seems like the most logical addition to the Big Ten. First, it seems like Missouri has interest. And that's important. You have to have the school all in or it won't work. There is the obvious geographic fit, making a split into East and West divisions very easy. West would be Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern and Wisconsin. East would be Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue.
Missouri's football program is much stronger now than in the past, which would help with the transition into the Big Ten. The one holdup for me is the rivalry between Missouri and Kansas. Would folks at Missouri be willing to give up what has been a very big deal to them for a long time. Arkansas left it's rivalry with Texas to join the SEC, so it isn't impossible.
There has be be an invitation from the Big Ten. It would be a huge help for Illinois, taking the annual St. Louis game off of the nonconference schedule and enhancing the rivalry between the schools.

Andy,
That is an area the coaches are trying to address with the remaining spots. Will Compton remains an option. They are looking for others.

Emily,

Rich, our ace from info tech, figured it out. You would have no hope if it was left to me.

Here goes: