Jim,

I think he does. After the Gardner-Webb game, it was suggested that Joseph was a quiet guy and John Groce and Tyler Griffey immediately jumped in and said he’s really not a quiet guy. In practice and privately, Bertrand has a dynamic personality, it’s just not something most get to see for the two or three hour window the team is on the floor playing on game nights. He can be vocal and forceful when he needs to be, but it hasn’t been required of him. I think you’ll see that more when he’s the senior on next year’s team. But, he also won’t have to be that one dominant voice. Tracy Abrams is already a team captain and he’ll take a lot of that pressure off of Bertrand. Look for Abrams and Rayvonte Rice to assume the leadership role with next year’s team along with Bertrand.

BBrian,

When this team is knocking down shots, it’s dangerous and one with a high ceiling. When things are clicking, this team is capable of getting to the second week of the NCAA tournament. I didn’t say they would get that far, but that’s what they’re capable of doing. We saw last night, however, that when the shots weren’t falling, they struggled to find consistency on the offensive end. Groce made the comment that they were soft with the ball, meaning when they got the ball in the paint, the fumbled around with t or had it slapped out of their hands. They’re going to have to find a way to do better down there, because there will be more than a few nights when the outside shots aren’t falling.

There are those out there who, despite what Illinois has done so far, think this team will miss the tournament. Jeff Goodman at CBS Sports said earlier this week he’s not buying Illinois yet and says they will be playing in the NIT. ESPN.com said Illinois is the most overrated team in the country. That might be true, but based on the early sample, the Illini deserve recognition for what they’ve accomplished. They’re probably not the 13th best team in the country, but others in consideration haven’t played up to expectations so far.

We’ll learn a lot after Saturday’s game and the game with Missouri in St. Louis heading to the Big Ten season. With what we’ve seen, though, this team should make the NCAA tournament.

Joe A.,

Mike remains a work in progress, though it’s a positive sign for he and his supporters that he saw early minutes last night, although it was a brief appearance. He’s practiced well and he’s still adjusting to the change. Another thing is the guys ahead of him have played well. Nnanna Egwu continues to get better, Tyler Griffey has had a great season offensively and Sam McLaurin’s contributions have been underrated. Mike practiced well this week and the coaches noticed it. Mike is starting to do the little things that kind of go unnoticed. Groce said last night he had a great hedge on a ball screen and he had a deflection. Those things matter and get you playing time.

He was the team’s top rebounder in practice on Sunday and wore the James Augustine jersey in practice the next day as a result. At this point, he’s a spot-minutes guy, but he’s got a chance to contribute a great deal as an upperclassman.

Wes,

For the season, Illinois has outrebounded its opponents by an average of about four boards per game (36.5-32.6). The Illini are one rebound better than opponents on the offensive boards, but Hawaii (21 offensive rebounds), Chaminade (10) and Butler (16) have outrebounded them on the offensive glass. Last night they gave up 18 offensive rebounds to Western Carolina and that’s a problem, though they only gave up 14 second-chance points. Rebounding isn’t a strength of this team, but I think the more Nnanna Egwu plays, the better he’ll become at rebounding. Sam McLaurin will rebound. Illinois had 18 offensive boards last night and he got four of them.

Something to consider, too. As Illinois continues to show that it wants to push the tempo and score in transition, teams are going to have to make a choice. Do you stay on your end and crash the offensive boards, or, do you get back on defense to slow Illinois down? How teams decide to handle that will have an impact on the rebounding numbers. 

JimmyJack,

Good observation. It's something I noticed last night. One sequence that stood out to me was with Myke Henry. In the second half, Myke passed up shooting an open three, took a couple of dribbles and found himself open again, but didn't fire on a 16-footer. I dont know that I've ever seen Henry pass up an open shot, let alone two times on the same possession. I do think the team was tight last night as Western Carolina wouldn't go quietly. That spoke to the mental toughness last night and coches and players agreed that Illinois lacked in that area last night.

I don't think you will see that again soon, as that will be harped on at practice tomorrow and Friday ahead of the Gonzaga game. They will take the open shots. Whether the go down or not will be another story. Last night was one of the first times the shots weren't falling consistently and that rattled the guys a little bit.

Interior defense has been an issue, outside of Sam McLaurin and it's going to be a liability. Groce said earlier this week they will use the zone as they see fit and if teams continue to have success offensively down low, you'll see some more zone, though it's more likely they'll mix it with the man-to-man and not use it exclusively.

Chief2,

Was that you at the Georgia Tech game last week?

You have a chance, yes. Illinois has beaten the Zags each of the last two years and lost that overtime game at the United Center the year before. But, this Gonzaga team is better than the last two and probably better than the team that beat you in Chicago.

Adam Morrison and Dan Dickau's teams were better than this one, but this group is pretty good. Acorss the board, Illinois doesn't match up favorably with the Bulldogs. Elias Harris has embraced his skillset as a 4 rather than a 3 and he's thrived after a couple of down year. For Illinois to have a chance, the Illini are going to have to get hot from the outside. The season high for three-pointers is 14 and they're going to have to do that, maybe hit a few more than 14 to win up there. It's a tough environment against a Top 10 opponent. Something special will have to happen.

The last time Illinois beat a Top 10 team on the road was at No. 9 Purdue, the Big Ten opener in 2008-09.

Anonymous,

Ulis is on Illinois' radar, but at this point he isn't a priority in 2014. Not to say that he won't become one, but they're just not there yet. Ulis' only offer, according to Rivals at this point is from UIC with Missouri, Georgetwon, Michigan State and Nebraska among those showing interest.

Michael Finke, the 6-9 forward from Champaign, remains a top priority for the Illini in 2014 and the sooner he commits, the better. His stock continues to rise with the great start he's had to his junior season at Centennial. Illinois is looking to add athletic, skilled big men who can run the floor with the way it spaces the floor and use the ball screen. Finke is exactly that kind of player.

Illinibrave,

For the better part of the offseason workouts, Rice was probably Illinois' most consistent performers. At that point, no one knew Brandon Paul was going to play as well as he has so far this season, so Rice was probably the top guy.

I caught up with Paris Parham last week about Rice. Here's a link to that.

His outside shot was the weakest part of his game and that's been a point of empahsis. That's what Joseph Bertrand worked on in the offseason and that's paying dividends for him this season. Rice treats practices like games and his fire has rubbed off on the whole team. 

What Illinois is hoping is Rice can be a Joseph Bertrand-type of threat on the offensive end. They're different players, but he's a slasher who can get to the rim and if his outside shot improves like they expect, he can stretch the defense. He's more physical (6-4, 240) and will be able to wear down smaller guards. 

Amen,

I those game Illinois was outrebounded on the offensive glass, the made at least 10 threes in each of those contests. That helps. But, when you're not hitting the shots, that's when the rebounding issues will hurt you.

Last night they gave up 18 offensive boards, but forced 22 turnovers and scored 29 points off of those. In a game where they only made seven threes, that was the difference. Some other aspect of the game will have to be off the charts to negate rebounding woes.