It’s not in the DNA of college basketball coaches to take too many chances.
So Illinois coach Bruce Weber doesn’t mind if his Illini think they have to win a couple of games at the Big Ten tournament to be assured of an NCAA tournament berth.
Such talk can be expensive, especially if the sixth-seeded Illini come out playing not to lose when they face No. 11 seed Penn State on Thursday at the United Center.
“We talk about that a lot,” Weber said. “We just have to play basketball, enjoy it. We can’t control it. We haven’t been able to control injuries. Just go play, take it to somebody.”
Although a 9-7 record in the Big Ten, a league that has only two Top 25 teams, is in some ways unimpressive, the bubble the Illini are sitting on still has a lot of air in it.
Based on RPI, the computer formula the NCAA selection committee uses as an aid in picking the 34 at-large teams for the 65-team field, the Illini haven’t lost to a bad team. Their worst loss was Saturday at No. 83 Iowa.
Penn State is No. 189 in RPI, so a loss would draw unwelcome attention.
“If we don’t [make the NCAA], it wasn’t meant to be, but don’t have regrets,” Weber said. “It’s a fear, but we’ve been through so much, I don’t think it should be a factor in the game.”
Based on RPI, the Illini’s best victories were over No. 22 Michigan State and No. 23 Indiana. They beat both at home and lost to both on the road.
A victory over Penn State would mean a third meeting with Indiana, which has a bye to the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed. It also would improve the Illini’s record to 22-10.
“We do have a sense of urgency,” center Shaun Pruitt said. “We still need to get to 22 wins to feel safe about the [NCAA] tournament. We just have to stay focused.”
The Illini beat Penn State in their only meeting, 68-50 on Feb. 24 at State College. They limited leading scorers Geary Claxton to 12 points and Jamelle Cornley to five.
“We found some ways to attack them inside,” Weber said. “I thought our matchups were pretty good. Brian [Randle] did a good job [on Claxton]. Shaun did a good job on Cornley. We didn’t have breakdowns defensively.”
NCAA TOURNAMENT HITS
– While CBS Corp. is doubling the amount of bandwidth available for viewing NCAA tournament games online this year, it will still restrict the number of viewers to keep the system running smoothly. The site aims to accommodate up to 300,000 viewers at any given time, up from around 175,000 viewers last year. Once that limit is reached, fans will be diverted to online “waiting rooms” until enough other users leave to allow new ones in.
– CBS is beefing up the image quality for the video and making the online video player larger, which will take up some of the added bandwidth.
– Jim Nantz (right) will be participating in his 22nd NCAA tournament selection show for CBS (5 p.m. Sunday), and he’ll be doing it from the floor of the United Center after the final of the Big Ten tournament.
– ESPN will cover the first round and quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, with Brent Musburger and Steve Lavin calling Thursday’s Illinois-Penn State game.
The game will begin about 4 p.m. on ESPN2. CBS gets the semifinals and title game, and Nantz is excited. He regards this Big Ten tournament as the most compelling he has seen. “This year there are so many scenarios,” he said. Nantz’s favorites: Will Ohio State and/or Wisconsin earn No. 1 seeds? And how about bubble teams such as Illinois, Purdue and Michigan?
— Tribune, Associated Press
– – –
NCAA AUTOMATIC BIDS
School / Conference
Belmont, Atlantic Sun
Central Connecticut State, Northeast
Creighton, Missouri Valley
Davidson, Southern
Eastern Kentucky, Ohio Valley
Gonzaga, West Coast
Niagara, Metro Atlantic Athletic
North Texas, Sun Belt
Oral Roberts, Mid-Continent
Pennsylvania, Ivy League
Winthrop, Big South
Wright State, Horizon League
Virginia Commonwealth, Colonial Athletic Association
– – –
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
1. Ohio State (27-3, 15-1 Big Ten)
Coach: Thad Matta, 73-21 with Buckeyes.
Last 10: 10-0. And, for that matter, 14-0 in their last 14.
Things you should know: An NCAA tournament regional top seed is probably Ohio State’s to lose. So, too, may be the Big Ten tournament title itself. How the Buckeyes respond to pressure at the United Center could illuminate how they will respond at other neutral sites, with much more at stake, in the coming weeks.
2. Wisconsin (27-4, 13-3)
Coach: Bo Ryan, 139-53 with Badgers.
Last 10: 7-3. Bit of a stumble near the end with back-to-back losses at Michigan State and Ohio State.
Things you should know: The last three contests were gut-crunching. The days off could allow Alando Tucker and friends to clear their heads and focus on postseason goals. Reaching them could be tricky with a quarterfinal matchup likely against Michigan State–but vying for an NCAA No. 1 seed always is troublesome.
3. Indiana (20-9, 10-6)
Coach: Kelvin Sampson, 20-9 with Hoosiers.
Last 10: 6-4. Three victories in last four games–but all three triumphs came against conference dregs Northwestern, Penn State and Minnesota.
Things you should know: Indiana is confounding. Its RPI of 23 is third highest in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers didn’t lose a home game all season, but their 2-9 road mark was abysmal, their only semi-quality road victory coming against Connecticut in a down season.
4. Iowa (17-13, 9-7)
Coach: Steve Alford, 152-105 with Hawkeyes.
Last 10: 6-4. A two-point loss at Penn State on Feb. 28 theoretically killed the Hawkeyes’ NCAA at-large hopes.
Things you should know: The Hawkeyes need victories. “How many? Hard to say,” Alford said. Three likely will do. Other than winning the automatic bid, Iowa’s lackluster overall record and its late loss at Penn State likely dooms it to the NIT.
5. Purdue (20-10, 9-7)
Coach: Matt Painter, 29-29 with Boilermakers.
Last 10: 7-3. A three-game winning streak ended the regular season … but that came thanks to playing Northwestern (twice) and Minnesota.
Things you should know: The Boilermakers’ 20 victories and better-than-.500 league mark are all but mirages. Of six ranked opponents, Purdue lost to five, only beating now-unranked Indiana at home.
6. Illinois (21-10, 9-7)
Coach: Bruce Weber, 110-26 with Illini.
Last 10: 7-3. Final stretch included noteworthy home victories over Indiana and Michigan State.
What to look for: Illinois heads to the Big Ten tournament in good shape for an NCAA berth, although a loss to Penn State in the first round could make them sweat. To make a run in the Big Ten and NCAA, Illinois has to make more plays in the final minutes.
7. Michigan State (21-10, 8-8)
Coach: Tom Izzo, 276-119 with Spartans.
Last 10: 4-6. Four straight losses, then four straight victories, then two losses to end regular season … who precisely are these Spartans?
Things you should know: If ever there were a case study for the effect of the Big Ten’s unbalanced schedule, the Spartans are it. They faced both Ohio State and Wisconsin–clearly the class of the league–twice during league play. Indiana faced each just once. Fellow NCAA tournament bubble team Purdue saw the Badgers just once and Iowa saw the Buckeyes on Jan. 20.
8. Michigan (20-11, 8-8)
Coach: Tommy Amaker, 107-81 with Wolverines.
Last 10: 4-6. Had a chance to make life difficult for the NCAA selection committee Saturday against Ohio State, but Wolverines choked late and lost by four at home.
Things you should know: There are four seniors in the starting lineup, the league isn’t exactly stocked with Goliaths … and here Michigan is, on the outskirts of NCAA tournament relevancy for the sixth straight season under Amaker.
9. Minnesota (9-21, 3-13)
Coach: Jim Molinari, 7-16 interim with Gophers.
Last 10: 2-8. Ended season on an eight-loss streak.
Things you should know: This tied for their second-worst Big Ten season, eclipsed only by a 2-10 showing.
10. Northwestern (13-17, 2-14)
Coach: Bill Carmody, 95-112 with Wildcats.
Last 10: 2-8. Only victories were over Penn State, with which the Wildcats tied for last place, and Texas-Pan American, both at home.
Things you should know: The conference tournament gives NU one last shot at a win or two, but opening up against Michigan State makes it tough. Freshman Kevin Coble has improved as the season has gone on, averaging 15.8 ppg in the last nine. Senior forward Tim Doyle has averaged 15.6 points in the last 10 games and has 151 career assists, three short of the school record.
11. Penn State (11-18, 2-14)
Coach: Ed DeChellis, 42-75 with Nittany Lions.
Last 10: 1-9. Celebrated their second Big Ten victory of the season against Iowa with 31-point loss at Indiana.
Things you should know: Four starters returned from a .500 team last season, yet Penn State lost 13 straight league games. At this rate, with all but one key rotation player returning next year, someone better build a fallout shelter in the Bryce Jordan Center.
— Tribune
