CHAMPAIGN — If only every game were a season opener for Brandon Paul.
Last season, Paul poured in 22 points in his Illinois debut, and Monday night, Paul started his sophomore campaign with a flourish in the 13th-ranked Illini’s 79-65 victory over UC Irvine in the opening round of the 2K Sports Classic.
“It felt like deja vu for me,” Paul said.
Paul finished with 18 points, and his productive night began shortly after he checked into the game and hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put the Illini ahead 17-5. Then he smartly passed up a chance for No. 4 and penetrated and found an open Tyler Griffey for two points.
“I think (that play) right there showed some strides and maturity that he’s made,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
Later in the first half, Paul added two more 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 32-8. And after the Illini defense allowed UC Irvine to creep back into the game in the second half, Paul buried another from beyond the arc to settle everyone down and push the lead back to 20.
Now the only question for Paul is, can he keep it up?
“This year the main thing for me is just to stay consistent,” Paul said. “I don’t want to have a few big games and then slack off the next few games.”
Last season, Paul had his share of struggles, especially once Big Ten play began, and he shot just 28 percent from 3-point range. The only regret for Weber was that Paul didn’t take the ball to the basket more.
Probably the most encouraging sign for Paul on Monday night wasn’t his scoring prowess. He handled point guard duties at times, and didn’t have any turnovers. Then on the defensive end, he had a block and two steals, plus he had some key deflections and helped alter other shots.
“He always seems to be in the right spot,” Weber said.
The same couldn’t be said for the rest of the Illini defense after a strong first half. UC Irvine forced Illinois back on its heels in the second half, and outscored the Illini 47-37. Overall, it was an improvement over the Illini’s two exhibition games, but still not where they want to be.
“We feel good, but at the same time it’s something that we expect,” guard Demetri McCamey said. “So we’re not going to go out and tear down Green Street.”
