Return of The Mac

Just when you thought Demetri McCamey would fade into irrelevance like the New Radicals and Arsenio Hall, he has again proven hard to shake (no pun intended to his defensive prowess). The former All-Big 10 point guard for the University of Illinois has recently signed a summer league contract with his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.

Now, a summer league contract is about as guaranteed double-down blackjack at Rivers. But, it is an opportunity, and that is exactly what McCamey deserves. After signing an overseas contract due to the lockout's restrictions on undrafted rookies, McCamey put up stellar numbers in a league that nobody wihtout a pencil-mustache and an affinity for kebabs cares about. Nonethelss, it seems that Meechi--as he is affectionately referred to--has moved on from Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. (God bless the copy/paste feature) of the Turkish basketball league, where he shared the spotlight with other former recognizable American names such as Illinois' own former prodigal son of their dream season in 2005, Dee Brown.

What is intriguing, and quite honestly, beneficial for McCamey is his ability to fit into the NBA protype point guard. Of course, smaller guards like Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Brandon Jennings, and Tony Parker break that mold with their quickness and ability to permeate through perimeter traps and around erosion-footed bigs like the Lopez brothers. That said, McCamey is listed at 6'3'', 200 lbs--a size comparable to guards like Eric Gordon, Deron Williams, and everyone's favorite Uncle Drew, Kyrie Irving.

Mac will most likely be backing up Marquis Teague at the point and will also be spelling Jimmy Butler in the backcourt for the Summer League squad. What bodes well for the former St. Joe's Charger is his willingness to improve. While in Champaign-Urbana, McCamey flourished in an offensive system set forth by Bruce Weber that was conceivably drawn up on a napkin at a local Chili's. In his early years in the Orange and Blue, his frustration with both his teammates and the system was noticeable on his face and through his play; he was turnover-prone and at times took ill-advised shots trying to keep the Chief in games that were slipping faster than Sanka Coffee on his first taste of ice in Cool Runnings.

With the luxury of playing experience as an underclassman, McCamey flourished in his Junior and Senior seasons. When it was clear that Weber was living on a different planet than the 5 he had set forth on the floor, McCamey corralled the group with a pastoral grace and proceeded to lead the Big 10 in assists at 7 dimes a tilt, shattering Deron Williams' record set in 2005 (with a far superior supporting cast) and falling just 20 helpers shy of Matteen Cleaves' Big 10 record set, again, with a Final 4 caliber bunch.

You can only help but pull for the Bellwood native as he ventures into the wide world of underwatched, untelevised basketball. In speaking on behalf of Illini alums, the Orange Krush, and a slew of Asian students who occupy the Grainger Engineering Library on the campus of U of I, let's hope D-Mac joins Gene Pingatore, Isiah Thomas, Evan Turner, and the Hoop Dreams boys as St. Joe's living legacies.

As for Pick of the Day, The Pulse Man is still on hiatus with the MLB returning to regular play tomorrow afternoon.

Now I'm done. Rack me.

Frost

I Opening

If you realistically thought that the University of Illinois was going to somehow challenge Kansas on Sunday night in Tulsa (Big 12 country), you should probably step into the war room with Roger Goodell and the NFLPA, because you are clearly a wishful thinker. In reality, Illinois has failed to put together two solid efforts back-to-back since they knocked off UNC and Gonzaga consecutively in late November. So in the words of Wycelf, they've been "Gone til November", or something like that. What made you think this group of seniors would approach the NCAA tournament any differently?

U of I put together one of their better games of the season in their opening round defeat of UNLV. Maybe it was their blaze orange unis that would have halted fire had they been pheasant hunting in rural Wisconsin, or maybe it was the fact that Mike Davis played out of his goddamn mind and lit up the Runnin' Rebels for 22 points, 9 boards and 5 dimes.

Interestingly enough though, Illinois found itself in a bizarre mix of intriguing sub plots. First they squared off against Lon Krueger, who was formerly the coach of the Fighting Illini before he skipped out on Champaign for a tour of duty with the Atlanta Hawks, a job where he proceeded to guarantee season ticket holders a $125 refund if the Hawks failed to make the playoffs. Bad idea. His successor at Illinois, Bill Self, was coincidentally enough the head coach of U of I's second round opponent, the #1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks.

Not that Weber owes Self any favors for recruiting the entire team that took Bruce to the national title game in 2006, but Weber still returned the favor by producing an undisciplined, lethargic product on Sunday night. I know I am always quick to get on Weber, but McCamey might as well have been playing for Brian Dennehy in that ghastly ESPN production of "A Season On the Brink" this year. At times, McCamey has looked entirely disinterested and altogether unmotivated, resulting in a sub-par senior year after turning in a very promising body of work as a Junior.

As for Jereme Richmond who was suspended for both contests after 'violating team rules'. Really smart stuff, dude. You're 19, its national tournament time, why not go break some rules and get summoned to the pine pony for the entire postseason. Hopefully you enter the draft and get picked in the late 2nd round, proceed to fall off the map ala Leon Smith (minus swallowing 250 aspirin and hiding under a car with your face painted), and I'll see you at the Sectional Final at Waukegan in 5 years after you've put on a cool 35 lbs. and are pawning drugs off on high school underclassmen. I would be fine with this as long as I don't have to watch 4 years of untapped potential.

As for the rest of the Big 10, I know Ohio St. is as trendy of a group as Mumford & Sons right now, but they have literally blown up their bracket. Aaron Craft has solidified himself as the quintessential "guys want to be him, girls want to be with him" guy and Jon Diebler looks identical to a hybrid between Telly from KIDS and McLovin--which immediately makes him one of my favorites. On some other fronts, I thought Purdue would make a deep run behind "'Twaun and 'Juan", but March is never as it seems. Similarly, Michigan gave Duke all they could handle and ended up a tear drop away from knocking off one of the tournament's top seeds. I'll tell you what, the maize and blue can play. They can't drink legally, smoke darts, or watch R-rated movies, but those cats can hoop. On the other hand, I thought Wisco would have its hands full in the first two rounds but have officially bored their opponents into submission on two separate occasions and have achieved their own "Sweet 16" celebration. I'm thinking the Big 10 gets one team to Houston. If not, football season is just around the corner.

As for Pick of the Day, Jake Kelly couldn't get the job done for the Indiana St. Sycamores and the Pulse Man suffered as a result. For Tuesday, the Pulse Man likes the UNDER in the Spurs/Warriors tilt set at 209.5.

Pick of the Day: Warriors @ Spurs, total points-209.5- UNDER

Record:(61-47-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

No Assembly (Hall) Required

Bruce Weber is off the grill (no pun intended). For now at least. After the grill marks were made evident on his orange blazer after losing 3 of 4, including a defeat to in-state rival Northwestern, Bruce was definitely feeling the heat. His Fighting Illini hadn't won a game on the road since they scooped up a win on what is now referred to as MediaCom court in Iowa City on December 29th. Before that, their last win outside of the House of Paign was in Kalamazoo in late November (shout out to Toad, Tez and Lindo). To make matters worse, as of late, the Illini hadn't just been struggling in games they couldn't walk to from their off-campus houses, they've been struggling all together. It seemed as if Weber was losing control of his senior-laden Illini bunch after the first go-round in the conference schedule.

It's hard to imagine that U of I's marquee players were satisfied with their success from a year ago amidst those "I-L-L,N-I-T" chants that were bestowed upon them as they strolled through the campus quad, but that just might indeed be the case. Consider this, a year ago Demetri McCamey established himself as one of the premiere floor generals in college basketball by leading the Big 10 in helpers and also being amongst the conference's elite in assist to turnover ratio. Mike Davis led the Big 10 in rebounding. And Tisdale, well Mike was running up $50 tabs and making out with sub 5 footers at Kams and Station like he was the MVP (most valuable primate, of course) of the Big 10 tourney. Maybe they got a little comfortable. A little too content perhaps?

In the same breath though, all of this burden shouldn't be shouldered by the men in uniform. Not saying that this means anything at all, but Weber has made it out to seem that him and McC have this blossoming father/son relationship reminiscent of Chevy Chase and JTT in 'Man of the House'. He has micromanaged his star player this season at the end of games and has consistently opted for running structured sets instead of isolating #32 with hopes of him probing the painted area. Recently, he has gone as far as publicly criticizing his senior leaders. The animosity reached a boiling point last night when McCamey and Tisdale were both left out of the starting lineup for the first time in 3 years, giving the ever-worthless Bill Cole the nod.

Now, does Bill Cole have more talent than Demetri McCamey in some areas of life? Certainly. Euclidean Geometry and Neurophysiology just to name a few, but basketball is definitely not one of them. I know this, McCamey and Cole know this, and some freshman Delta Gamma pledge who knows nothing about hoops other than the fact that both the rim and the ball are monochromatic orange knows this. I have to give it to McCamey though, instead of reacting like an infantile worm like most Cousy Award finalists would have done had they been benched (Sean Wallis), he came out and got after it, diving on loose balls like he was Lucas Johnson circa 2002. Last night in 'The Barn', Bruce rolled out the ball and let McCamey run the show in a high-octane, fast paced game. Sure, the Orange and Blue gave up some easy buckets, but they looked free-flowing on the offensive end which is something that hasn't exactly been U of I's calling card in 2011.

So even if it came at the expense of my favorite player in college basketball, Minnesota's Blake Hoffarber, last night's win was a huge statement for Illinois. As the season has progressed, I have become increasingly pessimistic about the final outcome of Illinois' season in 2011. But last night might just have been a flicker of light from a Yankee Candle. They took down a man named Tubby, in a barn, on an elevated stage, in front of 20,000 people. Does that sound eerily similar to underground wrestling to anyone else? This has to be a good thing.

As for Pick of the Day, how do you tell when you're on a losing streak? When your alma mater betrays you by a half of a point when they're getting 15+! The Pulse Man was up in arms at the travesty that occurred against Morehead State last night as his beloved Panthers fell by 16 after the oddsmakers sized them up as 15.5 point dogs. Oh, well. For this weekend, the Pulse Man likes the OVER in the Cavaliers/Clippers game tonight set at 206. Just to make it known, HE IS NOT ADVISING YOU TO WATCH THIS GAME. In fact, he is advising you not to. Just check the box and cut that check.

Pick of the Day: Clippers @ Cavaliers- Total Points, OVER

Record:(52-39-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

Tis' the Season

I don't know what to tell you, Mike. When people berated you for looking like a monkey, and thus argued that an actual marcupial could better defend the posts of the Big 10, I defiantly stood in your corner draped in one of those ornate, silk robes and squirted water down your threat like I was Dickie Eklund (minus the meth, of course). When people wrote you off as a 7-foot slug who would tie down Illinois' season in 2011, I argued that despite a body mass index that was comparable to Adrien Brody, your baby-hooks and delicate touch from 15 ft. could serve Bruce Weber well throughout the year. And even if it didn't, who the hell were we going to play instead? Meyers Leonard? Get real. We all know that any big who graduates high school in a city geographically lower than Peoria won't come on until at least mid-way through his Junior season (also known as the 'Champaign Supernova' rule). But why did we expect something different from Tisdale? Perhaps because we have seen his gangly wingspan swinging aimlessly around the painted area in Assembly Hall since early in his career? Because we have been witnesses of his imperfect posture and foul-prone post D for 3 years now? If nothing else, we thought that after 3 years of learning the hard way, maybe Tisdale would be able to take care of the rock in the final minutes of crucial conference games.

Last night, for the third time this season--Missouri, Ohio St., and now Indiana--Tisdale fumbled the basketball on a crucial Illinois possession in the 2nd half that led to his team's demise. In the Ohio State game, with an upset bid there for the taking, the Illini needed a 3. Somehow lost in the translation of the desgined play, Tizzy ended up with the ball and kicked it off the toe of his size 18 right into the first row. Last night, with the Illini trailing by a single point with less than :20 to go, Tisdale again proceeded to forfeit the basketball to the opposition. Why didn't McCamey have the pill in his hands looking to penetrate? I don't know. How did it end up in the mits of a guy who shot 2-10 and committed 4 personals on the night? Again, I'm speechless...I am without speech. If this sounds to you like a break-up between me and the Jungle Lover from Riverton, IL, you're right, that's exactly what it is.

In all fairness, you cannot shoulder this loss squarely on the gawky shoulders of Tisdale. Any time you lose to a team that is in the bottom 3 of the Big 10, it's not that just one guy that didn't show up--nobody did. McCamey, a supposed Natinal POY contender, had as many points (6) on Thursday as he will get phone numbers tonight at Firehouse. Bruce looked confused at times shuffling in questionable lineups and continuously leaving IU's shooters open for triples? That one dude is like 5'11', what did you think was the strength of his game? As a team, the Orange and Blue failed to reach the 50 point plateau against a beaten down Indiana squad! Yes, the same Hoosier team that gave up 91 points to Iowa! These bad road losses (Penn St., Indiana) are starting to back Illinois into a corner as they are now just 4-4 in the Big 10, a record good enough for a share of 5th place in the league. Even with the unveiling of their new unis, which is always a good mid-season morale boost, the Illini have yet to win in them. "I bet they hate the way they look, I guarantee it." Sorry, Men's Warehouse.

As for Pick of the Day, the Pulse Man is going after a player prop in the Bulls/Magic tilt to garner his 50th career win as a part of Chicago Sports Noise. For tongiht, the Pulse man likes Carlos Boozer's OVER in total points and rebounds, which is set at 28.5.

Pick of the Day: Carlos Boozer-TOTAL POINTS and REBOUNDS, 28.5- OVER

Record:(49-35-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

Battle Wound

Talor Battle has been the best kept secret in the Big-10 for nearly 4 years now. He is one of the most dangerous guards in the conference, but is locked in the basketball jail of Happy Valley, PA. Battle's talent disguised in the face of Nittany Lion basketball is like if you were to keep the Dr. Dre 2001 CD inside the Chingy Jackpot album jacket, it's simply a travesty on all accounts. Not that Illinois didn't know about Battle or wasn't prepared for him, but Talor lit up the #16 Illini for 27 in a 57-55 victory last night in Pennsylvania. Initially, you immediately thought, "how did U of I just lose to Penn St., they haven't been good since...ever." Yeah, you're right. But don't write off Talor Battle as arguably the most complete player in the Big 10. Last year, Battle was the only player in D1 college basketball to lead his team in scoring (18.8), rebounding (5.4), assists (4.1) and steals (1.1). How come you haven't heard of him? Essentially, it's the same reason why nobody had heard about The Wonders from That Thing You Do! before Mr. White (Tom Hanks) stepped in and gave Guy Patterson those shades--they are in Pennsylvania! It takes at least a calendar year for anything popular in PA to make its way to Big-10 country. Yet, there's a Big 10 school in Pennsylvania. I try to forget.

Still, whether it be to play Talor Battle or fight the Battle of Big Horn, U of I needs to start showing up on the road. All 4 of their losses have now come outside of Assembly Hall. They lost to Texas in New York, got overran by Mizzou at a neutral site in St. Louie, embarrassingly got dropped by UIC at the UC (you see? get it? nevermind) and then lost last night to Penn St. in the Bryce Jordan Center. Illinois has been tremendous at home, beating good teams (Wisconsin, Northwestern?, UNC) rather handily and looking like a sharp, well-executing, top-10 team in the process. But on the road, the story is much more slanted, and needs to be ironed out immediately if Illinois is going to compete for a Big 10 title like their preseason hopes entailed.

For me, road games are much like 22 year old sleepovers at a friends/acquaintances house. Crazy I still do it, I know. First, find your niche (offense). How good of friends are you with the apartment/house owner? Can you finagle your way into an empty bed? Test the waters a little. If you can't make headway in a hostile environment with a lot of guests (tough Big-10 arenas- Breslin, Kohl, Mackey, etc.), then find a spot on the carpet and get a few pillows (offensive boards, second chance points). Just make sure you come prepared and have something you can rely on (defense/ample space on the ground) so you don't end up sleeping on the kitchen hardwood and are shelved for the next week with a bruised hip. At this point, there is no way anyone is still following this analogy, so I'll let it die. Still, it is imperative for Illinois to 'get comfortable' on the road if they're going to be successful in the thick of the Big-10 season. Otherwise, it could be a miserable morning.

As for Pick of the Day, the Pulse Man got "Jimmer'd" last night as the BYU boy-band megastar dropped 47 on the Runnin' Utes and obliterated the 12 point spread in the process. For tonight, the Pulse Man likes the Hawks giving 4 to the Raptors in Canada. After watching Toronto twice this season, I have yet to figure out how they have beaten anyone.

Pick of the Day: Hawks (-4) @ Toronto- HAWKS

Record:(45-31-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

Head of State

I know what you're thinking. "This guy didn't even watch the Illinois/UNC game! The 2nd half aired during the Victoria Secret Fashion Show." All I have to say to you people is, I have DVR (well, actually my parents do) and I don't have a day-job, so you can figure it out from there. While most of America watched intently as protein-deficient foreigners marched down a golden, glittery stage with giant feathers strapped to their backs, I was keeping a close eye on Illinois running all over a talented UNC team coached by Roy Williams.

Now, do I think UNC is overrated? Yes, they have been for the past 2 years prior to the thick of the college basketball season. For some reason the voters in the AP Poll think that North Carolina can consistently win with kids that can barely buy a pack of cigarettes or a MAXIM magazine for that matter. Harrison Barnes is a tremendous athlete and a phenomenal player, but he's not a first team All-American. I'm sure UNC will be back, but they're going to take there lumps again like they did a year ago. Still, what an impressive win for U of I in front of a sold out Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini moved to 7-1 last night using a balanced attack that included Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, DJ Richardson, Demtri McCamey and Freshman Jereme Richmond all scoring in double figures for the Orange and Blue. Assembly Hall was back in 2005 form as well, as the Orange Krush looked more hopped up on Sunkist than a 12 year old at a sleepover screening Jurassic Park. Tuesday night was a statement win for both Illinois, and the Big 10 as a whole. But about 4 hours north of Champaign on the banks of Lake Michigan, 'Chicago's Big 10 team' was quietly going about improving to 5-0 while turning heads in the process.

When comparing Illinois and Northwestern basketball, a few things are glaringly obvious. Illinois players drink more booze, sleep with more women, fail more tests and frequent more strip joints than their Evanston counterpoints. But, that's not a discredit to Illinois, they are being compared with an ivy league-like school located in middle America. The only player on Northwestern's roster that I see hanging tough with the Illini on Green St. is Michael "Juice" Thompson, but even he can't cover 13 quotas, or 13 bar tabs, unless he's at Kams. Illinois is more talented in almost every area of the game, but Northwestern is a heady, veteran club that wears down your psyche with backdoor layups and transition 3's. The Purple and White might not scare you coming off their coach bus, but they will have a viable shot to play themselves into the school's first ever NCAA tournament birth during the 2010-2011 season.

For both Illinois and Northwestern, success starts in the hands of each team's point guard. NU's point guard is affectionately referred to as a fruity liquid made from concentrate while Illinois' PG has a last name that leads you to believe he was born on the kitchen floor of the Blarney Stone on Chicago's South Side. Call them what you will, but both Juice Thompson and Demetri McCamey facilitate the as game as well as any point in the Big 10. Both guards were in the top 4 in assists and assist/TO ratio during Big 10 play a year ago and are heading into their senior season determined to end up on CBS with Gus Johnson during March in the NCAA's Naitonal Tournament. Illinois and Northwestern will only go as far as their floor-generals will take them, and Bruce Weber and Bill Carmody have to be confident in the places they'll go behind Thompson and McCamey.

One of the only areas in which I think Northwestern trumps Illinois is the ability to have a consistent "knock-down" shooter to propel the offense. The Cats boast the most unlikely of potential All-Americans in Glen Ellyn's own, John Shurna. At first glance, you would swear that Shurna was the kid who sat behind you in 10th grade Geometry that you peppered with questions the day before each unit test. But over the course of 2 years in Evanston, Shurna has made a case for himself as one of the most dangerous long-distance dialers in Big-10 play, averaging over 18 points a game a year ago and shooting over 35% from 3 point range. Illinois on the other hand, looks to stretch their defense with their Sophomore guard duo of DJ Richardson and former Warren standout and Illinois Mr. Basketball, Brandon Paul. Although Richardson is coming off a Big-10 Freshman of the year campaign in 09-10, I think Shurna is more of a consistent threat for his team, mainly because he looks like an extra from Revenge of the Nerds and the scoring presence Illinois holds in the low post.

On the block, Mike Tisdale might resemble a chimpanzee released from the Brookfield Zoo, but it is hard to argue against how effective he has become under the tutelage of Bruce Weber. However, Illinois fans need to understand what they can expect from Tisdale on a nightly basis. He will give you 12-15 points a night, a half-dozen rebounds, and will most likely foul out--that's the way it goes. He isn't athletic enough to guard the quick-footed post men of the Big-10 like Draymond Green and Jajuan Johnson, so he over-relies on his 7 foot frame and uses his fouls. You cannot expect Tisdale to be an All-American. He's a 7 foot 1, 250 lb, Academic All-American from Riverton, Illinois, let's be realistic. Is he better than Luka Mirkovic? Absolutely. Is your college girlfriend better than Luka Mirkovic? If she was graded higher than a C in high school P.E., then I would assume so. Don't get me wrong, Mirkovic has done a fine job with his pipe-cleaner arms and a haircut he stole from an investment banker at the Board of Trade, but the Big-10 boasts too many solid big men that Luka (not the guy that used to be on ER) is going to have to defend on the block.

Outside of the staple categories like backcourt and frontline lies the intangible category that just might be the most influential in determining the success of both Illinois and Northwestern this year, ladies and gentleman, low and behold, the honorary "good glue guy" (shout out Matt Demars). Both the Illini and Wildcats have the "get the job done then spit in your face" Cortland Finnegan-type player. For the Illini, it's Jereme Richmond. Jimmy Dykes referred to him in last night's telecast as a type of guy who, "throws you into the lockers and takes your lunch money" and for the first time in both mine and Jimmy Dykes life, we agree on that. Richmond is a relentless athlete, a long, rangy defender, and an overall catalyst for Illinois success. Sure, he's going to jack up a few ill-advised, unwarranted 19-footers in pivotal moments, that's part of being a Freshman. But the Mr. Socko Mick Foley-esque toughness he carries on his sleeve is going to exude more pros than cons for this year's Illinois squad. For Northwestern, the good glue lies in it's swingman, Drew Crawford. The Naperville product is the son of long-time NBA official, Danny Crawford, so you already know that Drew was born with the thick skin to withstand the raucous rants from student sections he'll surely hear across the Big-10. He is a secondary scorer for NU, but his true presence is on the defensive with his tenacity and intensity. Think Sean Elliot/Charles Oakley hybrid human. God damn do I support stem cell research.

As for Pick of the Day, the Pulse Man skated by the skin of his teeth last night as Wake defeated the lowly Iowa Hawkeyes by a meager 3 points in the final minute, thus covering the 2 point spread. For tonight, the Pulse Man likes the Bulls giving 2 points to the magic at home, a risky call. Because of the Pulse Man's recent betting record, I have received a tremendous amount of inquiry via telephone, fax, email and snail mail about what the Pulse Man actually looks like. To avoid giving him a reputation like "Son of Sam" or the "Unibomber", I have posted a picture of the Pulse Man in his finest hour. Eat your heart out girls.



Pick of the Day: Magic @ Bulls (-2)- BULLS

Record:(36-24-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost

Sweet and Sour Sixteen

There a few moments in life that prompt a "LET'S GO!" (shot-out Matt Meyers) moment and instantly rejuvenate you to perform the task at hand with added vigor. Perhaps hearing the sounds of Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" blasting through the blown-out speakers of your mid-level sedan may add some elation to your usual lifeless commute home. Maybe you sting a 3 iron from 190 after chili-dipping your tee shot and give yourself a shot at saving par and making some greenbacks off your visor-clad, cholo golf partner. Or, maybe you just found out that your state University who returns five starters and signed their first McDonalds All-American since Dance Dance Revolution was invented in '03 is ranked #16 in the first preseason polls for college basketball. LETS GO! Yes, Illinois has become relevant again. Hopefully those long Wednesday nights of watching the Illini get run over by Dayton in the second round of the NIT are over--at least for this year.

The Chief and Co. return all 5 starters from a team that was as sporadic as a seismograph in 2010. They lost to Bradley early on, then rebounded to steal a win @ Clemson in the ACC/Big 10 challenge to maintain a formidable start. Then, the Fighting Illini dropped their last 3 of the regular season, only to rebounded to beat Wisco in the Big Ten Tourney quarterfinals and came within a regulation layup of downing Evan Turner and the tOSU in the semis, leaving them outside of the 65 team NCAA tournament field and in the NIT, which attracts less of an audience than the Andy Griffith show on Nick at Nite. Following Illinois basketball last year was like waiting for a public defense lawyer--you never knew who the hell was showing up, and in the end, it didn't work out that well. This year though, Assembly Hall is loaded with talent. DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul are unidentifiable on the court as they were basically xerox copies of each other--fast, energizing and athletic. But more so than anything else, both players were inconsistent as Freshman. With added experience headed into their Sophomore campaign, hopefully DJ and and BP can feed off the playmaking ability of Senior Demitri McCamey, who became arguably the Big 10's most complete player with the exception of his high school teammate, Evan Turner and his marshan voicebox. At 6'3'', 200 lbs., McCamey is the size of a refrigerator but can heat it up faster than Jamar Smith in his old "microwave" days before he started playing too much Cruisin USA while blacked-out in his dorm and thought he could replicate the scenario in real life.

In the frontcourt, Illinois returns Mike Davis, who interestingly enough attended the same high school (T.C Williams) where Remember the Titans was filmed (I don't really care for Mike Davis' game, so we'll leave it at that). In other news,my personal favorite member of U of I's basketball team also returns, Mike Tisdale. At first glance, you would think that Tisdale is just a scrawny, agriculture major you'd want to recruit for intimidation in the paint for your C-League intramural squad. But Mike uses the window better than a chic interior designer devising the floor plan for a family room and is the proud owner of a soft, feathery touch that would make the Charmin bear blush. As far as core players go, Illinois definitely has the pieces to make a run at the Big 10 title.

The wild card however, is Freshman All-American Jereme Richmond. Hailing from the ultimate sewer of Lake County (Waukegan), Richmond is one of the biggest recruits Bruce Weber has ever tied down in his tenure in Champaign. But in this case, talent comes in the most volatile of packages. There is no doubt Richmond is talented, but there is even less doubt in his own self-confidence. Jereme is an athletic freak who can change the momentum of the game with a highlight reel alley oop or a pin-block that trickles back to the halfcourt stripe. If you haven't seen Richmond play, this video is all you need to see (1:21 pause). However, Richmond is also the guy who used to kiss the floor before high school games and walked around with the same swagger Vinny Barbarino displayed in Welcome Back, Kotter. Getting him to be comfortable in a reserve role with 5 starters returning could be like fitting a 12 year old into a carseat, lots of squirming and immaturity can ensue at any point. With that being said, Illinois is lucky to have gotten the last two Illinois Mr. Basketball award winners as Bruce must strike a chord with the resident 'basketball wives' of Lake County. Throw in Luther Head's younger brother, Crandall, as a lucky, rabbit's foot like legacy on the 2011 squad and Illinois has all bases covered.

Still, U of I finds itself ranked #16 overall, which is great in its own right, but that ranking still trails conference foes Michigan St.(#2), Ohio State (#5) and the now Robbie Hummel-less Purdue Boilermakers (#8). Often times people say that the only thing less important than your preseason ranking is the score at halftime, and maybe the attractiveness of your undergrads (as evidenced by Duke and Butler last year), which definitely has the tendency to hold true. But Illinois has to deal with each of the aforementioned teams twice in the conference season after dealing with perennial power UNC (#9) in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, a date in the dry-land with Texas (#25), and a highly anticipated and always intense border battle with Missouri (#15). There's a warhead in every goodie-bag, and Illinois strength of schedule could sway the Illini back atop the nation's elite in 2011, or plummet them back to the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl (Bowling Green vs. Idaho last year) of college basketball--the NIT.

As for Pick of the Day, hopefully the weekend brings the Pulse Man some solace as he makes the trek down to Charleston, Illinois to visit his proud alma mater, Eastern Illinois. Before departing, he left me with his Saturday 6 pack and drove himself back to a land where mercilessly making passes at younger girls wasn't going to have to cost him a $7 cover charge. Anyway, here are his picks:

Saturday 6 Pack:

2 Team Parlay:

1. Duke (+27) @ Virginia Tech- DUKE
2. Maryland @ Boston College, Total Points 41.5- UNDER
Total: (+273)

3 Team Parlay:
1. Nebraska @ Oklahoma St. (+6)-OKLAHOMA STATE
2. Wisconsin @ Iowa, Total Points 47.5- UNDER
3. LSU @ Auburn- AUBURN, moneyline
Total:(+435)

'Big Ticket' Pick of the Day:
Marshall @ East Carolina (-12.5)- EAST CAROLINA

Now I'm done. Rack Me

Frost