Illinois Plans On Home Schooling
For Illinois, playing in Chicago is like going to Grandma’s house, guard Luther Head says.
Now Illinois has a chance to go over the river and through the woods all the way to the Final Four.
The top-seeded Illini wouldn’t even have to get on a plane to reach the Final Four in St. Louis.
After returning to Champaign after they won the Big Ten tournament in Chicago’s United Center on Sunday, the Illini will board a bus this week for the 120-mile trip to Indianapolis, where they will play No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round Thursday.
Should they win two games in the RCA Dome, the next week the Illini would return to Chicago -- a familiar 133-mile trip -- to play in the regional at Allstate Arena, the aging arena formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon near O’Hare International Airport.
It’s not the United Center, but the stands would be awash in orange, and three Illini starters -- Head, Dee Brown and Roger Powell Jr. -- are from the Chicago area, giving Illinois a huge advantage.
Win two more games there, and the boys on the bus will earn a 179-mile ride to St. Louis.
Still, for a team that started 29-0 and earned a rock-solid No. 1 seeding, the Illini hardly seem invincible.
They lack size, with only one starter taller than 6 feet 6 -- 6-10 forward James Augustine. And they are scuffling a bit since their only loss of the season to Ohio State in the regular-season finale, displaying uncharacteristic trouble with turnovers and shooting.
There is a potential regional semifinal against Boston College -- a team with inside presence that could be an issue for Illinois -- but overall BC faltered after its undefeated run ended.
The real potential obstacle for Illinois appears to be either second-seeded Oklahoma State or third-seeded Arizona in the regional final.
Arizona has a guard trio to compete with Brown, Deron Williams and Head: Salim Stoudamire, Mustafa Shakur and Hassan Adams.
But Oklahoma State has a defensive, veteran team that has been to the Final Four, a team with perhaps enough to send the NCAA tournament’s top-seeded team home.
*
1. ILLINOIS
Location: Champaign.
* Record: 32-1.
* RPI: 1.
* Record against tournament field: 13-0.
* Road record: 8-1.
* Record in last 10: 9-1.
* Impressive victories: Dec. 1, Wake Forest, 91-73; Jan. 25, at Wisconsin, 75-65; Feb. 1, at Michigan State, 81-68.
* Disturbing loss: March 6, at Ohio State, 65-64.
* Top players: Sr. Luther Head, G, 15.9 ppg, 3.8 apg; Jr. Dee Brown, G, 13.8 ppg, 4.5 apg; Deron Williams, G, 12.3 ppg, 6.6 apg; Roger Powell, F, 12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg.
* Skinny: Anything less than a trip to the Final Four will leave a bitter taste for Illinois players and their fans, who have basked in the team’s record-setting season.
* Graduation rate: 70% (student-athletes), 79% (school).
* Little-known fact: Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau was a member of Illinois’ 1937 Big Ten title team.
2. OKLAHOMA STATE
* Location: Stillwater.
* Record: 24-6.
* RPI: 4.
* Record against tournament field: 6-5.
* Road record: 7-5.
* Record in last 10: 7-3.
* Impressive victories: Dec. 7, Syracuse, 74-60; Feb. 7, Oklahoma, 79-67; Feb. 19, Texas Tech, 85-56.
* Disturbing losses: Feb. 22, at Nebraska, 74-67; March 5, Texas, 74-73.
* Top players: Sr. Joey Graham, F, 18.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg; Sr. John Lucas, G, 18.0 ppg, 4.4 apg.
* Skinny: They can play five seniors, a huge advantage in a tournament that often rewards maturity and experience. But they’re undersized down low, where they depend on 6-foot-7 Graham and 6-8 Ivan McFarlin for rebounding.
* Graduation rate: 42%, 54%.
* Little-known fact: Graham has earned his degree in aviation management and has logged enough hours to have his pilot’s license.
3. ARIZONA
* Location: Tucson.
* Record: 27-6.
* RPI: 9.
* Record against tournament field: 6-4.
* Road record: 8-3.
* Record in last 10: 8-2.
* Impressive victories: Dec. 5, Mississippi State, 68-64; Dec. 11, Utah, 67-62; Jan. 27, Washington, 91-82.
* Disturbing losses: Nov. 21, at Virginia, 78-60; Jan. 8, at Stanford, 87-76; Jan. 29, Washington State, 70-63.
* Top players: Sr. Salim Stoudamire, G, 18.4 ppg , 52.5 pct. 3FG; Sr. Channing Frye, C, 15.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg; Jr. Hassan Adams, F, 12.2 ppg.
* Skinny: The Wildcats’ fortunes lie with Stoudamire, who can shoot the Wildcats out of a game just as quickly as he can win one.
* Graduation rate: 56%, 55%.
* Little-known fact: Every four-year scholarship player who started school since the fall of 1990 has played in at least one Final Four except for this year’s senior class.
4. BOSTON COLLEGE
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
* Record: 24-4.
* RPI: 11.
* Record against tournament field: 6-3.
* Road record: 7-2.
* Record in last 10: 6-4.
* Impressive victories: Jan. 5, at Connecticut, 75-70; Jan. 19, Villanova, 67-66; Feb. 19, Syracuse, 65-60.
* Disturbing losses: Feb. 8, at Notre Dame, 68-65; Feb. 28, Pittsburgh, 72-50; March 10, West Virginia, 78-72.
* Top players: Jr. Craig Smith, F, 17.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg; So. Jared Dudley, F, 16.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg; Sr. Jermaine Watson, G, 9.8 ppg, 3.3 apg.
* Skinny: Lost three of its last five games. Has solid low post player in Smith. Embarrassed by early exit from the Big East tournament, BC should have extra motivation for the NCAA tournament.
* Graduation rate: 81%, 87%.
* Little-known fact: Eagles were 5-1 in games decided by four points or fewer.
5. ALABAMA
Location: Tuscaloosa.
* Record: 24-7.
* RPI: 17.
* Record against tournament field: 5-6.
* Road record: 8-4.
* Record in last 10: 7-3.
* Impressive victories: Dec. 4, at Charlotte, 102-101; Jan. 8, LSU, 73-58; Jan. 18, Mississippi State, 98-49.
* Disturbing losses: Jan. 5, at Vanderbilt, 70-56.
* Top players: Jr. Kennedy Winston, F, 17.8 ppg, 44 3-pt. pct.; Sr. Earnest Shelton, G, 16.4 ppg; Jr. Chuck Davis, F, 14.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg.
* Skinny: The Tide has superb athletes and likes uptempo games. Winston is one of the most talented players in the nation and a matchup nightmare. Freshman PG Ronald Steele must play in control.
* Graduation rates: 56%, 61%.
* Little-known fact: Coach Mark Gottfried is one of 38 1,000-point career scorers at Alabama, and he coaches two others (Shelton and Winston).
6. LOUISIANA STATE
Location: Baton Rouge.
* Record: 20-9.
* RPI: 26.
* Record against tournament field: 5-5.
* Road record: 4-6.
* Record in last 10: 8-2.
* Impressive victories: Feb. 16, at Mississippi State, 80-72; Feb. 19, Florida, 77-73; Feb. 22, Alabama, 61-59.
* Disturbing losses: Dec. 18, Southern Miss, 88-84; Feb. 5, at Tennessee, 77-55.
* Top players: So. Brandon Bass, F, 17.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg; Fr. Glen Davis, C, 13.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg; Jr. Darrel Mitchell, G, 13.5 ppg.
* Skinny: The Tigers are all about their frontcourt, with Bass (the SEC’s player of the year) and Davis two big-time low-post threats.
* Graduation rate: 55%, 55%.
* Little-known fact: The school that became LSU opened Jan. 2, 1860, with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent. Sherman later was a general for the North in the Civil War.
7. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Location: Carbondale.
* Record: 26-7.
* RPI: 14.
* Record against tournament field: 4-2.
* Road record: 8-6.
* Record in last 10: 9-1.
* Impressive victories: Nov. 26, Vanderbilt, 67-53 at Las Vegas; Nov. 27, Texas El Paso, 68-62 at Las Vegas; Jan. 9, at Creighton, 69-63.
* Disturbing losses: Nov. 30, at Hawaii, 66-64; Dec. 7, at Arkansas Little Rock, 70-53; Jan. 26, at Southwest Missouri State, 93-77.
* Top players: Sr. Darren Brooks, G, 15.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.3 assists, 2.4 steals; So. Jamaal Tatum, G, 12.1 ppg.
* Skinny: The Salukis won their fourth straight Missouri Valley regular-season title but failed to win the conference tournament for the fourth straight year.
* Graduation rate: 60%, 40%.
* Little-known fact: Saluki Coach Chris Lowery played point guard for SIU in the 1990s and, at 32, is one of the youngest coaches in Division I.
8. TEXAS
* Record: 20-10.
* RPI: 50.
* Record against tournament field: 3-7.
* Road record: 5-6.
* Record in last 10: 5-5.
* Impressive victories: Jan. 17, Oklahoma State, 75-61; March 5, at Oklahoma State, 74-73.
* Disturbing losses: Jan. 12, at Texas A&M;, 74-63; Feb. 8, at Colorado 88-79.
* Top players: Fr. Daniel Gibson, G, 14.4 ppg, 4.0 apg; Jr. Brad Buckman, 12.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg; Sr. Jason Klotz, 10.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg.
* Skinny: Lost leading scorer P.J. Tucker to grades in January, then lost three straight midway through conference schedule. But won five of last seven, including at Oklahoma State, and have an impressive point guard in Gibson.
* Graduation rate: 57%, 70%.
* Little-known fact: The last time the Longhorns had a freshman point guard, T.J. Ford led them to the 2003 Final Four, where they lost to eventual champion Syracuse.
9. NEVADA
Location: Reno.
* Record: 24-6.
* RPI: 37.
* Record against tournament field: 2-3.
* Road record: 11-2.
* Record in last 10: 9-1.
* Impressive victory: Feb. 12, at Texas El Paso.
* Disturbing losses: Dec. 7, at Toledo, 83-75; March 10, Boise State, 73-72.
* Top players: So. Nick Fazekas, F, 21.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg; Sr. Kevinn Pinkney, F, 12.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg; Fr. Ramon Sessions, G, 9.1 ppg
* Skinny: The Wolf Pack swept Western Athletic Conference honors with player of the year Nick Fazekas, freshman of the year Ramon Sessions and coach of the year Mark Fox.
* Graduation rate: 47%, 48%.
* Little-known fact: Nevada became the first Western Athletic Conference team since Utah in 1999 to go undefeated in conference play on the road, finishing 9-0.
10. ST. MARY’S
Location: Moraga, Calif.
* Record: 25-8.
* RPI: 28.
* Record against tournament field: 1-3.
* Road record: 9-4.
* Record in last 10: 7-3.
* Impressive victories: Nov. 12, at California, 61-52; Jan. 8, Gonzaga, 89-81; Jan. 11, Air Force, 59-58.
* Disturbing losses: Nov. 27, Rutgers, 66-58; Jan. 15, Santa Clara, 65-42.
* Top players: Sr. Paul Marigney, G, 17.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg; Jr. Daniel Kickert, F, 16.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 47.8 pct. 3-pt FG; Sr. E.J. Rowland, G, 11.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.9 apg.
* Skinny: Could be a tough out especially if Marigney’s outside shot is on. At 6 feet 10, Kickert is a matchup problem with his size and ability to shoot from long distance. Rowland always seems to make big shots in close games.
* Graduation rate: 67%, 68%.
* Little-known fact: The Gaels have players on their roster from Australia, France, Brazil and Morocco.
11. ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM
Location: Birmingham.
* Record: 21-10.
* RPI: 59.
* Record against tournament field: 1-5.
* Road record: 7-5.
* Record in last 10: 5-5.
* Impressive victories: Dec. 23, Oral Roberts, 84-77; March 2, DePaul, 81-80; March 10, DePaul, 59-56.
* Disturbing losses: Jan. 19, at Tulane, 76-73; Jan. 15, at East Carolina, 67-64.
* Top players: Sr., Donell Taylor, G, 15.7 ppg.; Jr., Demaro Eddins, F, 12.6; Sr., Ronell Taylor, G, 11.8 ppg.
* Skinny: UAB plays full-court defense and likes to run. The Blazers reached the Sweet 16 last year, Conference USA’s last team standing.
* Graduation rate: 53%, 37%.
* Little-known fact: Coach Mike Anderson was a Nolan Richardson assistant at Arkansas and Richardson visited the team’s locker room at the Conference USA tournament in Memphis.
12. WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE
Location: Milwaukee.
* Record: 24-5.
* RPI: 56.
* Record against tournament field: 0-2.
* Road record: 11-3.
* Record in last 10: 9-1.
* Impressive victories: Nov. 28, Air Force 50-45; Dec. 4, at Illinois Chicago 75-67; Dec. 7, at St. Louis 57-47.
* Disturbing losses: Jan. 3, Detroit 76-68.
* Top players: Sr. Ed McCants, G, 17.4 ppg; Jr. Joah Tucker, G, 15.2 ppg.
* Skinny: Panthers edged Detroit, 59-58, in a defensive battle to earn automatic NCAA bid. Opponents must take care of the ball against Milwaukee.
* Graduation rate: 67%, 39%.
* Little-known fact: Coach Bruce Pearl’s Horizon League record the last three years is 52-13. Panthers hold edge over every Horizon team.
13. PENNSYLVANIA
* Location: Philadelphia.
* Record: 20-8.
* RPI: 43.
* Record against tourney field: 1-2.
* Road record: 8-7.
* Record in last 10: 9-1.
* Impressive victories: Jan. 25, at St. Joseph, 67-59; Feb. 8, Princeton, 70-62; Feb. 25, at Cornell, 66-49.
* Disturbing losses: Dec. 8, at Temple, 52-51; Feb. 19, at Yale, 78-60.
* Top players: Sr. Tim Begley, G, 13.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.8 apg; So. Ibrahim Jaaber, G, 11.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.0 spg; So. Steve Danley, F, 9.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg; So. Mark Zoller, G-F, 9.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg.
* Skinny: Begley is the 13th Penn player to be named player of the year in the Ivy League. He set the school record for three-pointers (248), second most in Ivy history.
* Graduation rate: N/A, 92%.
* Little-known fact: Penn began playing basketball in the 1897-98 season.
14. UTAH STATE
* Location: Logan.
* Record: 24-7.
* RPI: 49.
* Record against tournament field: 2-3.
* Road record: 6-6.
* Record in last 10: 8-2.
* Impressive victories: Nov. 21, at Northwestern, 64-57; Dec. 4, Utah, 71-45; Dec. 18, at Brigham Young, 84-62.
* Disturbing losses: Dec. 7, at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, 64-59; Dec. 23, at Idaho, 69-62.
* Top players: Sr. Spencer Nelson, F, 16.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 4.8 apg; Fr. Jaycee Carroll, G, 14.6 ppg, 52.7 pct. FG; 47.4% 3-pt FG; Jr. Nate Harris, F, 13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 65.4% FG.
* Skinny: The Aggies have one of the nation’s most precise attacks, leading the nation in shooting for much of the season. The offense runs through Nelson, a 25-year-old senior who was among conference leaders in several categories.
* Graduation rate: 62%, 46%.
* Little-known fact: Utah State was initially an agricultural college founded in 1888.
15. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
Location: Hammond.
* Record: 24-8.
* RPI: 104.
* Record against tournament field: 0-0.
* Road record: 8-6.
* Record in last 10: 8-2.
* Impressive victories: March 5, at Sam Houston St., 58-55.
* Disturbing losses: Feb. 12, McNeese St. 71-69.
* Top players: Jr. Ricky Woods, F, 17.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg; Sr. Jonathan Patton, G, 11.8 ppg; Sr. Nate Lofton, G, 11.5 ppg, 7.2 apg.
* Skinny: Southeastern Louisiana established a school record for wins in a season as it defeated Northwestern State for the Southland bid. Lofton (6-10) and Woods (6-6) give the Lions a good inside game.
* Graduation rate: 53%, 22%.
* Little-known fact: The official student sports booster club for the Lions is called the MANEiacs.
16. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Location: Teaneck, N.J.
* Record: 20-12
* RPI: 160.
* Record against tournament field: 0-0
* Road record: 7-7
* Record in last 10: 7-3
* Impressive victories: None
* Disturbing losses: Nov. 17, Elon (N.C.), 73-59.
* Top players: Sr. Tamien Trent, G, 15.8 ppg, 5.5 apg; Jr. Gordon Klaiber, F, 15.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg.
* Skinny: Only 20-win team in the Northeast Conference features Italian sophomore Andrea Crosariol, one of the few 7-footers in the tournament.
* Graduation rate: 51%, 46%.
* Little-known fact: Klaiber’s older brother, Antric, was a reserve on UConn’s 1999 national title team and played in a 1998 first-round game against FDU, the last time it made the tournament.
Capsules written by Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Hartford Courant, Allentown Morning Call and Newport News Daily Press. Sources: CollegeRPI.com; ESPN.com Note: Road record does not include neutral sites. Sunday’s games not included in player stats.