Post by unclejohn on Mar 22, 2005 12:44:30 GMT -6
Only a brief mention of the Pearl controversy, which Weber has been avoiding discussing.
CHAMPAIGN -- The telephone and e-mail messages piled up quickly for Illinois coach Bruce Weber.
As word spread of the NCAA regional semifinal matchup between Illinois and Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday at Allstate Arena, incensed Illini fans and former players weighed in on the game's significance.
"Guys want to suit up again," Weber said Monday.
That's as far as Weber would go with the vendetta Illini faithful have against Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl, the former Iowa assistant who sparked an NCAA investigation of Illinois in 1989 by alleging rules violations in the recruitment of Deon Thomas, who eventually became the Illini's career scoring leader.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee's frenzied full-court pressure is atop Weber's list of concerns at the moment.
"They play a chaotic style," Weber said. "It's different than your norm in college basketball."
Pearl was an assistant under Tom Davis at Stanford and at Iowa, and he has molded his schemes after those favored by Davis, whose Hawkeyes reached the NCAA tournament nine times in his 13-year tenure that ended in 1999. Davis now coaches at Drake.
"As soon as you relax, they get a steal," Weber said. "They go after multiple mistakes. You have to avoid panicking, going too fast."
Weber said he expects a fast-paced slugfest.
"That's what it's going to be," he said. "It's going to be a very physical game."
Only a handful of teams—Cincinnati, Northwestern State, Arkansas and Missouri—have pressured Illinois beyond halfcourt this season. Even then, the presses weren't as frantic as Wisconsin-Milwaukee's can be.
Pearl acknowledged that full-court pressure is a gamble against Illinois' celebrated backcourt of Dee Brown, Luther Head and Deron Williams.
"I don't know how effective it's going to be," he said. "If we press them and make them go faster, they might beat us by 20 instead of 10. We may have to find other ways to be effective."
The Panthers are loaded with guards but weak in the frontcourt. They boast the Horizon League's player of the year, guard Ed McCants, who has been outstanding from the perimeter.
Adrian Tigert is the Panthers' only true forward among the starters, and he has been a force, a perfect 11-for-11 from the field in the tournament with four three-pointers. Tigert's versatility could pose problems for Illinois' Roger Powell.
The Illini's stamina could be stretched to its limits, and that's why Weber lectured Brown on Sunday about staying hydrated. Stomach cramps forced Brown to sit out briefly in Illinois' second-round victory over Nevada on Saturday.
"I drank like 15 bottles of water," Brown said. "I don't know what it was."
Weber said Brown was "casual with taking care of his body. In this kind of game, we can't have him cramping again and lose him for major minutes."
The coach doesn't want his Illini wearing stunned expressions like Boston College players did during their shocking eight-point loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Saturday.
"Those guys were looking at them like, 'What in the world is going on here?'" Weber said.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee had three players diving on the floor for loose balls, while Boston College "was just standing there," Weber said.
"That's why they beat them. They just outhustled them."
CHAMPAIGN -- The telephone and e-mail messages piled up quickly for Illinois coach Bruce Weber.
As word spread of the NCAA regional semifinal matchup between Illinois and Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday at Allstate Arena, incensed Illini fans and former players weighed in on the game's significance.
"Guys want to suit up again," Weber said Monday.
That's as far as Weber would go with the vendetta Illini faithful have against Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Bruce Pearl, the former Iowa assistant who sparked an NCAA investigation of Illinois in 1989 by alleging rules violations in the recruitment of Deon Thomas, who eventually became the Illini's career scoring leader.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee's frenzied full-court pressure is atop Weber's list of concerns at the moment.
"They play a chaotic style," Weber said. "It's different than your norm in college basketball."
Pearl was an assistant under Tom Davis at Stanford and at Iowa, and he has molded his schemes after those favored by Davis, whose Hawkeyes reached the NCAA tournament nine times in his 13-year tenure that ended in 1999. Davis now coaches at Drake.
"As soon as you relax, they get a steal," Weber said. "They go after multiple mistakes. You have to avoid panicking, going too fast."
Weber said he expects a fast-paced slugfest.
"That's what it's going to be," he said. "It's going to be a very physical game."
Only a handful of teams—Cincinnati, Northwestern State, Arkansas and Missouri—have pressured Illinois beyond halfcourt this season. Even then, the presses weren't as frantic as Wisconsin-Milwaukee's can be.
Pearl acknowledged that full-court pressure is a gamble against Illinois' celebrated backcourt of Dee Brown, Luther Head and Deron Williams.
"I don't know how effective it's going to be," he said. "If we press them and make them go faster, they might beat us by 20 instead of 10. We may have to find other ways to be effective."
The Panthers are loaded with guards but weak in the frontcourt. They boast the Horizon League's player of the year, guard Ed McCants, who has been outstanding from the perimeter.
Adrian Tigert is the Panthers' only true forward among the starters, and he has been a force, a perfect 11-for-11 from the field in the tournament with four three-pointers. Tigert's versatility could pose problems for Illinois' Roger Powell.
The Illini's stamina could be stretched to its limits, and that's why Weber lectured Brown on Sunday about staying hydrated. Stomach cramps forced Brown to sit out briefly in Illinois' second-round victory over Nevada on Saturday.
"I drank like 15 bottles of water," Brown said. "I don't know what it was."
Weber said Brown was "casual with taking care of his body. In this kind of game, we can't have him cramping again and lose him for major minutes."
The coach doesn't want his Illini wearing stunned expressions like Boston College players did during their shocking eight-point loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Saturday.
"Those guys were looking at them like, 'What in the world is going on here?'" Weber said.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee had three players diving on the floor for loose balls, while Boston College "was just standing there," Weber said.
"That's why they beat them. They just outhustled them."