Illini need more from Randle, teammates

CHAMPAIGN -- As a budding philosopher, Illinois senior forward Brian Randle is coming along quite promisingly.

"Times get hard," Randle said after Thursday's loss to Ohio State. "There's never a utopia no matter where you go. We've recognized that and we're trying to figure out a way to turn it around."

That's the sort of thing Illini fans have come to expect out of the mouth of the cerebral Randle, who evaluates situations and uses words thoughtfully.

But in terms of what the 6-foot-8 Randle brings to the floor?

Well, let's just say Illini coach Bruce Weber has been waiting almost five years for Randle to approach his individual utopia.

And he wouldn't mind if Randle checked his brain at the scorer's table.

"I think he should dominate with his athleticism," Weber said.

Randle, in his third full year as a starter, heads into today's Big Ten game with Penn State averaging a career-high 10.7 points as well as 5.1 rebounds per game.

Those aren't bad numbers, especially considering he averages just 24 minutes per game, but the Illini need more of everything from Randle right now.

With road trips to Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State coming up in the next 16 days, the team's best athlete and most experienced player needs to take control.

As Weber prepared his team for the surging Nittany Lions, who have won six games in a row, he claimed Randle was the only one guaranteed to start.

That's both a plea for help from Randle and a plea for more consistent play from the other Illini.

Weber didn't like senior center Shaun Pruitt's unenthusiastic defense against Ohio State's high ball screens.

He didn't like point guard Chester Frazier's fistful of unforced turnovers.

He didn't like the way shooting guard Trent Meacham missed his first few 3-point tries and "went into a shell."

Junior forward Calvin Brock hasn't brought his usual reckless energy in recent games. Backup center Mike Tisdale needs to do a better job on the boards. Backup point guard Demetri McCamey needs to make better decisions.

Weber's list goes so long, it includes the fans who felt it necessary to boo the exhausted Frazier on Thursday night as he went off the floor for good with 1:12 to go.

"I'll be honest," Weber said. "I don't think any college basketball player should ever be booed. Unless he just doesn't try hard. That's disappointing. But that's just my opinion."

But even as Weber looks around and sees endless things to correct -- including some of his own decisions -- he recognizes the need to point the Illini train toward their utopia.

"It's one thing I learned from Coach (Gene) Keady," Weber said. "He always said, 'Hey, you're the adult. They're the kids. They need you. So you better do your job.' "

Penn St. (9-4, 1-0) at Illinois (8-6, 0-1)

When: 1 p.m. at Assembly Hall

TV: Big Ten Network Radio: WIND 560-AM

The skinny: The Illini are in danger of their second consecutive 0-2 start in Big Ten play. They're dealing with myriad issues that need rapid improvement, but nothing's more important than gaining better sight in their shooting eyes. After Thursday's 74-58 loss to Ohio State, the Illini ranked 329th among the nation's 341 Division I teams in free-throw shooting (59.4 percent) and 330th in 3-point shooting (28.0 percent). Just to clarify, that's not good. Even though the Illini are still solid defensively and strong on the boards, that doesn't mean much without more scoring punch. Penn State still relies on strongman combo Geary Claxton (19.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Jamelle Cornley (11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg), but freshman point guard Talor Battle has solidified the backcourt.

-- Lindsey Willhite