Lax work ethic frustrates Weber
In the good ol' days at Illinois, otherwise known as the 2004-05 season, here's how the practices would go:
Everyone would bust their butt, Bruce Weber would bring everyone to midcourt for a brief meeting, and then he'd dismiss everyone.
And then almost everyone would stick around and work on something extra.
Some days Deron Williams, for some inexplicable reason, would shoot a ton of NBA-length 3-pointers.
Other days Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head and Warren Carter (and sometimes Dee's bigger, older brother) would take turns playing 1-on-1.
The games would be fun yet fierce. On one occasion, Williams twisted his ankle and everyone spun to see if Weber, talking in a corner of the gym, noticed the injury.
Why bring all this up as the lowly, current Illini prepare to meet last-place Northwestern in an unprecedented Sunday night affair?
Because as much as Weber misses all the winning the 2005 national runnerups did, he misses their post-practice work ethic just as much.
You might say Illinois' coach suspects there's a correlation between the extra work and the extra wins.
"Where does consistency come? It comes from preparation," Weber said. "Giving the same effort, putting in the time: The time is on the court, the time is in the film room. The time is in your mental preparation for the game.
"It's (Tom) Brady with the Patriots. You hear about the effort he puts in. The film work. The understanding of the game. The best players, that's what they do. Some of our guys probably don't get that yet."
Not only was Williams the best player on the 2005 team, he was the hardest worker, too. So when guys like Williams and Brown stayed late in the gym, subs like Carter and Rich McBride tended to stay late, too.
By contrast, senior center Shaun Pruitt, Illinois' top scorer and rebounder this year, might miss his second straight game today for reasons that could be described as lack of leadership.
"Probably we haven't got that (upperclassmen leadership) as much as we need to," Weber said. "Right now, Brian Randle feels better about himself. He stayed with me (Thursday) late after practice, and a couple of the younger guys stayed late after.
"The only way I know to have some success is to put the extra work ethic in, spending extra time. I don't know any other way to get over the hump. They have to make a decision: How good do you want to be?"
Northwestern (6-10, 0-6) at Illinois (9-11, 1-6)
When: 7 p.m. at Assembly Hall
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: WGN 720-AM, WIND 560-AM
The skinny: Illinois has struggled against zone defenses this season, but the Illini haven't faced a zone as porous as Northwestern's. As Michigan State proved once again on Thursday night, the Wildcats' 1-3-1 matchup can't seem to hang with teams that move the ball quickly and find the open men in the corners. Whether the Illini can do that remains to be seen. Junior forward Rodney Alexander had a career game at Ohio State (20 points, 11 rebounds) that included 3 3-pointers from the corner, so perhaps he'll start or at least see the majority of the minutes today. Illini senior center Shaun Pruitt (suspension) is supposed to be a game-day decision. Northwestern junior guard Craig Moore is coming off a career-high 28-point effort against MSU. Between he and forward Kevin Coble, Illinois' perimeter defenders will be tested.
-- Lindsey Willhite
N. Illinois (5-12, 2-3) at Bowling Green (8-9, 3-2)
When: 1 p.m. at Anderson Arena
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: The Huskies are down to nine or 10 able-bodied players as injuries and attrition continue to take their toll. Senior swingman Ben Rand figures to miss his fifth straight game with plantar fasciitis, and freshman Jeremy Landers might sit for a second consecutive game with a strained groin. Junior guard Jarvis Nichols, the team's leading scorer at 10.3 ppg, has taken Michael Patton's spot in the starting lineup. Bowling Green has won its three MAC home games and lost its two road games. The Falcons are crummy shooters (29 percent 3s, 66 percent FTs), so the Huskies might want to use zone and force them to hit bombs. Six-foot-4, 240-pound forward Nate Miller leads BGSU with 13.1 points per game.
-- Lindsey Willhite