Weber's shake-up helps produce big road win
For the first time since his freshman year, senior center Mike Tisdale found himself on the bench to start the game.
For the first time in 44 games, senior point guard Demetri McCamey sat and watched the opening tip, too, as Bruce Weber shook things up.
And, for the first time seemingly in forever, Illinois stayed strong down the stretch to earn an important Big Ten victory.
Five different Illini either delivered crucial points or a critical defensive play during the final five minutes as Illinois prevailed for a 71-62 win over Minnesota at Williams Arena.
McCamey and senior forward Mike Davis shared scoring honors with 17 points, but McCamey added his first 3-steal effort in Big Ten play this year.
He had just 5 steals in Illinois' first 10 league games — and he wasn't the only one who ratcheted up his intensity.
“We said we're going to a battle, to a war, and we had to play hard,” Weber said. “I said the whole difference is playing hard. We had 44 (points) on the Matto (chart). Season-high.
“Demetri had 9. He dove on the floor, he got a steal and he played so hard that he cramped. So I guess not starting him maybe gave him a little jolt.”
With McCamey and Tisdale on the bench, Brandon Paul (12 points, 7 rebounds) made his first start at point guard while freshman center Meyers Leonard made his first start overall.
Illinois (16-8, 6-5) and Minnesota (16-8, 5-7) took turns missing shots and trying to get to the offensive glass in a prototypical physical affair.
Minnesota muscleman Trevor Mbakwe (17 points, 16 rebounds) had a double-double by halftime and Ralph Sampson added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Though the Illini couldn't quite match up on the boards, they made up for it by forcing 16 turnovers.
They squandered a 9-point lead late in the first half to find themselves down 41-37 with 15 minutes to play.
Illinois rallied to hold a 58-55 with five minutes left, which traditionally has been the point where things go awry.
Instead, each player on the floor made a play.
D.J. Richardson drilled his second 3-pointer of the half. Bill Cole blocked a Sampson layup from behind. Tisdale stood tall on a Rodney Williams drive and forced a jump ball that went to the Illini. Mike Davis cashed an 18-foot jumper to put Illinois up 63-57 with 1:53 left.
From there, Paul hit 6 straight free throws and McCamey added 2 as 150 Orange Krush seniors stood in the rafters chanting, “This is Our House!”
As the wired Illini climbed to the elevated floor to get in the handshake line, they pointed at their orange-clad classmates who left campus at 7 a.m. Thursday for their annual road trip.
They should return in plenty of time for Sunday's home matchup with No. 14 Purdue that's going nationwide on CBS-TV.
“The whole thing is playing hard,” Weber said. “We just are a team that can't deal with success. This scares me a little bit. The first thing I said (to them after the game), ‘I love how hard you played, but now you've got to do it again Sunday.'”