Scouting: Michigan @ Illinois

Posted February 14, 2011 11:00 pm

By Lindsey Willhite

Michigan (16-10, 6-7) at Illinois (16-9, 6-6)

When: 7:30 p.m. at Assembly Hall

TV: BTN

Radio: WIND 560-AM

The skinny: The Illini have four seniors who have consumed 54 percent of the team’s minutes. The Wolverines have no seniors on their roster and their freshmen play 43 percent of the minutes. Despite that disparity in experience, these teams are battling for fourth place and a safer place on NCAA Tournament bracket projections. Michigan sophomore Darius Morris has usurped Demetri McCamey’s place atop the Big Ten assists list. Morris, deemed by Illini coach Bruce Weber as one of the league’s two most-improved players, ranks fourth nationally in assists (6.8 apg) and leads the team with 15.4 ppg. Freshman shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has come on strong with 17.1 ppg in the last seven games. He’s shooting 46 percent (22 of 48) on 3-pointers during that run. Illini sixth man Brandon Paul has enjoyed a somewhat similar stretch. He’s at 13.6 ppg over the last eight games with 37 percent accuracy (14 of 38) on 3-pointers.

Article Comments

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.