Illinois Fighting Illini NCAA Basketball News

Nobody had to tell him Illinois had trouble scoring a year ago. Brandon Paul could see that when he watched his future team struggle in games like its infamous 38-33 loss to Penn State.

This yeara s seniors, including Smith, Simpson and Whitney Toone, are hoping to lead a team of 14 to Illinoisa first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2002-03. 11/2/2009 - 10:05 PM Post your comment The tale of two Mikes Throughout their careers at Illinois, much has been made of the duo of forward Mike Davis and center Mike Tisdale.

Illinois freshman guard Joseph Bertrand could redshirt this basketball season, according to online reports published Thursday by the Champaign News-Gazette and the St.

Illinois' Demetri McCamey attempts to dunk the ball during the exhibition basketball game against Missouri Southern State at Assembly Hall on Oct.

Illinois guard Joseph Bertrand pulls down a rebound while Missouri Southern's forward Rich Borries and Illinois center Mike Tisdale watch during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Friday, Oct.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber didn't dismiss Michigan State's or Purdue's chances to win the Big Ten title or compete for a Final Four.

Demetri McCamey blew past the fast food stops this past summer, just like he plans to go around defenders this season.

Freshman DJ Richardson attempts a dunk during the Illini Madness event at Assembly Hall on Friday, Oct.

Illinois' D.J. Richardson drives against Demetri McCamey during the Orange and Blue Scrimmage at Assembly Hall on Sunday, Oct.

The arrival of Michael Jordan's son has certainly created a buzz around the University of Central Florida campus.

The Illinois Illini had a roller-coaster ride of a season last year that ended with a first-round loss to Western Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

The list went on ... and on ... and on. Bruce Weber and the Illini just couldn't manage to hold onto the home-grown talent.

Not just because McCamey led the Illini in scoring last year and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in assists .

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Illinois ' four-man freshman class marks the start of the program's recruiting renaissance.

With 24 wins and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Illinois far outstripped expectations last year.

Eds: APNewsNow. AP Photo ILDEC101 By DAVID MERCER Associated Press Writer CHAMPAIGN, Ill.

Don't get me wrong. Nobody is trying to throw the underachieving University of Illinois football team under the bus.

Among the topics? How much zone pressure to include in their package. With so many slender, long-armed athletes on the squad -- and the last-minute zone-press successes against Northwestern and Western Kentucky uppermost in mind -- the Illini staff has been evaluating Louisvillea s zone concepts and debating how to borrow them for their purposes.

Coach: Bruce Weber . Last season's record: 24-10 overall, 11-7 in Big Ten . Postseason: Lost in first round of NCAA tournament to Western Kentucky .

Four months after he hung up his Air Jordans at Illinois, guard Jeff Jordan is talking to coaches about coming back.