Brandon Paul
Concerning Aaron Craft's Defense
Concerning Aaron Craft's Defense
Aaron Craft is a very good defensive player. Let?s get that out of the way. Whatever you think of the next few paragraphs, remember that we all agree that Craft?s defense would improve just about any collegiate basketball team. But the sophomore guard just earned some hardware that bestowed loftier praise than just being ?very […]
Big Ten Geeks: The Charity Stripe
Big Ten Geeks: The Charity Stripe
Indiana made a living at the foul line in a chippy 13-point win over visiting Illinois. For about 30 minutes, this was a tight, back-and-forth game, with six lead changes and 14 ties. Over the final 10 minutes, however, the Hoosiers took advantage of the foul-riddled Illini to pull away. Indiana not only got to […]
Dienhart: Q&A with Illinois' Brandon Paul
Dienhart: Q&A with Illinois' Brandon Paul
It was a night of singular greatness that has been unmatched by any other Big Ten player this season-and few across the nation, for that matter. I?m talking about Brandon Paul?s out-of-his mind, 43-point effort in a 79-74 win over No. 5 Ohio State back in January. On that night, Paul couldn?t miss in carrying […]
Big Ten Geeks: In the 40s
Big Ten Geeks: In the 40s
Illinois picked up a much needed home victory over Michigan State, and Illini fans would probably appreciate if the discussion ended right there. It was about as ugly as basketball can get, with turnovers and missed shots aplenty. The Spartans had more missed shots than points, and their 26.7 effective field goal percentage represented the […]
Did You See This? Illinois' Leonard & Paul
Did You See This? Illinois' Leonard & Paul
Tuesday's Michigan State-Illinois game was far from a thing of beauty. In the final minutes of the first half, in fact, ESPN play-by-play guy Mike Tirico begged, "This half NEEDS to end!" As inept as the offenses were in the 42-41 decision at Assembly Hall, there were a couple highlights: Meyers Leonard's alley-oop and Brandon […]
Big Ten Geeks: Illinois' Offense Still Broken
Big Ten Geeks: Illinois' Offense Still Broken
After a long break in which it moved into first place, Illinois saw its offense lay an egg in a losing effort at Penn State. It was clear that, despite the rousing win over Ohio State, this is still the same Illinois team we've watched all season. Let's again roll out what we'll have to […]
