By Chris HineIllinois' 77-67 victory at Penn State on Wednesday wasn't a cure-all for their problems, but there were signs that the Illini took some constructive steps coming off three straight losses.
For one, the Illini tightened the screws on their defense in the second half and held Penn State to just three points during an eight-minute stretch in the second half.
"I said, 'Guys, if you're going to have a chance to win the game, you've got to get stops,' " Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
Photo: Dominique Keller was among the Illini who raised their game against Penn State. (AP)
Weber also was pleased with how the Illini regained the lead after
falling behind in the second half. They had a number of shot-clock-beating baskets and had contributions from almost everybody on the
floor, including Dominique Keller, Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey.
The players said there was a marked difference in their communication on the floor -- one of Weber's chief complaints about his team after its defeat at Northwestern on Saturday.
And it was something the players talked about during their team meeting Sunday that carried over into the game Wednesday.
"We pretty much made it open for anybody to say what they want and express their opinions and we did that and I think that helped us," freshman Brandon Paul said.
McCamey and junior Bill Cole were originally chosen captains earlier this season by Weber and were officially given that honor by their teammates this week. Cole had one of his best games at Penn State, scoring 12 points, thanks to a slight change in the way he shoots and better spacing for the Illini offense.
"When we watched film, we didn't have great spacing because when we penetrated it seemed like we were all in too close and we didn't allow spacing," Weber said. "I showed the guys and talked aobut it, today we had great spacing."
McCamey's stat line was not the prettiest looking thing in the world -- six points, 1-for-7 shooting, 3-for-6 from the free throw line -- but he did have nine assists, eight in the first half. His ball distribution in the first half was a big reason why the Illini shot 16-for-28 in the half and had a seven-point halftime lead.
"In the first half, I thought he was playing the best game of the year for himself even though he wasn't scoring at all," Cole said. "He was just distributing and I thought we looked so much more fluid with him trying to distribute and I can't tell you enough about how good Demetri played today."
The players said there was a marked difference in their communication on the floor -- one of Weber's chief complaints about his team after its defeat at Northwestern on Saturday.
And it was something the players talked about during their team meeting Sunday that carried over into the game Wednesday.
"We pretty much made it open for anybody to say what they want and express their opinions and we did that and I think that helped us," freshman Brandon Paul said.
McCamey and junior Bill Cole were originally chosen captains earlier this season by Weber and were officially given that honor by their teammates this week. Cole had one of his best games at Penn State, scoring 12 points, thanks to a slight change in the way he shoots and better spacing for the Illini offense.
"When we watched film, we didn't have great spacing because when we penetrated it seemed like we were all in too close and we didn't allow spacing," Weber said. "I showed the guys and talked aobut it, today we had great spacing."
McCamey's stat line was not the prettiest looking thing in the world -- six points, 1-for-7 shooting, 3-for-6 from the free throw line -- but he did have nine assists, eight in the first half. His ball distribution in the first half was a big reason why the Illini shot 16-for-28 in the half and had a seven-point halftime lead.
"In the first half, I thought he was playing the best game of the year for himself even though he wasn't scoring at all," Cole said. "He was just distributing and I thought we looked so much more fluid with him trying to distribute and I can't tell you enough about how good Demetri played today."
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