Sophomore guard Frank Williams has a blank stare on the basketball court–not a warrior’s glare but a tabula rasa. It makes one wonder where his intensity and creativity come from when he takes over a game–and where that intensity goes when it’s gone.
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It came as something of a shock. The Illini had brushed aside their first two NCAA opponents, quieting critics who’d questioned their mental toughness. The opening game was nothing to brag about. They beat Northwestern State, which became the last team added to the field by beating Winthrop in what was termed an “entry” game before the tournament proper began. The second game, however, looked like a full-fledged augury of how this year’s team would differ from teams past. As they had against Northwestern State, Illinois’ forwards began by bombing from outside against Charlotte, and when the shots went in they were a knockdown punch. It’s critical to hit threes in the NCAA tournament, where outside shooting is required to beat the zone defenses allowed in college, and where a hot shooter is the great equalizer between teams of unequal ability. But when Illinois’ big men are hitting them their effect is doubled. One would figure Cory Bradford, who put together a DiMaggio-esque streak of 88 straight games hitting a three-point shot, to be the prime bomber, but Bradford is the most stereotypically Illini of the Illinois players: that is, he’s streaky, prone to disappear under pressure, and gets in a funk if the threes he fires up early in a game don’t go down. When Cook, Griffin, and McClain–the starting frontline–open by hitting long shots, they draw their defenders away from the basket, giving point guard Williams room to maneuver and Bradford an easier time finding his spots. That was how things worked against Northwestern State and Charlotte: the big men delivered the body blows to soften the opponent, and then Williams sliced them open.
As the Illini advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round last weekend, defense was the constant in their game. Last Friday the Illini played Kansas, another tall team with talented outside players. It was the rare tournament game called tightly by the referees, who usually adopt a let-them-play attitude during the NCAAs. (Unfortunately, this proved to be just a hint of what was to come.) Blustery TV analyst Bill Walton said early on that a tight game would favor Kansas, but he hadn’t figured on the depth of the Illini. With both teams’ starting forwards facing early foul trouble, the Illini simply brought in Robert Archibald, Damir Krupalija, and the ever scrappy Lucas Johnson. Kansas had to bring a gangling seven-foot center off the bench, and he was overmatched.
Yet that Illinois team disappeared Sunday against Arizona. The Illini had played them twice already this season, losing in an early tournament in Hawaii, beating them in a brutal contest at the United Center. This time, Arizona coach Lute Olson had a new wrinkle: he put tall swingman Richard Jefferson on Williams. Williams dried up and the Illini offense went with him. Previously the Illini had used their defense to ignite the offense, so it didn’t help that Williams was getting torched at the other end by Gilbert Arenas, who scored 13 of Arizona’s first 15 points as they took a 15-9 lead, sat down for a breather, and came back in to hit a quick three-pointer to make it 21-10.
“Why did you do that?” the dying frog said.
