SportsLine.com Report
March 19, 2000

Round 2: Gators send Illini out in rout

The Florida Gators have been to one Final Four, and Lon Kruger took them there.

Sunday, the Gators made sure Kruger, now in his fourth year at Illinois, would have to wait at least another season to take the Illini that far while keeping their own dreams alive with a 93-76 win in the East Regional in Winston-Salem, N.C.

It was just one of those days for Illinois. Kruger entered the game worrying about sharp-shooting sophomore Cory Bradford, who scored just five points in the Illini's first-round win over Penn while playing for the first time with a mask to protect his broken nose. Bradford, however, was fine, scoring 27 points.

Instead, the same demons that have been problematic all season -- youth and inconsistency -- popped up again in the loss.

Freshman Frank Williams, who had a season-high 21 points to lead Illinois past Penn, got into first-half foul trouble against Florida and didn't score until nearly 23 minutes into the game. He finished with six points. Marcus Griffin, who had 17 in the opening round, contributed just nine against Florida.

The Gators led by six at halftime, but had the lead up to 11 five minutes into the half and kept the Illini at arm's length the rest of the way.

"Florida just never gave us much of a crack to make a run," Kruger said.

How They Got There

Illinois grabbed its third at-large bid during Lon Kruger's four years in Champaign thanks to a 10-2 flurry to close out the regular season.

Though the Big Ten received recognition all year as the nation's toughest conference, Illinois didn't face as strong a schedule as others within the league.

The Fighting Illini played just seven games against ranked teams and won three. They also suffered a case of the .500s away from the friendly confines of Assembly Hall.

They went 5-4 in hostile environments and 2-3 on neutral courts -- including a win over Kansas and a loss to Duke at the Orange and Blue-friendly United Center.

Starting Lineup

• PG Frank Williams (6-3, 197, Fr.): The McDonald's All-American suffered through some growing pains, but he came on to lead the Big Ten in steals and finish among its leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. He's not a good shooter yet (37.3 percent), but you can't leave him alone on the arc (35 3-pointers).
• SG Cory Bradford (6-3, 200, So.): Last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year was named to the preseason Wooden Award list, but he didn't live up to those billings early in the year. As the season has wound down, though, Bradford has stepped to the fore -- including a 26-point effort in a recent blowout of Indiana. He led the Big Ten in 3-pointers made (84) and attempted (217) during the regular season.
• SF Sergio McClain (6-4, 222, Jr.): McClain would have a hard time passing an Army physical -- his knees are constant sources of pain -- but he's a tenacious, versatile defender who plays extremely hard every time out. With his Barkleyesque body, McClain does a good job of creating his own shot inside the lane and does his share on the boards.
• PF Lucas Johnson (6-8, 217, So.): When Brian Cardinal graduates from Purdue, Johnson will inherit the title of Most Annoying Pest in the Big Ten. When Kruger inserted him into the lineup a month ago, Illinois really seemed to be solid. Johnson takes charges, gets himself tangled up with opponents about five times a game and finds ways to bury open 3-pointers.
• C Brian Cook (6-10, 231, Fr.): This young man has way too many offensive skills for a player his size. He's smooth in the post, but he can swish 3-pointers and drive around slower big men as if they weren't there. He's not strong enough to play elite post defense, but he scores more than he gives up.

Keys to Success

Illinois might be the deepest team in the tournament. Kruger can call on 10 players and put them on the floor with the utmost confidence. Unfortunately for the Illini, most of that depth is in the frontcourt.

Key No. 1 is keeping starting guards (and leading scorers) Cory Bradford and Frank Williams out of foul trouble. Freshman combo guard Sean Harrington is their primary backup, but he's a complementary piece and not a prime-time player at this juncture.

Key No. 2 is Bradford's shooting eye. When the Big Ten's leading 3-point maker is on -- and the sophomore from Memphis canned 29 of 69 over the last eight regular-season games -- Cook, Griffin and swingman Sergio McClain find the middle far less clogged.

Key No. 3 is an aggressive attitude. When the Illini are determined to bang and scrap with their opponents -- such as in their 24-point win over Indiana in late February -- they're almost unbeatable.

The Coach

After replacing Hall of Famer Lou Henson in the spring of 1996, Lon Kruger won over Illini fans almost immediately with his upbeat, "attaboy" method of game coaching.

He led his first team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, then steered his second team into a share of the Big Ten title and another second-round appearance.

Last year's 14-18 season was sloughed off as a rebuilding year, but the fans expected plenty this season -- and some turned on Kruger when they didn't immediately get it.

They wanted to know why he let Frank Williams play with a long leash early -- and why awkward sophomore Robert Archibald started and played a ton of minutes early when they thought Brian Cook deserved more time.

But as Kruger tightened his grip on the reins and the wins started coming, the fans returned to his corner.

The Bench

This is where Illinois will have an edge on anybody it meets. Kruger brings in jumping-jack junior center Marcus Griffin (11 ppg, 5.3 rpg) to replace Cook. Sophomores Damir Krupalija (6-9, 216) and Robert Archibald (6-1, 228) provide another frontcourt strength and ability.

The backcourt isn't as crowded, but freshman Sean Harrington and senior Cleotis Brown are good enough to give Williams and Bradford five minutes off per game.

Offense

If Williams and Kruger had their way, Illinois would run on almost every possession. They average 76 points per game and love to take advantage of their quicker players.

However, the Illini have improved in the halfcourt as the year has gone along. Bradford, Williams and Johnson are all legit threats from the 3-point arc, so that opens up the middle for Cook, Griffin and McClain.

Defense

In Williams and McClain, Illinois has two devastating defenders on the perimeter. They're the best pickpocket tandem in the Big Ten for a team that plays almost 100 percent man-to-man.

Illinois isn't as strong inside when Cook plays, but Griffin and Archibald provide a good defensive presence off the bench. Johnson also can annoy a post player to death. Their best defensive effort? Three weeks ago, they held Northwestern without a field goal for the opening 15 minutes and 13 seconds.