Recordpub.com - No sneaking up on Illini this time for KSU

By David Carducci

Record-Courier staff writer

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Upset-minded Mid-majors like Kent State often rely on an element of surprise when they travel into Big Ten, ACC, SEC or Big 12 country.

The Golden Flashes won’t be able to sneak into the University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall under any cover of darkness for tonight’s second-round NIT battle with the Fighting Illini.

After going right down to the wire against Kent State in an overtime battle on Texas’ South Padre Island just last season, the Illini will know exactly what they are in for right from the opening tip.

Illinois had to outscore Kent State 11-6 in the closing minutes of the second half to force overtime in a 63-60 win over the Flashes on Nov. 28, 2008.

“I think for our kids’ sake, it’s a good thing we played them last season,” said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. “We had to fight to win that game. It was a battle right down to the end. Because of that, I think there will be a little fear factor for our guys. They’ll remember that they took it to us. It was a very intense game, so I think it’ll be a good thing.”

Last season’s meeting should have an opposite impact for Kent State. Memories of an even matchup with Illinois should diminish some of the awe factor that only come naturally when a mid-major plays on the road in the 15,000-seat arena of a perennial Big Ten power.

The Flashes remember how they had Illinois against the ropes before a string of empty possessions in the final five minutes opened the door for a comeback. They also may have some new answers for some of Illinois’ previous unknowns, like center Mike Tisdale. Facing Kent State as a 7-foot-1 sophomore, Tisdale scored 20 points and hit a string of second-half jumpers to spark Illinois’ late rally

“Tisdale is a tough matchup because he is so big at 7-1, but he is not a traditional post player,” said KSU head coach Geno Ford. “He doesn’t spend much time on the block. He is a perimeter guy who can make mid-range jumpers and even has 3-point range.

“Playing against him is a lot like playing against West Virginia when they had Kevin Pittsnogle in John Beilein’s offense. You have to get out on him when he picks and pops out for a jumper.”

Those jumpers are the bulk of Illinois offense. The Illini can shoot from long distance at the five with Tisdale. They can hit open jumpers at the four with 6-9 junior Mike Davis, who scored 17 points in last year’s win over KSU. “Small” forward Bill Cole is also 6-9, but he is almost exclusively a spot-up shooter. At the two-guard, Big Ten Freshman of the Year D.J. Richardson is athletic enough to go to the basket, but he still usually settles for long-range jumpers and hits the 3-pointer at a 39-percent clip.

The only dynamic weapon in Illinois’ arsenal is junior guard Demetri McCamey, who is just eight points shy of becoming the first Illinois player ever to score 1,200 points and dish out 500 assists in his first three seasons.

Slowing McCamey may be the most important assignment if Kent State is to advance to a quarterfinal game with either Cincinnati or Dayton on Wednesday.

“Last year, when we played Illinois, Tisdale was still kind of a question mark and Davis was a ‘potential’ guy,” said Ford. “Now all of a sudden Tisdale has been good for two straight seasons and Davis is a borderline pro. But McCamey is really the calming force for them.

“McCamey does for Illinois what Chris Singletary does for us. A lot of other guys put up good numbers, but when it is an important time in the game, McCamey wants the ball and usually gets it.”

McCamey scored nine points in last year’s win over Kent State and struggled while shooting 1-for-6 from 3-point range. But that game was played just five games into his sophomore season. McCamey now averages 15 points and a Big Ten-best 6.9 assists per game.

Kent State sophomore Justin Greene has made even bigger strides since Illinois last saw the Flashes. As a raw freshman, Greene didn’t even see the floor in last year’s meeting. Now the 6-foot-8 center is the Flashes’ top scorer at 13.6 per game.

“We know Singletary is a tough matchup, and they also make an effort to get Justin Greene the ball in the post,” said Weber. “We have to keep a body on them. If they get going and if they start making shots, they will be tough to deal with.”

Kent State is counting on that being the case. Despite an Illinois size advantage of between 3-to-5 inches at almost every front-line position, the Flashes still intend to pound the ball into the paint. And if guards Rodriquez Sherman, Randal Holt and Tyree Evans can hit open jumpers when the ball goes inside-out, as they did in last week’s 75-74 first-round win over Tulsa, Kent State could find itself poised for its first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2001.

“They have big guys and they’ve had pretty good success in the Big Ten, where teams play a half-court style and throw the ball inside quite a bit,” said Ford. “But our kids hopefully should be able to score in there. The big question for us always is can we can shoot the ball from the perimeter? We can’t clunk it up there and shoot 3-for-20 from 3-point range and think we can win. But if we make some outside shots, we will have a chance.”