Paul Lifts Illini; Team Looking for Consistency

Paul earned a spot in the U of I record books with his
43 point outburst on Tuesday night

Number five in the world of college basketball has fallen to none other than the program who has seemed to struggle with consistency. Last night, the Buckeyes of Ohio State fell to the unranked Fighting Illini of Illinois. On a night when legendary Illinois coach Lou Henson was celebrating his 80th birthday and former players such as Kenny Battle and Stephen Bardo were in attendance, Illinois did everything in its power to put on a show.

And what a show it was. Led by junior shooting guard Brandon Paul, the Illini battled…and battled…and battled, until they finally gutted out the 79-74 win. Other than the fact that the Illini took down the perennial powerhouse Buckeyes, it was a special night for Paul and one that nobody could have expected.

Coming into college, Paul was a part of a very good recruiting class and one of Bruce Weber’s best thus far. Yet Paul, along with classmate and fellow guard DJ Richardson, struggled with consistency and maturity on the court. He was very impatient at times, he settled for mediocre or poor shots early in the shot clock, and didn’t seem to have the leadership a guard should exhibit on the hardwood. However, on a night like last night, when the game was nationally televised and Player of the Year candidate Jared Sullinger was in the Assembly Hall, Brandon Paul stepped up and showed everyone that he just might be stepping into his role as a leader and go-to guy.

It was apparent right from the start that Paul and the Illini were ready to go. The shooting guard had a chase-down block that was capable of being compared to one that we’ve seen LeBron James do over and over. In past seasons, Paul might have given a half-hearted effort coming down the floor or would have stopped at half court. Yet here he was making a big time play against a big time team.
He wasn’t satisfied, though. He would end the game with forty-three points (which ranks 3rd all time in Illinois history), eight boards, four blocks, and two assists. As a part of the jaw-dropping, history-making performance, Paul was the man that, in the clutch, would hit two monumental threes and would knock down free throw after free throw to put the nail in the Buckeyes’ coffin.

As an Illinois fan, it was unreal to see a team that, despite a 14-3 record before last night’s game, lacked consistency yet put on such a performance. Games such as a nail-biter against St. Bonaventure and a mere four point victory over Cornell, presented a little skepticism as to how well this Illinois team could perform. This team is young, there’s no doubt there. Transfer student Sam Maniscalco is the only senior and is currently suffering from an injury. You can see it in Illinois’ play that they still get ahead of themselves on fast breaks and they aren’t always fluent on offense. Guys such as Tracy Abrams are still trying to fit into their new positions and sophomore big man Meyers Leonard is working on performing at a high level that will compete with other studs such as Sullinger and Michigan State forward Draymond Green.

But after the show that was put on last night on ESPN, Illinois has shown that, when all their players are on the same page and when they’re all ready to go to work, this team can be dangerous. It’s hard to tell just from last night’s game, but if this Illinois team can begin to be consistent and play to its potential rather than play to the level of their opponent, the Big Ten championship might, just might, end up in Champaign.