Saturday wasn?t one of the better days for Illinois senior guard Brandon Paul.
Not coincidentally, it also was the worst for theNo. 23 Illini, which suffered through a blowout loss at Wisconsin. So as Illinois attempts to rebound against Northwestern in a Big Ten game on Thursday night at Assembly Hall, Paul also wants to bounce back from an off day in a season where he?s carried the Illini to their biggest wins.
?He was more consistent earlier (in the year),? Illinois coach John Groce said. ?He would tell you that. Obviously, we wouldn?t be in the situation without what Brandon?s done for our team.
?We need Brandon to be better. We need other guys to be better, too. (Tyler) Griffey. (Joseph) Bertrand. D.J. (Richardson). They all know that.?
Ultimately, Paul is the barometer with the Illini. When he?s playing well, this is a tough team to beat. When he?s not putting up big numbers and creating for teammates, it?s that much harder for the Illini to win a big game.
He leads Illinois and ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.1 points per game). He leads the team in rebounding (4.9), ranks second among the Illini in assists (3.1) and blocked shots (0.9) and stands third in steals (1.3).
Paul earned Maui Invitational MVP, when Illinois blew past Southern Cal, Chaminade and Butler to the school?s first championship in the tournament. After scoring 35 points in a win at Gonzaga, he was named Oscar Robertson national player of the week in early December.
In the 74-51 loss at Wisconsin, Paul failed to reach double-figure scoring for the first time this season. He had eight points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field and was 5-of-10 from the free-throw line.
?I?ve been pretty consistent throughout the season,? Paul said. ?I don?t think my game Saturday was a good one. I got to the rim pretty much at will. A couple times, it rimmed out. I let it affect my game. I can?t let that happen.
?I?ve got to help rebound better. I had some missed blockouts Saturday. On the defensive end, I need to pick it up.?
During a presentation to a booster club Wednesday afternoon, Groce dropped hints about some personnel changes, and sophomore forward Mike Shaw will apparently see more time. But an emphasis heading into the season ? consistency from Paul ? is still the key for Illinois.
?Approaching every day the same, that?s the big reason he has played fairly consistently,? Groce said.?Saturday wasn?t one of his better days. I fully anticipate him bouncing back tomorrow night.
But Groce bristled when asked Wednesday about his team?s level of confidence. He appeared to be sending a message to his Illini rather than the media.
?I?m tired of that deal,? said Groce, whose theme this season is toughness and togetherness. ?I said today to the staff, that?s out. I?m tired of that deal. ... fragile, confidence, all that stuff.
?Stuff happens. You have to deal with it. Life hits you in the mouth. (Life) is not easy. What we?re doing is not easy. We?ve got to figure that out. That?s on us. We?ve got no excuses. We?ve got to man up and play. We?ve got to fight. We?ve done that the majority of the year. That?s the expectation we have.?
A tough and confident attitude ?doesn?t guarantee you anything,? Groce said.?That?s the disposition and mindset that needs to be the staple of our program. It has been for the bulk of 18 games. We?ve got a chance to get that back and rev that up again. That?s what we expect tomorrow night.?
ILLINI ITEMS: Meeting with the media for the first time since he was named Illinois football offensive coordinator, former Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said he hadn?t decided upon a particular scheme. Said Cubit: ?It?s important not to get locked into a system. All of a sudden, they can?t function. We?ve never done that before. We won?t do it here.? The Illini spring football game is April 12. It?s a night game with free admission.
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