Tempo May Be the Key for Hokies

Unlike Seasons Past, Illinois Seeks to Slow Down the Pace

After Illinois beat Indiana on Friday, Coach Bruce Weber told his players in a jubilant locker room that they had just made the NCAA tournament. He listened to all the experts who said the victory in the Big Ten quarterfinals would be enough to make the field, and his team celebrated as it prepared to play Wisconsin.

The Illini lost Saturday, then watched as a flood of upsets happened in other conference tournaments. Weber started worrying. Sunday came, and those same experts started back-tracking. Hours before the selection show, Weber regretted congratulating his players.

"The day of, I did not expect us to get in," Weber said. "I was trying to figure out what to say to the kids. It didn't make sense."

But Weber was saved, as Illinois (23-11) joined fellow 12 seeds Arkansas and Old Dominion as the lowest-seeded at-large team to be chosen for the tournament. Its reward is a first-round game against No. 5 Virginia Tech in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday at 7:10 p.m., a game that will showcase conflicting styles.

Illinois will play with new life. The Hokies (21-11) have known they would play in the tournament since they beat North Carolina for the second time; Illinois found out with the rest of the world.

"I don't know if it's the whole thing, a 5 and 12," Weber said. "It was the kind of thing, we were one of the last teams in, should we be in? All those things our kids are hearing, that little bit of national disrespect. I'm not going to dwell on it, but we're going to bring it up, add a little fuel to the fire and see if it will maybe make a little bit of difference."

Still, Weber believes the real difference will be how well the Illini contain Virginia Tech guards Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell, which "I'm not sure we have the quickness or athletic ability to do," Weber said.

When Illinois reached the Final Four in 2005, it relied on the blazing backcourt of Dee Brown and Deron Williams and played at a fast pace. Things have changed dramatically since. Illinois battled a confluence of injuries, and play-making guard Jamar Smith was lost for the season in mid-February because of a DUI arrest.

The Illini struggled to score points, so Weber slowed down his team and tried to win with grinding defense. It took a while to take hold, as Illinois began the year 15-8 before finishing 8-3.

"We don't play very fast," Weber said. "That would not be my choice, but I also want to win games and keep my job."

In contrast, Virginia Tech tries to turn steals into points and ratchet up the number of the possessions. Hokies coaches started working on Illinois late Sunday night, taking some film from their massive vault. Coach Seth Greenberg and his staff taped 1,000 games this season, including a TiVo recording of every game shown on ESPN or other national television.

"They're very aggressive," Greenberg said. "They have great experience, and they know what it takes to win."

Greenberg was quick to point out Illinois' run to the national title game two seasons ago, when it lost to North Carolina. This year's version does not resemble that one in personnel, playing style or success.

"But we're in, and that's all that matters," Weber said. "Now we have to take advantage of it."