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Yet Another Update On Wes Lunt

2013-05-20T17:58:30Z

All right, so this morning I had a little fun with the latest developments in Wes Lunt's transfer, but this one is for real. I mean it.

While there isn't a ton of new information available, ESPN's Joe Schad said that Lunt is "sincerely considering transferring" to Illinois. Which sounds incredibly insulting when you think about it.

In any other story Schad would write "Player X is considering transferring to School Y" but when it comes to a big name player transferring to Illinois he has to throw in the "sincerely." Because if he doesn't the reader might think he's full of shit and not being serious.

What kind of journalist would do that shit?

Anyway, Schad says that, not surprisingly, both Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit are trying to sell Lunt on the fact that he could replace Nate Scheelhaase in 2014 and help turn around a program he grew up rooting for.

Schad also mentions that Notre Dame was a possible destination for Lunt, but that it's unlikely that will happen now. Which is good, because even though this feels like it's only a two-horse race between us and Louisville, I don't think we'd have any chance in hell if Notre Dame was a real option as well.

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Has Wes Lunt Transferred To Illinois Yet?

2013-05-20T15:21:57Z

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2013 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Bracket

2013-05-18T23:09:59Z

The Illini have qualified for this year's Big Ten Baseball Tournament and will play in the first game of the tournament on Wednesday at 12:05pm. They'll face Minnesota, whom the Illini just took two of three from in a series over the weekend. Of course, the entire tournament will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis, which means Minnesota won't have far to travel.

Technically it's a neutral site game, and the Illini did go 7-0 in neutral site games this season, so take that for what it's worth.

All games will be televised on BTN. Here's the entire bracket.

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Will Brandon Paul Be Drafted?

2013-05-18T16:00:04Z

Brandon Paul's career at Illinois is difficult to sum up. He was a dynamic scorer for the Illini with the ability to finish at the rim and shoot the three. He made some ridiculous, flat out filthy shots that had no business going into the hoop. He had the ability to take over a game instantly, but he also had long scoring droughts, where his questionable shot selection was even more obvious.

I'll remember Brandon Paul for two moments; the Ohio St game and his buzzer beater in the Big Ten Tournament.

These moments, and his vicious dunk on Trevor Mbakwe, showcase the best of Brandon Paul. He is a pure scorer with the ability to hit from long range and finish at the rim with finesse and power, but these aren't the only traits NBA scouts are concerned with.

Strengths

Good jump shot. Can shoot from range and has a quick release.
Ability to create his own shot. He has the speed and quickness to beat his defender in isolation plays. Has a very strong crossover move to get a good look with a jumper.
Great athleticism. Plus speed, quickness and jumping.
Led the Illini in rebounding as a guard his senior year.
Good size at 6' 4" and has long arms.
Gets to the foul line frequently.

Weaknesses

Shot selection. Only had one season where he shot above 40% from the field and only shot 32.4% from three. He is a much better shooter than that, and a large part of these numbers come from his questionable decision making on the court.
Settles for jumpers too often, rather than driving to the rim.
Defense. He has the size and athleticism to be a good defender, but he has not yet put it all together. Some may speak to his potential to be a good defender, but it's an area I don't see Brandon improving much in at the NBA level. It may sound overly simplistic, but if he was a good defender, he would defend well.
Turnovers. Had a negative assist to turnover ratio as a Junior and was neutral his senior year with both numbers at 2.7.

Will he be drafted?

In a word, yes. There are negatives to his game, but many of those are fixable with coaching and experience, but some he will always have.

Brandon Paul also received an invite to, and attended the NBA combine. 60 players are invited. 60 players are drafted. Those are some good odds.

In the end, basketball is a sport where the team that scores the most points wins. Brandon Paul can score points better than most players. He is going to be drafted. This again may sound too simple, but sometimes the simple answer is the best.

Where he will be drafted is what is in question. I have seen him projected as a late first all the way to a late second round pick.

Some team could fall in love with his scoring both from the rim and from three, and see him as their future 6th man. If that's the case, it would be hard to argue with using a late first round pick on Brandon.

Another team could see his inconsistency shooting the ball, his defensive struggles and his poor decision making and not want to draft him at all.

It's only takes one team to like Brandon Paul, and I think that team will like him enough to make him an early second round pick, and possibly a very late first rounder.

Brandon is a work in progress as an NBA player, but Illini fans who are questioning wether or not he will get drafted need to take a second look.

The question is not will he be drafted; it's where will he be drafted.

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Poll

Where will Brandon Paul be drafted?

Report: Mike Gundy Blocking Wes Lunt From the Big 12 And SEC

2013-05-17T19:23:58Z

There are a lot of things that college coaches do that annoy me. One of the biggest is when they restrict where a player can transfer to. No coach, or athletic director for that matter, ever needs permission from a player before leaving for any school he likes, and coaches actually have contracts with the school that employs them. The players, on the other hand, generally have a one-year scholarship that the school doesn't have to renew if for some reason it decides not to.

So when a coach that can leave whenever the hell he wants tells one of his players he'll allow him to leave, but only to certain schools, it pisses me off. Although maybe sometimes it doesn't.

According to Jeremy Rauch of WICS in Springfield, Mike Gundy may not be giving Wes Lunt a lot of options.

Confused about Wes Lunt's future? Here's some helpful insight from a source close to the situation: It's still very early in the process. Why? Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy has only granted Lunt's release to Illinois, which Wes visited Thursday, and Louisville. Gundy has blocked all other schools on Lunt's list. That list includes: All Big 12 Schools, All SEC schools (including Vanderbilt and Tennessee) and Southern Mississippi. Lunt can appeal the list Gundy turned down, but it's a 35-day process.

If Lunt chooses to appeal that list, we could still be a long way from finding out where he will land. There are some other "Big Boys" in the mix (big time, very successful, college programs) which will remain unnamed for now. As it stands, Louisville and Illinois are the only two places Lunt has been granted release. Reading between the lines, Gundy is blocking Lunt from transferring to any school that could gain a competitive edge over OSU.

Which, let's be real, if this is what's going on -- and I must stress the if part of that sentence yet again -- it is a dick move. I can understand why Gundy wouldn't want Lunt transferring to a Big 12 school, but to not allow him to transfer to the SEC is just being an asshole. The only time Oklahoma State needs to worry about the SEC would be in a bowl game or maybe even the playoff. Well, if Oklahoma State is playing for a national title I don't know why in the hell it needs to be worried about Wes Lunt being the quarterback of the SEC team it's playing.

It'd already be in the damn game.

And if Gundy is actually blocking Lunt from going to Southern Miss, I mean, what the hell is the point of that? When is Southern Miss going to get in Oklahoma State's way?

Of course, on the other side of that coin, if Gundy is being an asshole here it is certainly working to Illinois' benefit. Rauch says there are other "big boys" in the mix for Lunt and you have to think it'd be a lot more difficult for the Illini to get Lunt if those "big boys" actually entered the race.

So if what Rauch is reporting is true, Gundy's being an asshole, but he's being the kind of asshole that just might help us out.

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Who Is The Northwestern Bagman?

2013-05-17T17:44:12Z

Northwestern is doing a good job on the recruiting trail this season, as Pat Fitzgerald has already brought in 10 commitments, including three four-star prospects that were also Illini targets in Justin Jackson, Clayton Thorson and Dariean Watkins.

But how is Northwestern luring these unsuspecting children into the unmarked van that is Evanston?

Oh, I think we all know exactly how they're doing it.

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Poll

Is Pat Fitzgerald paying recruits?

Is A Game Against Iowa State In Our Future?

2013-05-17T15:07:51Z

We found out Illinois' entire 2014 football schedule on Thursday, and while the first thing that stands out in the schedule is how tough it is, it was also hard not to notice that Iowa was on the schedule. When the Hawkeyes come to Champaign in 2014 it will mark the first meeting between our two schools since a 27-24 Illinois victory in 2008.

It's strange that two schools from neighboring states that play in the same conference would go six seasons without playing one another, but it sounds like Mike Thomas may want to make up for lost time by scheduling as many Iowa opponents as possible. According to a story in the Des Moines Register Thomas looks at Iowa State as a possible opponent for the Illini in the future.

"That would be someone who would make a lot of sense for us," Illini athletic director Mike Thomas said Tuesday during the Big Ten's spring meetings, "but we're just kind of starting that process."

Thomas is among the Big Ten officials who are adapting to the league's renewed emphasis on strength of schedule - away from smaller FCS schools.

That makes it more likely Illinois will look to fill future dates with other teams from the so-called power conferences.

"I think when you're doing football scheduling, you're looking at marquee opponents and also geography," Thomas said. "You want something that's of interest to your fans."

I don't know that I'd say I have a lot of interest in a game or two against Iowa State, but I wouldn't be entirely against it, either. I mean, if we're only going to have three non-conference games in the future once the Big Ten goes to a nine-game conference schedule, and we can't schedule FCS opponents, I guess there are worse FBS opponents to schedule.

I'm not knocking Iowa State or anything because the Cyclones haven't been any worse than the Illini have in recent seasons. It's just I'd much prefer Thomas kept going the route we saw in his 2014 schedule. Games against Western Kentucky and Texas State may not be sexy, but damn it if they're not likely wins. And winning games and going to bowl games on a regular basis is how you start building a program.

Just ask Northwestern.

Also, to be honest, if the Illini adopt a scheduling strategy of playing one school from a power conference and a couple from the smaller conferences, I prefer that power conference team to be Missouri. It wouldn't be any easier of a matchup than Iowa State, but there's already a natural rivalry there. I'd prefer that to a game against Iowa State that won't really mean anything to us.

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Report: Wes Lunt Visiting Illinois Today

2013-05-16T20:18:28Z

Multiple sources: Wes Lunt visiting Illinois today. Also hear Illini are currently front runner in process, which is in early stages
— Zach Kerker (@ZachKerker) May 16, 2013

So not only is Wes Lunt apparently visiting Illinois today, but we're the front-runner.

Could this actually be happening? Do Illini football fans even know how to respond to good news? We just might find out.

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