Friday, Oct. 12 Bill Self can coach. He won 27 games last year with the Illini, coming within one game of the Final Four for the second straight season -- and he did it with defense. Behind the big game ability of Frank Williams, Self can break through to Atlanta if his big men play at their potential. Brian Cook and Robert Archibald have each shown flashes of brilliance, but have lacked high level consistency. Cook is as talented as any big man in America, and needs only to be tougher to be great. Archibald has the feel and all of the tools to be among the Big Ten's better big men, as he showed with 25 points against Arizona in the Midwest final. Lucas Johnson's knee injury will hurt, but with Roger Powell, Brandon Ferguson and Luther Head, Illinois will have the depth and strength to play Self's physical man defense.

6
Illinois
LAST SEASON: 27-8
2001 FINAL RANKING
ESPN/USA Today: No. 7

Why No. 6?
This was a tough call. The Illini are No. 1 in some circles and have a legitimate claim to being one of the top teams in the country. They've got the best player in the Big Ten in Frank Williams, one of the top shooters in Cory Bradford and one of the more versatile players in Brian Cook. Bill Self is already proving to be one of the game's best motivators. But the Illini won't have Lucas Johnson for at least half the season, maybe the entire year. That's going to hurt the team's toughness quotient and its ability to maximize production off the bench or, if Johnson had started, at small forward. Illinois once again has one of the toughest schedules in the country and will be tested often. If the Illini can continue to be tough to score on and they control the offensive backboard then they've got a great shot to get to the Final Four, a first for Self after two straight Elite Eight appearances with two different schools (Tulsa and Illinois).

Will Rise If ...
The Illini can find the toughness with the loss early in the season from Lucas Johnson's injury. Frank Williams can be that tough guy but they'll need another player inside to provide the muscle. The Illini have the best point in the league, at times the best 3-point shooter in Cory Bradford, and one of the most skilled shooting big men in Brian Cook. They also have the passion to get to the Final Four and that drive -- and two straight Elite Eight appearances for Bill Self -- can push the Illini further in the tournament.

Will Fall If ...
Illinois doesn't get help for Cook inside. They need strong finishers like Robert Archibald and Damir Krupalija. But neither has been in a position where they've had to be a reliable scorer. Cook doesn't go inside as much so these two are going to have to do some dirty work.

-- Andy Katz, ESPN.com

SCOUTING REPORT: One Big Ten coach's take on the Illini

“

Frank Williams is central to everything they do. You've got to contain him somehow and limit his touches. You have to keep him in front of you. They're also a much better offensive rebounding team then they are given credit for. Somehow you've got to keep them off the boards. You can't let those guys get seven, eight, nine or 10 points off offensive rebounds or have them get that production off the bench. You can't fall asleep against them because they'll get to the boards. You can't give them easy looks at the basket and watch for their transition baskets. ”

2001-02 ILLINOIS ROSTER
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Key 2000-01 Stats
(21) Robert Archibald	Sr.	F	6-11/250	PTS: 7.2 | REB: 4.5 | FG%: 58.8
(13) Cory Bradford	Sr.	G	6-3/200	PTS: 9.9 | FG%: 37.9 | 3PT%: 37.1
(34) Brian Cook	Jr.	F	6-10/240	PTS: 11.2 | REB: 6.1 | FG%: 54.6
(23) Blandon Ferguson	Jr.	F	6-3/220	JUCO transfer comes out of talent-rich College of Southern Idaho, but may be a bit undersized
(24) Sean Harrington	Jr.	G	6-3/185	PTS: 5.7 | REB: 1.4 | 3PT%: 45.9
(4) Luther Head	Fr.	G	6-3/170	Self repairs Chicago public school pipeline with athletic backcourt player
(25) Jerrance Howard	So.	G	6-1/190	PTS: 0.4 | REB: 0.4 | AST: 0.4
(31) Nick Huge	Jr.	G	6-5/200	Transfer from Appalachian State
(22) Lucas Johnson	Sr.	F	6-8/230	PTS: 5.0 | REB: 3.3 | FG%: 46.2
(33) Damir Krupalija	Sr.	F	6-9/230	PTS: 4.8 | REB: 3.9 | FG%: 59.7
(00) Brett Melton	So.	G	6-5/195	PTS: 1.5 | REB: 0.8 | FG%: 45.4
(43) Roger Powell	Fr.	F	6-6/215	Another local who should get some early minutes to prove himself
(45) Nick Smith	Fr.	C	7-2/240	Johnson's ACL injury provides opportunity for redshirt freshman to get plent of minutes
(42) Clayton Thomas	Jr.	F	6-6/210	On average, didn't see more than a minute a game last season
(30) Frank Williams	Jr.	G	6-3/205	PTS: 14.9 | AST: 4.4 | REB: 3.7
Head Coach: Bill Self (27-8, 1 year; Overall: 157-88, 8 years) Assistant Coaches: Norm Roberts, Billy Gillispie, Wayne McClain Home Court: Assembly Hall (16,833); Champaign, Ill.

2001-02 ILLINOIS SCHEDULE

November 16: Gonzaga 19: E. Illinois (a) 22: Penn (b) 23: Ga. Tech (c) 24: Las Vegas Invt. (d) 27: at Maryland (e)

December 1: Texas A&M-C.C. 4: at Arizona 8: Arkansas 16: W. Illinois 18: Illinois St. 22: at Missouri 29: Loyola-Chi.

January 2: Minnesota 5: at Wisconsin 9: at Purdue 12: Michigan 15: Iowa 23: Wisconsin 26: at Indiana 29: at Ohio State

February 3: Michigan St. 7: at Michigan 9: Purdue 12: at Michigan St. 16: at Seton Hall 20: Penn State 23: at Northwestern 26: Indiana

March 2: at Minnesota 7: Big Ten Tournament