The last time Illinois played Michigan on Jan. 3, the team shot just 37 percent from the field, played poor defense and could take control of a game that was theirs for the taking. Coach Bruce Weber pointed to a lack of passion, and called his team’s effort “disappointing.”

Whether it was the extra energy from the Chief’s last performance or the added motivation of Senior Night, the Illini (20-9, 8-6) had no trouble defeating the Wolverines (18-10, 6-7) the second time around.

They pushed aside all of the distractions surrounding the program and got a 54-42 victory against Michigan on Wednesday at the Assembly Hall.

“Coach Weber is a great talker, a great motivator,” said senior Rich McBride, who scored 11 points. “Before the game he told us to go out and play hard, and that’s what we tried to do.”

Prior to the game, Weber used the distractions “to come together as a family.”

Although he said he was worried about the amount of emotions, he wanted the team to focus on what they could control and appreciate what they have. Weber also used the Chief as the theme for the game.

“I just talked about the courage that you have to have and our team has been courageous all year,” Weber said.

“I get mad at them and all that, but I don’t think there’s many teams that have had to go through what we have all year,” he added.

After the game started, sophomore Jamar Smith joined the Illini on the end of the bench.

Weber didn’t want it to be a distraction away from the seniors, and waited until after tip off to send him onto court.

Knowing that he needs to help Smith, he thought it would be a bigger deal if Smith didn’t attend the game, than if he did.

“He’s part of our basketball family, he’s one of our guys,” Weber said. “I asked the team if anyone didn’t want Jamar there, and everybody was very positive. They wanted him there.”

“It’s not easy by any means, but we’re gong to try to stick with him and help him fight through it.”

Senior Warren Carter said he was happy to see Smith rejoin the Illini. Smith missed last Sunday’s win against Northwestern and will miss the remainder of the season.

Weber and Smith mutually agreed it would be best for the sophomore guard.

“He’s one of my good friends, a great teammate, and I’m happy that he is still a part of us,” Carter said.

Bench Support

Although the Illini only managed six bench points, Weber said he was happy with the effort from his reserves.

Sophomore Calvin Brock had three points and four rebounds, but also had a save that got Arnold a basket, to go along with two tip-ins.

“His play hard chart per minute is near the top or the top on the team,” Weber said. “He does a lot of the little things.”

Honoring the Seniors

Prior to Wednesday’s game, McBride, Carter and Marcus Arnold were honored at half court by Weber. All three received framed jerseys and were given a standing ovation when they left the court.

Carter, whose mother made her first trip to Champaign, addressed the crowd. Carter had a game-high 18 points (7-of-14 shooting) to go along with nine rebounds, while Arnold had four points and two rebounds.

Quote of the game

“The guys tease Marcus and Rich a lot about being the old men on the team, the grandpas.

They say they saw the Chief’s first dance 81 years ago, but when Rich had the cramps and side ache at the end, they were asking for a wheelchair to bring (Rich) off the court.

So we have to be careful, he has logged the most minutes, him and Warren.”

– Weber on the 37 minutes McBride played and the minutes he has played so far this season.