Deron Williams finds his game
Chris Neubauer
Senior writer
Freshman guard Deron Williams' afternoon started perfectly.
Williams scored the game's first points with a three-pointer and he scored three more three-pointers to tie his career-high with 12 points. He shot 4 of 7 from behind the arc to help lead the Illini to a 76-57 win over Ohio State. Williams added three rebounds, five assists and three steals on Sunday.
"Things were going good in practice and I think that carried over to the game," Williams said. "I'm trying to do whatever I can to help the team. If that means shooting more, I'll shoot. My shot is feeling good now so I'll keep shooting."
Williams' shot hasn't always looked so good this season. After coming to Illinois as a prized recruit noted for his offense from The Colony High School in Texas, Williams has rarely found his shooting rhythm at Illinois.
He averaged 17 points a game as a junior and as a senior in high school. At Illinois, he has averaged just 6.4 points a game. And in the Big Ten, Williams averages 4.7 points a game. He even went scoreless in three of his first four conference games.
"He did start out slow," Illinois head coach Bill Self said. "He's a good shooter and he is shooting well now. You can see his confidence. When he faked a pass to Brian (Cook) with two defenders and stepped back to hit a three, he must be confident."
But two positives have always been with Williams this season: his ability to set up teammates and his defense. Williams is fifth in the Big Ten in assists with 4.42 a game.
Self is most impressed with Williams' defensive prowess. Williams averages 1.15 steals and three rebounds a game. That's why he has started all but one game this season.
"I think Dee (Brown) and Deron have become really good on-the-ball defenders," Self said. "When they've played good scorers, they've done a nice job stopping them."
Bench points
Sophomore forward Roger Powell continued his string of productive performances off the bench against Ohio State. Powell led an otherwise subpar bench performance for the Illini with 14 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He was 5 of 5 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.
Powell has struggled since suffering a toe injury on Dec. 28 against Memphis. He lost his starting spot and in reserve roles for the next seven games he scored only eight points. But Powell showed flashes of his top form to start the season when he scored eight points against Michigan State last Sunday. He averaged 10.6 points in the first nine games as a starter.
"I thought Roger has been great in the last two games," Self said. "If we had a player of the game, it's Roger."
Injury timeout
Illinois and Ohio State were both without their tallest players on Sunday. Sophomore center Nick Smith (7-foot-2-inch) sat out his first game of the season for the Illini with a sore foot. Self said Smith should be ready to play in the Illini's next game on Saturday at Purdue. Smith averages 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
Ohio State was without starting center Velimir Radinovic (7-foot). It was Radinovic's second consecutive game on the bench after he suffered a hand injury in practice last Tuesday.
Quote of the game
"Why do you think the line is there?" said Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien to guard Emonte Jernigan after Jernigan was whistled for dribbling out of bounds late in the first half.
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