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Almost immediately after leaving Tulsa and moving into his new digs at Illinois, Bill Self received unsolicited and unflattering scouting reports on his soon-to-be point guard Frank Williams.

Inconsistent. Undisciplined. Shoots firsts and passes later, if at all. Not at all the consistent, focused leader necessary to win a Big Ten championship.

Self wisely figured he'd compile his own scouting report, from personal evaluation.


	Frank Williams is a completely different player from a season ago -- just look at his and the Illini's numbers.

Today, the Illini (21-5 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) are ranked No. 3 by The Associated Press, No. 5 by the coaches and are one victory away from winning at least a share of the conference title.

And Williams? The sophomore is the on-court maestro who has kept the Illini's abundance of talent in sync and, with all due respect to Indiana junior Kirk Haston, is clearly ESPN.com's player of the year the Big Ten.

"I'm biased," Self said. "I get to see, in my opinion the player of the year in the league, every day.

"Coming into the year everybody knocked his consistency and that's the thing that has made him special this year."

Williams entered the week averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game in conference play, along with 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He was making 45.1 percent of his field-goal attempts, including 38.1 percent from 3-point range, and 77.8 percent of his free throws.

Haston, who worked on his outside shot in the off-season, entered the week with more impressive individual numbers. He was leading the Big Ten in scoring (20.1 points per game) and was second in rebounding (8.6 per game) and three-point shooting (45.2 percent).

Yet the beauty of Williams' development can't necessarily be found in sheer numbers.

Too often an impatient gunner as a freshman, Williams has grown comfortable setting up his teammates and satisfying their egos before his own. His shot selection has improved and his overall decision making is that of a veteran.

"He is a year older and has been through the wars," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "He has really made strides to become the MVP in this league."

Perhaps the best example of Williams' maturation came last week during the Illini's 89-63 victory over Iowa. Remembering they had lost by 16 points to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City earlier this season, the Illinois players were primed to extract their revenge.

	What You Think
	Read who the fans picked as the Big Ten's best. More ...

It was the perfect setting for a team to lose focus and stray from its game plan in an attempt to embarrass an opponent.

Williams wouldn't allow that to happen.

"He makes much better decisions," said Iowa coach Steve Alford, who knows what it takes to play guard in the Big Ten. "In our game, they beat us very soundly and Frankie only gets four points. He took three or four shots. He got his teammates involved.

"He is distributing the basketball a lot better this year and he is playing tough-minded."

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Williams' rise is the fact that no one could have predicted it.

A year ago, he didn't garner any all-conference honors. Not even honorable mention. Even this season, Williams has at times been overshadowed by several of his teammates. Corey Bradford had the NCAA record 3-point streak. Sophomore Brian Cook and senior Marcus Griffin developed into two of the Big Ten's better post players. Even junior forward Lucas Johnson gets more pub because of his ability to flop and antagonize opponents.

All Williams has done is drive a team that finished in fourth place in the Big Ten last season to the brink of a conference title.

"He has made that team go on a consistent level all season," Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. "He is capable of controlling a game.

"And if you have a point guard who can control the game -- whether he has to put them on his back offensively, whether he has to distribute the ball, or whether he has to do it defensively -- I just think he has proven that he can control the game from the most vital spot. That is the point guard position.

"That makes him so valuable. He is strong. He is tough. And he's got all the characteristics of a leader. You know why they have been so successful."

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	Read who the fans picked as the Big 12's best. More ...

Tinsley simply terrific
Unlike Williams at Illinois, Iowa State senior guard Jamaal Tinsley was expected to be the dominant performer in the Big 12 Conference this season.

And although Kansas sophomore guard Kirk Hinrich has won the admiration of several Big 12 coaches, no one has been more dominant night in and night out than Tinsley, the preseason player of the year.

"I've always said that I think the player of the year should probably come from the team that wins the most games," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "You look at Iowa State right now and they would tell you that Jamaal Tinsley is the guy that has kept them where they have been all year.

"He does what all great players will do. He makes people around him better."

And despite a stunning 94-78 loss to Barnes' team on Saturday, Iowa State (23-4, 11-3) is one victory away from clinching at least a share of the regular-season title. When Marcus Fizer bolted for the NBA after his junior season, the Cyclones were picked to finish fourth by the league coaches and fifth by the writers who cover the Big 12.

"Look at Tinsley and what that team has done," Texas A&M coach Melvin Watkins said. "I think he has been the one that has stepped to the forefront most nights. That is a heck of a thing, losing Fizer and for him to come back and put the type of year he has put together.

"He would surely have my vote."

Where would the Cyclones be without Tinsley?

"I think they'd still be a pretty good basketball team," Watkins said. "I just don't think they could have won in some of the places they've won without him. It would have changed the look of that team. He's a tough player."

Tinsley entered the week leading the Big 12 in only one individual category, steals, with an average of 2.9 per game. He was second in assists (6.1 per game) behind Hinrich, third in scoring (16.9 points per game) and wasn't even in the top 15 among field-goal percentage leaders.

But Tinsley is among those rare players who can dominate a game without scoring. In the Cyclones' second victory over Kansas this season, Tinsley made just 1 of 13 field-goal attempts. However, he ran the offense beautifully (11 assists) and was dominant on defense (six steals).

"I think Jamaal Tinsley has been the best player night in and night out," Colorado coach Ricardo Patton said, "and I think he has done a great job of making the players around him better. He would certainly get my vote."

He would also receive the vote of a highly regarded Big Ten coach, Michigan State's Tom Izzo.

The Spartans were pushed to the limit by the Cyclones in the Midwest Regional final last season before pulling away for a 75-64 victory. It was the Spartans' toughest test in their run to the national title and Izzo still marvels at the manner in which Tinsley went head to head against Mateen Cleaves and still broke down Michigan State's defense.

Games of the Week

Missouri at Kansas
Sunday Do the Tigers (18-10 overall, 9-6 Big 12) need to win this game to lock up an NCAA tournament berth? A victory certainly wouldn't hurt. Missouri beat the Jayhawks (21-5, 10-4) when the teams met in Columbia earlier this season. But that was with Kareem Rush in the lineup. Rush, sidelined since suffering a thumb injury Feb. 5 at Oklahoma State, hopes to return Sunday.
Illinois at Minnesota
Sunday
A victory over the Gophers would give the Illini (22-6, 12-3) at least a share of the Big Ten title. They could win the title outright if Michigan State stumbles at home against Michigan on Saturday, but don't count on that happening. Minnesota (17-10, 5-9) is banged up but scrappy and Dan Monson's players still believe they can sneak into the NCAA if they reach the 20-victory mark.
Penn State at Iowa
Thursday
Both teams appear to be fighting for the NCAA lives and this game could send one to the Big Dance and one to the NIT. Iowa won the teams' first meeting, 86-85, in State College. But that was with Luke Recker in the lineup. The Hawkeyes are just 2-5 since Recker went out with a knee injury.

"I thought he had toughness and an incredible ability to penetrate," Izzo said. "We thought we had one of the best defenders in college basketball and we put a lot of time into trying to keep him out of the paint.

"And watching him this year, he seems to be improving that perimeter shot. And if he ever gets consistent with that shot, with his penetrating ability and his defensive ability, that kid is going to be a heck of a (pro) player."

Yeah, he's Chris' brother, but ...
Chris Webber should be proud of his younger brother, David, a junior guard at Central Michigan.

The younger Webber has established his own identity as one of the better players in the nation this season and has subsequently helped his team to a remarkable turnaround. The Chippewas (18-7 overall, 12-4 Mid-American Conference West Division) have lost three consecutive games for the first time all season, but still need only one victory to clinch the MAC West title.

A year ago, they finished in last place at 2-16 and 6-23 overall.

Webber leads the MAC in scoring at 20.0 points per game, is 16th in rebounding (5.6 per game), seventh in field-goal percentage (.483) and ninth in steals (1.5 per game).

As a result, he is one of 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson College Basketball player of the year trophy, as selected by the US Basketball Writers Association.

Webber is the only player from the MAC and the only player from a mid-major conference on the list. That list includes players such as Shane Battier and Jason Williams of Duke, Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood of North Carolina, Troy Murphy of Notre Dame and Casey Jacobsen of Stanford.

That's not bad company.

King of the Valley
We don't have to wait to learn the identity of the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year. Illinois State senior guard Tarise Brown received that honor Monday.

Bryson, a first-team All-MVC pick as a junior and again this season, leads the conference in scoring (22.4 ppg), is No. 3 in steals (1.9 per game) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.824). Bryson has helped Illinois State to a 20-7 overall record, a dramatic turnaround from the Redbirds' 10-20 finish last season.

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

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