CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The pressure is off Cory Bradford. The expectations are gone. No preseason Big Ten player of the year hype. No Wooden Award lists. No longer the player to watch on Illinois, not even the second choice.

And it's for these reasons why the Illini has a legit chance to get back to the Elite Eight and go another step or two further in March.

For the first time in Bradford's five-year college career, he's no longer the big man on campus entering the season. He's just another guy and that might make him one of the most dangerous offensive players in the Big Ten.

"It's like my freshman year all over again," Bradford said. "There are no expectations on me."

	Cory Bradford's ability to get to the basket is back, which makes him even more dangerous.

No, the heat is on Frank Williams and deservedly so. The reigning Big Ten MVP led Illinois in scoring (14.9 ppg), assists (148) and steals (67) in becoming one of the elite point guards in the game last season. The fourth-year junior has already announced he is declaring for the NBA draft in June and can expect to hear his name in the lottery, not to mention on the end of questions throughout the season from inquiring minds surrounding the Illini should it stumble or surge.

Williams continues to play at his own speed, seemingly effortlessly gliding through the lane for a reverse layup like he did during Saturday's Blue-Orange game, or finding any one of his choices for a drive-and-dish dunk. Williams is the preseason choice to earn the Big Ten honors again. He's also a Wooden Award top 50 preseason selection.

So, too, is junior forward Brian Cook. That's no surprise, either. Cook's game continues to improve, moving from a once too thin, shooting 6-foot-10 forward to a more cut and aggressive inside-out player who isn't afraid of contact as exhibited Saturday night. Cook can block shots a little easier, makes better selections, and is more of a go-to player in the post, even as he still develops a money move. Illinois coach Bill Self said the staff is still trying -- and it's obvious -- to get Cook's go-to move down, but at least Cook thinks he can catch it in the post and score.

But gone from the preseason discussions is Bradford. And that, it turns out, is and would be a major mistake in scouting the Illini.

Bradford is healthy. A nagging knee injury that dogged him throughout last season is no longer an issue. An NCAA Division I record 3-point consecutive streak of 88 games is over, meaning he can forget about being criticized for only thinking about a 3-pointer -- something he will always flatly deny was a thought. And he's finally got more than one move -- the 3-pointer or mid-range jumper off a screen.

"I'm glad the streak is over," Bradford said. "I'm glad I can just concentrate on the Big Ten title and national championship. I'll still hit 3s, but I can do other things with my knee healthy. I had to get tougher mentally after being criticized last year. But the pressure isn't on me anymore."

Bradford's healthy knee means he can put the ball on the court and drive to the basket for a layup or dunk, which he proved to the Illini fans Saturday.

"He's more at ease because he's healthy for the first time in 16 months," Self said. "His body is finally doing what his brain is telling it to do. He was dragging his leg around all last year but never complained. He took the pressure off everyone by taking the heat when we didn't play well.

"The streak is over and I wished it would continue, but it's better that it's over for Cory," Self adds. "All the expectations on our team and on him were based on an unhealthy Cory. This year the expectations are on Frank and Brian and that will help Cory because it will allow him to play with a chip on his shoulder. If he stays healthy then he can be our leading scorer. We've got three 'A' options, not a second and third."

The numbers tell the story, as Bradford led the Illini in scoring his first two seasons. He was the Big Ten freshman of the year in 1999 after setting Illini freshman standards for points in a season (494) and 3-pointers (85). His backed up this 15.5 ppg as a freshman with 15.3 ppg as a sophomore, but then slumped to 9.9 as a junior last season. The knee, not Williams' presence in the backcourt, is to blame. The pair shared the ball quite nicely during the 1999-2000 season, with Williams averaging 11.3 ppg his first season in Champaign.

In the weeks leading up to this season's opener Nov. 16 when Illinois hosts Gonzaga, Bradford is still getting the looks Williams would feed him the past two seasons. The difference so far has been he can once again do something with the passes on the break, around a screen, or cutting to the basket.

	“	He's more at ease because he's healthy for the first time in 16 months. His body is finally doing what his brain is telling it to do. He was dragging his leg around all last year but never complained. He took the pressure off everyone by taking the heat when we didn't play well. ”
		— Bill Self, Illinois head coach

"He's got his quickness back," Williams said. "He's more relaxed, and doesn't have to rely on 3s all the time. We might switch things around with Cory back. People don't understand how much he has improved. I wouldn't mind giving him the ball for a last-second shot now. He's not reluctant to take it and I look forward to him hitting big, game winning shots. Most teams are saying you have to stop Frank Williams, but they don't realize what they're in for."

Bradford is getting more players involved, too. During the scrimmage, Bradford drove twice, and dished to a cutting player as he was going up to the basket as a decoy. What made this simple sequence special in Bradford's care was:

A) He got to the hoop without a problem.
B) He didn't take the shot himself.

"Cory's got a new spring to his game," Cook said. "He's jumping and dunking and catching alleyoops and elevating more on his jump shot."

Bradford's renewed athleticism falls in line with the Illini's infusion of springy, lanky and more athletic wings. Self said the only player who could throw an alleyoop last season was Williams, but the problem was he was the only player who could catch one, too.

Bradford can handle it, and so too, can freshman Luther Head. The 6-3 guard is being used as a backup point to Williams, a reserve shooting guard to Bradford and don't be surprised if Self goes small with a quick lineup of Williams, Bradford and Head, if the occasion calls for it.

Head grabbed 10 rebounds during the Blue-Orange scrimmage, and while he won't be expected to come close to that number in a game, his board work will be a necessity in the game without the injured Lucas Johnson (ACL tear) and the loss of last season's senior board men Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain.

"From a talent and production standpoint, we're going to be fine," Self said. "But we're way behind in intangibles, losing a guy like Serg and his replacement Lucas. Even Griff was our chatter guy in the huddles when he wasn't playing well. We've just got pieces right now and not the total package."

The Illini do have more athleticism with Bradford, Williams, Head, 6-4 JC transfer Blandon Ferguson and 6-6 freshman Roger Powell. The latter two will have to play, rotating in at small forward as Self decides on a fifth starter or a first reserve to go next to Cook, 6-11 senior Robert Archibald and/or 6-9 senior Damir Krupalija.

"We need Blandon or Powell or (guards) Sean (Harrington) or Brett (Melton) or Luther to get those rebounds, or else Frank has to be an unbelievable rebounder and that hasn't happened yet," Self said.

"We've got good enough players to have a great year. There will be some teams with more depth in a couple of spots, but when you've got Cory, Frank, Brian and Arch (Archibald) that's four really good players. I don't know if teams will have four better players than those guys."

And all four talk about falling one game short. Illinois, which earned the Midwest's No. 1 seed after a 24-7 regular season, lost to Arizona 87-81 in the regional final -- a game in which they played poorly and didn't deserve to win. That drives this team, notably Bradford, to get back to at least the Elite Eight -- which would be a remarkable third time in a row for Self after reaching the milestone with Tulsa in 2000 and Illinois in 2001 in his first season.

"I haven't been coaching long enough to feel the pressure of not winning that game," Self said. "I can't imagine a tougher game to lose than the championship game and the Elite Eight game (because of the let down of not making the Final Four). But both years we were good enough to be there and both years we didn't play our best.

"It didn't happen because we weren't ready," Self adds. "From a talent standpoint, we're in the game right now. But we're a long ways from being a team that makes a serious run. But everyone in the country but Duke is saying the same thing."

But having a third option like Bradford, who is really a first choice, makes an Illini run to the Final Four plausible again.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.