The Illinois starting five might be more solid than anybody knew. Now, one game against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville isn’t exactly a tell-all proving ground, but freshmen Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson could be in the lineup for the long haul.

They were the top two scorers for the Illini in Friday’s 96-69 win, and Paul set an Illinois record for a freshman in a season opener with 22 points.

Paul was outstanding at both ends. He even drew the defensive assignment to guard Mark Yelovich, who coach Bruce Weber thought might be the Cougars’ top offensive threat, to start the game. Yelovich ended up with five points, all on free throws.

Weber’s only complaint was that he’d like to see more intensity out of Paul.

“We’ve talked as a staff that he’s not very emotional,” Weber said. “He’s cool, calm and doesn’t get too excited. You get a smile out of him once in a while. We’ve yelled at him and he’s taken it. We need a little more excitement from him somewhere along the line, a little more intensity.”

Paul started the game by penetrating and dishing. Then he set up beyond the 3-point arc and started to let shots fly. He  made three quick 3-pointers in a little more than three minutes to launch the big early lead.

“Brandon is going to put it up,” Weber said. “He’s not afraid to put it up. We have to keep him inside the NBA 3. That’s our biggest obstacle right now.”

Richardson was effective despite suffering a hyperextended elbow in practice on Thursday night while fighting through a screen. He took only five shots, making three, but didn’t let loose from the perimeter at all. He made 8 of 10 free throws.

However, he apparently was well enough to throw down a windmill dunk during warmups.

Richardon had expressed doubt on Friday morning that he would be able to play. Weber said he would likely be held out of practice on Saturday. …

Richard Semrau played a solid 15 minutes, scoring six points with six rebounds. The junior center contributed to several wins during nonconference play last season but disappeared when Big Ten play rolled around.

He recently returned home when his grandmother died and had several poor practices upon returning, according to Weber.

“He had been lethargic,” Weber said. “Coach (Jay) Price called him in the other day and said either get after it or you might as well forget it. He was on his toes. He was active.” …

Dominique Keller had been listed on the team’s game notes as a possible starter at forward. Mike Davis got the nod, as expected and had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Keller, though, looked good off the bench, contributing nine points and three rebounds.

“We have to convince Dominique to be the sixth man of the year,” Weber said. “He can come in and give us good minutes. If someone gets hurt he can get in (to start). But he can do a lot of good for us. He’ll get minutes if he does what he’s supposed to do on the court.” …

St. Louis native Tyler Griffey played 11 minutes in his first game as a freshman and scored two points. Weber revealed that Griffey recently had a bout with H1N1 flu that took a toll on his conditioning.