Ok, 
I'll try this ...
(Back of the locker room, before the Minnesota game.)
cast -
coach
mrs. coach
props - cell phone
"Hey honey, it's me ...," says coach into his cell phone prior to tip-off.
"Brucey, 
, shouldn't you be getting ready for the game hun?" states mrs coach from her coach, at home, in front of the TV, getting ready to watch the game and hoping 
that the Fighting Illlini win!
"Honey, that's it, I'll show that player25 that he ain't as smart as he thinks he is! I'll show him it's not my fault that we have been losing these games! I'm going to do EXACTLY what he says would have us UNFREAKIN" DEFEATED! I'm going to play 8-10 guys tonight ... and .. no one will play more than 35 minutes ..."
"Not even ..." states mrs coach.
"Yes, not even Brandon! I'm going to play IZZY for a few minutes, going to play Shaw, going to play Henry, ..." coach starts getting more EXCITED! 
"Hey babe, I think ..." says the mrs.
"I mean, I am going to UNLEASH THE FURY tonight HONEY!" yells coach.
"Honey ..." asks the mrs. again.
"I mean I really like Tubby, you know I do, he's good people ... but I am going to demand these players WORK 40 minutes of straight gangsta HAVOC on the defensive side, man to man, full court, half court, with either Meyers, Nnanna, or Iggy, PROTECTING the cup!"
"You have assembled a very athletic and long team ..." says the mrs. as she gets excited herself.
"We're young too ... but I'm going to play 'em all honey! The FLYING ILLINI are back babe!" coach states.
"Three things sweetie," says mrs coach.
"Wat my dime piece?" states the coach with a wrily smile.
"One, don't tell anyone about player25. Two, make sure you STICK TO IT! And lastly honey, if you don't win by 20 or more points, no more message boards."
"DEAL! I won't mention nothing about player25. And you watch us tonight, we're going to look like the Georgetown Hoyas of the 1980's baby!
Flying Illini 89
Golden rats 67
COTG - Coach Weber for playing 8-10 players, upping the pressure and tempo, and getting the TEAM involved by playing more players, plus letting them know it is "OK" to expect that this team should "whoop up" on teams. You ARE good, now ALL of you get out there and play like it! Coach actually gives out minutes and the players respond by playing EVEN HARDER, and smarter, because they know they only get 2-5 minute slots every substitution, thus they CRAM a lot of work in their given opportunity, so they can feel PRODUCTIVE! 
Illini-Nation sleeps like babies 
Saturday night after a long night of PARTYING! 
OR, this doesn't happen, coach plays only 7-8 players, BP over 37+ minutes, DJ over 32+ minutes, meyers 34+ minutes, and JB 34+ minutes, with some clock for TG, some for Nnanna, a little for Sam, and a minor bit for Henry. 
No Shaw, no Ibby. Too much for everyone except JB IMO. BP should get 34-35 minutes, DJ should get 28-30, Meyers should get 30-32, then TA should get 25-30 minutes. TG, Nnanna, and Henry, should all get OVER 5 minutes a game and should play in EACH half at least 2-3 minutes. Shaw and Ibby should play every 1st half for 2-3 minutes and if they play well, then they can get some 2nd half minutes. Same with Sam, IF he is healthy enough to generate the offense, not go stand in the opposite corner, and he can GUARD people on defense, because if he can't, then he shouldn't play or take away minutes from other players.
This has been a repeat for coach the last 5 years or so. THIS GAME will tell alot. Not as much as the win/loss itself, but also how coach subs and uses the players he has, which is deep and talented. Tight string, over micro-manage, don't use a deep bench early and often, then coach still hasn't learned, thus the score will be
Not much Fighting Illini 61
Golden Tubbies 63
Pretty much in agreement with this. I will correct one thing however - Brandon is getting around 36 minutes of clock the last few games. DJ and Meyers are both playing 38+.
Like you stated no one should be playing more than 35 - no one. There is no reason for it with as much talent as we have on the bench. I know Brandon went out of his mind against tO$U, but he also is the only one of the three who had any rest in that game. He played 36 minutes. DJ played 40 and Meyers played 38. Meyers looked gassed and DJ disappeared. In the PSU game Brandon did play 40 minutes, and guess what, he lost his man at the end - was supposed to force him the other way and didn't then got picked off easily by letting him go the way he wanted. Then at the other end he didn't have the legs to free himself when PSU covered him knowing he would be our guy.
So, while I think the outcome is somewhere in between your suggestion and the groundhog day scenario above. I think we get DJ, Brandon, Meyers, and Joe just enough of a blow in the second half that they still have enough left in the tank at the end of the game to make a play, so:
Fighting Illini 64
Golden Rodents 63
Then after the final horn DJ, Brandon, Meyers, and Joe are carried to the locker room because their legs give out, and Bruce thinks to himself - "what a masterful job I did, got those guys plenty of rest tonight, and they were able to finish a close game."
