Just when you thought that the Fighting Illini football team was poised to turn a corner, they do a complete reversal and leave you wondering. Case in point would be the debacle that was this past Saturday, where a Purdue team that had won just two conference games in coach Darrell Hazell's tenure in West Lafayette, came in and totally outplayed the Illini, en route to a 34-31 win in overtime.
Illinois, who is still trying to find an identity for themselves, didn't make it any easier on them following the loss, which leaves more questions than answers at this point. Quarterback Wes Lunt left the game with an injury and backup Chayce Crouch was given control of the offense, and offered a new dynamic to the position in someone that can run and scramble. Lunt doesn't have any mobility, and perhaps Crouch presents the best option for offensive coordinator Garrick McGee's unit going forward. Crouch rushed 17 times for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns, and was effective through the air as well, completing 10 of 14 passes for 142 yards. Illinois (1-4, 0-2) had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but Chase McLaughlin missed a field goal, seeing the ball bounce off the crossbar, and in the first overtime period, Illinois fumbled on their opening possession, allowing Purdue to set up for the chip shot, a 28-yard attempt, by J. D. Dellinger to win the game and silence the crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Illinois looks to snap a four game losing streak this coming Saturday when they travel to Piscataway, New Jersey to battle the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers at High Point Solutions Stadium (11:00 am CT, ESPNNEWS). Rutgers is coming off a pair of lopsided losses, the latter being a 78-0 pasting from Michigan last Saturday in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights (2-4, 0-3) have not scored in two plus games, and have been outscored 136-0 in the last two contests. If ever there was a chance of getting a win, this would be the game to get that accomplished and regain a little bit of confidence that has been otherwise shuttered. Lose this game, and Illinois becomes one of the worst FBS programs this season and their prognosis for finding another win this season becomes increasingly more difficult.
Last week, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman unveiled a renovation plan for the south horseshoe and east sides of Memorial Stadium, a project that is slated to cost $132 million. Some of the highlights include seating that will extend to the field, allowing new weight and training facilities, coaches' offices, and meeting and meal spaces for the student-athletes. "For our student athletes to compete with other peer schools in the conference, we must get our facilities up-to-date so we can have the advantage in recruiting. Whitman was a former player for Illinois from 1997-2001 and has a passion for the football program in bringing it back to respectability.
After an extended stretch of games away from Huff Hall that tested their mettle, the Fighting Illini womens' volleyball team have been playing much better as of late, and their only two setbacks have been to the #1 and #2 teams in the country. On Wednesday night, the Illini welcomed #14 Michigan State to town, and came away with a 3-0 sweep of the Spartans to improve their season record to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten. Illinois will continue their homestand this Saturday night when they welcome the Northwestern Wildcats (7:00 pm CT) for their only match of the weekend.
The Illini womens' soccer team had a rough beginning to the Big Ten season, but in the last couple of games, have done better, coming away with a pair of wins. This past Thursday, Illinois defeated Michigan 3-0 in Champaign, and then on Sunday, Michigan State came to town, and the Illini won that game as well 3-1. Illinois, despite the two wins, is still a disappointing 5-9-1 overall and 2-4-1 in Big Ten play, and will take to the road this weekend as the regular season begins to wind down. The Illini will be in Lincoln, Nebraska on Thursday to take on Nebraska (7:00 pm CT), followed by a matinee on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City against the Iowa Hawkeyes (1:00 pm CT).
With the calendar turning to October, Illinois held it's annual basketball media day for both the men and women this past Friday on the University of Illinois campus. John Groce, who begins his fifth season with the men, hopes that a healthy and veteran squad will be the recipe for a return to the NCAA Tournament, while on the women's side, coach Matt Bollant, who also begins his fifth season in Champaign, has turned over his roster and will rely on some young players to get his team elevated to the top echelon of the conference standings. A full preview of both teams will be featured in next week's blog entry.
Two Steps Forward.......Three Steps Back.
The rebuild of the Illinois football program continues as they drop a tough 34-31 loss in overtime to Purdue.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Back To The Drawing Board
Nobody said that this was going to be easy.
With the Lovie Smith era now three games old, the Fighting Illini are feeling the effects of a lackluster past couple of seasons of recruiting, and the results on the field have been less than desirable for Illini Nation.
The latest setback was a 34-10 defeat at the hands of Western Michigan this past Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and with the loss a week earlier to North Carolina added in there, the fan base in Champaign is getting mightly restless.
Illinois watched the Broncos jump out to a 21-0 lead before Wes Lunt unveiled a little trickery, finding Ainslie Johnson down the sidelines for a 56-yard touchdown catch. It was one of the few bright spots on the afternoon, in which a MAC team won in Champaign for the first time in recent memory.
Western Michigan has quite a bit of talent, and with a depleted Illini offensive line due to some injuties, the Broncos controlled the flow of the game. Corey Davis, who is one of the best wide receivers in college football, was held in check by the Illini, only catching four passes for 97 yards.
Speaking of the offensive line, injuries to Gabe Megginson and Austin Schmidt has left a thin line scrambling for depth, and although both Schmidt and Megginson expect to be back for the Illini's next game, their health remains a concern.
Illinois has a bye this week, and according to many of the players , it couldn't come at a better time./ Normally, you want a chance at redemption after a tough loss like the Illini sustained against the Broncos on Saturday, but with the disconnect going on within the team, they need a chance to regroup.
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Illinois will use the week off to get the linemen healthy, as well as figure out where the running game has gone. Since the first game against Murray State, the Illini running backs have been bottled up, and that can mainly be attributed to two factors: 1) the opponent, an FCS school and 2) poor offensive line production with second-stringers forced to play early minutes.
Illinois will next take the field on Saturday, October 1st when they travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska will no doubt have revenge on their minds after losing in Champaign last season.
The Illini women's soccer team began Big Ten play this past weekend. and came up on the short end of a pair of matches. Last Thursday, the Illini welcomed the Purdue Boilermakers to Champaign, and Purdue won 2-0. Then, on Sunday afternoon, the Illini and Indiana went toe-to-toe, with the Hoosiers coming away with a 1-0 victory in overtime. With the losses, the Illini fall to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play, and will take to the road this coming weekend, as they travel to the easternmost parts of the conference, first taking on Maryland on Thursday (6:00 pm CT, BTN), before heading to Piscataway, New Jersey to battle Rutgers on Sunday (12:00 noon, no TV).
The Fighting Illini women's volleyball team has had their share of ups and downs so far this season, and last weekend was one of the ups, as they traveled to St. Louis to compete in the Billiken Invitational. The Illini won all three matches, not losing an entire game, as they defeated Omaha, Murray State and St. Louis by 3-0 scores. On Wednesday night, the Illini began Big Ten play at Purdue, and went the distance against the #10th ranked Boilermakers, upsetting them in 5 games. The Illini lost the first set 25-21, then bounced back in the second and third games, winning 25-20 and 25-23. Illinois lost the fourth set 27-25, and then took the fifth and final game, 15-11. With the win, the Illini improve to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play, and will return to Huff Hall for the first time in nearly three weeks, when they welcome the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Match time on Saturday will be 7:00 pm central time.
With the Lovie Smith era now three games old, the Fighting Illini are feeling the effects of a lackluster past couple of seasons of recruiting, and the results on the field have been less than desirable for Illini Nation.
The latest setback was a 34-10 defeat at the hands of Western Michigan this past Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and with the loss a week earlier to North Carolina added in there, the fan base in Champaign is getting mightly restless.
Illinois watched the Broncos jump out to a 21-0 lead before Wes Lunt unveiled a little trickery, finding Ainslie Johnson down the sidelines for a 56-yard touchdown catch. It was one of the few bright spots on the afternoon, in which a MAC team won in Champaign for the first time in recent memory.
Western Michigan has quite a bit of talent, and with a depleted Illini offensive line due to some injuties, the Broncos controlled the flow of the game. Corey Davis, who is one of the best wide receivers in college football, was held in check by the Illini, only catching four passes for 97 yards.
Speaking of the offensive line, injuries to Gabe Megginson and Austin Schmidt has left a thin line scrambling for depth, and although both Schmidt and Megginson expect to be back for the Illini's next game, their health remains a concern.
Illinois has a bye this week, and according to many of the players , it couldn't come at a better time./ Normally, you want a chance at redemption after a tough loss like the Illini sustained against the Broncos on Saturday, but with the disconnect going on within the team, they need a chance to regroup.
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Illinois will use the week off to get the linemen healthy, as well as figure out where the running game has gone. Since the first game against Murray State, the Illini running backs have been bottled up, and that can mainly be attributed to two factors: 1) the opponent, an FCS school and 2) poor offensive line production with second-stringers forced to play early minutes.
Illinois will next take the field on Saturday, October 1st when they travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska will no doubt have revenge on their minds after losing in Champaign last season.
The Illini women's soccer team began Big Ten play this past weekend. and came up on the short end of a pair of matches. Last Thursday, the Illini welcomed the Purdue Boilermakers to Champaign, and Purdue won 2-0. Then, on Sunday afternoon, the Illini and Indiana went toe-to-toe, with the Hoosiers coming away with a 1-0 victory in overtime. With the losses, the Illini fall to 3-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play, and will take to the road this coming weekend, as they travel to the easternmost parts of the conference, first taking on Maryland on Thursday (6:00 pm CT, BTN), before heading to Piscataway, New Jersey to battle Rutgers on Sunday (12:00 noon, no TV).
The Fighting Illini women's volleyball team has had their share of ups and downs so far this season, and last weekend was one of the ups, as they traveled to St. Louis to compete in the Billiken Invitational. The Illini won all three matches, not losing an entire game, as they defeated Omaha, Murray State and St. Louis by 3-0 scores. On Wednesday night, the Illini began Big Ten play at Purdue, and went the distance against the #10th ranked Boilermakers, upsetting them in 5 games. The Illini lost the first set 25-21, then bounced back in the second and third games, winning 25-20 and 25-23. Illinois lost the fourth set 27-25, and then took the fifth and final game, 15-11. With the win, the Illini improve to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play, and will return to Huff Hall for the first time in nearly three weeks, when they welcome the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. Match time on Saturday will be 7:00 pm central time.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Off And Running with Lovie
The Fighting Illini football team has begun the Lovie Smith era, and after two weeks, the results are a mixed bag of sorts. On the positive side of things, the Illini did what they needed to do in beating an under-sized Murray State team 52-3 in the opener at Memorial Stadium. The focus then shifted to the big game under the lights in prime time against North Carolina, a team that had steamrolled the Illini a year ago in Chapel Hill 48-14.
Trying to capture some momentum that they had acquired in the win over the Racers, Illinois wanted to impress the sold out crowd with a strong performance against a team that had lost a tough game in the first week of the season to Georgia.
The game started out really well for the Illini, as Ke'Shawn Vaughn took the third play from scrimmage on their first possession of the game, 65 yards to the house for a touchdown. The assembled crowd was up for grabs, and after the Tar Heels tied the game a few minutes later, the Illini went up 14-7, and things were beginning to look up.
However, a costly fumble by Illinois signal caller Wes Lunt gave Carolina the ball with great field position, and they capitalized on the gaffe, scoring and then eventually going ahead for good.
Lunt realized his error, but there were other mistakes, such as dropped passes and penalties, that ultimately did the Illini in.
"The atmosphere was great, the fourth phase (the fans) were awesome, but what it boiled down to was that we are not quite ready for prime time yet", Smith said following the game on the eventual outcome.
For Illinois (1-1) to effectively right this ship that has been circling in murky waters for a few years now, they need to cut down on the unforced errors, and Smith agrees. It is clear that the Illini are still not on the level of the Ohio States, Michigans and Michigan States, and it is evident that Lovie deserves a chance to work his magic and bring in his own level of players.
Illinois will get another chance to redeem themselves, as they welcome the Broncos of Western Michigan to Memorial Stadium this coming Saturday (3:00 pm CT, ESPNNEWS). The Broncos are coming off a 70-21 dismantling of North Carolina Central last Saturday in Kalamazoo, and feature a high-powered offense similar to the Tar Heels. Led by head coach P. J. Fleck, the Broncos come in to the game with the Illini at 2-0 on the season, and have a win over Northwestern on their resume. The Broncos defeated the Wildcats 22-21 two weeks ago in Evanston, and Fleck, who was a candidate to replace the fired Bill Cubit last season at Illinois, is one of the most sought after coaches around right now. Ironically, Cubit, who coached at Western Michigan before coming to Champaign, was coach of the Broncos when they defeated the Illini back in 2008 in Detroit. For the Illini to come out on top against Western Michigan, they will need to step up the offense, as well as neutralizing some of the more costly errors that they have been guilty of in the past few games dating back to last season.
After a 3-0 start to the season, Janet Rayfield's Illinois womens' soccer team has run aground on some hard times, losing 5 of the last 6 games to fall to 3-5 on the season. The Illini were defeated 1-0 by Miami (Ohio) last Friday night, but broke their five game skid by defeating Evansville 1-0 on Sunday. Illinois will begin conference play on Thursday night, when they welcome Purdue to the Illinois Soccer Complex (7:00 pm CT). Then, on Sunday, the Illini will entertain Indiana in an afternoon matinee (1:00 pm CT).
Kevin Hambly's Fighting Illini womens' volleyball team will continue their play away from Huff Hall when they travel to St. Louis this weekend to battle Omaha on Friday (4:30 pm CT), then match up with Murray State on Saturday morning (10:00 am CT) and the host St. Louis Billikens on Saturday evening (7:00 pm CT). The Illini fared pretty well this past weekend, as they went 2-1 on the weekend, losing to Oregon 3-0, then coming back to beat both Belmont and St. Mary's (Cal.) by that same score. The volleyball team currently stands at 4-4 on the season.
With basketball season on the horizon, Illinois mens' coach John Groce already has endured a bit of bad news, as his sophomore guard Jalen Coleman-Lands will miss the first few weeks of workouts due to a broken bone in his hand. This is all that Groce needs, after enduring one of the most unlucky seasons for injuries in recent memory. Coleman-Lands was hurt during the early part of last season as well, but recovered to post some good numbers in his freshman season. Here's hoping the news is as good this time around as well.
Trying to capture some momentum that they had acquired in the win over the Racers, Illinois wanted to impress the sold out crowd with a strong performance against a team that had lost a tough game in the first week of the season to Georgia.
The game started out really well for the Illini, as Ke'Shawn Vaughn took the third play from scrimmage on their first possession of the game, 65 yards to the house for a touchdown. The assembled crowd was up for grabs, and after the Tar Heels tied the game a few minutes later, the Illini went up 14-7, and things were beginning to look up.
However, a costly fumble by Illinois signal caller Wes Lunt gave Carolina the ball with great field position, and they capitalized on the gaffe, scoring and then eventually going ahead for good.
Lunt realized his error, but there were other mistakes, such as dropped passes and penalties, that ultimately did the Illini in.
"The atmosphere was great, the fourth phase (the fans) were awesome, but what it boiled down to was that we are not quite ready for prime time yet", Smith said following the game on the eventual outcome.
For Illinois (1-1) to effectively right this ship that has been circling in murky waters for a few years now, they need to cut down on the unforced errors, and Smith agrees. It is clear that the Illini are still not on the level of the Ohio States, Michigans and Michigan States, and it is evident that Lovie deserves a chance to work his magic and bring in his own level of players.
Illinois will get another chance to redeem themselves, as they welcome the Broncos of Western Michigan to Memorial Stadium this coming Saturday (3:00 pm CT, ESPNNEWS). The Broncos are coming off a 70-21 dismantling of North Carolina Central last Saturday in Kalamazoo, and feature a high-powered offense similar to the Tar Heels. Led by head coach P. J. Fleck, the Broncos come in to the game with the Illini at 2-0 on the season, and have a win over Northwestern on their resume. The Broncos defeated the Wildcats 22-21 two weeks ago in Evanston, and Fleck, who was a candidate to replace the fired Bill Cubit last season at Illinois, is one of the most sought after coaches around right now. Ironically, Cubit, who coached at Western Michigan before coming to Champaign, was coach of the Broncos when they defeated the Illini back in 2008 in Detroit. For the Illini to come out on top against Western Michigan, they will need to step up the offense, as well as neutralizing some of the more costly errors that they have been guilty of in the past few games dating back to last season.
After a 3-0 start to the season, Janet Rayfield's Illinois womens' soccer team has run aground on some hard times, losing 5 of the last 6 games to fall to 3-5 on the season. The Illini were defeated 1-0 by Miami (Ohio) last Friday night, but broke their five game skid by defeating Evansville 1-0 on Sunday. Illinois will begin conference play on Thursday night, when they welcome Purdue to the Illinois Soccer Complex (7:00 pm CT). Then, on Sunday, the Illini will entertain Indiana in an afternoon matinee (1:00 pm CT).
Kevin Hambly's Fighting Illini womens' volleyball team will continue their play away from Huff Hall when they travel to St. Louis this weekend to battle Omaha on Friday (4:30 pm CT), then match up with Murray State on Saturday morning (10:00 am CT) and the host St. Louis Billikens on Saturday evening (7:00 pm CT). The Illini fared pretty well this past weekend, as they went 2-1 on the weekend, losing to Oregon 3-0, then coming back to beat both Belmont and St. Mary's (Cal.) by that same score. The volleyball team currently stands at 4-4 on the season.
With basketball season on the horizon, Illinois mens' coach John Groce already has endured a bit of bad news, as his sophomore guard Jalen Coleman-Lands will miss the first few weeks of workouts due to a broken bone in his hand. This is all that Groce needs, after enduring one of the most unlucky seasons for injuries in recent memory. Coleman-Lands was hurt during the early part of last season as well, but recovered to post some good numbers in his freshman season. Here's hoping the news is as good this time around as well.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
A New Era Begins
It's hard to believe, but the Fighting Illini football team will kick off the season in a little over a week, and with that, the Lovie Smith era will begin when Illinois takes to the field to welcome Murray State on Saturday, September 3rd.
A lot has happened in between the time that last season ended and Smith was hired. After a firestorm of off-the-field controversy, a new athletic director was hired, and when Josh Whitman took the job, his first order of business was to remove then head coach Bill Cubit from the coaching spot and insert Lovie into the position, a move that Whitman had in his back pocket all along.
A breath of fresh air has been breathed into the program with the hiring of Whitman and Smith, and Smith, who hasn't coached at the collegiate level. The Illini are returning quite a few starters on both the offense and defensive lines, and the experience of these players will hopefully garner the Illini a few wins this season, and hopefully, a bowl invitation.
Wes Lunt returns for his senior season to lead the Illini on offense, and while he is a little thin for targets to throw to, the main recipients, Justin Hardee and Malik Turner, will lead the receiving corps.
With Mikey Dudek still out with a torn ACL, his second consecutive injury of that nature, Turner and Hardee will need to shoulder the load, and with Sam Mays and Desmond Cain returning from decent freshmen seasons, Lunt should have plenty of options. Two true freshmen, M. J. McGriff and Dominic Thieman opening eyes in pre-season workouts, the offense should be one that can score points.
On the ground, Ke'Shawn Vaughn returns following a great freshman season, and will be flanked by Reggie Corhin, who sat out last season with an injury, and Kendrick Foster, who almost left Illinois due to lack of playing time. While Foster is small in stature, he can hit the holes needed to get big yardage gains, something the offensive line will need to create for both he and Vaughn.
Speaking of the offensive line, they return virtually intact from a season ago, with Christian DiLauro, Joe Spencer, Austin Schmidt, Nick Allegretti and either Connor Brennan or Gabe Megginson to lead the offensive charge from the line of scrimmage.
Lovie, who is a defensive mind, has brought on Hardy Nickerson, who had a very successful NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be the defensive coordinator, and with Mike Phair returning to the staff as defensive line coordinator, as well as the run game guru, the defense should be in fairly good shape.
Leading the charge on the defensive side of the ball is Dawuane Smoot, who will be flanked by Rob Bain, Chunky Clements and Carroll Phillips as the front four. Gimel President, who gets the vote as the all-name player on the Illinois roster this season, transferred in from Auburn, and will get plenty of playing time in Nickerson's defensive scheme.
Linebacker, a position that has been a strong point for the Illini for the past two decades, will remain strong, with James Crawford, Mike Svetina, and Justice Williams, who was a redshirt candidate last season. Hardy Nickerson, who is the son of the defensive coordinator with the same name, followed his father to Illinois from California, where he played for the Bears in the Pac-12 last season. The addition of Nickerson will not only benefit the Illini in talent, but in experience as well.
The secondary should be strong as well, as Taylor Barton returns for his senior season to anchor the defensive backs. Jaylen Dunlap, who is a potential star in the making, will also see a lot of time in the secondary, as will Dillan Cazley, who also has quite a bit of experience. Darwyn Kelly and Darius Mosley should also see ample time as well.
The "Lovie Effect" has begun to produce results on the recruiting front, as the Illini begin to fill their Class of 2017 roster. On Thursday, Carmoni Green, a wide receiver from Florida, and Olalere Oladipo, a defensive lineman from Huntley. Word is slowly getting out about what Lovie plans to do at Illinois, and the recruits will soon follow that trail to Champaign.
Lovie Smith is not the only coach that is landing huge commitments, as Illinois basketball coach John Groce has been getting some good news of his own the past couple months. Even though the season is still a few months away from beginning, Groce has received verbals from big man Jeremiah Tilmon and point guard Trent Frazier, Even though Groce wasn't able to land guard Jordan Goodwin, who ended up choosing St. Louis University over the Illini, the future continues to look bright for Groce as he tries to shake the negative tone that has befallen the program over the past several months, culminating with the dismissal of Kendrick Nunn from the team.
Next week will focus on the official preview of the Murray State game, as well as reports on Illinois volleyball and women's soccer. Fall is definitely in full swing!
A lot has happened in between the time that last season ended and Smith was hired. After a firestorm of off-the-field controversy, a new athletic director was hired, and when Josh Whitman took the job, his first order of business was to remove then head coach Bill Cubit from the coaching spot and insert Lovie into the position, a move that Whitman had in his back pocket all along.
A breath of fresh air has been breathed into the program with the hiring of Whitman and Smith, and Smith, who hasn't coached at the collegiate level. The Illini are returning quite a few starters on both the offense and defensive lines, and the experience of these players will hopefully garner the Illini a few wins this season, and hopefully, a bowl invitation.
Wes Lunt returns for his senior season to lead the Illini on offense, and while he is a little thin for targets to throw to, the main recipients, Justin Hardee and Malik Turner, will lead the receiving corps.
With Mikey Dudek still out with a torn ACL, his second consecutive injury of that nature, Turner and Hardee will need to shoulder the load, and with Sam Mays and Desmond Cain returning from decent freshmen seasons, Lunt should have plenty of options. Two true freshmen, M. J. McGriff and Dominic Thieman opening eyes in pre-season workouts, the offense should be one that can score points.
On the ground, Ke'Shawn Vaughn returns following a great freshman season, and will be flanked by Reggie Corhin, who sat out last season with an injury, and Kendrick Foster, who almost left Illinois due to lack of playing time. While Foster is small in stature, he can hit the holes needed to get big yardage gains, something the offensive line will need to create for both he and Vaughn.
Speaking of the offensive line, they return virtually intact from a season ago, with Christian DiLauro, Joe Spencer, Austin Schmidt, Nick Allegretti and either Connor Brennan or Gabe Megginson to lead the offensive charge from the line of scrimmage.
Lovie, who is a defensive mind, has brought on Hardy Nickerson, who had a very successful NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be the defensive coordinator, and with Mike Phair returning to the staff as defensive line coordinator, as well as the run game guru, the defense should be in fairly good shape.
Leading the charge on the defensive side of the ball is Dawuane Smoot, who will be flanked by Rob Bain, Chunky Clements and Carroll Phillips as the front four. Gimel President, who gets the vote as the all-name player on the Illinois roster this season, transferred in from Auburn, and will get plenty of playing time in Nickerson's defensive scheme.
Linebacker, a position that has been a strong point for the Illini for the past two decades, will remain strong, with James Crawford, Mike Svetina, and Justice Williams, who was a redshirt candidate last season. Hardy Nickerson, who is the son of the defensive coordinator with the same name, followed his father to Illinois from California, where he played for the Bears in the Pac-12 last season. The addition of Nickerson will not only benefit the Illini in talent, but in experience as well.
The secondary should be strong as well, as Taylor Barton returns for his senior season to anchor the defensive backs. Jaylen Dunlap, who is a potential star in the making, will also see a lot of time in the secondary, as will Dillan Cazley, who also has quite a bit of experience. Darwyn Kelly and Darius Mosley should also see ample time as well.
The "Lovie Effect" has begun to produce results on the recruiting front, as the Illini begin to fill their Class of 2017 roster. On Thursday, Carmoni Green, a wide receiver from Florida, and Olalere Oladipo, a defensive lineman from Huntley. Word is slowly getting out about what Lovie plans to do at Illinois, and the recruits will soon follow that trail to Champaign.
Lovie Smith is not the only coach that is landing huge commitments, as Illinois basketball coach John Groce has been getting some good news of his own the past couple months. Even though the season is still a few months away from beginning, Groce has received verbals from big man Jeremiah Tilmon and point guard Trent Frazier, Even though Groce wasn't able to land guard Jordan Goodwin, who ended up choosing St. Louis University over the Illini, the future continues to look bright for Groce as he tries to shake the negative tone that has befallen the program over the past several months, culminating with the dismissal of Kendrick Nunn from the team.
Next week will focus on the official preview of the Murray State game, as well as reports on Illinois volleyball and women's soccer. Fall is definitely in full swing!
Monday, July 11, 2016
Turning the corner
Another sports season is on the horizon at the University of Illinois, and if you are an Illini fan, you want to have a short memory about the season that just ended a few months ago.
It seems as if nothing went right for the Illini in 2015 and part of 2016, yet with the naming of Josh Whitman as new Athletic Director back in February, which led to the hiring of Lovie Smith as head football coach just a few days later, things seem to be back on the rise again,
As Big Ten football media days approach in just two weeks, so much has happened since the last time media, coaches, players and fans descended upon Chicago to officially kick off the beginning of the fall sports season in the Big Ten.
A short timeline of the events go as follows: Tim Beckman fired as football coach one week before the 2015 season began, and Bill Cubit named interim head coach by then athletic director Mike Thomas. Thomas was then fired in November, just days after a win at Purdue, and Paul Kowalczyk named interim AD. Kowalczyk officially names Cubit the head coach just before Illinois' final regular season contest at Soldier Field against Northwestern.
A tumultuous basketball season followed, with John Groce's Illini squad finishing under .500 for the first time in several years, and seeing several players either injured or suspended before, during or after the season. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was when Kendrick Nunn was dismissed from the team for striking a woman on campus. Women's basketball coach Matt Bollant suffered much the same fate as Groce's mens team did, and at the end of the season, saw several players, including Chatrice White, leave the program, rendering Bollant to start from scratch once again, a position that seems to be foreign to him.
But, things are beginning to look up for the future, especially on the mens basketball front. Groce, who has missed out on several top recruits in the past few seasons, struck gold on Monday when he received a verbal commitment from big man Jeremiah Tilmon, who will be a senior at La Lumiere Academy in Indiana. Tilmon, who is from East St. Louis, is a five star prospect that will give the Illini a post presence that they haven't had in a long time. Plus, the first five star recruit since Dee Brown in 2002 gives Groce his most talented prize in his four year tenure in Champaign. Already with Javon Pickett and Da'Monte Williams on board for 2017, the future has not shown this much promise in quite some time.
It seems as if nothing went right for the Illini in 2015 and part of 2016, yet with the naming of Josh Whitman as new Athletic Director back in February, which led to the hiring of Lovie Smith as head football coach just a few days later, things seem to be back on the rise again,
As Big Ten football media days approach in just two weeks, so much has happened since the last time media, coaches, players and fans descended upon Chicago to officially kick off the beginning of the fall sports season in the Big Ten.
A short timeline of the events go as follows: Tim Beckman fired as football coach one week before the 2015 season began, and Bill Cubit named interim head coach by then athletic director Mike Thomas. Thomas was then fired in November, just days after a win at Purdue, and Paul Kowalczyk named interim AD. Kowalczyk officially names Cubit the head coach just before Illinois' final regular season contest at Soldier Field against Northwestern.
A tumultuous basketball season followed, with John Groce's Illini squad finishing under .500 for the first time in several years, and seeing several players either injured or suspended before, during or after the season. The final nail in the proverbial coffin was when Kendrick Nunn was dismissed from the team for striking a woman on campus. Women's basketball coach Matt Bollant suffered much the same fate as Groce's mens team did, and at the end of the season, saw several players, including Chatrice White, leave the program, rendering Bollant to start from scratch once again, a position that seems to be foreign to him.
But, things are beginning to look up for the future, especially on the mens basketball front. Groce, who has missed out on several top recruits in the past few seasons, struck gold on Monday when he received a verbal commitment from big man Jeremiah Tilmon, who will be a senior at La Lumiere Academy in Indiana. Tilmon, who is from East St. Louis, is a five star prospect that will give the Illini a post presence that they haven't had in a long time. Plus, the first five star recruit since Dee Brown in 2002 gives Groce his most talented prize in his four year tenure in Champaign. Already with Javon Pickett and Da'Monte Williams on board for 2017, the future has not shown this much promise in quite some time.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Deja Vu
Things were beginning to take a positive turn for the Fighting Illini football team. New head coach Lovie Smith had assembled his coaching staff, finally started spring practice, and the team was beginning to show signs of respectability since they were getting some of their key players back from injuries a year ago. Well, almost.
Almost a year to the day that he first tore his ACL in a non-contact drill, Mikey Dudek suffered the exact same injury to the exact same knee in the same type of drill, non-contact. This young man, who is ultra-talented, cannot seem to catch a break, and will once again watch another football season from the sidelines as he once again recovers from surgery.
The list of injuries to Fighting Illini athletes has grown to a number that is almost laughable, and between football last season (Dudek, Dre Brown, Teko Powell, Reggie Corbin), men's basektball (Tracy Abrams, Leron Black, Mike Thorne Jr.) and women's basketball (Cierra Rice), one would have to wonder what is going on at Illinois, and what have they done to the athletic gods?
Dudek's latest injury comes at a time when the Illinois football program was undergoing an idenity transformation under Smith, and with a roster that is thin to begin with, the loss of Dudek clouds an already uncertain 2016 season. After all, this is considered to be a rebuilding project for Smith, and this further complicates things, at least for the short term.
As far as spring practices go, the first one, held a week ago last Friday, was very scripted and didn't look like it was the first one. Lovie has the Illini looking somewhat sharp, and the cast of characters that he has brought in as assistants give him instant credibility. Garrick McGee, who was previously at Louisville, was brought in to run the offense and Hardy Nickerson, who was an all-ro linebacker in his days in the NFL, is the defensive coordinator. The Illini will continue to practice this coming week, and the public's first and only chance to see the Fighting Illini in action will come n Saturday, April 16th with an open practice. Smith decided against a spring game due to the late start of spring practice, so an open workout will take the place of it. The practice will begin at 1:00 pm, and will be free to the public.
Both the Illinois baseball and softball teams have entered Big Ten play, and the results have been mixed for both squads. The Illinois baseball team is finding life after Tyler Jay and the other players that propelled them to the NCAA Super Regionals last spring rather difficult. The Illini just completed a series at Iowa against the Hawkeyes, and lost two out of three games to fall to 13-16 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Illini will return home this Tuesday evening to face the Illinois State Redbirds (6:00 pm CT first pitch). The Illini defeated the Redbirds 8-3 earlier in the season in Normal, and after the game on Tuesday, will welcome the St. Louis Billikens to Illinois Field for a rare three game series not conference related.
The Fighting Illini softball team has enjoyed some success this season under new coach Tyra Perry, and are currently 23-15 overall, but just 3-6 in Big Ten play. Illinois dropped a three game series to Minnesota this past weekend in Minneapolis, and will return home on Wednesday night to face Northwestern in a mid-week conference doubleheader. After the games against the Wildcats, the Illini will make the short trip east to battle the Purdue Boilermakers this coming weekend in West Lafayette.
Almost a year to the day that he first tore his ACL in a non-contact drill, Mikey Dudek suffered the exact same injury to the exact same knee in the same type of drill, non-contact. This young man, who is ultra-talented, cannot seem to catch a break, and will once again watch another football season from the sidelines as he once again recovers from surgery.
The list of injuries to Fighting Illini athletes has grown to a number that is almost laughable, and between football last season (Dudek, Dre Brown, Teko Powell, Reggie Corbin), men's basektball (Tracy Abrams, Leron Black, Mike Thorne Jr.) and women's basketball (Cierra Rice), one would have to wonder what is going on at Illinois, and what have they done to the athletic gods?
Dudek's latest injury comes at a time when the Illinois football program was undergoing an idenity transformation under Smith, and with a roster that is thin to begin with, the loss of Dudek clouds an already uncertain 2016 season. After all, this is considered to be a rebuilding project for Smith, and this further complicates things, at least for the short term.
As far as spring practices go, the first one, held a week ago last Friday, was very scripted and didn't look like it was the first one. Lovie has the Illini looking somewhat sharp, and the cast of characters that he has brought in as assistants give him instant credibility. Garrick McGee, who was previously at Louisville, was brought in to run the offense and Hardy Nickerson, who was an all-ro linebacker in his days in the NFL, is the defensive coordinator. The Illini will continue to practice this coming week, and the public's first and only chance to see the Fighting Illini in action will come n Saturday, April 16th with an open practice. Smith decided against a spring game due to the late start of spring practice, so an open workout will take the place of it. The practice will begin at 1:00 pm, and will be free to the public.
Both the Illinois baseball and softball teams have entered Big Ten play, and the results have been mixed for both squads. The Illinois baseball team is finding life after Tyler Jay and the other players that propelled them to the NCAA Super Regionals last spring rather difficult. The Illini just completed a series at Iowa against the Hawkeyes, and lost two out of three games to fall to 13-16 overall and 4-5 in conference play. The Illini will return home this Tuesday evening to face the Illinois State Redbirds (6:00 pm CT first pitch). The Illini defeated the Redbirds 8-3 earlier in the season in Normal, and after the game on Tuesday, will welcome the St. Louis Billikens to Illinois Field for a rare three game series not conference related.
The Fighting Illini softball team has enjoyed some success this season under new coach Tyra Perry, and are currently 23-15 overall, but just 3-6 in Big Ten play. Illinois dropped a three game series to Minnesota this past weekend in Minneapolis, and will return home on Wednesday night to face Northwestern in a mid-week conference doubleheader. After the games against the Wildcats, the Illini will make the short trip east to battle the Purdue Boilermakers this coming weekend in West Lafayette.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
What next?
Basketball season has been over for nearly a week, but judging from the headlines and the crime blotter, the team continues to make news, albeit the wrong kind.
From all of the positive vibes that the hiring of Josh Whitman as new AD, and then the subsequent hiring of new Illinois football coach Lovie Smith two weeks later, Whitman's first major decision as the boss, things appeared to be heading in the right direction and Illini Nation was beginning to see some sunshine from the gloomy football and basketball seasons.
Then, in early March, John Groce's men's basketball team began play in the Big Ten Tournament as the #11 seed, which meant that they played on Wednesday of the tournament, and after defeating Minnesota quite handily, they were facing an Iowa team that had been ranked in the top 10 in the country for a part of the season, and frankly, people didn't see coming what transpired. Illinois beat the Hawkeyes to elevate them in the quarterfinals, a place that the Illini have seen themselves quite a bit in past years. However, the high was short-lived, as the Illini suffered a gruesome defeat at the hands of Purdue, a team that they had beaten earlier in the season in Champaign to give Groce's team a shred of confidence at the time.
Once the season was over, speculation grew about what the off-season would provide, since Whitman had already given Groce a vote of confidence and said he would return for the 2016-17 season. This is where this story takes an unforseen turn, and it was not for the better,
A mere six days after Illinois' exit from the Big Ten Tournament, we awoke to news that point guard Jaylon Tate was arrested for domestic battery, and his status for the future was unclear. In a statement given by Groce, he said that "the legal system needed to run its course, and that passing judgement at this time would be unfair to Jaylon". And so, a few days later, it was reported the the alleged victim in the case, who is a U of I softball player, changed her story and told authorities that it was herself that inflicted bodily harm to her and not Tate. Okay, so case closed, right?
Not so fast. A few days later, it was reported that senior-to-be Kendrick Nunn was arrested for, you guessed it, domestic battery, and has been suspended from all basketball activities effective immediately. This recent allegation sent Illini Nation into a frenzy, wondering what in the heck is going on within the program. Again, Groce released a statement, this time jointly with Whitman, saying that once again that the legal process needed to be played out before passing judgement on.
So, if you're keeping score, and since this is basketball we're talking about, why wouldn't you be, that makes four arrests on the basketball team in the past 12 months. To review, we'll list them in chronological order.
First, Darius Paul, who ended up never suiting up for Illinois in a meaningful game, was arrested in France on the team's European trip, and since this was his second infraction, was removed from the team, and asked to leave the overseas trip immediately. Then, during the second half of the season, Leron Black, who sat out much of the season with an injury, was arrested for wielding a knife at a local establishment on campus, and suspended as well from the team.
These arrests were just part of what has been a bizarre season for Groce and the Illini, who have dealt with injuries (Tracy Abrams, Tate, Mike Thorne Jr.), a case of the mumps (Khalid Lewis), missing a game because of the birth of a son (Nunn). You really can't write a script any better than this one, and it's almost too unbelievable to be true, but, unfortunately, it is.
Groce either has lost this team, or is the unluckiest man on the face of the earth. You can argue the case from both sides. Groce needs to instill in his players that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, and according to the past week and a half, the message is not being received, and that falls directly on the coach, Yes, Groce cannot be with the players 24/7, but he also can make sure that the remaining players that haven't had any run-ins with the law can keep themselves on the right side of things.
On the other hand, it isn't Groce's fault that the injuries and everything happened, and he has said on several occasions that he has seen nothing like this in all of his years of coaching basketball. But the question needs to be addressed if Groce is the right person to lead this team into the future? I think recruiting has a big impact on this decision, because up until now, Groce has not met the standards, mainly because he has missed out on several recruits (Alexander, Brunson), while failing to after others (Ulis). In the mix for Groce are star 2017 targets Jordan Goodwin and Jeremiah Tilmon, and if he can get those top shelf recruits to come to Illinois, that might be enough to save his job. However, with the situation with the current players, that plays a factor in their decisions, and they are watching from afar to see what develops. Regardless of what happens, this is a mess and needs to be fixed, one way or the other.
The Fighting Illini baseball team, after coming off a record setting season a year ago, is starting this season much rougher than last year. Currently, the Illini are 7-9 on the season, and are coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday in Carbondale. Illinois, who had to reload a good portion of their roster from the team that advanced to the school's first Super Regional appearance, will battle the Salukis again on Sunday, before traveling to Normal on Tuesday to play Illinois State. The Illini will open Big Ten play this coming weekend, when they welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions to Illinois Field starting on Friday.
New Illinois softball coach Tyra Perry has the Illini playing well to start their season, and are off to a 17-8 record, winning three of their first four games in the San Diego Classic, The Illini will face Seattle on Sunday to wrap up the tournament, before concluding the west coast trip on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Cal. State - Northridge. The Illini will open up Big Ten play this coming weekend at Eichelberger Field in Urbana, when they host Nebraska.
A big shout out goes to Illini wrestler Isaiah Martinez, who defended his title by winning his second consecutive NCAA championship in the 157 pound weight class. Martinez, who lost his father earlier in the season, capped off an year full of emotions, and has placed himself in elite status among Illinois athletes.
Finally, new Illinois football coach Lovie Smith's staff has finally been completed, and there are some big names on board. Guys like former NFL players Luke Butkus and Hardy Nickerson, as well as Garrick McGee, who has coached with Smith elsewhere, should give the Illini name recognition within the coaching ranks itself. Due to the late hiring, Spring practice has been pushed back a bit, and will begin on April 1, and conclude near the end of April. In lieu of a spring game this season, the Illini will hold a practice that will be open to the public, and that practice is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, the original date of the spring game.
From all of the positive vibes that the hiring of Josh Whitman as new AD, and then the subsequent hiring of new Illinois football coach Lovie Smith two weeks later, Whitman's first major decision as the boss, things appeared to be heading in the right direction and Illini Nation was beginning to see some sunshine from the gloomy football and basketball seasons.
Then, in early March, John Groce's men's basketball team began play in the Big Ten Tournament as the #11 seed, which meant that they played on Wednesday of the tournament, and after defeating Minnesota quite handily, they were facing an Iowa team that had been ranked in the top 10 in the country for a part of the season, and frankly, people didn't see coming what transpired. Illinois beat the Hawkeyes to elevate them in the quarterfinals, a place that the Illini have seen themselves quite a bit in past years. However, the high was short-lived, as the Illini suffered a gruesome defeat at the hands of Purdue, a team that they had beaten earlier in the season in Champaign to give Groce's team a shred of confidence at the time.
Once the season was over, speculation grew about what the off-season would provide, since Whitman had already given Groce a vote of confidence and said he would return for the 2016-17 season. This is where this story takes an unforseen turn, and it was not for the better,
A mere six days after Illinois' exit from the Big Ten Tournament, we awoke to news that point guard Jaylon Tate was arrested for domestic battery, and his status for the future was unclear. In a statement given by Groce, he said that "the legal system needed to run its course, and that passing judgement at this time would be unfair to Jaylon". And so, a few days later, it was reported the the alleged victim in the case, who is a U of I softball player, changed her story and told authorities that it was herself that inflicted bodily harm to her and not Tate. Okay, so case closed, right?
Not so fast. A few days later, it was reported that senior-to-be Kendrick Nunn was arrested for, you guessed it, domestic battery, and has been suspended from all basketball activities effective immediately. This recent allegation sent Illini Nation into a frenzy, wondering what in the heck is going on within the program. Again, Groce released a statement, this time jointly with Whitman, saying that once again that the legal process needed to be played out before passing judgement on.
So, if you're keeping score, and since this is basketball we're talking about, why wouldn't you be, that makes four arrests on the basketball team in the past 12 months. To review, we'll list them in chronological order.
First, Darius Paul, who ended up never suiting up for Illinois in a meaningful game, was arrested in France on the team's European trip, and since this was his second infraction, was removed from the team, and asked to leave the overseas trip immediately. Then, during the second half of the season, Leron Black, who sat out much of the season with an injury, was arrested for wielding a knife at a local establishment on campus, and suspended as well from the team.
These arrests were just part of what has been a bizarre season for Groce and the Illini, who have dealt with injuries (Tracy Abrams, Tate, Mike Thorne Jr.), a case of the mumps (Khalid Lewis), missing a game because of the birth of a son (Nunn). You really can't write a script any better than this one, and it's almost too unbelievable to be true, but, unfortunately, it is.
Groce either has lost this team, or is the unluckiest man on the face of the earth. You can argue the case from both sides. Groce needs to instill in his players that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, and according to the past week and a half, the message is not being received, and that falls directly on the coach, Yes, Groce cannot be with the players 24/7, but he also can make sure that the remaining players that haven't had any run-ins with the law can keep themselves on the right side of things.
On the other hand, it isn't Groce's fault that the injuries and everything happened, and he has said on several occasions that he has seen nothing like this in all of his years of coaching basketball. But the question needs to be addressed if Groce is the right person to lead this team into the future? I think recruiting has a big impact on this decision, because up until now, Groce has not met the standards, mainly because he has missed out on several recruits (Alexander, Brunson), while failing to after others (Ulis). In the mix for Groce are star 2017 targets Jordan Goodwin and Jeremiah Tilmon, and if he can get those top shelf recruits to come to Illinois, that might be enough to save his job. However, with the situation with the current players, that plays a factor in their decisions, and they are watching from afar to see what develops. Regardless of what happens, this is a mess and needs to be fixed, one way or the other.
The Fighting Illini baseball team, after coming off a record setting season a year ago, is starting this season much rougher than last year. Currently, the Illini are 7-9 on the season, and are coming off a tough 3-2 loss to Southern Illinois on Saturday in Carbondale. Illinois, who had to reload a good portion of their roster from the team that advanced to the school's first Super Regional appearance, will battle the Salukis again on Sunday, before traveling to Normal on Tuesday to play Illinois State. The Illini will open Big Ten play this coming weekend, when they welcome the Penn State Nittany Lions to Illinois Field starting on Friday.
New Illinois softball coach Tyra Perry has the Illini playing well to start their season, and are off to a 17-8 record, winning three of their first four games in the San Diego Classic, The Illini will face Seattle on Sunday to wrap up the tournament, before concluding the west coast trip on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Cal. State - Northridge. The Illini will open up Big Ten play this coming weekend at Eichelberger Field in Urbana, when they host Nebraska.
A big shout out goes to Illini wrestler Isaiah Martinez, who defended his title by winning his second consecutive NCAA championship in the 157 pound weight class. Martinez, who lost his father earlier in the season, capped off an year full of emotions, and has placed himself in elite status among Illinois athletes.
Finally, new Illinois football coach Lovie Smith's staff has finally been completed, and there are some big names on board. Guys like former NFL players Luke Butkus and Hardy Nickerson, as well as Garrick McGee, who has coached with Smith elsewhere, should give the Illini name recognition within the coaching ranks itself. Due to the late hiring, Spring practice has been pushed back a bit, and will begin on April 1, and conclude near the end of April. In lieu of a spring game this season, the Illini will hold a practice that will be open to the public, and that practice is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, the original date of the spring game.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Hitting The Ground Running
I've waited a while to post a new blog because there hasn't been a whole lot of good things going on within the Illinois sports landscape. Well. the wait is over and it has been an epic Saturday in Champaign-Urbana. So much for a quiet first weekend in March.
With barely two weeks elapsed since Josh Whitman was named the new Athletic Director of the University of Illinois, on Saturday morning, the news began to break just before 11:00 am that Illinois head football coach Bill Cubit had been fired, just a few short months after having the interim tag removed by then interim AD Paul Kowalczyk. At the time, Cubit was given a two-year contract, which led many to believe that something like this could happen.
What is the perhaps the strangest development of the whole process was the timing involved. Whitman, who played football for Illinois from 1998-2001, decided to make the change on his first day removed from his last day at his previous employer, Washington University in St. Louis. The firing was made just 6 days before the start of spring workouts, but given some of the recent decisions made within the University, this was not that big of a surprise.
Whitman is trying to make a splash as he settles into the job, officially taking the reins on March 21st. Along with Cubit, his son Ryan, who was the offensive coordinator, was also relieved of his duties. The other assistant coaches, four of which have been hired in the last couple of months, will be given the opportunity to interview with the new head coach, and judging from the swiftness of this decision, Whitman must already have someone in mind as a successor.
So, the next question is, who might that next person be? Ever since the news broke, there have been several names leaping to the forefront of the discussion, but one name in particular, Lovie Smith, has been gaining steam.
If the next coach is in fact Smith, then Whitman will make a huge statement for his first coaching hire at his alma mater. Whitman, being a football guy, has immense passion for the program, and since football is the major revenue stream for the athletic department, that program needs to be overhauled and steered in the opposite direction that it is heading.
Smith has been a head coach in the NFL, both with the Bears and the Buccaneers, and would also satisfy a criteria that the university has not had before, an African-American head coach for one of the two major sports programs at Illinois. Stay tuned, because this could get even more interesting than it already has.
On a local radio station sports show in Champaign on Saturday morning, Whitman gave Illinois men's basketball head coach John Groce a vote of confidence, meaning the he will be back at the helm next year for his fifth season in Champaign. This will be a very important year for Groce, as the Illini attempt to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in what will be four seasons. Groce made the big dance in his first year at Illinois, but has been shut out ever since. Injuries have played a big part of that this season, as Groce has seen Tracy Abrams, Mike Thorne Jr. and Leron Black out for virtually the entire season with various injuries,
On the court, the Illini are struggling mightily this season, just 13-17 overall and 5-12 in the Big Ten as they play their regular season finale on Sunday morning at Penn State (11:00 am CT, BTN).
A win over the Nittany Lions will give the Illini the #11 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and an opening round matchup against Rutgers, who just won their first conference game over Minnesota. Lose to Penn State, and you are looking at the #12 seed, and a date with the Golden Gophers, who have been having even worse luck than the Illini have as of late. Regardless of who you play, it is not a viable place to be in, playing what essentially is the play-in game to the old conference tournament format.
One reason Groce is returning deals with recruiting. Already on board for next season is Te'Jon Lucas, a point guard from Milwaukee that, unfortunately, broke his foot in two places playing in front of Groce (and me too, for that matter) at Parkland last month. For the 2017 class, Groce has received verbal commitments from Javon Pickett and DaMonte Williams, who is Frank Williams' son. Still in the works, and possibly could be announced in the next few weeks are Jordan Godwin and Jeremiah Tilmon, two recruits from the St. Louis area. Tilmon is playing this season at La Lumiere Prep in Indiana, the same school that produced Illini freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands. With the future of the Illinois program looking brighter from the recruiting angle, that is reason enough to give Groce the benefit of the doubt and another season. It certainly cannot get any worse.
A question of judgement from new AD Whitman is why nothing has been said about the future of Illinois women's basketball coach Matt Bollant. Bollant, who saw his team falter in the Big Ten season this year, finished their season a dismal 9-21 overall, and just 2-16 in the Big Ten. What was most disturbing about the program was the scandal in the off-season involving former assistant coach Mike DiVilbiss, which ultimately led to his dismissal. Bollant had marked success at his previous stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay, but has not been able to get the Illini program even remotely close to that level. That news could come soon, later, or not at all. Again, stay tuned.
With barely two weeks elapsed since Josh Whitman was named the new Athletic Director of the University of Illinois, on Saturday morning, the news began to break just before 11:00 am that Illinois head football coach Bill Cubit had been fired, just a few short months after having the interim tag removed by then interim AD Paul Kowalczyk. At the time, Cubit was given a two-year contract, which led many to believe that something like this could happen.
What is the perhaps the strangest development of the whole process was the timing involved. Whitman, who played football for Illinois from 1998-2001, decided to make the change on his first day removed from his last day at his previous employer, Washington University in St. Louis. The firing was made just 6 days before the start of spring workouts, but given some of the recent decisions made within the University, this was not that big of a surprise.
Whitman is trying to make a splash as he settles into the job, officially taking the reins on March 21st. Along with Cubit, his son Ryan, who was the offensive coordinator, was also relieved of his duties. The other assistant coaches, four of which have been hired in the last couple of months, will be given the opportunity to interview with the new head coach, and judging from the swiftness of this decision, Whitman must already have someone in mind as a successor.
So, the next question is, who might that next person be? Ever since the news broke, there have been several names leaping to the forefront of the discussion, but one name in particular, Lovie Smith, has been gaining steam.
If the next coach is in fact Smith, then Whitman will make a huge statement for his first coaching hire at his alma mater. Whitman, being a football guy, has immense passion for the program, and since football is the major revenue stream for the athletic department, that program needs to be overhauled and steered in the opposite direction that it is heading.
Smith has been a head coach in the NFL, both with the Bears and the Buccaneers, and would also satisfy a criteria that the university has not had before, an African-American head coach for one of the two major sports programs at Illinois. Stay tuned, because this could get even more interesting than it already has.
On a local radio station sports show in Champaign on Saturday morning, Whitman gave Illinois men's basketball head coach John Groce a vote of confidence, meaning the he will be back at the helm next year for his fifth season in Champaign. This will be a very important year for Groce, as the Illini attempt to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in what will be four seasons. Groce made the big dance in his first year at Illinois, but has been shut out ever since. Injuries have played a big part of that this season, as Groce has seen Tracy Abrams, Mike Thorne Jr. and Leron Black out for virtually the entire season with various injuries,
On the court, the Illini are struggling mightily this season, just 13-17 overall and 5-12 in the Big Ten as they play their regular season finale on Sunday morning at Penn State (11:00 am CT, BTN).
A win over the Nittany Lions will give the Illini the #11 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and an opening round matchup against Rutgers, who just won their first conference game over Minnesota. Lose to Penn State, and you are looking at the #12 seed, and a date with the Golden Gophers, who have been having even worse luck than the Illini have as of late. Regardless of who you play, it is not a viable place to be in, playing what essentially is the play-in game to the old conference tournament format.
One reason Groce is returning deals with recruiting. Already on board for next season is Te'Jon Lucas, a point guard from Milwaukee that, unfortunately, broke his foot in two places playing in front of Groce (and me too, for that matter) at Parkland last month. For the 2017 class, Groce has received verbal commitments from Javon Pickett and DaMonte Williams, who is Frank Williams' son. Still in the works, and possibly could be announced in the next few weeks are Jordan Godwin and Jeremiah Tilmon, two recruits from the St. Louis area. Tilmon is playing this season at La Lumiere Prep in Indiana, the same school that produced Illini freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands. With the future of the Illinois program looking brighter from the recruiting angle, that is reason enough to give Groce the benefit of the doubt and another season. It certainly cannot get any worse.
A question of judgement from new AD Whitman is why nothing has been said about the future of Illinois women's basketball coach Matt Bollant. Bollant, who saw his team falter in the Big Ten season this year, finished their season a dismal 9-21 overall, and just 2-16 in the Big Ten. What was most disturbing about the program was the scandal in the off-season involving former assistant coach Mike DiVilbiss, which ultimately led to his dismissal. Bollant had marked success at his previous stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay, but has not been able to get the Illini program even remotely close to that level. That news could come soon, later, or not at all. Again, stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Waiting........Waiting
It has now been three months since Mike Thomas was fired as athletic director of the University of Illinois, and whereas a decision on his successor is imminent and could be announced any day now, the athletic teams continue to struggleas a result.
The frontrunners are still there, so to speak, alrhough it appears that Rick George is pretty much out of the running and Criag Tiley claims that he's never been formally contacted by campus officials. That leaves Josh Whitman and Tom Michael as the other candidates, and while both are former athletes that are currenly leading institutions in the midwest, their interest in the position remain high.
Whitman, who is at Division III Washington University in St. Louis, has done a great job at that small school, and would be a viable leader at the next level. Michael is currently at Eastern Illinois and if you have been reading the news lately, is in some tough financial waters due to the state's continued fiscal woes without a budget.
I've heard a lot of differing opinions over the past few weeks about these and other candidates, and nobody for sure, with the exception of the Board of Trustees, really know what is going on, and sometimes, I wonder if even they have a clue.
What I do know is, the news could break any day, and when it does, you can be sure that I will be on top of it, like usual.
Bill Cubit had his first Signing Day class announced last week, and even though there are not a lot of studs in the class, there are some positions of need that were addressed. As is common with coaching changes, Cubit has seen his fair share of players leave the program, most notably, T. J. Neal, who would have been one of the stalwarts at linebacker.
A lot of these players that left were recruited by Tim Beckman, and now that he is gone, they feel the need to move on and play somewhere that they are comfortable. Cubit has also brought in some new coaches to the staff, and one such coach, Jeff Hecklinski, is a former Illini quarterback that has some big visions upon his return.
It seems that John Groce cannot catch a break, and I use that term loosely. Groce's mens basketball team has been riddled with injuries this season, a huge part of their 11-13 overall record and 3-8 mark in Big Ten play, but it seems that the injury bug is not just affecting current players, but ones that aren't even on campus yet.
I was privileged to see recruit Te'Jon Lucas and his Milwaukee Washington team take on Champaign Centennial last Saturday night at Parkland College, and for three quarters, Lucas looked like the real deal and the point guard that Groce has had such trouble landing. However, in the fourth period, Lucas was going up for a shot when he was cheap-shotted and fell to the floor. He had to be carried off the court, and it was later revealed that he broke two bones in his foot, thus ending his senior season. Groce was present at the game, and immediately went over to assess the situation.
You can kind of feel for what Groce is going through, and his luck of players getting hurt borders on the unimaginable. When the new AD is hired, they will look at the full body of work, like they do with all coaches, and I hope that the injury issue is looked at carefully. That doesn't mean that the new hire won't want to make a change and bring in his own person, but if he does get let go, then everything goes back to square one and you risk losing recruits for not only this coming season, but for 2017 and beyone as well. Groce and company have made some inroads in the 2017 class, landing Javon Pickett out of Bellleville and working with others as well. A potential change could derail all of that if they are not careful. Who knows what will happen.
On the womens side of things, the situation is not much better, in fact, it is getting worse. Head coach Matt Bollant has seen his team lose 14 out of their last 15 games after a 7-1 start, and at 8-15 overall and 1-11 in conference play, has got to be feeling some heat as well as the new AD hire looms.
Bollant was successful at his previous stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and everyone expected him to come to Champaign and get the dormant program back on its feet. However, with the scandal over the summer and early fall that led to the dismissal of assistant Mike Divilbiss, they have never really recovered and are treading water as their season begins to wind down. One bright spot, center Chatrice White, continues to play well, and just imagine what she could do if she had some other players of the same caliber around her. But, it all starts with recruiting, and maybe the pundits are correct in saying that you can't build a program at Illinois. With all of the insecurity going on in the athletic program, who would want to come here?
Finally, as if the athletic program doesn't need any more bad publicity, it was revealed earlier this week that softball player Ruby Rivera was charged with damaging property on campus. It seems as if most of the athletic programs on campus have some sort of issue going on with them in some way, shape, or form, and when the new AD does in fact, get hired, he or she will have quite a chore to get things back to respectability. If that even is possible.
The frontrunners are still there, so to speak, alrhough it appears that Rick George is pretty much out of the running and Criag Tiley claims that he's never been formally contacted by campus officials. That leaves Josh Whitman and Tom Michael as the other candidates, and while both are former athletes that are currenly leading institutions in the midwest, their interest in the position remain high.
Whitman, who is at Division III Washington University in St. Louis, has done a great job at that small school, and would be a viable leader at the next level. Michael is currently at Eastern Illinois and if you have been reading the news lately, is in some tough financial waters due to the state's continued fiscal woes without a budget.
I've heard a lot of differing opinions over the past few weeks about these and other candidates, and nobody for sure, with the exception of the Board of Trustees, really know what is going on, and sometimes, I wonder if even they have a clue.
What I do know is, the news could break any day, and when it does, you can be sure that I will be on top of it, like usual.
Bill Cubit had his first Signing Day class announced last week, and even though there are not a lot of studs in the class, there are some positions of need that were addressed. As is common with coaching changes, Cubit has seen his fair share of players leave the program, most notably, T. J. Neal, who would have been one of the stalwarts at linebacker.
A lot of these players that left were recruited by Tim Beckman, and now that he is gone, they feel the need to move on and play somewhere that they are comfortable. Cubit has also brought in some new coaches to the staff, and one such coach, Jeff Hecklinski, is a former Illini quarterback that has some big visions upon his return.
It seems that John Groce cannot catch a break, and I use that term loosely. Groce's mens basketball team has been riddled with injuries this season, a huge part of their 11-13 overall record and 3-8 mark in Big Ten play, but it seems that the injury bug is not just affecting current players, but ones that aren't even on campus yet.
I was privileged to see recruit Te'Jon Lucas and his Milwaukee Washington team take on Champaign Centennial last Saturday night at Parkland College, and for three quarters, Lucas looked like the real deal and the point guard that Groce has had such trouble landing. However, in the fourth period, Lucas was going up for a shot when he was cheap-shotted and fell to the floor. He had to be carried off the court, and it was later revealed that he broke two bones in his foot, thus ending his senior season. Groce was present at the game, and immediately went over to assess the situation.
You can kind of feel for what Groce is going through, and his luck of players getting hurt borders on the unimaginable. When the new AD is hired, they will look at the full body of work, like they do with all coaches, and I hope that the injury issue is looked at carefully. That doesn't mean that the new hire won't want to make a change and bring in his own person, but if he does get let go, then everything goes back to square one and you risk losing recruits for not only this coming season, but for 2017 and beyone as well. Groce and company have made some inroads in the 2017 class, landing Javon Pickett out of Bellleville and working with others as well. A potential change could derail all of that if they are not careful. Who knows what will happen.
On the womens side of things, the situation is not much better, in fact, it is getting worse. Head coach Matt Bollant has seen his team lose 14 out of their last 15 games after a 7-1 start, and at 8-15 overall and 1-11 in conference play, has got to be feeling some heat as well as the new AD hire looms.
Bollant was successful at his previous stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay, and everyone expected him to come to Champaign and get the dormant program back on its feet. However, with the scandal over the summer and early fall that led to the dismissal of assistant Mike Divilbiss, they have never really recovered and are treading water as their season begins to wind down. One bright spot, center Chatrice White, continues to play well, and just imagine what she could do if she had some other players of the same caliber around her. But, it all starts with recruiting, and maybe the pundits are correct in saying that you can't build a program at Illinois. With all of the insecurity going on in the athletic program, who would want to come here?
Finally, as if the athletic program doesn't need any more bad publicity, it was revealed earlier this week that softball player Ruby Rivera was charged with damaging property on campus. It seems as if most of the athletic programs on campus have some sort of issue going on with them in some way, shape, or form, and when the new AD does in fact, get hired, he or she will have quite a chore to get things back to respectability. If that even is possible.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Rock Bottom?
The calendar has turned over to 2016, and two things remain crystal clear on the University of Illinois campus: 1) there is still no athletic director at the university, and 2) the sports landscape, particularly the mens and womens basketball teams, is a figurative mess at the momenr.
As of this week, John Groce's team sits at 9-10 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten Conference while Matt Bollant's womens team is not much better, checking in at 8-10 overall and 1-6 in league play.
So, how did these teams get so dreadful? A couple of clear reasons come to mind, although the excuses are getting a bit state, but they are still valid to an extent.
For Groce, injuries have played a major part in his team's demise over the past couple seasons. Barring a miracle comeback and a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament, the Illini men will miss the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, and Illini Nation is getting restless as a result. Yes, the injuries have been rough, but one cannot continue to dwell on those, because in basketball, like most other sports, injuries happen. Just not to the extent that Groce has seen players fall this season.
Also severely hindering Groce is the fact that he has missed on too many of the top recruits, seeing them go elsewhere to further their playing experience for the next level. So, why not Illinois, you ask? The question might be better worded as Why Illinois? With the current state of the university in flux, who in their right mind would want to come here, where coaches get turned around as quickly as the student body does? After the Illini defeated Purdue a couple of weeks ago, they laid a proverbial egg against Nebraska and then got literally destroyed against Indiana on Tuesday evening, 103-69. Has there been a lower point in Illinois athletics? Is this rock bottom? If it isn't, it's as close as many ever want to see it get.
The situation on the womens side of things isn't much better, as the Illini have fallen on hard times after getting out to a 7-1 start to the season. In his three plus seasons in Champaign, Bollant has seen more than his share of losing, something he wasn't used to at his last stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Illini women, too, have has their share of injuries, as point guard Cierra Rice has been sidelined with an injury, and as soon as she was lost, the swoon seemed to begin. Added to that was the scandal involving former assistant coach Mike Divilbiss and the former players that claimed that racial bias occurred during practices the past couple of seasons. All of these things do not help a program succeed. Is this rock bottom for this program? Since the program hasn't attained the level of success that it had when Theresa Grentz was here, it's getting close, but not nearly as bad as in the Jolette Law era.
Then, we come to the football situation, which kind of directly ties into the athletic director search a little. Head coach Bill Cubit was approved by the Board of Trustees at their meeting this week, but no move was made on the AD search, which comes as no surprise to anybody. Former athletic director Mike Thomas sort of created this situation himself with the hire of Tim Beckman, who turned out to be one of the worst decisions in modern times anywhere.
Speaking of the athletic director search, there is no real concrete news to report on that, but all kinds of rumors continue to swirl around about who will be the next person to lead the athletic program. Some names of particular interest have been Rick George (current AD at Colorado), Josh Whitman (current AD at Washington University in St. Louis), Craig Tiley (former UI men's tennis coach and currently director of Tennis Australia), Sean Frazier (current AD at Northern Illinois), and Tom Michael (current AD at Eastern Illinois). All five of these potential candidates have Illinois ties, and the rumor mill has been been churning non-stop for about the past month. However, nobody knows what will truly happen, or, when it will officially occur. One thing is clear: the next AD will have some major decisions once they are in place.
Keeping on the AD search subject, when Thomas was hired, he proceeded to fire Ron Zook, Bruce Weber and Jolette Law after their respective seasons were concluded, and at the time, folks in Illini Nation thought that was rock bottom. With the current state of the athletic department and the shape that the state of Illinois as a whole is in, this could challenge that as the low point in the history of the department. We shall see, because the next month will be very interesting around the Urbana-Champaign campus.
As of this week, John Groce's team sits at 9-10 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten Conference while Matt Bollant's womens team is not much better, checking in at 8-10 overall and 1-6 in league play.
So, how did these teams get so dreadful? A couple of clear reasons come to mind, although the excuses are getting a bit state, but they are still valid to an extent.
For Groce, injuries have played a major part in his team's demise over the past couple seasons. Barring a miracle comeback and a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament, the Illini men will miss the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, and Illini Nation is getting restless as a result. Yes, the injuries have been rough, but one cannot continue to dwell on those, because in basketball, like most other sports, injuries happen. Just not to the extent that Groce has seen players fall this season.
Also severely hindering Groce is the fact that he has missed on too many of the top recruits, seeing them go elsewhere to further their playing experience for the next level. So, why not Illinois, you ask? The question might be better worded as Why Illinois? With the current state of the university in flux, who in their right mind would want to come here, where coaches get turned around as quickly as the student body does? After the Illini defeated Purdue a couple of weeks ago, they laid a proverbial egg against Nebraska and then got literally destroyed against Indiana on Tuesday evening, 103-69. Has there been a lower point in Illinois athletics? Is this rock bottom? If it isn't, it's as close as many ever want to see it get.
The situation on the womens side of things isn't much better, as the Illini have fallen on hard times after getting out to a 7-1 start to the season. In his three plus seasons in Champaign, Bollant has seen more than his share of losing, something he wasn't used to at his last stop, Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Illini women, too, have has their share of injuries, as point guard Cierra Rice has been sidelined with an injury, and as soon as she was lost, the swoon seemed to begin. Added to that was the scandal involving former assistant coach Mike Divilbiss and the former players that claimed that racial bias occurred during practices the past couple of seasons. All of these things do not help a program succeed. Is this rock bottom for this program? Since the program hasn't attained the level of success that it had when Theresa Grentz was here, it's getting close, but not nearly as bad as in the Jolette Law era.
Then, we come to the football situation, which kind of directly ties into the athletic director search a little. Head coach Bill Cubit was approved by the Board of Trustees at their meeting this week, but no move was made on the AD search, which comes as no surprise to anybody. Former athletic director Mike Thomas sort of created this situation himself with the hire of Tim Beckman, who turned out to be one of the worst decisions in modern times anywhere.
Speaking of the athletic director search, there is no real concrete news to report on that, but all kinds of rumors continue to swirl around about who will be the next person to lead the athletic program. Some names of particular interest have been Rick George (current AD at Colorado), Josh Whitman (current AD at Washington University in St. Louis), Craig Tiley (former UI men's tennis coach and currently director of Tennis Australia), Sean Frazier (current AD at Northern Illinois), and Tom Michael (current AD at Eastern Illinois). All five of these potential candidates have Illinois ties, and the rumor mill has been been churning non-stop for about the past month. However, nobody knows what will truly happen, or, when it will officially occur. One thing is clear: the next AD will have some major decisions once they are in place.
Keeping on the AD search subject, when Thomas was hired, he proceeded to fire Ron Zook, Bruce Weber and Jolette Law after their respective seasons were concluded, and at the time, folks in Illini Nation thought that was rock bottom. With the current state of the athletic department and the shape that the state of Illinois as a whole is in, this could challenge that as the low point in the history of the department. We shall see, because the next month will be very interesting around the Urbana-Champaign campus.
Friday, January 8, 2016
2015 - A Year To Forget
Oh, where do I begin?
2015 was a year that most Illinois fans would love to forget, as many events happened all over the sports spectrum, leaving much indecision and speculation for the future.
We begin this retrospect look back in football last February when then offensive lineman Simon Cjivanovic began a Twitter rant about his treatment, as well as others, from medical staff connected with the football team. What was originally thought to just be sour grapes from Cjivanovic and then coach Tim Beckman turned out to be much more, as an internal investigation was started that looked further into the program. After all of the dust settled, Beckman was fired just one week before the season opener, and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit was named interim head coach.
Now, before Beckman was fired, Illinois lost one of their best recievers, Mikey Dudek, to an ACL injury, effectively sidelining him for the entire season. So Cubit went on through the season as best as he possibly could, playing the hand that had been dealt to him. Illinois started off the season at 3-1 heading into their Big Ten opener at home against Nebraska. The Illini won a thrilling game against the Cornhuskers, and for the first time in quite some time, optimism bloomed in Champaign-Urbana and throughout Illini Nation.
But, on the roller coaster ride that was Illinois football in 2015, there were peaks and valleys, and the peak of a 4-1 season quickly turned downward, as the Illini lost their next 3 games, including a 39-0 drubbing in State College, Pennsylvania at the hands of the Penn State Nittany Lions. That left the Illini at 4-4 heading into a game in West Lafayette against a Purdue team that was struggling mightily themselves. Illinois won the game 48-14, and the peak rose just a bit knowing that they were only one win away from becoming bowl eligible.
To complicate matters, the following Monday, Athletic Director Mike Thomas was fired without cause by interim chancellor Barbara Wilson, and Paul Kowalczyk was named interim (there's that word again) AD for the remainder of the season. What followed next was typical Illinois, as they lost their final 3 games of the season to finish the regular season 5-7. Before the Illini's final regular season game, a "home" contest at Soldier Field in Chicago (go figure), Cubit was given a 2 year extension by interim AD Kowalczyk, a move that still has people shaking their heads about.
Despite the 5-7 record, Illinois still had a chance to become bowl eligible, due to the lack of teams with the 6 wins to fill bowl slots. This is pure evidence that there are too many bowl games. Ultimately, Illinois was not selected, due to the criteria of the APR (Academic Performance Rate) not being high enough. This fell totally in line with everything that happened during the season, and truth be known, Illinois didn't deserve a bowl berth in the first place.
Now switching to the mens' basketball program, we find even more bizarre events.
We rewind back to early March for this portion, when Illinois traveled to West Lafayette to battle Purdue with an NCAA Tournament bid well in sight. Illinois played well for the first half, but fell apart in the second half, and lost the game, as well as it turned out, momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.
Illinois drew Michigan in the first round, and were utterly destroyed in that game 73-55, thus ending any speculation that the Illini would make the NCAA field of 68. Instead, Illinois made the NIT, and due to ongoing renovations at the State Farm Center (more on that later), had to play on the road at Alabama. Once again, Illinois pretended to play basketball against the Crimson Tide, losing badly 79-58 to finish the season a very disappointing 19-14. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg, as the off-season brought even more head-scratching moments.
Illinois was granted an overseas trip during the summer, which was in France, and included the freshmen and transfers. One such transfer, Darius Paul, was given a second chance by head coach John Groce, and once again could not stay out of trouble, and was asked to leave France ahead of the rest of the team. This effectively ended Paul's involvement with the Illinois basketball team, but the chain reaction of events was far from over.
Groce has been widely critized for not being able to recruit a point guard and a big man, and after several unsuccessful overtures by high level prospects spurning the Illini for other schools, Groce was left to settle for two fifth year transfers, Khalid Lewis and Mike Thorne Jr. to fill the void.
To make matters worse, senior guard Tracy Abrams, who was coming back from an ACL tear the season before, tore his Achilles and therefore, was sidelined for this season as well. Abrams has had some very unfortunate luck, but with everything going on within the program, it didn't surprise many.
Before the season began, Illinois began a series of injuries to players of differing degrees. First, incoming freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands was dealing with an injury, followed by in no particular order, Jaylon Tate, Kendrick Nunn, Leron Black and Aaron Jordan taking their turn nursing various ailments.
Once the season began, the Illini had to play away from Champaign for the first 5 games of the regular season due to State Farm Center renovations. The venue that was chosen for their "home" arena was the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, a far cry from the State Farm Center, but home nonetheless. Illinois didn't play very well at the PCCC, losing to North Florida and Chattanooga over there ,and needing a last second three-pointer from Coleman-Lands to beat powerhouse (I kid) Chicago State.
Just when you thought things were getting back to normal, well, things took another turn southward. First Black came back, but was clearly not the same and soon went on the shelf again. Then, it was Thorne's turn to tear his meniscus, and the lack of the big man in the paint really began to handcuff the Illini. As if things couldn't get any worse, Lewis contracted Mumps shortly after Christmas, and missed a couple games, and as recently as Thursday of this week, it was announced that Kendrick Nunn didn't make the trip to Michigan State because he stayed back in Champaign to witness the birth of his first child, who made his entrance into the world shortly before tipoff.
This doesn't even begin to cover the scandal into the womens' basketball program, as well as the alleged abuse to a women's soccer player. Sure, there have been some good things that happened in 2015, such as the Illinois baseball team qualifying and hosting both a regional and a super regional, as well as wrestler Isaiah Martinez continuing to dominate opponents.
I can't make this stuff up, folks. As a freelance writer and Illini correspondent, I have had the unenviable task of being front and center for a good majority of these happenings, and in all my years of watching and covering Illinois sports, I have never seen anything like this. This would make a perfect movie script, and if you would have approached anybody a year ago with a proposal such as this, anybody would have thought you were crazy.
I really can't envision 2016 starting off any better, as the mens' basketball team currently sits at 8-8 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten, while the women are 8-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play as well. However, one positive in all of this: The State Farm Center renovation looks really nice. Here's hoping that future recruits think that way too, and want to come here and change the direction of the program.
2015 was a year that most Illinois fans would love to forget, as many events happened all over the sports spectrum, leaving much indecision and speculation for the future.
We begin this retrospect look back in football last February when then offensive lineman Simon Cjivanovic began a Twitter rant about his treatment, as well as others, from medical staff connected with the football team. What was originally thought to just be sour grapes from Cjivanovic and then coach Tim Beckman turned out to be much more, as an internal investigation was started that looked further into the program. After all of the dust settled, Beckman was fired just one week before the season opener, and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit was named interim head coach.
Now, before Beckman was fired, Illinois lost one of their best recievers, Mikey Dudek, to an ACL injury, effectively sidelining him for the entire season. So Cubit went on through the season as best as he possibly could, playing the hand that had been dealt to him. Illinois started off the season at 3-1 heading into their Big Ten opener at home against Nebraska. The Illini won a thrilling game against the Cornhuskers, and for the first time in quite some time, optimism bloomed in Champaign-Urbana and throughout Illini Nation.
But, on the roller coaster ride that was Illinois football in 2015, there were peaks and valleys, and the peak of a 4-1 season quickly turned downward, as the Illini lost their next 3 games, including a 39-0 drubbing in State College, Pennsylvania at the hands of the Penn State Nittany Lions. That left the Illini at 4-4 heading into a game in West Lafayette against a Purdue team that was struggling mightily themselves. Illinois won the game 48-14, and the peak rose just a bit knowing that they were only one win away from becoming bowl eligible.
To complicate matters, the following Monday, Athletic Director Mike Thomas was fired without cause by interim chancellor Barbara Wilson, and Paul Kowalczyk was named interim (there's that word again) AD for the remainder of the season. What followed next was typical Illinois, as they lost their final 3 games of the season to finish the regular season 5-7. Before the Illini's final regular season game, a "home" contest at Soldier Field in Chicago (go figure), Cubit was given a 2 year extension by interim AD Kowalczyk, a move that still has people shaking their heads about.
Despite the 5-7 record, Illinois still had a chance to become bowl eligible, due to the lack of teams with the 6 wins to fill bowl slots. This is pure evidence that there are too many bowl games. Ultimately, Illinois was not selected, due to the criteria of the APR (Academic Performance Rate) not being high enough. This fell totally in line with everything that happened during the season, and truth be known, Illinois didn't deserve a bowl berth in the first place.
Now switching to the mens' basketball program, we find even more bizarre events.
We rewind back to early March for this portion, when Illinois traveled to West Lafayette to battle Purdue with an NCAA Tournament bid well in sight. Illinois played well for the first half, but fell apart in the second half, and lost the game, as well as it turned out, momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.
Illinois drew Michigan in the first round, and were utterly destroyed in that game 73-55, thus ending any speculation that the Illini would make the NCAA field of 68. Instead, Illinois made the NIT, and due to ongoing renovations at the State Farm Center (more on that later), had to play on the road at Alabama. Once again, Illinois pretended to play basketball against the Crimson Tide, losing badly 79-58 to finish the season a very disappointing 19-14. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg, as the off-season brought even more head-scratching moments.
Illinois was granted an overseas trip during the summer, which was in France, and included the freshmen and transfers. One such transfer, Darius Paul, was given a second chance by head coach John Groce, and once again could not stay out of trouble, and was asked to leave France ahead of the rest of the team. This effectively ended Paul's involvement with the Illinois basketball team, but the chain reaction of events was far from over.
Groce has been widely critized for not being able to recruit a point guard and a big man, and after several unsuccessful overtures by high level prospects spurning the Illini for other schools, Groce was left to settle for two fifth year transfers, Khalid Lewis and Mike Thorne Jr. to fill the void.
To make matters worse, senior guard Tracy Abrams, who was coming back from an ACL tear the season before, tore his Achilles and therefore, was sidelined for this season as well. Abrams has had some very unfortunate luck, but with everything going on within the program, it didn't surprise many.
Before the season began, Illinois began a series of injuries to players of differing degrees. First, incoming freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands was dealing with an injury, followed by in no particular order, Jaylon Tate, Kendrick Nunn, Leron Black and Aaron Jordan taking their turn nursing various ailments.
Once the season began, the Illini had to play away from Champaign for the first 5 games of the regular season due to State Farm Center renovations. The venue that was chosen for their "home" arena was the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, a far cry from the State Farm Center, but home nonetheless. Illinois didn't play very well at the PCCC, losing to North Florida and Chattanooga over there ,and needing a last second three-pointer from Coleman-Lands to beat powerhouse (I kid) Chicago State.
Just when you thought things were getting back to normal, well, things took another turn southward. First Black came back, but was clearly not the same and soon went on the shelf again. Then, it was Thorne's turn to tear his meniscus, and the lack of the big man in the paint really began to handcuff the Illini. As if things couldn't get any worse, Lewis contracted Mumps shortly after Christmas, and missed a couple games, and as recently as Thursday of this week, it was announced that Kendrick Nunn didn't make the trip to Michigan State because he stayed back in Champaign to witness the birth of his first child, who made his entrance into the world shortly before tipoff.
This doesn't even begin to cover the scandal into the womens' basketball program, as well as the alleged abuse to a women's soccer player. Sure, there have been some good things that happened in 2015, such as the Illinois baseball team qualifying and hosting both a regional and a super regional, as well as wrestler Isaiah Martinez continuing to dominate opponents.
I can't make this stuff up, folks. As a freelance writer and Illini correspondent, I have had the unenviable task of being front and center for a good majority of these happenings, and in all my years of watching and covering Illinois sports, I have never seen anything like this. This would make a perfect movie script, and if you would have approached anybody a year ago with a proposal such as this, anybody would have thought you were crazy.
I really can't envision 2016 starting off any better, as the mens' basketball team currently sits at 8-8 overall and 0-3 in the Big Ten, while the women are 8-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play as well. However, one positive in all of this: The State Farm Center renovation looks really nice. Here's hoping that future recruits think that way too, and want to come here and change the direction of the program.
Monday, December 7, 2015
New Digs, Same Result
She looks great with the makeover.
Wednesday night was the grand unveiling of the latest phase of the State Farm Center renovation, and upon seeing it for the first time since all of the seats and latest accentuations were finished, I came away very impressed. It looked like a totally new arena, and adding to the effect was the dedication of Lou Henson Court. The ceremony itself was a little disappointing and could have been enhanced by Lou or some former players saying a few words. Instead, nary a word was uttered during halftime by any of the honored guests.
Oh yeah, there was a game in all of the camaraderie as well. With center Mike Thorne Jr. out indefinitely with a torn meniscus, the void that he leaves was very noticeable, what with Maverick Morgan and Leron Black trying to play the five. The Illini came out strong against Notre Dame, taking a 41-33 lead at the half, and extending that to 10 at 43-33 with 18 minutes to play in the game, before the momentum swung in the opposite direction. The Fighting Irish began to slowly chip away at the lead and finally were able to forge ahead and never look back from that point on.
On Saturday, the result was a little better, as the Illini welcomed the Catamounts of Western Carolina to the State Farm Center, and it was essentially the Kendrick Nunn and Michael Finke show for the majority of the game. Nunn scored 27 points, while Finke added 24, and for a while, they had the bulk of the points for the Illini. Finke particularly enjoyed the game, since he sat out last season via a redshirt, and is extremely proud of being from Champaign and playing for his hometown school. The Illini won 80-68 to improve their record to 4-5 overall. The Illini will now begin a stretch of games that they are favored to win, beginning with Yale on Wednesday evening (7:00 pm, No TV). The Bulldogs are 5-3 overall and are one of the favorites to win the Ivy League this season.
Now that football season is officially over, the focus shifts to the off-season and the new athletic director search that will determine whether or not there will be a new coach sooner or later. Illinois finished off the regular season Thanksgiving weekend at Soldier Field in Chicago by losing to Northwestern 24-14 before a poorly attended game in the "House That Payton Built". Illinois dropped to 5-7 overall with the loss, and was still somehow in the conversation about qualifying for one of the 80 bowl spots that there are open. The final decision came down to the APR (Academic Performance Rate) between the other teams with 5 wins, and due to a couple teams winning that needed to do so in order to make a bowl game, that left the Illini on the outside looking in. In all fairness, it is probably best that this team didn't get to a bowl game, because with all of the turmoil that has surrounded the program these past few months, the focus probably wouldn't have been there.
Granted, Bill Cubit did a good job of keeping everything together during all of this turmoil, and if there was anyone that deserved a bowl bid, it was him, along with all of the seniors. It wasn't their fault that Tim Beckman was hired by Mike Thomas, but the thought of a 5-7 team making a bowl game tells me one thing: THERE ARE TOO MANY BOWL GAMES!! A loss in the bowl game would have given the Illini 8 defeats on the season, which is entirely too many when you think about it. Plus, with the cream of the crop in the Big Ten getting better while Illinois and the teams in the middle trying to compete with them, that is simply just not good enough anymore. The next few months will be very interesting in terms of what happens with the AD search, as well as any more coaching changes within the staff. Stay tuned.
Matt Bollant's women's basketball team is off to a good start in his fourth year at Illinois, and they opened up play in the State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon against Lehigh. Illinois came away with a 76-67 win, and now have a 5-1 record on the young season. Their lone blemish on the record was a 73-64 loss to Miami in the Big 10/ACC Challenge in Coral Gables, Florida last week. In the win over Lehigh, Kyley Simmons led three Illini players in double figures with 21 points. Super sophomore Chatrice White added 17, while freshman Cierra Rice chipped in 12 points. The Illini have a busy week on tap, as they host both Southern Illinois and Central Michigan this week. The Salukis come in on Tuesday night (7:00 pm), while the Chippewas visit on Saturday afternoon (2:00 pm). Neither game this week will be televised.
If there is one thing that Illinois volleyball coach Kevin Hambly does well besides coaching is to have his team play well at the right time of the season. An up and down season has turned out to be another run in the NCAA Tournament, and that was further evidenced this past weekend, when the Illini made the short trip down to Louisville, Kentucky to take on Southern Illinois in the first round. The Illini downed the Salukis in three straight games to take the match, then was rewarded with a match against the host Cardinals. Illinois had defeated Louisville earlier in the season at Huff Hall in Champaign in 3 straight games, and Saturday was not much different, as the Illini dispatched the Cardinals in four games to advance to the regional semifinals against another familiar opponent, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Illinois lost a heartbreaker in Minneapolis earlier in the season, losing the match in five games. Minnesota was the regular season Big Ten champion, and along with the #2 ranked Golden Gophers in the regional, #15 Penn State and Hawaii are also in that bracket, so it will be a tough road to the Final Four, which will be held in Omaha, Nebraska the following weekend.
Wednesday night was the grand unveiling of the latest phase of the State Farm Center renovation, and upon seeing it for the first time since all of the seats and latest accentuations were finished, I came away very impressed. It looked like a totally new arena, and adding to the effect was the dedication of Lou Henson Court. The ceremony itself was a little disappointing and could have been enhanced by Lou or some former players saying a few words. Instead, nary a word was uttered during halftime by any of the honored guests.
Oh yeah, there was a game in all of the camaraderie as well. With center Mike Thorne Jr. out indefinitely with a torn meniscus, the void that he leaves was very noticeable, what with Maverick Morgan and Leron Black trying to play the five. The Illini came out strong against Notre Dame, taking a 41-33 lead at the half, and extending that to 10 at 43-33 with 18 minutes to play in the game, before the momentum swung in the opposite direction. The Fighting Irish began to slowly chip away at the lead and finally were able to forge ahead and never look back from that point on.
On Saturday, the result was a little better, as the Illini welcomed the Catamounts of Western Carolina to the State Farm Center, and it was essentially the Kendrick Nunn and Michael Finke show for the majority of the game. Nunn scored 27 points, while Finke added 24, and for a while, they had the bulk of the points for the Illini. Finke particularly enjoyed the game, since he sat out last season via a redshirt, and is extremely proud of being from Champaign and playing for his hometown school. The Illini won 80-68 to improve their record to 4-5 overall. The Illini will now begin a stretch of games that they are favored to win, beginning with Yale on Wednesday evening (7:00 pm, No TV). The Bulldogs are 5-3 overall and are one of the favorites to win the Ivy League this season.
Now that football season is officially over, the focus shifts to the off-season and the new athletic director search that will determine whether or not there will be a new coach sooner or later. Illinois finished off the regular season Thanksgiving weekend at Soldier Field in Chicago by losing to Northwestern 24-14 before a poorly attended game in the "House That Payton Built". Illinois dropped to 5-7 overall with the loss, and was still somehow in the conversation about qualifying for one of the 80 bowl spots that there are open. The final decision came down to the APR (Academic Performance Rate) between the other teams with 5 wins, and due to a couple teams winning that needed to do so in order to make a bowl game, that left the Illini on the outside looking in. In all fairness, it is probably best that this team didn't get to a bowl game, because with all of the turmoil that has surrounded the program these past few months, the focus probably wouldn't have been there.
Granted, Bill Cubit did a good job of keeping everything together during all of this turmoil, and if there was anyone that deserved a bowl bid, it was him, along with all of the seniors. It wasn't their fault that Tim Beckman was hired by Mike Thomas, but the thought of a 5-7 team making a bowl game tells me one thing: THERE ARE TOO MANY BOWL GAMES!! A loss in the bowl game would have given the Illini 8 defeats on the season, which is entirely too many when you think about it. Plus, with the cream of the crop in the Big Ten getting better while Illinois and the teams in the middle trying to compete with them, that is simply just not good enough anymore. The next few months will be very interesting in terms of what happens with the AD search, as well as any more coaching changes within the staff. Stay tuned.
Matt Bollant's women's basketball team is off to a good start in his fourth year at Illinois, and they opened up play in the State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon against Lehigh. Illinois came away with a 76-67 win, and now have a 5-1 record on the young season. Their lone blemish on the record was a 73-64 loss to Miami in the Big 10/ACC Challenge in Coral Gables, Florida last week. In the win over Lehigh, Kyley Simmons led three Illini players in double figures with 21 points. Super sophomore Chatrice White added 17, while freshman Cierra Rice chipped in 12 points. The Illini have a busy week on tap, as they host both Southern Illinois and Central Michigan this week. The Salukis come in on Tuesday night (7:00 pm), while the Chippewas visit on Saturday afternoon (2:00 pm). Neither game this week will be televised.
If there is one thing that Illinois volleyball coach Kevin Hambly does well besides coaching is to have his team play well at the right time of the season. An up and down season has turned out to be another run in the NCAA Tournament, and that was further evidenced this past weekend, when the Illini made the short trip down to Louisville, Kentucky to take on Southern Illinois in the first round. The Illini downed the Salukis in three straight games to take the match, then was rewarded with a match against the host Cardinals. Illinois had defeated Louisville earlier in the season at Huff Hall in Champaign in 3 straight games, and Saturday was not much different, as the Illini dispatched the Cardinals in four games to advance to the regional semifinals against another familiar opponent, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Illinois lost a heartbreaker in Minneapolis earlier in the season, losing the match in five games. Minnesota was the regular season Big Ten champion, and along with the #2 ranked Golden Gophers in the regional, #15 Penn State and Hawaii are also in that bracket, so it will be a tough road to the Final Four, which will be held in Omaha, Nebraska the following weekend.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
End Of The Line?
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a few items on the Illinois horizon appear to be eerily familiar, while others have taken either a turn for the better or worse, depending on how you see things. Don't catch my drift? Allow me to elaborate.
First of all, the Fighting Illini football team is once again in a familiar situation, and that is needing a win in their final "home" game against Northwestern to become bowl eligible. The game, which will be played at Chicago's Soldier Field, was the brainchild of both Tim Beckman and Mike Thomas, both of whom are no longer employed at the university. The latter hired the former, which was clearly a grave mistake, leading Thomas to be shown the door about 3 months after Beckman himself was fired. The reason that was given for moving the game up to Chicago for a "home" game was to appease the donors in the city and suburbs because every other year, the IHSA football playoffs alternate between Champaign-Urbana and DeKalb, and this was a year when the championships were in DeKalb. Sooooooo, now there is nothing going on in C-U this weekend, which is bad for businesses like restaurants and hotels. Plus, Illinois is hosting Senior Day festivities up in Chicago, which makes absolutely no sense to me as well. The players apparently voted for this, since quite a few of them live within striking distance of the city and welcomed the chance to have their honors bestowed upon them in an NFL environment.
It's no secret that the Illinois-Northwestern game last year at Ryan Field was a poor draw, as was the last game in Champaign two years ago, so a change in venue was a viable option. With many of the students that attend the university hailing from the suburbs anyway, it would be an easier trip for them to make. Truth is, many of them don't even attend when they are blocks away in C-U, so why would they make the trip some 40 minutes or so to the lakefront to watch the team play? The university needs to figure some things out, as they are still in turmoil because there is no permanent athletic director in place, and interim coach Bill Cubit is politicking for the job for next season.
Which brings us to the actual game on Saturday (2:30 pm CT, ESPNU). Illinois needed a win in their last two games in order to become bowl eligible for the second straight season, and they couldn't get the job done last weekend against Minnesota in Minneapolis, losing 32-23 to the Golden Gophers. Even though the Illini have remained somewhat competitive in their losses, a loss is still that, and they can ill afford to have another one. One bright spot is that there may not be enough 6-6 teams to fill bowl slots, so the possibility exists that a 5-7 team could go bowling. This tells me two things:
1) there are too many bowls now, and 2) you get rewarded with 15 extra practices for a bowl for a losing record. Cubit has done a great job holding this team together despite all they have been through, and the injuries have taken a toll throughout the season. At his weekly press conferences this season, Cubit has remained steadfast that he would like to continue at the controls, but maintains that it is not his decision to make. Cubit is an all-around good guy, and personally, I would like to see him stay another season to bridge the gap between he and the next coach. After all, he is 62 years old, and I don't see him wanting to do this for very much longer. Plus, with no full-time Chancellor or athletic director, time is closing in, especially with all of the other jobs that are open, or could become open once the regular season is finished this weekend. We shall wait and see what happens on this subject, as some movement could come as early as next week.
Another Mike Thomas gem of a decision was to move the first five games of the 2015-16 Fighting Illini men's basketball season to the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, since the State Farm Center is finishing the current renovation phase, and now that the "experiment" in Springfield is complete, the results are in, and they are less than adequate. I was able to make it over to one of the games, and came away less than impressed about the experience. The PCCC is much smaller, and didn't feel like a home court atmosphere. The Illini finished their residency in the state capitol 2-2, although they trailed for a good majority of the time, even in the games that they won. Add a close loss to Providence on the road, and Illinois sits at just 2-3 overall, leading many to speculate just how warm the seat the John Groce sits on will get if the present situation continues.
The losses, to North Florida and Chattanooga, were bad, and the way that the Illini played in those games did not help the unease of the fan base, many of which are in the mode of not caring. Even in the wins over North Dakota State and Chicago State, the Illini trailed late, before making comebacks on both occasions to win the game. As a matter of fact, it took a three-pointer by freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands at the buzzer to defeat Chicago State 82-79 on Monday night. A loss to the Cougars would have set the Illini at 1-4, their worst start since 1906, and would have set outrage by Illini Nation. The loss at Providence was actually their best performance of the season, and if Michael Finke gets his follow-up slam of Malcom Hill's missed layup to fall, all of a sudden maybe the season gets looked at a bit differently.
Groce does have some leverage for an excuse, with injuries to three of his top players that were expected to compete for a bulk of the playing time. Tracy Abrams, Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate are all out, with Nunn and Tate expected back within the next couple months. Sophomore Leron Black is also coming back from an injury as well, and while he has played sparingly, is not totally back, and it shows on the court. Once Groce gets his arsenal of players back, roles and rotations will change a bit, and hopefully, so will the results on the court.
Illinois now continues the Florida portion of the Emerald Coast Classic, where they will play UAB on Friday night (8:30 pm CT, CBS Sports Network), and then depending on the outcome of that game, will play either Iowa State or Virginia Tech on Saturday (TBA, CBS Sports Network).
Matt Bollant's women's basketball team is also feeling the effects of not playing in the State Farm Center, but they played their home games much closer to campus at Parkland College, and so far, the results have paid off. Bollant's crew is off to a 4-0 start, including a 98-43 romp over Tennessee State on Tuesday evening at Parkland. The Illini have hit the 90 point plateau three times this season, including the exhibition game, and will play their first true road game next Wednesday evening when they travel to Coral Gables, Florida to face the University of Miami (6:00 pm CT). After the trip to Florida, the Illini will play 6 of their next 8 games at the newly renovated State Farm Center.
Finally, Kevin Hambly's Illinois volleyball team begins to wrap up the regular season portion of the schedule on the road, first taking on Nebraska in Lincoln on Wednesday evening (7:00 pm CT), before completing regular season play on Friday in Ann Arbor to face Michigan (5:00 pm CT). The Illini are 19-10 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten, so a pair of wins to finish strong will do a lot for Illinois and their quest for an NCAA Tournament invite.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
First of all, the Fighting Illini football team is once again in a familiar situation, and that is needing a win in their final "home" game against Northwestern to become bowl eligible. The game, which will be played at Chicago's Soldier Field, was the brainchild of both Tim Beckman and Mike Thomas, both of whom are no longer employed at the university. The latter hired the former, which was clearly a grave mistake, leading Thomas to be shown the door about 3 months after Beckman himself was fired. The reason that was given for moving the game up to Chicago for a "home" game was to appease the donors in the city and suburbs because every other year, the IHSA football playoffs alternate between Champaign-Urbana and DeKalb, and this was a year when the championships were in DeKalb. Sooooooo, now there is nothing going on in C-U this weekend, which is bad for businesses like restaurants and hotels. Plus, Illinois is hosting Senior Day festivities up in Chicago, which makes absolutely no sense to me as well. The players apparently voted for this, since quite a few of them live within striking distance of the city and welcomed the chance to have their honors bestowed upon them in an NFL environment.
It's no secret that the Illinois-Northwestern game last year at Ryan Field was a poor draw, as was the last game in Champaign two years ago, so a change in venue was a viable option. With many of the students that attend the university hailing from the suburbs anyway, it would be an easier trip for them to make. Truth is, many of them don't even attend when they are blocks away in C-U, so why would they make the trip some 40 minutes or so to the lakefront to watch the team play? The university needs to figure some things out, as they are still in turmoil because there is no permanent athletic director in place, and interim coach Bill Cubit is politicking for the job for next season.
Which brings us to the actual game on Saturday (2:30 pm CT, ESPNU). Illinois needed a win in their last two games in order to become bowl eligible for the second straight season, and they couldn't get the job done last weekend against Minnesota in Minneapolis, losing 32-23 to the Golden Gophers. Even though the Illini have remained somewhat competitive in their losses, a loss is still that, and they can ill afford to have another one. One bright spot is that there may not be enough 6-6 teams to fill bowl slots, so the possibility exists that a 5-7 team could go bowling. This tells me two things:
1) there are too many bowls now, and 2) you get rewarded with 15 extra practices for a bowl for a losing record. Cubit has done a great job holding this team together despite all they have been through, and the injuries have taken a toll throughout the season. At his weekly press conferences this season, Cubit has remained steadfast that he would like to continue at the controls, but maintains that it is not his decision to make. Cubit is an all-around good guy, and personally, I would like to see him stay another season to bridge the gap between he and the next coach. After all, he is 62 years old, and I don't see him wanting to do this for very much longer. Plus, with no full-time Chancellor or athletic director, time is closing in, especially with all of the other jobs that are open, or could become open once the regular season is finished this weekend. We shall wait and see what happens on this subject, as some movement could come as early as next week.
Another Mike Thomas gem of a decision was to move the first five games of the 2015-16 Fighting Illini men's basketball season to the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, since the State Farm Center is finishing the current renovation phase, and now that the "experiment" in Springfield is complete, the results are in, and they are less than adequate. I was able to make it over to one of the games, and came away less than impressed about the experience. The PCCC is much smaller, and didn't feel like a home court atmosphere. The Illini finished their residency in the state capitol 2-2, although they trailed for a good majority of the time, even in the games that they won. Add a close loss to Providence on the road, and Illinois sits at just 2-3 overall, leading many to speculate just how warm the seat the John Groce sits on will get if the present situation continues.
The losses, to North Florida and Chattanooga, were bad, and the way that the Illini played in those games did not help the unease of the fan base, many of which are in the mode of not caring. Even in the wins over North Dakota State and Chicago State, the Illini trailed late, before making comebacks on both occasions to win the game. As a matter of fact, it took a three-pointer by freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands at the buzzer to defeat Chicago State 82-79 on Monday night. A loss to the Cougars would have set the Illini at 1-4, their worst start since 1906, and would have set outrage by Illini Nation. The loss at Providence was actually their best performance of the season, and if Michael Finke gets his follow-up slam of Malcom Hill's missed layup to fall, all of a sudden maybe the season gets looked at a bit differently.
Groce does have some leverage for an excuse, with injuries to three of his top players that were expected to compete for a bulk of the playing time. Tracy Abrams, Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate are all out, with Nunn and Tate expected back within the next couple months. Sophomore Leron Black is also coming back from an injury as well, and while he has played sparingly, is not totally back, and it shows on the court. Once Groce gets his arsenal of players back, roles and rotations will change a bit, and hopefully, so will the results on the court.
Illinois now continues the Florida portion of the Emerald Coast Classic, where they will play UAB on Friday night (8:30 pm CT, CBS Sports Network), and then depending on the outcome of that game, will play either Iowa State or Virginia Tech on Saturday (TBA, CBS Sports Network).
Matt Bollant's women's basketball team is also feeling the effects of not playing in the State Farm Center, but they played their home games much closer to campus at Parkland College, and so far, the results have paid off. Bollant's crew is off to a 4-0 start, including a 98-43 romp over Tennessee State on Tuesday evening at Parkland. The Illini have hit the 90 point plateau three times this season, including the exhibition game, and will play their first true road game next Wednesday evening when they travel to Coral Gables, Florida to face the University of Miami (6:00 pm CT). After the trip to Florida, the Illini will play 6 of their next 8 games at the newly renovated State Farm Center.
Finally, Kevin Hambly's Illinois volleyball team begins to wrap up the regular season portion of the schedule on the road, first taking on Nebraska in Lincoln on Wednesday evening (7:00 pm CT), before completing regular season play on Friday in Ann Arbor to face Michigan (5:00 pm CT). The Illini are 19-10 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten, so a pair of wins to finish strong will do a lot for Illinois and their quest for an NCAA Tournament invite.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Thursday, November 12, 2015
The 'I' Stands For Interim
We knew this day was coming, it was just a little surprising when the news broke.
Much like the day that Tim Beckman was fired last August, one week before the 2015 football season began, it came as a relatively small shock when news broke early on Monday morning that University of Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas was let go, and in his place, interim (remember that word, because it will be used as nauseum in this blog entry) AD Paul Kowalczyk was named by interim (there's that word again) Chancellor Barbara Wilson.
In addition to having an interim football coach in Bill Cubit, who really doesn't know what will happen to his fate until the end of the season, there is also an interin Provost at the University of Illinois, leaving many to speculate as to what direction the athletic department will go in the naming of some of these positions to take the venerable 'interim' tag off. In order to hire a new football coach, there has to be a Chancellor in place to hire an AD, which in turn will hire the new football coach.
Confused? You're not alone. Since August, there seems to have been news weekly in the athletic circles at the U of I, and it's rather amazing that all of this was concocted by a series of tweets by a former football player that we thought was just venting from his dislike of Beckman and the way that he was treated.
Thomas. at the press conference announcing the change at the top of the athletic department, was lauded by Wilson, and appeared to do nothing wrong except one thing, the hiring of Beckman as head football coach. It is evident without a doubt that the hire was a colossal mistake, and the fallout of everything since that fateful day can be linked to it.
Cubit, who is an all-around good guy and a pleasure to talk to, because he tells it like it is, could possibly get hired as the permanent football coach, but that will probably be dependent on how the rest of the season goes. As far as recruiting goes, there is quite a bit of indecision right now, and a recruit will not want to come to Illinois if there is not a stable situation, which is what is happening right now.
Oh yeah, there was a game last Saturday, amidst all of the happenings off the field. Illinois snapped a three game losing streak in a big way, throttling the Purdue Boilermakers 48-14 last Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Just one week after getting it handed to them at Penn State 39-0, the Illini welcomed back Josh Ferguson to the offense, and he immediately made an impact, rushing 12 times for 133 yards, while catching 6 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Ferguson's return made freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn that much better, as Vaughn scampered for 180 yards on 16 carries and two scores. The spike in offensive performance is a welcome sight, but they will need to continue it in a much larger way if they plan to knock off their next opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes this coming Saturday (11:00 am CT. ABC).
The Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0) are coming in as the #2 team in the nation, and are currently on a 22 game winning streak, dating back to last season, when they won the 2014 National Championship. However, the Buckeyes have won a couple games by a slim margin, and are coming off a 28-14 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers last Saturday in Columbus. The Buckeyes have been in the news recently for some off-the-field incidents involving their star quarterback J. T. Barrett. Out of the three signal callers that head coach Urban Meyer has at his disposal, Barrett gives them the best chance on a weekly basis, although Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller are not bad options either.
The Illini (5-4, 2-3) have nothing to lose against the Buckeyes, and if the unthinkable happens, which is an Illinois win over the Buckeyes, then the head coaching job should be given to Cubit immediately after the game. Hands down.
Now begins the time of the crossover in sports on the University of Illinois campus, and men's and women's basketball begins with the regular season openers this coming weekend. Due to construction being wrapped up at the State Farm Center, both teams are forced to begin their regular seasons on the road, so to speak, with the men playing in Springfield at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center, and the women beginning in Champaign, only at Parkland College. John Groce's squad will play North Florida on Friday evening (7:00 pm, ESPN3) and North Dakota State on Sunday afternoon (2:00 pm, ESPN3).
Wednesday was signing day, and Groce inked one player in Te'Jon Lucas, a point guard from Wisconsin. Lucas fills a void at the position and ends a long recruiting battle trying to find someone to bring in after several near misses. Groce also announced at the press conference that Kipper Nichols has also signed, but will not be able to play until late in the fall of 2016. Nichols originally committed to Tulane and had enrolled there, but only stayed two weeks before leaving, and that action has caused him to have to sit out the duration until he is eligible to compete.
Matt Bollant's women's squad will begin play at Parkland against Chicago State on Friday night (7:00 pm), and then turn around to host Ohio University on Sunday afternoon (2:00 pm). The first game in the newly renovated State Farm Center is scheduled to be the Big 10/ACC Challenge game on December 3rd against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Should be a pretty tough ticket to obtain.
Bollant signed four players, including Ali Andrews, Brandi Beasley, Courtney Joens and Sarah Overcash.
Kevin Hambly's Illini volleyball team continues toward the culmination of their season, and after stringing four victories together, they dropped a match against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Wednesday night. Illinois will return to Huff Hall on Saturday night when they welcome Rutgers to Huff Hall. Illinois will also host Wisconsin next Wednesday night. Currently, the Illini are 17-9 overall and 8-7 overall.
Not much going on for a week, eh?
Much like the day that Tim Beckman was fired last August, one week before the 2015 football season began, it came as a relatively small shock when news broke early on Monday morning that University of Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas was let go, and in his place, interim (remember that word, because it will be used as nauseum in this blog entry) AD Paul Kowalczyk was named by interim (there's that word again) Chancellor Barbara Wilson.
In addition to having an interim football coach in Bill Cubit, who really doesn't know what will happen to his fate until the end of the season, there is also an interin Provost at the University of Illinois, leaving many to speculate as to what direction the athletic department will go in the naming of some of these positions to take the venerable 'interim' tag off. In order to hire a new football coach, there has to be a Chancellor in place to hire an AD, which in turn will hire the new football coach.
Confused? You're not alone. Since August, there seems to have been news weekly in the athletic circles at the U of I, and it's rather amazing that all of this was concocted by a series of tweets by a former football player that we thought was just venting from his dislike of Beckman and the way that he was treated.
Thomas. at the press conference announcing the change at the top of the athletic department, was lauded by Wilson, and appeared to do nothing wrong except one thing, the hiring of Beckman as head football coach. It is evident without a doubt that the hire was a colossal mistake, and the fallout of everything since that fateful day can be linked to it.
Cubit, who is an all-around good guy and a pleasure to talk to, because he tells it like it is, could possibly get hired as the permanent football coach, but that will probably be dependent on how the rest of the season goes. As far as recruiting goes, there is quite a bit of indecision right now, and a recruit will not want to come to Illinois if there is not a stable situation, which is what is happening right now.
Oh yeah, there was a game last Saturday, amidst all of the happenings off the field. Illinois snapped a three game losing streak in a big way, throttling the Purdue Boilermakers 48-14 last Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. Just one week after getting it handed to them at Penn State 39-0, the Illini welcomed back Josh Ferguson to the offense, and he immediately made an impact, rushing 12 times for 133 yards, while catching 6 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Ferguson's return made freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn that much better, as Vaughn scampered for 180 yards on 16 carries and two scores. The spike in offensive performance is a welcome sight, but they will need to continue it in a much larger way if they plan to knock off their next opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes this coming Saturday (11:00 am CT. ABC).
The Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0) are coming in as the #2 team in the nation, and are currently on a 22 game winning streak, dating back to last season, when they won the 2014 National Championship. However, the Buckeyes have won a couple games by a slim margin, and are coming off a 28-14 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers last Saturday in Columbus. The Buckeyes have been in the news recently for some off-the-field incidents involving their star quarterback J. T. Barrett. Out of the three signal callers that head coach Urban Meyer has at his disposal, Barrett gives them the best chance on a weekly basis, although Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller are not bad options either.
The Illini (5-4, 2-3) have nothing to lose against the Buckeyes, and if the unthinkable happens, which is an Illinois win over the Buckeyes, then the head coaching job should be given to Cubit immediately after the game. Hands down.
Now begins the time of the crossover in sports on the University of Illinois campus, and men's and women's basketball begins with the regular season openers this coming weekend. Due to construction being wrapped up at the State Farm Center, both teams are forced to begin their regular seasons on the road, so to speak, with the men playing in Springfield at the Prairie Capitol Convention Center, and the women beginning in Champaign, only at Parkland College. John Groce's squad will play North Florida on Friday evening (7:00 pm, ESPN3) and North Dakota State on Sunday afternoon (2:00 pm, ESPN3).
Wednesday was signing day, and Groce inked one player in Te'Jon Lucas, a point guard from Wisconsin. Lucas fills a void at the position and ends a long recruiting battle trying to find someone to bring in after several near misses. Groce also announced at the press conference that Kipper Nichols has also signed, but will not be able to play until late in the fall of 2016. Nichols originally committed to Tulane and had enrolled there, but only stayed two weeks before leaving, and that action has caused him to have to sit out the duration until he is eligible to compete.
Matt Bollant's women's squad will begin play at Parkland against Chicago State on Friday night (7:00 pm), and then turn around to host Ohio University on Sunday afternoon (2:00 pm). The first game in the newly renovated State Farm Center is scheduled to be the Big 10/ACC Challenge game on December 3rd against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Should be a pretty tough ticket to obtain.
Bollant signed four players, including Ali Andrews, Brandi Beasley, Courtney Joens and Sarah Overcash.
Kevin Hambly's Illini volleyball team continues toward the culmination of their season, and after stringing four victories together, they dropped a match against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Wednesday night. Illinois will return to Huff Hall on Saturday night when they welcome Rutgers to Huff Hall. Illinois will also host Wisconsin next Wednesday night. Currently, the Illini are 17-9 overall and 8-7 overall.
Not much going on for a week, eh?
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Now What?
The injuries continue to pile up for Bill Cubit's Fighting Illini football squad, and the latest to fall victim is Henry Enyenehi, who is supposedly out for this weekend's game at Purdue (11:00 am CT, BTN).
In what was a dismal showing last Saturday at Penn State, the Fighting Illini did next to nothing, and the end result was a 39-0 shellacking at the hands of the Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania. Up until this game, the season was showing signs of promise, and Cubit was beginning to endear the hearts of Illini Nation as a possible successor full time to Tim Beckman, who was let go one week before the season began this year.
Now, all of that seems moot, as the Illini slog their way into West Lafayette to battle a Boilermaker squad that had their best offensive showing of the season last Saturday in defeating Nebraska 55-45, just the second Big Ten win in the Darrell Hazell era at Purdue. The other conference win for Hazell was last year in Champaign, so the Illini will have revenge on their minds when they battle on Saturday in an attempt to win back the Cannon trophy, the artifact that the two schools play for each time they take the field.
With Enyenehi's injury, that essentially leaves freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn as the only healthy player in the backfield, although it remains to be seen if senior Josh Ferguson will return to action this weekend. Ferguson took part in practice on Wednesday, but a final decision won't be made until sometime on Thursday before the week's injury report is released to the media.
It is a wonder that quarterback Wes Lunt is still healthy and actually a good thing, because if he wasn't, there's no telling how this Illinois team could put a formidable team on the field. Lunt has a diminished group of receivers as well to throw to, with both Mikey Dudek and Justin Hardee out of action, and if not for Geronimo Allison, Lunt would be forced to run the ball himself, which he does not do well at all.
I guess it all boils down to this: with many players out of action for whatever reason, Cubit has to put a team on the field and hope that they can grab some magic as the season begins its homestretch run. Illinois (4-4, 1-3) still has aspirations to go to a bowl game, but they still need two wins in order to even become eligible, and probably really need three of the last four games in order to feel good about postseason hopes. With Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota and Northwestern still left on the schedule, Throwing out the Ohio State game (for obvious reasons), the Illini still have a chance to win the other three games. Only the Buckeyes game is in Champaign, so they will need to be road warriors in every sense of the phrase if they plan to be playing past Thanksgiving weekend.
After a rough stretch of matches, Illinois volleyball head coach Kevin Hambly feels optimistic that his team can rebound and do what they need to in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Illini got off to a good start this past weekend, by defeating Michigan State (3-1) and Michigan (3-0) at Huff Hall in Champaign. Then, on Wednesday night, the Illini ventured up to Evanston for a mid-week matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats. The Illini won the first set, and dropped the next two to go down 2-1. The Illini won the fourth set and the deciding fifth set by a 16-14 score to take the match 3-2. With the win over the Wildcats, the Illini improve to 16-8 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play. The Illini will return the favor this weekend when they host the Wildcats on Saturday evening (7:00 pm CT, No TV).
Janet Rayfield's Illinois women's soccer team wrapped up regular season play last week, and just sneaked into the Big Ten Tournament as the #8 seed, which gave them a first round matchup at Penn State last Sunday. The Illini were defeated by the Nittany Lions 3-1. to finish their record heading into the NCAA Tournament selection at 10-6-3 overall and 4-4-3 in conference play. Illinois will await their fate and hope that their resume is good enough to get one of the bids for the tournament.
With November on the horizon, it is nearing time for both the mens and womens basketball teams to begin action, and since the State Farm Center is not quite ready for its tenants yet, the two teams will be playing on the road for the first few games. The men will call the Prairie Capitol Convention Center home through the end of November, and have their first and only exhibition game on Sunday when they play Illinois-Springfield/ The women will be playing at Parkland College and they will also be starting play soon. The State Farm Center is scheduled to be ready in time for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on December 2nd when Illinois hosts Notre Dame.
That's all she wrote for this week, folks. Hope there are no more injuries to the football team between now and the next blog post.
In what was a dismal showing last Saturday at Penn State, the Fighting Illini did next to nothing, and the end result was a 39-0 shellacking at the hands of the Nittany Lions in State College, Pennsylvania. Up until this game, the season was showing signs of promise, and Cubit was beginning to endear the hearts of Illini Nation as a possible successor full time to Tim Beckman, who was let go one week before the season began this year.
Now, all of that seems moot, as the Illini slog their way into West Lafayette to battle a Boilermaker squad that had their best offensive showing of the season last Saturday in defeating Nebraska 55-45, just the second Big Ten win in the Darrell Hazell era at Purdue. The other conference win for Hazell was last year in Champaign, so the Illini will have revenge on their minds when they battle on Saturday in an attempt to win back the Cannon trophy, the artifact that the two schools play for each time they take the field.
With Enyenehi's injury, that essentially leaves freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn as the only healthy player in the backfield, although it remains to be seen if senior Josh Ferguson will return to action this weekend. Ferguson took part in practice on Wednesday, but a final decision won't be made until sometime on Thursday before the week's injury report is released to the media.
It is a wonder that quarterback Wes Lunt is still healthy and actually a good thing, because if he wasn't, there's no telling how this Illinois team could put a formidable team on the field. Lunt has a diminished group of receivers as well to throw to, with both Mikey Dudek and Justin Hardee out of action, and if not for Geronimo Allison, Lunt would be forced to run the ball himself, which he does not do well at all.
I guess it all boils down to this: with many players out of action for whatever reason, Cubit has to put a team on the field and hope that they can grab some magic as the season begins its homestretch run. Illinois (4-4, 1-3) still has aspirations to go to a bowl game, but they still need two wins in order to even become eligible, and probably really need three of the last four games in order to feel good about postseason hopes. With Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota and Northwestern still left on the schedule, Throwing out the Ohio State game (for obvious reasons), the Illini still have a chance to win the other three games. Only the Buckeyes game is in Champaign, so they will need to be road warriors in every sense of the phrase if they plan to be playing past Thanksgiving weekend.
After a rough stretch of matches, Illinois volleyball head coach Kevin Hambly feels optimistic that his team can rebound and do what they need to in order to reach the NCAA Tournament. The Illini got off to a good start this past weekend, by defeating Michigan State (3-1) and Michigan (3-0) at Huff Hall in Champaign. Then, on Wednesday night, the Illini ventured up to Evanston for a mid-week matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats. The Illini won the first set, and dropped the next two to go down 2-1. The Illini won the fourth set and the deciding fifth set by a 16-14 score to take the match 3-2. With the win over the Wildcats, the Illini improve to 16-8 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play. The Illini will return the favor this weekend when they host the Wildcats on Saturday evening (7:00 pm CT, No TV).
Janet Rayfield's Illinois women's soccer team wrapped up regular season play last week, and just sneaked into the Big Ten Tournament as the #8 seed, which gave them a first round matchup at Penn State last Sunday. The Illini were defeated by the Nittany Lions 3-1. to finish their record heading into the NCAA Tournament selection at 10-6-3 overall and 4-4-3 in conference play. Illinois will await their fate and hope that their resume is good enough to get one of the bids for the tournament.
With November on the horizon, it is nearing time for both the mens and womens basketball teams to begin action, and since the State Farm Center is not quite ready for its tenants yet, the two teams will be playing on the road for the first few games. The men will call the Prairie Capitol Convention Center home through the end of November, and have their first and only exhibition game on Sunday when they play Illinois-Springfield/ The women will be playing at Parkland College and they will also be starting play soon. The State Farm Center is scheduled to be ready in time for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on December 2nd when Illinois hosts Notre Dame.
That's all she wrote for this week, folks. Hope there are no more injuries to the football team between now and the next blog post.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Survival Of The Fittest
Another close game. Yet another injury, which lately seems to be the norm rather than the exception. This can be daunting on a head coach, interim or not.
Illinois (4-3, 1-2), which seems to continue giving teams good games, but ending up on the short end of the stick, finds themselves in familiar territory as they head east to Happy Valley to visit Penn State.
The Illini, who fell victim to Wisconsin last Saturday 24-13 in their annual Homecoming game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, had their chances against the Badgers, but with an ailing team on both sides of the ball, bodies are getting thin in number.
The latest to be sidelined is tight end Tyler White, who appears to be out for the remainder of the season. White joins a growing list of players that have seen their last action of the season, including Mikey Dudek, Jamal Milan, Teko Powell, Dre Brown and Patrick Nelson. Add to that the injuries of Josh Ferguson, Marchie Murdock, and Justin Hardee, the medical staff is keeping very busy this fall.
In the loss to Wisconsin, freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn continued to impress, as he was the only running back to carry the ball, rushing 13 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. Vaughn, who has been pressed into extensive action with injuries to Ferguson and Brown, has utilized his opportunity nicely and is making the best of it. Wes Lunt, who remains healthy despite being prone to injuries over the past couple of seasons, completed 22 of 43 passes for 278 yards, but did not throw a touchdown in the loss. Lunt's main target continues to be Geronimo Allison, who caught 8 passes for 99 yards against the Badgers. Interim head coach Bill Cubit figures that Ferguson may miss the game at Penn State this Saturday (11:00 am CT, ESPN2), but hopefully will return to action next weekend when the Illini travel to Purdue.
Speaking of the Nittany Lions, they narrowly defeated Maryland last Saturday in Baltimore 31-30, behind quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 315 yards and three scores. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley rushed 20 times for 65 yards and a touchdown, sending the Nittany Lions to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten's Eastern Division.
Kevin Hambly's Illini womens' volleyball team has been in a rut as of late, and this past weekend, it was more of the same. On Friday night the Illini ventured to Bloomington to battle Indiana and came away with a 3-0 win, which was big for the team, since they hadn't had much success lately. Then, on Sunday, the Illini went up the road to West Lafayette to take on Purdue and things were looking good as the Illini took an early 2-0 lead over the Boilermakers. What happened next was befitting of the season thus far. The Boilermakers came back and won the next two games, setting up a pivotal game five, which the Illini also dropped. The heartbreaking loss drops Illinois to 13-8 overall, and just 4-6 in Big Ten play. The Illini will have another chance to right the ship this weekend, when they welcome Michigan State on Friday night (7:00 pm CT), then will take on Michigan on Saturday night at home as well (7:00 pm CT).
The Fighting Illini womens' soccer team wrapped up the regular season on Wednesday night when they traveled to Minneapolis to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Illini came away victorious, defeating the Golden Gophers 3-1 behind two goals by Janelle Flaws. With the win, Illinois improves to 10-5-3 overall and 4-4-3 in the Big Ten. The Illini will now await their seeding in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins on Sunday.
Illinois (4-3, 1-2), which seems to continue giving teams good games, but ending up on the short end of the stick, finds themselves in familiar territory as they head east to Happy Valley to visit Penn State.
The Illini, who fell victim to Wisconsin last Saturday 24-13 in their annual Homecoming game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, had their chances against the Badgers, but with an ailing team on both sides of the ball, bodies are getting thin in number.
The latest to be sidelined is tight end Tyler White, who appears to be out for the remainder of the season. White joins a growing list of players that have seen their last action of the season, including Mikey Dudek, Jamal Milan, Teko Powell, Dre Brown and Patrick Nelson. Add to that the injuries of Josh Ferguson, Marchie Murdock, and Justin Hardee, the medical staff is keeping very busy this fall.
In the loss to Wisconsin, freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn continued to impress, as he was the only running back to carry the ball, rushing 13 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. Vaughn, who has been pressed into extensive action with injuries to Ferguson and Brown, has utilized his opportunity nicely and is making the best of it. Wes Lunt, who remains healthy despite being prone to injuries over the past couple of seasons, completed 22 of 43 passes for 278 yards, but did not throw a touchdown in the loss. Lunt's main target continues to be Geronimo Allison, who caught 8 passes for 99 yards against the Badgers. Interim head coach Bill Cubit figures that Ferguson may miss the game at Penn State this Saturday (11:00 am CT, ESPN2), but hopefully will return to action next weekend when the Illini travel to Purdue.
Speaking of the Nittany Lions, they narrowly defeated Maryland last Saturday in Baltimore 31-30, behind quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who completed 13 of 29 passes for 315 yards and three scores. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley rushed 20 times for 65 yards and a touchdown, sending the Nittany Lions to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten's Eastern Division.
Kevin Hambly's Illini womens' volleyball team has been in a rut as of late, and this past weekend, it was more of the same. On Friday night the Illini ventured to Bloomington to battle Indiana and came away with a 3-0 win, which was big for the team, since they hadn't had much success lately. Then, on Sunday, the Illini went up the road to West Lafayette to take on Purdue and things were looking good as the Illini took an early 2-0 lead over the Boilermakers. What happened next was befitting of the season thus far. The Boilermakers came back and won the next two games, setting up a pivotal game five, which the Illini also dropped. The heartbreaking loss drops Illinois to 13-8 overall, and just 4-6 in Big Ten play. The Illini will have another chance to right the ship this weekend, when they welcome Michigan State on Friday night (7:00 pm CT), then will take on Michigan on Saturday night at home as well (7:00 pm CT).
The Fighting Illini womens' soccer team wrapped up the regular season on Wednesday night when they traveled to Minneapolis to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Illini came away victorious, defeating the Golden Gophers 3-1 behind two goals by Janelle Flaws. With the win, Illinois improves to 10-5-3 overall and 4-4-3 in the Big Ten. The Illini will now await their seeding in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins on Sunday.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Beginning The Stretch Run
After a rather pedestrian first half of the 2015 football season, the Fighting Illini enjoyed their bye week, which enabled a few players to get healthy, while others mulled their immediate futures by dealing with various injuries of their own.
Illinois finished the first half of the season with a 4-2 record, and 1-1 in Big Ten play, and begin the second half of the season welcoming the Wisconsin Badgers to Memorial Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday (2:30 pm CT, BTN).
Illinois has been bitten by the injury bug numerous this times this season, and the list of players sidelined could very well compete on the first team. From Mikey Dudek and Justin Hardee being out thus far the entire season, the prospects of Dudek playing this season are dwindling fast, while Hardee could return as soon as Saturday, although interim head coach Bill Cubit wasn't overly optimistic about that happening. Senior running back Josh Ferguson injured his shoulder in the win over Nebraska three weeks ago, and is likely to miss his second straight game against the Badgers as he deals with an AC sprain of the shoulder. Wide receiver Marchie Murdock also was injured in last week's 29-20 loss at Iowa, and remains questionable as well for Saturday.
As far as some good things that happened during the bye week was some of the players that have been injured have had the chance to get healthy and also rest their bodies, which have taken on a good amount of wear and tear over the first six games. H-Back Tim Clary, who was feared lost for the season, has been cleared to play and will hopefully return to the field Saturday to be the lead blocker for freshmen Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Henry Enyenehi.
The Badgers (5-2, 2-1) are coming off a gritty 24-7 defeat of Purdue last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, and for a change, are not relying on their ground game for the majority of the offense. In the past, Wisconsin runners have punished Illinois, whether it was Ron Dayne, or most recently, Melvin Gordon. The Badgers were led on offense by running backs Alec Ingold and Dare Ogunbowale, who each scored for Wisconsin. Ingold rushed for 19 yards on 9 carries, but scored twice, while Ogunbowale fared a little better, carrying the ball 18 times for 56 yards and finding the endzone once. Quarterback Joel Stave, who had a good day from the air, completed 30 of 39 passes for 322 yards, but did not throw any touchdowns. Stave did, however, throw an interception in the win.
For the Illini to come out on top against the Badgers, they will need to neutralize the running game, which they have had difficulty in doing thus far this season.
Since returning home from what seemed like forever on the road, the Fighting Illini women's volleyball team has seen their season hit the skids, for lack of a better term. During that two week span, the Illini have dropped 3 of 4 matches, including ranked teams Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska. The Illini currently find themselves at 12-7 overall, but just 3-5 in Big Ten play, and will once again venture out on the road this weekend, when they travel to Indiana and Purdue. The match with the Hoosiers will be Friday night (6:00 pm CT, No TV), while the game with the Boilermakers will be on Sunday (12:00 noon, ESPN2).
The Fighting Illini women's soccer team is coming off a big win over Nebraska last Sunday in Champaign, and are beginning to wrap up the regular season and hoping to do so with a strong finish. The Illini currently sit at 9-4-3 overall and 3-3-3 in the conference, and will entertain Northwestern on Saturday night for Senior night (6:00 pm CT, No TV), before concluding the regular season in Minneapolis against Minnesota next Wednesday (7:00 pm CT, No TV).
Speaking of injuries, the Fighting Illini basketball team continues to see their fair share of them, and for fourth year head coach John Groce, the casualties are continuing to mount. Already having lost Tracy Abrams for a second straight season, this time with an achilles tear, Groce found out two weeks ago that sophomore Leron Black tore his meniscus in his knee and will be out for a few weeks. As if the news couldn't get any worse, it did with the news last week that guard Kendrick Nunn injured his thumb in a routine practice drill and after having surgery on Wednesday, will be out 8 weeks. Groce's philosophy of the "next man up" takes on an entirely new meaning, because sooner or later, he will run out of bodies. Groce plans to get freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands back soon, and with the first game just a mere three weeks away, the bodies need to heal.
Better break out the bubble wrap. Speaking of wraps, that's a wrap on this week's tour around the Illini sports teams.
Illinois finished the first half of the season with a 4-2 record, and 1-1 in Big Ten play, and begin the second half of the season welcoming the Wisconsin Badgers to Memorial Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday (2:30 pm CT, BTN).
Illinois has been bitten by the injury bug numerous this times this season, and the list of players sidelined could very well compete on the first team. From Mikey Dudek and Justin Hardee being out thus far the entire season, the prospects of Dudek playing this season are dwindling fast, while Hardee could return as soon as Saturday, although interim head coach Bill Cubit wasn't overly optimistic about that happening. Senior running back Josh Ferguson injured his shoulder in the win over Nebraska three weeks ago, and is likely to miss his second straight game against the Badgers as he deals with an AC sprain of the shoulder. Wide receiver Marchie Murdock also was injured in last week's 29-20 loss at Iowa, and remains questionable as well for Saturday.
As far as some good things that happened during the bye week was some of the players that have been injured have had the chance to get healthy and also rest their bodies, which have taken on a good amount of wear and tear over the first six games. H-Back Tim Clary, who was feared lost for the season, has been cleared to play and will hopefully return to the field Saturday to be the lead blocker for freshmen Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Henry Enyenehi.
The Badgers (5-2, 2-1) are coming off a gritty 24-7 defeat of Purdue last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, and for a change, are not relying on their ground game for the majority of the offense. In the past, Wisconsin runners have punished Illinois, whether it was Ron Dayne, or most recently, Melvin Gordon. The Badgers were led on offense by running backs Alec Ingold and Dare Ogunbowale, who each scored for Wisconsin. Ingold rushed for 19 yards on 9 carries, but scored twice, while Ogunbowale fared a little better, carrying the ball 18 times for 56 yards and finding the endzone once. Quarterback Joel Stave, who had a good day from the air, completed 30 of 39 passes for 322 yards, but did not throw any touchdowns. Stave did, however, throw an interception in the win.
For the Illini to come out on top against the Badgers, they will need to neutralize the running game, which they have had difficulty in doing thus far this season.
Since returning home from what seemed like forever on the road, the Fighting Illini women's volleyball team has seen their season hit the skids, for lack of a better term. During that two week span, the Illini have dropped 3 of 4 matches, including ranked teams Ohio State, Penn State and Nebraska. The Illini currently find themselves at 12-7 overall, but just 3-5 in Big Ten play, and will once again venture out on the road this weekend, when they travel to Indiana and Purdue. The match with the Hoosiers will be Friday night (6:00 pm CT, No TV), while the game with the Boilermakers will be on Sunday (12:00 noon, ESPN2).
The Fighting Illini women's soccer team is coming off a big win over Nebraska last Sunday in Champaign, and are beginning to wrap up the regular season and hoping to do so with a strong finish. The Illini currently sit at 9-4-3 overall and 3-3-3 in the conference, and will entertain Northwestern on Saturday night for Senior night (6:00 pm CT, No TV), before concluding the regular season in Minneapolis against Minnesota next Wednesday (7:00 pm CT, No TV).
Speaking of injuries, the Fighting Illini basketball team continues to see their fair share of them, and for fourth year head coach John Groce, the casualties are continuing to mount. Already having lost Tracy Abrams for a second straight season, this time with an achilles tear, Groce found out two weeks ago that sophomore Leron Black tore his meniscus in his knee and will be out for a few weeks. As if the news couldn't get any worse, it did with the news last week that guard Kendrick Nunn injured his thumb in a routine practice drill and after having surgery on Wednesday, will be out 8 weeks. Groce's philosophy of the "next man up" takes on an entirely new meaning, because sooner or later, he will run out of bodies. Groce plans to get freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands back soon, and with the first game just a mere three weeks away, the bodies need to heal.
Better break out the bubble wrap. Speaking of wraps, that's a wrap on this week's tour around the Illini sports teams.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
A Positive Sign?
I am assuming that the Mike Riley fan club in Lincoln, Nebraska is not increasing anytime soon.
A bizarre ending to the Illinois Big Ten opener against Nebraska resulted in an Illini win, as they staged an improbable comeback against the Cornhuskers, coming back from a 13-0 fourth quarter deficit to win 14-13 on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
The Illini defense, which was perceived to be a work in progress entering the 2015 season, had performed admirably all year long up to this point, and held Nebraska scoreless into the second quarter of play. The Cornhuskers put up 10 second quarter points to take a 10-0 lead into the halftime locker room and it was looking like much of the same old story with the Illini, who hadn't beaten Nebraska since 1924 when Red Grange graced the Memorial Stadium sidelines.
Perhaps there was some of the Galloping Ghost's magic on Saturday, because the Illini began to scratch and claw their way back, while at the same time, holding Nebraska to just a field goal in the second half.
Something that I am still having a hard time understanding was Riley and his play calling down the stretch in a game that Nebraska seemingly had in control. With just over two minutes left to play, the Cornhuskers drove into Illinois territory and forced the Illini to burn their timeouts. At the time, Nebraska still led 13-7 and had a third down from the Illinois 27 yard line, but instead of running the ball to kill the clock, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. went to the air on successive plays, including a 4th down and 7 yards to go from the same spot. A simple field goal would have clinched the win for the Cornhuskers, but when they went for it and didn't convert, that gave the Illini one final chance to march 73 yards with no timeouts remaining.
Wes Lunt's first pass downfield was complete to a wide open Marchie Murdock, who brought it down inside the red zone and then Lunt went to work trying to find Geronimo Allison in the endzone. After a couple of incomplete passes, which were followed by a pair of defensive pass interference calls against Nebraska, the Illini found themselves 1st and goal from the 1 yard line, and that is when Lunt finally found Allison for the game winning score with just 10 ticks remaining on the clock.
However, the win came at a price, as senior Josh Ferguson, who has held the Illini running game together for the most part this season, left the game in the second quarter after injuring his shoulder after a long run. In Ferguson's place was true freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who had 24 carries for 98 yards. Vaughn continues to impress and will be a breath of fresh air, especially if Ferguson misses any significant time.
This Saturday, the Illini take to the road for the second time this season, and are hoping for a better showing this time around than when they lost at North Carolina last month. The destination this time is Iowa City, where Illinois will battle the Iowa Hawkeyes (11:00 am CT, ESPNU). The Illini have not played at Kinnick Stadium since 2007, coincidentally the last time that Illinois went to the Rose Bowl. Iowa is 5-0 for the first time in a while and won a defensive battle last Saturday, knocking off #19 Wisconsin 10-6 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Iowa is led by their quarterback C. J. Beathard, who had a lackluster game against the Badgers, only completing 9 of 21 pass attempts for 77 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception. Running back Jordan Canzeri had a good game for the Hawkeyes, rushing a career-high 26 times for 125 yards, Iowa has been bringing it on defense this season, Cornerback Desmond King had two interceptions for the Hawkeyes, who are in a vitual tie atop the Big Ten's Western Division with Illinois (4-1) and Northwestern, who also is 5-0 on the season.
The Fighting Illini volleyball team ended a mammoth road swing with a pair of tough losses this past weekend, dropping matches to Wisconsin (4 games) and Minnesota (5 games). The Illini last played at Huff Hall back on August 29th, and since that time, have gone 8-4. The Illini are currently 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, and will host top-ranked Penn State on Friday evening (7:00 pm CT, BTN) and Ohio State on Saturday night (7:00 pm CT, No TV). The match against the Nittany Lions will be the annual Illi-noise event, where the fans will attempt to break the decibel level that was set a year ago. It will also be a welcome sight for coach Kevin Hambly and his team, who has endured a lot on this road venture.
The Illinois womens' soccer team played one match this past weekend, and took Ohio State to overtime, where the match ended in a 1-1 tie. According to head coach Janet Rayfield, "it was nice to get the point for the tie instead of taking the loss, but a win would have been nicer". The Illini are currently 8-2-2 overall and 2-1-2 in Big Ten play, and will be on the road this weekend, when they travel to East Lansing, Michigan to face the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday afternoon (3:00 pm CT, No TV), before staying in Michigan to face the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor (1:00 PM CT, No TV).
That's the state of things this week in Illini Nation.
A bizarre ending to the Illinois Big Ten opener against Nebraska resulted in an Illini win, as they staged an improbable comeback against the Cornhuskers, coming back from a 13-0 fourth quarter deficit to win 14-13 on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.
The Illini defense, which was perceived to be a work in progress entering the 2015 season, had performed admirably all year long up to this point, and held Nebraska scoreless into the second quarter of play. The Cornhuskers put up 10 second quarter points to take a 10-0 lead into the halftime locker room and it was looking like much of the same old story with the Illini, who hadn't beaten Nebraska since 1924 when Red Grange graced the Memorial Stadium sidelines.
Perhaps there was some of the Galloping Ghost's magic on Saturday, because the Illini began to scratch and claw their way back, while at the same time, holding Nebraska to just a field goal in the second half.
Something that I am still having a hard time understanding was Riley and his play calling down the stretch in a game that Nebraska seemingly had in control. With just over two minutes left to play, the Cornhuskers drove into Illinois territory and forced the Illini to burn their timeouts. At the time, Nebraska still led 13-7 and had a third down from the Illinois 27 yard line, but instead of running the ball to kill the clock, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. went to the air on successive plays, including a 4th down and 7 yards to go from the same spot. A simple field goal would have clinched the win for the Cornhuskers, but when they went for it and didn't convert, that gave the Illini one final chance to march 73 yards with no timeouts remaining.
Wes Lunt's first pass downfield was complete to a wide open Marchie Murdock, who brought it down inside the red zone and then Lunt went to work trying to find Geronimo Allison in the endzone. After a couple of incomplete passes, which were followed by a pair of defensive pass interference calls against Nebraska, the Illini found themselves 1st and goal from the 1 yard line, and that is when Lunt finally found Allison for the game winning score with just 10 ticks remaining on the clock.
However, the win came at a price, as senior Josh Ferguson, who has held the Illini running game together for the most part this season, left the game in the second quarter after injuring his shoulder after a long run. In Ferguson's place was true freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who had 24 carries for 98 yards. Vaughn continues to impress and will be a breath of fresh air, especially if Ferguson misses any significant time.
This Saturday, the Illini take to the road for the second time this season, and are hoping for a better showing this time around than when they lost at North Carolina last month. The destination this time is Iowa City, where Illinois will battle the Iowa Hawkeyes (11:00 am CT, ESPNU). The Illini have not played at Kinnick Stadium since 2007, coincidentally the last time that Illinois went to the Rose Bowl. Iowa is 5-0 for the first time in a while and won a defensive battle last Saturday, knocking off #19 Wisconsin 10-6 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Iowa is led by their quarterback C. J. Beathard, who had a lackluster game against the Badgers, only completing 9 of 21 pass attempts for 77 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception. Running back Jordan Canzeri had a good game for the Hawkeyes, rushing a career-high 26 times for 125 yards, Iowa has been bringing it on defense this season, Cornerback Desmond King had two interceptions for the Hawkeyes, who are in a vitual tie atop the Big Ten's Western Division with Illinois (4-1) and Northwestern, who also is 5-0 on the season.
The Fighting Illini volleyball team ended a mammoth road swing with a pair of tough losses this past weekend, dropping matches to Wisconsin (4 games) and Minnesota (5 games). The Illini last played at Huff Hall back on August 29th, and since that time, have gone 8-4. The Illini are currently 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, and will host top-ranked Penn State on Friday evening (7:00 pm CT, BTN) and Ohio State on Saturday night (7:00 pm CT, No TV). The match against the Nittany Lions will be the annual Illi-noise event, where the fans will attempt to break the decibel level that was set a year ago. It will also be a welcome sight for coach Kevin Hambly and his team, who has endured a lot on this road venture.
The Illinois womens' soccer team played one match this past weekend, and took Ohio State to overtime, where the match ended in a 1-1 tie. According to head coach Janet Rayfield, "it was nice to get the point for the tie instead of taking the loss, but a win would have been nicer". The Illini are currently 8-2-2 overall and 2-1-2 in Big Ten play, and will be on the road this weekend, when they travel to East Lansing, Michigan to face the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday afternoon (3:00 pm CT, No TV), before staying in Michigan to face the Wolverines on Sunday afternoon in Ann Arbor (1:00 PM CT, No TV).
That's the state of things this week in Illini Nation.
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