Summer Daze!

Hope everyone is having a good summer and that you are finding ways to beat the heat. Summertime on the University of Illinois campus is usually a quiet one, with the exception of the occasional basketball or music camp that will draw the youngsters onto the premises. For the life of a U of I athlete, it means pretty much being on campus year round to work on some facet of training. This is evident now as the football players are beginning conditioning drills and starting to be seen in and around the stadium area of campus. Believe it or not, but we are only about a little over a month away from the start of Camp Rantoul and Coach Ron Zook's 5th season as coach of the Fighting Illini. Leading the charge for the Illini will be senior quarterback Juice Williams, who hopes to continue his brilliant career and go out much better than last season. He will have a stable of receivers to throw the ball to, led by Arrelious "Regus" Benn, a junior that more than likely will end his Illini career at the end of the upcoming season. Benn is the real deal, and was as good as advertised when he came west from Washington D.C. two seasons ago. A player that has been on campus for a little while but set to make his debut this season for the Illini is Jarred Fayson, a transfer from Florida. Fayson had to sit out last season due to the transfer rules, but all indications from watching him practice show that he can get up and down the field as well as anybody that has ever worn the orange and blue. Also back for the Illini are Chris Duvalt and Chris James, as well as A. J. Jenkins. So, you see, speed from the receivers will not be a problem. But what if Juice struggles, you say? Will Zook go to his backup of last season Eddie McGee? Or will he go further down the line and grab Jacob Charest? Still another option is incoming freshman Nathan Scheelhaase, who looks to be the heir apparent to Williams after he graduates next spring. Whatever decision is made if this occurs, one thing is sure; Zook has plenty of horses in the barn to work with.

A big loss for the Illini was on defense, when Vontae Davis left school early, as expected, to enter the NFL draft. Davis leaves a huge hole in the secondary, where his explosive play led to many tackles in 2008. Hopefully some of the returning players can step up in Davis' absence, or perhaps a couple of the incoming freshmen can step up into the limelight in the early stages. The Illini want to erase the frustration of a 5-7 season, just 1 season removed from a Rose Bowl appearance. The seniors, Williams included, want nothing more than to get to another bowl game before they leave Illinois.

The Big Ten football media days will be held on July 27 and 28 at the Hyatt Regancy in downtown Chicago. For the first time, I will be attending the event, and hope to get a much better sense of what the Illini will be like, as well as all of the other teams in the conference. I will have a full recap of the happenings in Chicago, as well as the status of the team as they head into the final month before Camp Rantoul.

For you tech savvy fans out there, I am also on twitter. I can be reached at www.twitter.com/illiniguy1063 and I welcome any and all comments about anything Illini.

Spring Sports Shorts

Don't look now, but the Fighting Illini baseball team is poised for their first Big Ten Conference title in several years. The Illini, who begin a pivotal weekend series at Illinois Field against the Ohio State Buckeyes, come into the contest with a 31-14 record and are in sole possession of first place in the conference, made possible by a sweep of Northwestern last weekend in Evanston. It has been a banner year for the Illini for many reasons, starting off back in March by taking 2 of 3 from the top team in the nation, the LSU Tigers. Normally it is too early to tell what you will have in those first couple of series', but it was just a sign of things to come for this squad. Head coach Dan Hartleb seems to be putting it together the right way, and with a 14-4 record in the Big Ten, they could wrap up the title by defeating the Buckeyes. The Illini welcomed the Evansville Purple Aces to town on Wednesday evening, and the Illini were upended 4-3 in 10 innings. Dominic Altobelli extended his hitting streak to 15 games, 12 of those in which he has produced an extra base hit. Illinois, who is ranked #25 in the latest collegiate rankings, has been there much of the season since their success in Baton Rouge. The Buckeyes come in at #27 in the country, with a record of 34-13 (13-5 in the Big Ten).

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics have come up with another promotion that is sure to bring out fans in droves this weekend to see the Illini in action. On Friday night, the first 1000 fans in the stadium will be treated to free food as part of the Bleacher Bum Barbeque, with the doors opening at 5:00 for the 6:00 first pitch. As an added incentive, there will be free mini-bats given out to the kids, as well as drawings for Cubs and Cardinals tickets throughout the game. Finally, after the last out is made, the fans in attendance will be treated to a fireworks display. Admission to the game on Friday night will be free to all fans.

Coach Terri Sullivan has been preparing her Illini women's softball team for postseason play, now that their regular season has been completed. The Illini finished the regular season with a 29-15 record, and a 12-7 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini swept the Minnesota Golden Gophers last weekend in Minneapolis, and will await the selection of the field for the NCAA Tournament, which will be on Sunday, May 10 (9:00 pm, ESPNU). With the record that the Illini have, they are sure to make the field and continue their season.

You call this spring?

I know according to the calendar that it is supposed to be springtime. The way the weather has been recently, you could challenge that notion. Like the postal service, the Fighting Illini football team does their business in any weather climate, often moving inside during extremely nasty weather. I was able to make it down to practice last week to see the team up close and personal during their spring workouts, and came away impressed with what I saw. This team that is preparing for the annual spring game on April 25 is about as fast as any Illini team has ever been. Everyone knows about Arrelious Benn and Juice Williams being quick on their feet, but some of the other unsung heroes, as well as a newcomer this coming season may make opposing teams cringe. Jarred Fayson, who is now eligible after sitting out due to transfer rules, looks like the real deal and may be one of the fastest players to ever suit up for the Illini. He was lining up as the deep man on kickoff returns with A. J. Jenkins, and even though it was just drills they were running, either one of them looked capable of breaking one for a touchdown. Fayson, who came from Florida, gives Coach Zook and the Illini one more weapon in the arsenal of speed that will hopefully keep them in contention with the upper eschelon of the Big Ten Conference. As a matter of fact, Jenkins did break one for a touchdown last season, and Fayson seems as capable as anyone of duplicating that feat.

The running back corps returns everyone from a season ago, led by Daniel Dufrene and Jason Ford. Mikel Leshoure and Troy Pollard also are back from last season, as is local product Zach Becker. This stability will give Zook many different combinations to work with, including some multiple receiver sets that will empty the backfield, giving Juice any of about 5 or even 6 possible options on certain plays. Speaking of the signal callers, both Williams and Eddie McGee return for another season, but the position is far from barren. Redshirt freshman Jacob Charest appears to be the leading candidate waiting in the wings to be the heir apparent to McGee when Williams graduates following the 2009 season. Zook also has a very talented freshman coming in the fall by the name of Nathan Scheelhaase, who may be an instant cog in this very crowded wheel. A lot is still to be determined, but there is always the possibility that McGee might become a receiver, opening the door to either Charest or Scheelhaase to take the job when the Illini get to Camp Rantoul in August.

In the receiving department, the main cast of characters have already been mentioned. Benn, Jenkins and Fayson will be key ingredients to the mix, but there are also a few others that merit mention. Cordale Scott, yet another talented speedster from Glenville, Ohio, will join Fred Sykes, Chris James and Chris Duvalt in a position that is well stocked. Throw in the tight end position, led by seniors Michael Hoomanawanui and Jeff Cumberland, and sophomore Hubie Graham, and you have a group of players that can assemble in all kinds of multiple sets that will create tons of matchup problems for opposing teams.

The offensive and defensive lines both have new leadership this spring, led by Joe Gilbert on the offensive side of the ball. Keith Gilmore takes the reins on defense, and both of those groups should be markedly better for the remainder of spring ball and next season as well. Both of these coaches have a lot of enthuasism for their respective areas, and are adjusting very well to the new surroundings. Josh Brent, who continues to sit out a suspension that was imposed by Zook, watched practice from the stands. Brent continues to keep his attitude up despite the setback, and Zook has not made a decision as to the future of him. Only time will tell, I guess.

Fans attending the final game of the 2009 season at Memorial Stadium may need to consider upgrading their winter weather wardrobe. The game, scheduled for December 5 against Fresno State, will be the latest game at home in the history of the school, but not the latest for the stadium itself (that distinction belongs to the Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played on December 29, 2002, the season that the Bears played in Champaign while Soldier Field was being re-done). Two other games on the 2009 docket have been finalized for times and/or television purposes. The opening game of the season, set for September 5 against Missouri at the the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, has been designated for a 2:40 central time kick, and televised by ESPN. The game scheduled for November 28 at Cincinnati has been moved to the night before, now on Friday evening, November 27.

Fans interested in checking out the Fighting Illini and seeing for themselves what could be a return to greatness are invited to attend the annual Spring game, set for Saturday, April 25th at 1:00 pm.

Next week's installment will include a recap on the Orange and Blue Scrimmage, as well as what the baseball and softball teams have been up to so far this spring sports season. Stay tuned!

Big Ten Tournament Musings - Day 1

The 2009 Big Ten Tournament is underway from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and judging from the way the crowd looks, it will be a down year for attendance. Not sure if the economy has an impact on that or what. The city of Indianapolis continues to be a great host for this event, and the fans that are here seem to enjoy the atmosphere as well. The games today have not been as entertaining as expected, but nevertheless, they have gone like most people thought they would.

In the first game of the day, the Minnesota Golden Gophers withstood a pesky bunch of Wildcats from Northwestern to outlast them 66-53. It looked as if the Wildcats were in the game to stay, especially in the first half, as Kevin Coble scored 19 of his team's 25 points at the break. The Gophers pulled away early in the second half, only to see the Wildcats come storming back to tie the game, then take the lead midway through the final stanza. In that second half, Ralph Sampson III took over for Minnesota, and in the process, derailed what faint hopes Northwestern had of earning an NCAA bid. The Wildcats looked pretty good, as they had all season long, but just couldn't quite get over the hump against a talented Minnesota squad. Even though Northwestern deserves an NCAA berth, they won't get one because their record simply isn't good enough.

The second game of the day had major implications on the Fighting Illini, because the winner was who the Illini would face in their first game of the tourney on Friday. Illinois had beaten both teams already this season, and only played Iowa once. The game started off with a Michigan flurry, and pretty much stayed that way the entire time. Michigan, who took a 40-19 lead at the half, put it on cruise control in the second half and walloped the hapless Hawkeyes 73-45 in a game that never was close. DeShawn Sims scored 27 points for Michigan, and had their first 14 points of the game. Iowa never had an answer for him the entire game, and it showed in the final tally. It seems as if Iowa's previous coach, Steve Alford, ran down that program worse than anyone imagined and the main question now is whether or not Todd Lickliter, the Hawkeyes' current coach, has enough time to fix it. He has some talent, just not enough of it yet.

The third and final game of the opening day featured Penn State and Indiana, who were the doormats of the Big Ten this season. Illini fans know full well about the Nittany Lions, so I won't go into detail about them, but Indiana is a team that has struggled on many levels this season. Granted, new coach Tom Cream wasn't left with much under the Sampson scandal, but at least they have tried this season. Sitting at my seat on press row right behind the Indiana bench, it is fun to watch Crean in action. His motions say enough about the season that they are having. The Nittany Lions took a 38-25 lead into the locker room at halftime, and came out in the second half shooting gangbusters and put to the hurts to the Hoosiers 66 to 51. Not much went right for Indiana in this game, although the Champaign product Verdell Jones III had a good game, scoring 23 points. However, the Nittany Lions' Jermelle Cornley had a good game of his own, scoring 22 points on the night. Rest in peace, IU, there's always next year. As for the Nittany Lions, they live on to play another day and take one more step closer to an NCAA Tournament bid of their own.

Which brings us to the task at hand, which is the Illini's next game. Knowing they had a first round bye this year, they could focus their attention on the Michigan-Iowa game, because they would be taking on the winner of that game. But, some breaking news has developed in the Illinois camp concerning Chester Frazier. Apparently Frazier sustained a hand injury on Wednesday in practice, and the news isn't good at all. He may be out for the remainder of the tournament, as he is currently listed as doubtful. This is a huge blow to the Illini, because Fraizer is known for his defense and even though he doesn't score a whole lot, he manages to be a good floor leader and getting other players open shots. The Wolverines like to run and gun, and the loss of Frazier could play into their hands to make this a track meet, something the Illini do not want to do. But, you play the hand that you are dealt, and we will soon see what kind of a gambler Bruce Weber is.

More follows on Friday for day 2 of the tourney.

It's March: Indy or Chicago?

March Madness. Those two little words mean so much to so many people. For some, it's the signal of spring and a breaking out of the doldrums of winter. For others, it is the sign of Spring Break and a chance to get away from everything. Still others think of these two words as the greatest three weeks in all of the sporting year. Yes, folks, it's that time again, when the "experts" get together and pick the 65 teams that are fortunate enough to make the field, otherwise known as the "Big Dance". In years past, selection has been pretty much obvious for many of the teams, but this year in particular the bar has been raised. There is parity this year like in no other previous year, and the committee may have a difficult time on their hands determining which teams get in and which ones are left out. There seems to always be controversy surrounding the teams that for reason or another didn't make it, but those that do more than make up for it. Take the Big Ten Conference for instance. This year the Big Ten was very competitive, and up until the last day of the regular season, the seedings for the conference tournament was still in doubt. The top three seeds, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue pretty much stayed up near the top for most of the season, but it was the fourth through ninth seeds that were in doubt. A cluster of teams went into the final weekend not knowing where they would fall, but the stage is now set and this is how the chips fell:

Thursday's games start off with Minnesota (#8) taking on Northwestern (#9) in the first game of the day, followed by Michigan (#7) battling Iowa (#10) in the second contest. The third and final game of the opening day will feature Penn State (#6) taking to the court against Indiana (#11). Friday's games begin early with the top seed Michigan State taking on the winner of the Minnesota-Northwestern game. The second game of the day on Friday will feature Wisconsin (#4) going up against Ohio State (#5). The evening session will pit Illinois (#2) taking on the Michigan-Iowa winner, followed by Purdue (#3) battling the winner of the Penn State-Indiana game. The way the conference season has gone, this year's tournament will be one of high excitement and very unpredictable as a lot of the teams are similar in talent. This should be a fun four days!

Which leads me to my next topic, where should the Big Ten Tournament be held? The Big Ten currently has a contract with the city of Indianapolis through 2011 to host the Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse, and then once that contract is up, bids can once again be submitted for other possible locations. Chicago has been the only other city to host the tournament since its inception 11 years ago, so the debate rages of which city is better suited to host the tournament. Both cities have their selling points, but in my opinion, once stands out much more clear than the other one. Chicago is one of the largest cities in the United States, and has a lot to offer in the way of fine dining, shopping and other attractions. Plus, the United Center is affectionately known as the "House That Jordan Built". Indianapolis is a smaller city than Chicago, and their arena, Conseco, isn't as well known as the UC. But there are other characteristics that make this decision a no-brainer. Chicago, as has been previously mentioned, has many nice establishments, but they are located at a distance from the United Center, as are many of the quality hotels. Plus, the area around the arena isn't the best place to be after dark. Indy, on the other hand, is nestled in the downtown area close to both restaurants and hotels, and everything is a short walk away. Just park your car and go!

Seeing everyone from the different schools all walking the downtown areas also gives off a sense of being, and Indianapolis plays along with the part by renaming each of the streets downtown to honor each of the schools. Plus, an official gathering place is set up for each of the participating schools to add excitement and camaraderie for everyone. So, based on these selling points, there is no question where I think the tournament should be held.

Other cities have been mentioned as possible hosts of the Big Ten Tournament, namely Detroit, but Indianapolis is pretty much centrally located and for what it all offers, there should be no debate.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with me that Indianapolis is a good place to host the Big Ten Tournament? I welcome any and all comments to this question.

Looking Ahead to March Madness

Here we are, just 3 weeks before Selection Sunday, and the Big Ten race is as tight as it can be, with 3 teams still with a viable shot at the title, and several others within striking distance. What follows is a synopsis of all 11 teams, in order of standings as of Sunday evening, with prognosis for the remainder of the season.

1. Michigan State Spartans (21-5 overall, 11-3 Big Ten) - The Spartans have pretty much been in control all season long, and even though they have lost 2 games at the Breslin Center (Penn State and Northwestern), they still look like the frontrunners to win the league title. Led by sophomores Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers, the Spartans can come at you in a variety of ways. They are superbly coached as well, with Coach Tom Izzo being one of the best coaches in the league, if not the entire country. Coming down the stretch, the Big Ten title could very well be decided on the last day of the regular season, when the Spartans meet Purdue up at East Lansing.

Games Remaining: 4 (Iowa, at Illinois, at Indiana, Purdue)

2. Purdue Boilermakers (21-6 overall, 10-4 Big Ten) - The Boilermakers have stayed near the top of the league standings as well this season, and even though they have lost to the Illini twice during the regular season, still have managed to keep pace. With several players out with injuries at one time or another (Robbie Hummel, Chris Kramer, Lewis Jackson), the Boilermakers are still a little banged up, but with stellar play from JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, they are poised for an end of the season showdown with Michigan State. Coach Matt Painter has done an exceptional job, and the lineage of the Boilermaker coaching tree has never been more evident by his style on the sidelines. Purdue won the first meeting with the Spartans in West Lafayette to draw ever closer to the top of the conference standings.

Games Remaining: 4 (at Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern, at Michigan State)

3. Illinois Fighting Illini (22-6 overall, 10-5 Big Ten) - After the disaster that was last season (16-19 overall), the Illini were expected to not do very much this season, in which they deemed a rebuilding year with a bumper crop recruiting class coming in for the 2009 season. But, the Illini have exceeded expectations and are contending with Purdue and Michigan State for the conference title. Sure, they have had some bad and ugly losses (Minnesota 59-36, Penn State 38-33), but they have also had some impressive road wins as well. Coach Bruce Weber somehow finds a way to motivate his players, and at the beginning of the season, had the names of the players removed from the jerseys as an act of unification. Well, it must have worked, because the Illini are destined for the NCAA Tournament and a top 3 seeding in the conference tournament with a group that is not much different than last season. With the Jamar Smith incident firmly behind them now, the distractions that plagued them last season are a memory and they can focus on winning, which they have been doing a lot of this season.

Games remaining: 3 (Minnesota, Michigan State, at Penn State)

4. Penn State Nittany Lions (19-8 overall, 8-6 Big Ten) - Perhaps the surprise of the Big Ten this season, Coach Ed DeChellis has his team playing well, and with big wins at Michigan State and Illinois, has firmly entrenched the Lions in the upper half of the conference standings. Led by sophomore point guard Talor Battle and senior Jermelle Cornley, they can sneak up on teams, which they have done quite a bit of this season. Barring a late season collapse, the Nittany Lions figure to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will be a dangerous team to face in the Big Ten Tourney next month.

Games remianing: 4 (at Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, at Iowa)

5. Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-7 overall, 8-7 Big Ten) - Now is where the fun starts in the standings. The Gophers are one of about 4 teams that are fighting for that ever elusive fifth seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which gives that team a first round bye. Minnesota has kept pace in the middle of the pack for most of the season, but they are a streaky team that is hard to figure out. Led by the outside shooting of Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber (who could forget his last second shot to beat Indiana in last year's Big Ten Tournament), Coach Tubby Smith has Minnesota poised to return to the NCAA Tournament after a lengthy hiatus. How they do down the stretch will determine their fate come conference tournament time.

Games remaining: 3 (at Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan)

6. Wisconsin Badgers (17-10 overall, 8-7 Big Ten) - The Badgers have been hard to figure out all season, and earlier in the year, were pretty much written off when they went on a 6 game losing streak in conference play. They have since gotten their act together and are competing for one of the top 5 seeds in the Big Ten Tournament. Wisconsin has always been known for their big, bruising centers and forwards, and those types of players seem to be lacking this season. Instead, the Badgers rely on senior leadership from Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry, as well as junior Trevon Hughes. Coach Bo Ryan, feisty as he is on the sidelines, still has done a commendable job in getting the Badgers back in contention for the upper half of the standings. Have a decent shot of finishing over .500 in Big Ten play with a soft schedule down the stretch.

Games remaining: 3 (Michigan, at Minnesota, Indiana)

7. Ohio State Buckeyes (17-8 overall, 7-7 Big Ten) - Another team in the logjam that is pretty difficult to figure out. The Buckeyes have dealt with some adversity this season, losing one player to injury (David Lighty), and another transferring out (Anthony Crater). Still, Coach Thad Matta has the Buckeyes still within reach of a top 5 seed in the conference tournament despite those hardships. The Buckeyes are led by Evan Turner, who could very well end up as the Big Ten player of the year. Throw B. J. Mullens in there as a shot blocker, and you have a formidable duo down the stretch that could cause some problems for teams that may overlook them. The loss to Illinois on Sunday may have done more harm then good, and very well may have cost them an NCAA Tournament berth. Still too early to tell, though, but they can make a statement down the stretch with a good showing.

Games remaining: 4 (Penn State, at Purdue, at Iowa, Northwestern)

8. Michigan Wolverines (17-11 overall, 7-8 Big Ten) - The Wolverines fall into that category of teams that are just impossible to figure out. In the non-conference portion of the schedule, they did very well, defeating Duke and UCLA, and coming very close to knocking off Connecticut as well. But, in the conference games, they have been good at home, and not such on the road. Michigan is young, with only 3 seniors (C.J. Lee, David Merritt, and Jevohn Shepherd), but it has been the play on the court that has been the focal point for them. Manny Harris and Zack Novak have both served suspensions for flagrant fouls of opponents, and even though Coach John Beilein has a young nucleus of players to work with, that may not be enough to take the Wolverines back to the NCAA Tournament, somewhere they have not been for nearly a decade. The remainder of the Big Ten schedule isn't kind to them either.

Games remaining: 3 (Purdue, at Wisconsin, at Minnesota)

9. Northwestern Wildcats (14-11 overall, 5-9 Big Ten) - Long a perennial cellar dweller in the Big Ten, the Wildcats have opened some eyes this season with wins at Michigan State, and near miss against Illinois (a 60-59 loss), but will probably yet again finish in the bottom 3, unless they can turn the corner in a hurry. Coach Bill Carmody wanted to be the coach to give the Wildcats their first ever NCAA Tournament bid, but the only way that is going to happen is if they can somehow get hot and win the Big Ten Tournament. Kevin Coble and Craig Moore continue to make it happen for Northwestern, while Michael Thompson and newcomer Luka Mirkovic have given glory to those in Evanston looking for a bright spot. My guess is they will still be searching once the bids are announced.

Games remaining: 4 (at Indiana, Iowa, at Purdue, at Ohio State)

10. Iowa Hawkeyes (14-13 overall, 4-10 Big Ten) - Another team whose fate has been sealed by injury. Perhaps their best player, Cyrus Tate, went down early in the Big Ten season with an injury, and they have not been the same team ever since. And to add insult to more injury, Jeff Peterson is also currently out of commission, leaving guys like Devan Bawinkel, Matt Gatens, and Jarryd Cole to shoulder the load. Coach Todd Lickliter shows promise as coach, but until he can put a team on the floor at full strength, they will be playing in the tournament with 3 letters, instead of the one with 4 in it.

Games remaining: 4 (at Michigan State, at Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State)

11. Indiana Hoosiers (6-20 overall, 1-13 Big Ten) - Not even sure where to begin discussing the Hoosiers. Everyone knew that this would be happening after the explosion in Bloomington last season. Amid the recruiting violations by then coach Kelvin Sampson that led to several players transferring, Indiana basically had to start from scratch to build another team. The person that was chosen to lead that charge was Tom Crean, who had been at Marquette and was a former assistant of Tom Izzo's at Michigan State. Crean knew what he was getting into, and it has been far from easy for the cream and crimson. They show a lot of promise, with young stars such as Verdell Jones III, Matt Roth and Devan Dumes, but they are just not experienced enough to contend with the stalwarts of the Big Ten. Their day will come, but for now, teams can enjoy beating up on the Hoosiers because as Crean has shown everywhere he has been, he can coach. Hoosier fans can take comfort in knowing where they will begin the Big Ten Tournament next month, which is firmly entrenched as the 11th seed.

Games remaining: 4 (Northwestern, at Penn State, Michigan State, at Wisconsin)


As always, I welcome your comments.

Chicago - An Illini kind of town?

Those of you that switched off of the Illinois-Northwestern game on Thursday night, don't feel bad admitting to the fact. I almost did too, but for some reason, I stayed with it and saw perhaps the greatest Illini comeback since "The Comeback", which of course was the Illinois-Arizona game back on March 26, 2005 that sent the Illini to their first Final Four since 1989. Sure, the game against Northwestern didn't have near the implications that the Arizona game did, but there are still some pretty curious coincidences associated with the two games. First of all, they both took place in the Chicagoland area. The game against Arizona was at Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont, while Northwestern's game was at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, a burb on the north side of the city. To further dive into the similarities of the two games, ironically they both involved teams that have Wildcats as their mascots. Coincidence? Definitely. In both games, the Illini had to claw (no pun intended) their way back from double digit deficits, and did so in the waning minutes of regulation. The only glaring difference between the two games was that the Arizona game went overtime, and the Illini prevailed 90-89 to advance to St. Louis. In the game against Northwestern, no extra period was needed, as the Illini won 60-59. Another glaring difference was the personnel involved in the comeback. In 2005, the Illini boasted a starting five that all saw time in the NBA at one point or another (Dee Brown,. Deron Williams, Roger Powell, Luther Head, and James Augustine). The 2009 version is not nearly as glamorous (Trent Meacham, Demetri McCamey, Chester Frazier, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale), but proved to be equally effective. The win on Thursday night exemplifies one thing about this year's Illini team; they somehow find a way to win when they need to. The road in the Big Ten has not been kind to Bruce Weber and his team this season, as they have looked bad at times, and downright pitiful in other instances. Thursday night's game fit into the pitiful category for nearly 35 minutes, as the Illini forgot free throw technique, missing 10 out of 12 attempts on the night. Shooting was equally bad, and until the 5 minute mark of the second half, was really struggling from all points on the floor. Unlike 2005, the current Illini squad was not top-ranked, but they are in the Top 20, and with a win over Indiana on Sunday (12:00 noon, CST, CBS), figure to move up in the rankings once again. The Illini captured win number 20 against Northwesterm against 5 defeats, and have stayed within shouting distance of first place Michigan State at 8-4 in the conference standings. As I've stated before, it's been that kind of a season in the Big Ten Conference, with any team capable of knocking someone off every game. I feel bad for Northwestern, because this is a game that they should have won, and the loss may in fact destroy their chances of making the field of 65 teams for the first time in school history. Coach Bill Carmody has the Wildcats playing really well, and they are no longer a team that you overlook when they pop up on the schedule. Barring a late season collapse, they look like a strong candidate for the NIT, and who knows, with a little luck and a few more wins, could make things interesting in the Big Ten Tournament. I just hope that Illinois doesn't have to face them early in Indianapolis, because on a neutral court, all bets are off.
The level of play in the Big Ten has been intense this season, but so have the flagrant fouls and cheap shots. Already this season, there have been two players from Michigan suspended (Mannie Harris and Zach Novak), one from Indiana (Devan Dumas), and probably should have been one more, in Wisconsin's Joe Krabbenhoft for his outlandish pick on Purdue's Lewis Jackson. (Lew Jack missed the next game as a result.) Kudos to the respective coaches of these teams for stepping up and taking matters into consideration, but one tends to wonder how much is enough? The Big Ten has always been known as a physical league, with past bruisers such as Brian Cardinal, Lucas Johnson, and Brian Butch, just to name a few. But one of these times, someone is going to get seriously hurt, and then when the league doesn't step in to curtail this activity, it will give others the idea to do something similar. But as we get down to the stretch run for conference supremacy, a good number of teams still have a legitimate shot at the title. It would be tragic to see a team's hopes dashed by a careless and unnecessary play, taking one of their players out of commission. But, that's for the league to decide.