As I start typing this, it is just about to be midnight Sunday night. I have spent much of today getting stuff ready to head back to Champaign, and then driving to Champaign, and then moving some stuff back into my dorm room, as I will start my sixth semester here at the U of I Tuesday.
I have been trying to decide what to write for my first piece back in the current center of the college basketball universe. Don’t worry Jake. The Illini are just borrowing it for a little while… It will return to its rightful place, like Lawrence or Durham, soon enough, right?
But, something keeps happening… Illinois keeps winning. 18 in a row, the first time in school history the Illini have started 18-0. And the events of the past two days makes me wonder… Can the Illini stay on top longer than even the most ardent Illinois supporter would imagine?
Saturday was a day the run could have ended. Illinois was playing at Northwestern, where they lost last year after the Fighting Illini left the arena at halftime and Bruce Weber didn’t notice. Well, that actually didn’t happen, but let’s just say it was a collapse and it wasn’t pretty.
The Illini would almost certainly know before the start of their game if the ESPN-appointed #1 team in all the land, North Carolina, had beaten Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons, and particularly Chris Paul, had not played well in recent “big games”. Illinois, on December 1, stuck it to Wake Forest. If UNC won while the Illini struggled or got beat, you could see the #1 ranking moving towards Chapel Hill. But something really peculiar happened…
Wake Forest had the speed to stay with UNC’s “vaunted” full-court offensive attack. Wake played good enough defense to stifle UNC just enough to get them frustrated. North Carolina’s Rashad McCants, who scored 19, earned his fourth foul just a minute into the second half on a very ticky-tack defensive play. Three other Tar Heels ended up fouling out. Paul, who had performed poorly in almost all of his previous big games, scored 26, and also added 8 assists and 6 rebounds. And Wake, barely a 66% free-throw shooting team coming in, made EVERY single free throw! 32-of-32! The supposed “best team” in America, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, got their feet stuck in the mud in Winston-Salem, and lost by 13.
Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, then, was where Illinois could re-establish that they were a pretty darn good team themselves. And they did just that. Luther Head scored 26, Roger Powell, Jr., scored 15, and Dee Brown scored 12. Brown added 7 assists while Deron Williams, even with being saddled with foul trouble, had 9. Even the much-maligned Nick Smith scored 8 points.
Northwestern tried to run the “Princeton” offense, but it was no match, as the Illini showed their defense to be up to the task. Illinois ended up forcing 16 turnovers out of the Wildcats.
Ron Santo: Oh no! Roger’s going to punch the ball!
Pat Hughes: Actually Ron, he’s just trying to get the rebound…
Ron: Really? Oh. Um… Um… That Diaz guy, he’s really a bad umpire…
Pat: Whatever you say Ron…
Ron: Come on Sammy… Um… All you need to do is hit a flyball here…
Pat: And he swings at a pitch a foot outside, strike three, two down.
Ron: Garciaparra is still at third after that leadoff triple Pat! Geez…
Pat: And now it’s time for the Cub Foods Attendance Game!
Ron: It’s almost like there isn’t even a ball game when we do this Pat!
Pat: That’s exactly right Ron.
Illinois is #1 for another week. I know the ESPN folks are just going to love having to deal with that again. And if the Illini can beat Iowa this week, then the big game at Madison against the Badgers looms the following week. And I will have to get the Desipio jet to fly in the scouts for a pregame report on that game. Michigan State almost ended Wisconsin’s home winning streak until they started missing free throws and the Badgers remembered that an offense that goes both inside and outside can be successful. If the Spartans can almost do it, I have to think the Illini could finish the job. But it won’t be easy, and several recent Illini teams that looked like they were much more talented than the Badgers have gone up to Madison and fallen to defeat. So, you will understand if I am not looking forward to that game.
The other things:
The Patriots beat the Colts 20-3. Peyton Manning isn’t going to the Super Bowl. What a shame… And it’s so hard to hate the Colts’ style of play… I mean, who can dislike a team that can’t stop the run and has a quarterback who can’t seem to get over the hump?
Steelers survive Jets in overtime. If you think the Steelers are going to win next week, well, let me just save you a week of waiting right now: They won’t if they play like they did Saturday.
Falcons beat up on Rams. The only thing better than seeing the Colts lose (Since, of course, the Packers are now out of it): Seeing the Rams lose. By 30. That’s a great effort boys!
Eagles beat Vikings. This just in: Joe Buck didn’t go insane this week. At least this is progress.
Cubs sign Chad Fox. Yes! This is exactly the move we need! We still only need a closer, another outfielder, and a new manager for the games after August 31st. (I know some of you will disagree with that last part, but these are my opinions, right?)
Then there was Stephen Randolph… You know, some moves, you just can’t say anything about them, or else you will lose your sanity. So, I won’t say a word.
Finally, on the Bulls… Yes, they are playing much better, and I think they have a 50% chance of making the playoffs. But, the Bulls still have given up more points than they have scored so far this season. So, what I am saying is that they aren’t suddenly going to compete with and beat the best teams in the NBA. That takes time. Think about how long it took Jordan to get used to the people around him, to get used to the NBA, and to get used to the atmosphere and pressure of the NBA Playoffs. Gordon, Hinrich, Duhon and Deng all have a great amount of college experience. But it isn’t the NBA experience teams need to make runs to get into the playoffs and then make a run in the playoffs. So, don’t get your hopes too far up. Yes, I know this is Chicago sports, and it is your job as Chicago sports fans to get your hopes up whenever a team makes a run like the Bulls have. Just don’t get too hurt if (when?) the downturn comes.
I was going to let someone else fire the first shot, but what the hell….
If “even the most ardent Illinois supporter” could imagine an undefeated season isn’t the quick ansnwer to your rhetorical question (“Can the Illini’ stay on top longer”), no?
Deng has a great amount of college experience (one year)? Or were you just lumping him with the other 3?
Do you really believe ESPN gives a damn who the #1 ranked team is?
Regardless of my own personal opinion, 18-0, but 15 years removed from a Final Four appearance simply does not allow you claim to the center of the college basketball universe. Sorry.
Thank you for clarifying that not only were you getting ‘stuff’ ready to head back to Champaign, but also that you were getting ready to drive back to Champaign — and then of course, that you’d be unloading said ‘stuff’ to your dorm room once you got there. I’m sure none of us could have inferred the last two events based strictly on the first.
Sometimes I think you’re in college word count mode, just remember at Desipio occasionally less is more.
By the way, you cost me a $20 bet with Karry Ling as I was sure you’d split your first post up in to two parts here at the new digs….
Yes, less is more. You might want to remember that too, Jakey Poo.
You live in the dorm as a junior?
Evidently. B.C.’s recipe for mac ‘n’ cheese ain’t strong enough to allow him to spread his wings and throw down on an apartment in Champaign.
…I’m an assclown…
The ‘intrepids’ are depressing me.
Jake, I included Deng in that statement because he did go to a Final Four. While he was not in college very long, he did have to play in some high-pressure environments during his time at Duke. The other three I listed definitely had more college experience, if that is your point. However, I wouldn’t discount Deng’s experience either. It’s more than only playing IHSA basketball before going pro, like a certain other Bull.
My ESPN comments have more to do with them giving a ton of hype to UNC last week. Then, UNC loses. It was intended to be a swipe at ESPN for picking a team and then hyping them to no end.
As for the Bulls, they didn’t come together until December. That was when Coach Skiles first went with the Curry-Davis-Deng-Duhon-Hinrich lineup. Since that point the Bulls have been the 2nd best team in the East (behind Miami). They were +96 over 24 games since then, for a 4.0 pt/game margin. Again better than everyone in the East but Miami.
Good point, BC… I really wish the networks would just leave us alone when top-5 ranked teams play each other… That would leave more time to pimp Tilt….
In your words Deng has a “Great amount of college experience.” I personally wouldn’t say that about any one-and-done, Maggette, Carmelo, etc….. That doesn’t mean they’re not good, I suppose it just means we have different definitions for ‘great’ and ‘experience.’…
I’ll bet you also say po-tat-uh, and tom-at-uh…
Karry, give me a break. When I go long I at least leave plenty of space for visual aids to keep your attention. And really, wouldn’t anything ‘less’ than every-other-month posts pretty much be considered ‘never’???
John,
BC would bnever let facts stand in the way of making a point…
I don’t get the Ron and Pat bit. It’s supposedly them calling an Illinois game, and then they’re talking about Sosa and Garciaparra. I mean, how about “you know, Pat, Nick Smith is just…ah…not, he’s not good.”
Where’s Andy?
And when’s Crazy Aunt Martha going to give us an article here?
Jake, ESPN should have promoted the WF/UNC game, but instead almost all of the attention was focused solely on the Tar Heels.
Oleg, before today’s game, the Bulls had given up more points than they had scored over the whole season. That may still be the case. That is a fact.
Brian, good point. I just realized that indeed that bit is screwed up. Hopefully my fix will work that out.
Remember, any comments about my article you don’t want to put up publicly can be sent to my e-mail at bcrozier@uiuc.edu.
I was busy making the Hank-White-O-Meter. Thankfully, I only need one available status level for the offseason.
“Remember, any comments about my article you don’t want to put up publicly can be sent to my e-mail at bcrozier@uiuc.edu. ”
I can’t imagine a comment being so bad that one wouldn’t want to post it HERE.
Perhaps if somebody LIKES an article by B.C. but doesn’t want to get flamed to death, I suppose…
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