Illinitalk

Whether they fully deserve it or not, Illinois will have the #2 seed at the Big Ten tournament, which begins later this week. Illinois had a chance to earn that seed without any help but their loss to Penn State on Thursday forced them to rely on some assistance from others.

Iowa and Michigan State obliged with that help by beating Penn State and Purdue, respectively, this weekend. Never thought I would be happy to see the Hawkeyes win a particular game but they gutted one out in double overtime over a Nittany Lions team that, from my point of view, should definitely be in the NCAA Tournament (barring a total collapse in the conference tournament).

Michigan State has clearly established itself as the top team in the conference this season, especially over the past week or two, and has a shot at a very high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois has had a very good season and, while I hated to see the loss to Penn State, they have an opportunity to regain some momentum during the conference tournament and get themselve ready for the big dance.

At one point, I thought a NCAA 4 seed or maybe even a 3 seed might be possible for Illinois. Now, I think the only shot at a 4 seed would be winning the conference tournament. A seed of anywhere from 5 to 8 seems much more likely now, with a 6 or 7 seed being the most probable.

Illinois could really be helped by at least making the title game of the conference tournament. However, with all of the parity in the conference this season and the surprises that seem to be the norm in the Big 10 Tournament, I don't think any team can take anything for granted.

I knew Illinois would be better this year but didn't anticpate them being this much better. Some feel that they have overachieved and perhaps they have, but most nights I have really enjoyed watching them play. For all the criticism he has taken over the past year or two, Coach Weber and the coaching staff now deserve a lot of credit for getting this team in the position they are currently in. They have done an outstanding job this season and Coach Weber has certainly earned the national coach of the year considerations he is receiving.

I hope we can continue to watch this Illinois team play for a few more weeks but regardless of when or how this season ends, I think all Illini fans should be excited about what lies ahead in the coming years for Illinois basketball. If the returning players continue to develop and improve as much as they did from last year to this year and if the incoming recruits next year and beyond are as good as they appear to be, then the future is indeed bright for the Illini.

For now, let's enjoy the conference and NCAA tournaments and see how far this team can advance. And, again, my thanks to the Hawkeyes and Spartans for their help this weekend--it was much appreciated. Until next time, GO ILLINI!

Labels: Big Ten Tournament, Illini basketball, NCAA Tournament

While I was not a fan of either team last night in the NCAA Title Game, it was a great and fun college basketball game to watch. I was a bit disappointed to see Memphis lose as I felt they outplayed Kansas for much of the game but missed free throws and mental mistakes catch up to you against great opponents. I felt like I was watching Illinois shoot free throws during those last few minutes.

I have to say that negotiation tactic or not, does it really surprise anyone that almost immediately after his team won the national championship, Bill Self leaves the door wide open with regards to the Oklahoma State job? That is who he is and it hasn't changed during the five years he has been at Kansas.

For those of you (Alma Mater) already looking forward to college football season, check out today's article in the Chicago Tribune about the Illini's Martez Wilson. He should be fun to watch over the next two to three years.

Until later, GO ILLINI!

Labels: Bill Self, Martez Wilson, NCAA Tournament

Here at Illinitalk, we discriminate primarily on the basis of team loyalty, college affiliation and opinion. We do not discriminate based on age, race, faith, etc. We also strive to be truly comprehensive and unique.

With that in mind, we are pleased to bring you a guest blog from one of our faithful readers:

Hi! I'm 'Little Alma Mater' and I'm 11 years old. I know Alma Mater very well she has taught (brainwashed) me almost all I know about college sports and the Illini. Because of her when I was asked if I would rather go to the U of I or Disney World, I simply said, "Are you crazy? The U of I of course. It's one of the best vacation spots ever!"

Speaking of college sports, the NCAA men's basketball tournament just came to a close. How sad. My brackets weren't too pretty but they entertained me (and I think life goes on). My mom's brackets did really well however. (She guessed.) It was kind of hard to live with her for a while.

I don't know how the other fifth graders' brackets did (by 'other' I mean a few of the boys). I'm the only girl at school who really likes collage basketball. It stinks. There are also some annoying Hawkeye fans I have to deal with.

Now back to my brackets. Wisconsin's loss hurt bad, I had them going to the Final 4. Ohio State won it all in my brackets, but at least they made it as far as they did. They were the only Final 4 team I had left. I also had the Illini wining their first game. Be loyal people! Shame on those of you who didn't pick them over VT.

Anyway, at least I didn't start over at the Sweet 16 like AM said I do.

If you like a suspenseful tournament this year was great. 4 OTs in only 8 games one night! I didn't know how many close games I could take. That same night North Carolina beat Michigan St. by 14 (unfortunately, you have to go with the Big Ten). Mom said it was really a blowout even though it wasn't an awful game, because of all the OTs.

Overall I thought the Illini did fairly well this year considering the circumstances. It would have been nice not to have all those injuries, or the Jamar Smith deal. I'm sure loosing the Chief didn't help our players either. They're a pretty young team though and have lots of room to improve. I can't wait to watch them again next season!
GO ILLINI!!


(Please note that this post represents a reader opinion, only, and is not the official Illinitalk position on any issues, particularly my character. Personally, I plead the fifth on any accusations contained above.)

Labels: Illini basketball, NCAA Tournament

Labels: Brackets, Duke, Jamar Smith, Jon Scheyer, NCAA Tournament

Chief and Alma Mater,

You have each posted on where you stand on the whole "sheet(s) of integrity" issue. My position on this has evolved over the years. In the past, I subscribed to the Golic method of filling out multiple sheets, whether it be for one pool or for multiple pools. In those cases, most of my picks were similar but I varied my upsets a little bit and my champion varied as well. The idea was to try to maximize my chances of winning the pool. This worked well when each entry into a pool was a very, um, shall we say low investment.

As the investment costs have gone up, I have come around to the Greenie method of having one "sheet of integrity." This year, I have filled out my brackets (just one sheet) but have not actually entered any pools. The normal ones I used to enter have disbanded for various reasons and the only pool opportunity that arose this year was one in which you were assigned two teams based on a random drawing and you had the opportunity to have a return on your investment if your team made the Sweet 16 and for each round after that. I simply don't like this type of pool because there is no skill or reasoning involved so I chose not to enter it.

I think Golic and Greenie can each make good cases for why they believe what they do. From my experience, though, if you have multiple sheets you can often be happy about the results of the game regardless of who wins. But the cost of that is you don't necessarily have a rooting interest in each game. I like to be able to root for one team or the other without rooting against one of my picks so the one sheet works well for me these days. Plus, like the U.S. Olympic Committee told Chicago, you have got to have some "skin in the game!"

Now I have a question for the two of you. Are you up for a little friendly competition between friends? I will put my sheet up against each of yours but Alma Mater, you have to pick just one of the sheets you filled out. Let me know.

Best regards,
Good Hope Orange

Labels: Brackets, NCAA Tournament, Sheet of Integrity

Mark Tupper raises the curtain today on what went on behind the scenes for Illinois coach Bruce Weber before Selection Sunday. Lots of good stuff in his blog post.

Also, interesting news out of Champaign today: The U of I Board of Trustees is going to take a number of "Chief votes" tomorrow. Here is the story that's posted on WCIA's website:

The U of I Board of Trustees will take a vote tomorrow on two resolutions concerning Chief Illiniwek. The first one deals with the decision made on February 16, 2007, to end performances of the Chief. The board will also take a vote on getting rid of Native American imagery as the symbol of the U of I and its intercollegiate athletics. This also includes regalia, logo, and the names "Chief Illiniwek" and "Chief." The board will vote on continuing the names "Illini" and "Fighting Illini." The second resolution asks the board to direct its legal counsel to join with Dan Maloney and Logan Prince in their lawsuit against the NCAA. We will bring you more on this story coming up tonight on WCIA-3 News at 5 and 6.

So here is my question: Is the vote on using "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" lumped in with the vote on getting rid of the imagery? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Labels: Chief Illiniwek, NCAA Tournament

Talk about optimism in Springfield. Some headline writer at the State Journal-Register says we are in the NCAA's with last night's thrilling victory over IU. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if whoever wrote that headline is correct. But I also wouldn't be surprised if they're wrong.

Why?

Because I don't think the NCAA like Illinois for some odd reason. No idea why.

Labels: NCAA Tournament