I don't know how much you follow volleyball (if you don't, you should, Illinois has a really good team this year!), but as the volleyball correspondent over at Hammer and Rails and a member of the Block Party, Purdue's volleyball section, I am an avid follower of Purdue and Big Ten volleyball. Tonight, I witnessed something that disturbed me throughout the game.

Illinois has a great fan base for every sport and had a good turn out at the Purdue/Illinois match tonight at Purdue. There were 5 students from your own student section that, despite being out numbered, kept on cheering and had great spirit. However, members of the Purdue Wrestling team came out in their uniforms and purposely sat behind your students. At first I thought this was funny, but my thoughts quickly changed as the wrestling team continued harassing them throughout the whole match (and they were hardly paying attention to the game). I went to Purdue/Illinois football game in Champaign last year, and my friends have gone to Purdue/Illinois volleyball games in Champaign as well, and both of us, despite Purdue losing, have had positive interactions with you Illini fans. It was a shame to see this happen tonight, and I had to go up to one of the Illini students and personally thank him for coming to the game and adding to the already great atmosphere, to at least make up for the wrestling team's behavior. I have personally experienced what it is like to be in their shoes as I went on a road trip with the Paint Crew to Columbus for the Purdue/Ohio State Basketball game that quickly ended up being a mistake as we were harassed by OSU fans young and old. 

My friends and I have given the Purdue Wrestling team the "douche bags of the night" award. I ask that you accept my apology on behalf of Purdue fans everywhere. These few idiots are the reason why some people call us "Purdouche".

One way to play defense (via MrBenzduck)

The wait to see what might happen to Illini linebacker Jonathan Brown is over. After his crack at the walnuts of Northwestern lineman Patrick Ward, Brown is receiving a one game suspension which will take place away versus Indiana. With around 6 tackles a game it should be a blow to the Illini defense. Considering it's the Hoosiers, however, this suspension could not have come at a better time.

Seeing it live, I was not completely sure what had gone down, but thanks to that marvel of instant reply and being on national television it was certain that we would see it a few times more and slowed down. My boys certainly shared in the pain of the low blow by Brown. He embarrassed his team, his school, and himself. He has since apologized to Northwestern fans regarding his actions. The quick response by Coach Zook has been hailed as fair and appropriate. 

This is not, however, the first time that an Illinois-Northwestern game has come to blows and injury. One day, Willie the Wildcat decided to be a little playful with one of the Marching Illini members. Willie snuck up and took one of the hats from a band-o shortly before halftime was about to start. Unbeknownst to Willie, however, the band was just told a story about hat thieves from a road trip game to Ohio State. At the sight of a hat thief band members leapt into action yelling "Hat thief! Hat thief." A brave and brash member of the trumpet section speared Willie to the ground. The band-o got up with the hat and ran off to do half time... Willie on the other hand tried to get up but failed and had to be helped off the field. Willie eventually returned to the field... significantly taller. You see, the person inside of the Willie the Wildcat costume was none other than your typically tiny cheerleading girl... and now she had a broken leg. Upon his return from halftime to the stands, DIA members approached the band and talked to the director (Caneva at the time). They pointed up at the band member and motioned him down. He was escorted from the premises. It was the last game of his senior year. A year later the Big 10 instituted a rule that no contact was to come between mascots and opposing schools. Even a friendly and consensual goal-posting of Herky the Hawkeye ended in the band members being escorted from the stadium. 

If you can't find the connection between the two stories besides the obvious injury: allow me to give it away. Both injuries occurred because those involved really wanted that damn hat. 

Marching Illini Shakos are a hot commodity. 

Land of Lincoln Trophy? Or Mad Hatter? 

I think we need to man up on our non conference schedule.  This junk of a schedule I Think hurts this team.  We play these lousy teams and then we go into conference play without any real challenges.  Arizona St is OK but crap this year they have a few injury's.  If we want to compete for a Big Ten we will have to be challenged and none of these teams can do that.  When we play our first Conference game, the other team is gonna look like an NFL team.

Howdy folks. Just wanted to throw some quick information your way regarding a new website venture - PSU Football House Rentals. If you are looking for away game housing for the Penn State game check us out. It's a great way to support the local community and save hundreds of dollars on the overpriced hotels in the State College area. If you have any questions, feel free to post here - I'll be checking back in daily!

It seems to me that Illinois seniors have recently just underperformed.  In both basketball and football, the years we are supposed to compete we flop.  Last years football team wasn't going to be that good but we did come up with a Bowl win.  Why is this.  They all have been noble citizens and fan favorites.  Are they put on a pedestal after their freshman or sophomore year that they are not able to perform to expectations?  Do we blame Weber or Zook. What is the problem?  I think Illinois should be able to compete in football and basketball every year.  Last year in football and Basketball would be bad years in my book.  Why do we just settle for this mediocrity?  Do I have this team to high of a pedestal?

So, now the sweater vest is no longer in fashion at THE Ohio State University.  I don't suppose it's all that great of a surprise...especially to me.  When news started breaking that the troubles at OSU and with Tressel went a lot deeper than most people knew, I figured that if OSU wasn't doing a very quiet coaching search at that time that I would be very surprised.  As it turns out, they should have been and I think from the SI story that broke yesterday that they should be looking for a new AD also.  I guess my question is how does this effect the Big 10 (12) in general and Illinois specifically.  As I see it, big name coaches are going to wait and see what the NCAA does to the program (I predict something along the lines of a USC type punishment) and so too will major recruits.  As a result, that should lead to a downturn in the OSU program thus opening a spot toward the top of the league standings.  It might even open up some recruits (although with the real blue chippers it will probably just push them off to the SEC or some other major conference).  If you haven't, I would recommend reading the SI article.  From what I see, I certainly hope Tressel is done coaching in any form--I certainly wouldn't want him "molding" my kids.  Here's a link to the story for those that haven't read it--enjoy.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/magazine/05/30/jim.tressel/index.html?sct=hp_t11_a1&eref=sihp

Hey folks! My name is Dave and I'm in charge of SB Nation's New Orleans Saints blog, Canal Street Chronicles. I've got a phone interview with Nate Bussey scheduled tomorrow afternoon and one with Martez Wilson hopefully this weekend. I've got quite a few questions already but I though you guys would have some great insider questions to suggest that would both surprise and impress him. Who would know better than his fans, right?

Thanks in advance for any help!

During my high school season this year, our varsity basketball team was going through some tough times. We were winning games, but only against the "lower-level" teams. Whenever we went up against a good team, it seemed as if we would stay with them, and then we would fall apart and lose the game.

Well, one Saturday, we were again going up against a team that we knew was good. We started off good--which was unusual for us--and took an early 5-point lead.

It didn't last long.

Soon, it started to look like the BYU-Florida game, where a total of 71 3-pointers where hoisted up. Except, the team we were playing made about half of them. It got ugly. Quick.

We went into the locker room and things were kicked, thrown, and punched. We had high expectations going into the season, and we just weren't meeting those. It was frustrating, because we knew everyone wanted better.

Then, we had Chistmas Break, worked on things, and we came back ready to play a game. On the board before the game was the saying, "We are Warriors united, never divided." That was true, as we never gave up and always fought our hearts out no matter what.

We got past our struggles, won 20+ games, and got a regional championship--the first in 28 years. Through the good and bad, we stuck together and gave it our all, which was all that mattered. And I give thanks to our seniors, who were our leaders.

Now, looking at the Illinois season, it brings back many memories of my own season, with much to thank the seniors for a great season. We had such high expectations coming into the season, and they weren't exactly met. Everything looked like it would be good until we fell to UIC, and then we realized we may have to adjust out thinking.

But, they were Illini united, never divided.

McCamey had a roller-coaster season. He came into the season hyped up, but just wasn't himself. He looked like an All-American at times. He looked like his freshman self at others. We never which McCamey we were going to get. But, I have to thank McCamey for all the memories he gave us over the years, from the Indiana game when he was a freshman to the very last game of this season. Demetri, thank you.

Davis. Oh, Mike Davis. To be honest, I was never really a big fan of Davis. But he proved me wrong this year. He gave it his all every game, and was my favorite senior this year. If not for him, we are don't even come close to hanging around with Kansas. Mike D., thank you.

Mike Tisdale, you 7'1", skinny fighter you. Most people with his body frame would get owned in the Big Ten. Let's be honest: Tisdale doesn't have the ideal body type you want and never will. But he always stuck in there and gave all the effort he could, whether he was battling a 6'8" UNLV player or the dominate Morris twins. And having a 7'1" guy that can hit threes is always fun to see. Mike T., thank you.

Last but not least, is the most underrated player on the Illinois squad this season: Bill Cole. Old Billy was a character. He was a decent 3-point shooter. He was one of our best senior leaders. He was our hustle players. Although he may not have gotten the playing time of the others, he was a very crucial part of Illinois' success. Bill, thank you.

We may have underachieved, we may have struggled, and we all may be pissed off. But these seniors have given us some memories that we will never forget, such as the miraculous comeback against Clemson last year, the Michigan State upset, or just the need to get our blood pressures raised on Selection Sunday.

The seniors have been there for us, even when we haven't returned the favor. They saw some of the nasty things that were said about them, but as Mike Davis said after their defeat to Kansas, they always have and always will love us.

Things don't always go as smooth as planned, and the seniors understood that. They were there through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

And they were the nicest group of guys you would meet as well. Life is more than just basketball, and these players understood that.

I may have wanted a better season, but I will never regret having these seniors represent Illinois.

So, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, Demetri McCamey, and Bill Cole, thank you. Thank you for what you were and what you have become. I wish you the best of luck.

Illinois basketball fans will no doubt agree that the two greatest teams in the history of Illini basketball are the 88'-89' team that finished 31-5  with a Final Four appearance and of course the 2005 team that finished 37-2; the national title within their grasp but came up just short against North Carolina. In comparing the two teams many feel that the 88'-89' team- who will be discussed in this article was far superior to the 2005 team. Some feel it was the other way around. At any rate, both of these teams were exciting and special teams that for all intents and purposes should have won the national title!! Fans in the Illinois basketball community and outside of it who were around in the late 80s remember that Illinois team from 88'-89'.  A team coached by Lou Henson- the most successful coach in Illini history and one of the all time winning-est coaches in Division 1 who built a consistent level of success at Illinois as well as his Alma mater New Mexico State. This team was nicknamed the "Flying Illini" because of it's athletic, high-flying, up tempo style of play. At times this Flying Illini squad looked as if they could dunk and score points whenever they felt like it!  Recall that starting lineup? Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson and Lowell Hamilton in the front-court. Kendall Gill and Stephen Bardo in the back-court. All five of these players were players that were explosive and offensively solid. The bench was solid as well, featuring players such as Marcus Liberty, who was highly regarded coming out of the Chicago Public League. There was also P.J Bowman, despite being under six feet, P.J was a very good perimeter shooter. Larry Smith was a solid bench contributor along with Ervin Small. Small as I remember brought some fun to the team and kept them motivated during the NCAA tournament by composing his own rap songs pertinent to the team and it's success. During the course of that season the Illini went undefeated in non-conference play. Among the most memorable non-conference games were a come from behind victory against the Norm Stewart coached Missouri Tigers in the annual "Braggin" Rights Game". The Illini played a Bobby Cremins coached Georgia Tech team at Assembly Hall; a Tech team they had defeated weeks prior. After coming from behind and winning in overtime, the Illini were ranked number one in the country for a moment. In retrospect, this team should have never lost the amount of games that it did and the Illini should have ran away with the Big Ten title, especially since they swept the conference winning Hoosiers. But there were a couple of games that the Illini dropped in the conference to inferior opponents coupled with the fact that one of their most important players, Kendall Gill had been sidelined with an injury for awhile. However there was one unforgettable game, a game that I watched one Sunday afternoon on ABC. The Illini again met Indiana, whom the Illini beat convincingly at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers, looking to clinch the Big Ten Title on their home turf controlled most of the game. But thanks to a Nick Anderson buzzer beater, the Illini came off victorious. Especially sweet because it came against Bobby Knight. Knight was no doubt a Big Ten legend and overall coaching legend but also an abusive, irascible bully. Here is some footage from the final seconds of that game.

The Illini though finishing 2nd in the conference nevertheless attained one of the four # 1 seeds going into the tournament.  Against sixteenth seeded McNeese State, the game wasn't as close as the final score would suggest. The Illini were then able to get past a Ball State team coached by the highly regarded Rick Majerus in Round 2. Advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, Illinois beat a veteran Louisville team lead by future #1 draft pick Pervis Ellison and also guided by successful coach Denny Crum. In the Elite Eight, Illinois overcame a 14 point deficit against a Jim Boeheim coached Syracuse team that featured another future #1 pick in Derrick Coleman as well as players Sherman Douglas and Billy Owens to advance to the Final Four. The Illini met up with Michigan in the national semifinal; a team they had swept in the Big Ten that season in convincing fashion. That Michigan team led by future NBA players such as Glen Rice, Loy Vaught and Terry Mills finished third in the conference and was granted a number three seeding in the NCCA's. Shortly before the tournament, head coach Bill Frieder was ousted after it was revealed that he accepted the Arizona State coaching position. With assistant coach Steve Fisher at the helms as interim head coach, Michigan defeated some very good teams to advance to the Final Four themselves. Beating a team 3 times in a row is difficult, but I honestly thought the Illini would pull it out. There were some things about this Illinois team however that came back to  haunt them. The Illini were a dominant, high scoring team unquestionably, but the team had players in the range of 6'6-6'8. Illinois lacked a true dominant interior post presence. At times they seemed to struggle in a physical half-court tempo. The Wolverines throughout the game played the Illini differently than they did earlier in the season. Michigan controlled the tempo, using their size to their advantage. It also didn't help that with a considerable amount of time left in the second half, Illini center Lowell Hamilton fouled out of the game. It looked as if Michigan would pull away but the Illini stayed in the game. With the game tied 81-81, Michigan's Terry Mills missed what would have been the game winning three pointer. However, Nick Anderson failed to box out Sean Higgins; Higgins putting in the winning basket off the offensive rebound. The Illini had one more chance with one second remaining but couldn't get a shot off.  This was indeed a bitter, disappointing, numbing, shocking end to an otherwise great season. Michigan went on to defeat P.J Carlisimo's Seton Hall Pirates in overtime a couple of days later to win the national title. As good a team as Seton Hall was, there was no doubt the Illini would have obliterated them in the national championship game. The Flying Illini featured seven players that went on to play on a professional level after their career at Illinois. Kendall Gill and Nick Anderson were high first round picks and had long, productive careers in the NBA. Kenny Battle along with Steve Bardo did play in the NBA even though their careers were short lived. Lowell Hamilton despite not being drafted by an NBA team played overseas for awhile. Even though Lowell would be too small at 6'8 to play center in the NBA, I never understood why he still didn't draw the interest of some NBA teams. He was a strong, athletic, explosive player and could have made the transition to the forward position. Marcus Liberty, who at one time was thought by some during his Public League days to be the "Next Jordan"; he played in the NBA but his career wasn't long and productive as was intended. Even Ervin Small according to my recollection had played professional ball in Turkey. Unfortunately later on in his life, Small encountered some legal problems as far as the late 90s which led to him being incarcerated. No doubt this Flying Illini team ranks among the greatest teams in Division 1 history not to win it all. I never cared too much for Michigan in basketball or football. But credit has to be given where credit is due. They had a good game plan. They beat the Illini fair and square. There is nothing that can be done to change that. Obviously more than 20 years later, coaches and players from both sides have obviously moved on to other chapters in their personal lives. As Illinois fans the only thing we can do is sit back and wonder: If only Nick Anderson would have boxed out on Sean Higgins!!  What could and should have been!!!

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