Fighting Illini: Who Should We Blame? [And a video that might cheer you up]
The f$%&ing selection committee can’t seem to get anything right. Those idiots in their ivory tower stare at computers all damn weekend for one weekend a year and then make horrible decisions. Florida? Really? Florida? And Utah State? How do they justify putting Minnesota in over Illinois, when Illinois finished better in the Big Ten?
Okay okay. That was my initial reaction. The reality is that Minnesota earned their way in by playing as well or better than the Illini in the tourney while adding a win in Champaign to their resume late in the season. Utah State and Florida did not deserve to be there, but Illinois really hurt themselves by losing 5 of 6 down the stretch; essentially melting down when the eyes of the college basketball world were upon them the last few weeks of the season. So if the selection committee isn’t to blame, then who is?
Maybe Bruce Weber shouldn’t get a pass, as the team took the floor night in and night out looking less than motivated.
McCamey, the supposed leader of the team, definitely deserves some share of the blame. His atrocious defense and lack of any real leadership qualities besides a decent jump shot and streaky passing skills were a problem.
Davis and Tisdale? I would have to say that one of my worst moments of the season was a few weeks ago when the Illini were on national television and I heard Steve Lavin explain how the Illini big men play “more of a European style of basketball”. Ouch. One big man like that can be effective, but two? Who will rebound? No one apparently, as the Illini got beat on the offensive glass all season long.
I will tell you one thing that deserves no blame at all, but instead a round of applause: The Illini home crowd. Game in and game out, even when the team did not show any heart, Assembly Hall was jumping with crazy passionate fans ready to go balls out for their team. They deserve a lot of credit, and possibly an apology from the entire team. Not every team has that kind of support, there were a lot of road games this year where the Illini looked up and saw empty arenas. Not in Champaign.
I’m not going to follow the Illini’s “miracle” run in the NIT this year, but there is some Illini news that might cheer you up. One of our top recruits coming in next year, the 7-foot Meyers Leonard, led his high school team to a state championship. Here is a beautiful highlight of him putting the ball on the floor and throwing down a nasty dunk from his Illinois state championship run:
He better not be “European-Style”. We already have two of those.
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Comment from Darryl
Time April 11, 2010 at 2:47 pm
it should not be about blame. it should be about how can the Illini be fixed.
you start by not letting the states best go else where. the Illini have shown that when the states top players stay home the Illini are a force doing the post season.