Illinois Basketball: 4 Takeaways from the Illini’s Thrilling Win over Ohio State
The scene could not have been more picturesque last night in Champaign-Urbana.
ESPN analysts and equipment swarmed the campus of Illinois. Fans in a near-capacity Assembly Hall wore their brightest shade of orange. The guests of honor were none other than former coach Lou Henson and his wife Mary.
Former Illini greats such as Kenny Battle and Stephen Bardo were also in attendance to watch their coach’s legacy raised to the rafters during a halftime celebration.
Then came the game.
The Fighting Illini upstaged No. 5 Ohio State 79-74 behind the support of a remarkable former coach, the pride of former players and over 15,000 orange-clad fans.
Here are four takeaways from last night’s game.
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Illinois Basketball: 7 Keys Behind the Illini’s Strong Start to the Season
The University of Illinois basketball program has experienced just about every emotion possible over the last eight to 10 years. It started with that unequaled joy of a Final Four run followed by a bitter lost to UNC in that national championship. Then there was the unrivaled anger of the Eric Gordon incident, which led to the pain of years of underachieving talent (I’m looking at you Demetri McCamey).
But finally there is hope.
Cancerous veteran leadership that has held this team back for years is gone and multiple top recruiting classes have taken their place. Finally, Illini fans are beginning to see glimpses of the bright future that this team has in store as their boys have posted a 14-3 record this year (3-1 in the Big Ten).
So without any further ado, I present the seven keys that have lead to Illinois’ early season success and the program’s overall turnaround.
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
Illini’s 7-1 Tisdale finally packing on pounds
The Mike Tisdale who just came back from U.S. basketball training camp in Las Vegas isn’t the same Tisdale who came to the University of Illinois …
View full post on Sports – Men’s College Basketball
Wisconsin’s win over Illinois puts Illini’s tourney hopes in jeopardy
Taylor Jordan and John Leuer each scored 20 points, and No. 17 Wisconsin beat Illinois 72-57 on Sunday to deal a significant …
View full post on USATODAY.com Mens College Basketball – Top Stories
Badgers damage Illini’s tournament hopes (AP)
The first time Wisconsin and Illinois met this season, the Illini couldn’t miss on the way to winning their fifth straight. Badger forward John Leuer missed that game with a broken wrist and Jordan Taylor struggled with eight points. Sunday was a different story. Leuer and Taylor had 20 points apiece as the 15th-ranked Badgers won 72-57, dealing the Fighting Illini’s NCAA tournament hopes a…
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NCAA Men’s Hoops News
