NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Illinois Beats Penn State

Michael David Smith — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:48:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Illinois, Penn State Basketball

To the extent that an often badly played game between two bad teams can be exciting, Illinois' 64-63 win over Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament was exciting.

How's that for a ringing endorsement?

Illinois' Chester Frazier hit a layup with seconds to go, and the buzzer-beating shot from Penn State's Talor Battle missed, allowing Illinois to win a game in which they blew a 62-52 lead, bumbling and stumbling around on the court while Penn State went on an 11-0 run in crunch time. It was reminiscent of the Illini's loss to Virginia Tech in last year's NCAA Tournament, except for the Frazier game-winner, which represented Illinois' only points of the last four minutes.

No, it wasn't pretty, but the ending was exciting enough to rouse the fans at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, which had resembled a mausoleum for most of the game, and for the Michigan-Iowa game that preceded it. The game was live blogged at Deadspin, and the commentary there pretty well sums up how the game could be both ugly and exciting. For Penn State, the season is over; for Illinois, the season will end, one can only assume, with a loss tomorrow against Purdue.

Illinois Beats Penn State originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illinois Apologizes, but Not to Eric Gordon

Michael David Smith — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Fans, Indiana, Illinois

Here's the way the crowd in Champaign greeted Indiana guard Eric Gordon Thursday night:

It got worse from there, with some rowdiness and some profanity, and the University of Illinois has released the following statement from Athletic Director Ron Guenther and basketball coach Bruce Weber:

"There was a great college basketball game played Thursday night between the University of Illinois and Indiana University, but the game has been somewhat diminished by inappropriate behavior by a number of fans in attendance. We value the enthusiastic support of the sellout crowds at the Assembly Hall, but above all we take very seriously the reputation of our basketball program and the University of Illinois. The profanity and behavior by a small segment of fans Thursday night is disappointing and intolerable, and for that we apologize to fans of both teams."

That's all well and good, but apologizing "to fans of both teams" is the wrong approach. If someone deserves an apology, it's Gordon, the guard who first committed to Illinois and then changed his mind and went to Indiana. Illinois fans were enraged, and he received the lion's share of the "inappropriate behavior" referenced in the statement, so he's the one who should be named in the apology.

As for Gordon himself, a brief thought: Although honoring one's commitments is an admirable quality that Gordon apparently lacks, he's far from the only high school athlete who commits to one school and then attends another. The Illinois football program's stellar recruiting in recent years has been fueled in large part by such players. Illinois fans weren't booing those guys when they got the Illini to the Rose Bowl.

Illinois Apologizes, but Not to Eric Gordon originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jamar Smith Gets Off Easy With Two Weeks in Jail

Michael David Smith — Thu, 24 May 2007 23:39:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, NCAA Basketball Police Blotter, Illinois

Illinois basketball player Jamar Smith was booked into the Champaign County Satellite Jail today, and he'll spend the next two weeks behind bars after agreeing to a deal to plead guilty to drunk driving charges. In exchange for the drunk driving plea, prosecutors dropped charges of running away from an accident.

Two weeks in jail seems like an incredibly light sentence for a man who got very drunk, crashed his car, then ran into his home, leaving his unconscious passenger for dead. That passenger, teammate Brian Carlwell, suffered a severe concussion, and Smith did nothing to help him.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber released a statement saying, in part, "We will need time to examine the facts." That's an odd statement given that the facts have been clear for months. There's a growing public perception that Weber's program is out of control, and he needs to act swiftly to combat that perception.

Jamar Smith Gets Off Easy With Two Weeks in Jail originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 24 May 2007 23:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Jordan's Son to Walk On at Illinois

Michael David Smith — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:37:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, NCAA Basketball Recruiting, Illinois

Jeff Jordan, the son of Michael Jordan, has turned down scholarship offers to Loyola and Valparaiso and will walk on at Illinois, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

Jordan is a 6-foot-2 guard who had nine points, two steals and one assist in the recent Brand Jordan All-American Classic high school all-star game. He's a decent player, but he wouldn't have been invited to that game if it weren't for his last name: There's a reason no Big Ten schools offered him a scholarship.

Still, as an Illinois alum I love this. It's good PR for the basketball team, which desperately needs some good PR right now. And it's a good sign that the Illini could land Jordan's younger son, sophomore Marcus, who is definitely good enough to earn a scholarship at a big-conference school. And don't feel bad about being a walk-on, Jeff. Your dad can afford the tuition.

Previously at FanHouse:
Eric Gordon Spanks Michael Jordan's Kids

Michael Jordan's Son to Walk On at Illinois originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man Who Created Chief Illiniwek Logo Wants It Back

Michael David Smith — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:41:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Illinois Football, Illinois

The University of Illinois this year discontinued the longstanding tradition of having a student dress up as Chief Illiniwek, an American Indian mascot, and dance during halftime of football and basketball games.

But Chief Illiniwek was more than just a student mascot. It was also the logo you see here, which is extremely popular on clothing on the Illinois campus - we're talking millions of dollars in merchandise. Even though the University has washed its hands of the Chief, Illinois fans will continue to buy merchandise with the Chief logo on it. So who has the rights to that logo?

The University says it still has those rights, but the guy who created the logo disagrees. Jack Davis, a Champaign graphic artist, says when he designed the logo 27 years ago and allowed the school to use it free of charge, he did so with the understanding that the logo would be a permanent symbol of Illinois athletics. Now that it isn't, he wants the rights to it for himself.

I think it's a little bit hypocritical of the University to get rid of the Chief but still say it wants ownership of the Chief copyright - if the Chief symbol is offensive to American Indians, a university has no business trademarking it. But no matter how this plays out, someone is going to make money off the Chief logo.

Man Who Created Chief Illiniwek Logo Wants It Back originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illinois AD Caught Being a Jerk

Charles Rich — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:10:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Media Watch, Illinois

The Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther found himself getting a little too riled up by the opening round Illinois-Virginia Tech game last week. He didn't do it in a private box or in his office. No, he did it near the action, specifically right next to the press box. Surprise, it became a story as Greg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com was one of those seated closest to Guenther and detailed his behavior.

Guenther is a table-pounder, in good times and bad. Since there were very few good times Friday -- even when the Illini had a 10-point lead with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play, they looked awful -- Guenther did most of his pounding in anguish.

If only he left it at pounding. Alas, he did not. Guenther would on occasion rise and stare down an official, or rise and give coach Bruce Weber advice, generally something along the lines of, "Get Randle out of there!" And after one miserable play by Warren Carter -- which isn't nearly specific enough considering his vast array of miserable plays -- Guenther pounded the table, rose from his chair and screamed, "Warren -- you idiot!"

Screamed it, people.

Well, Guenther had to concede in a traditional denial/non-denial/apology what happened.

"Did I slap the table? Yes. But I didn't direct my comments to anyone in particular, and I certainly didn't intend for my words to be picked up. That did not represent the way I feel about our players, and they know it. I feel badly that (Doyel) felt he had to print it.

"I think my frustrations were built up by everything that happened this season. I care. I had a dog in this fight. We played so well for so long against Virginia Tech, and it was heartbreaking to see it get away.

"The Internet has changed everything. Comments can be posted with no responsibility. It's hard to know who you can trust. I guess it's the world we live in," he said.

While AD Guenther has claimed not to have directed the "comments at anyone in particular," he never actually denied making them either.

Later, Guenther phoned and apologized to Warren Carter -- who told him he had nothing to apologize.

It's a bit pathetic that AD Guenther actually tries to blame Doyel for reporting this -- as if Doyel was doing this on the sly. Guenther was seated in press row. He is the AD of a Big Ten school. There's a good possibility that he might be aware of where he was at the sight of a bunch of poorly dressed guys with laptops, tape recorders and notebooks with good seats at a major sporting event.

I'm also puzzling over the "posted with no responsibility" comment. Uh, Doyel put his name on the story. Doyel works for a major media organization -- yes, the online arm -- but part of CBS. You know, the people who pay the huge amounts of money to air the NCAA Tournament.

Doyel tends to piss people off with some (a lot) of what he says. He's definitely a polarizing figure on the internet, and he seems to hate everything. This March, it seems Doyel has made himself part of a lot of stories. That said, I saw nothing wrong with his story. Even if it means agreeing with Jay Mariotti (not the part about Guenther needing to be suspended, but) that Doyel did nothing wrong .

Illinois AD Caught Being a Jerk originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia Tech Can't Even Sell 250 Tickets for Illinois Game?

Michael David Smith — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:08:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, NCAA Basketball Fans, Illinois

I hope I'm misunderstanding this:

Schools received only 250 tickets to the game, but the Illini picked up 100 more that were returned by, ironically, Virginia Tech.

Did I really read that right? Virginia Tech was allotted 250 ducats to today's NCAA Tournament first-round game in Columbus, and they couldn't even find 250 people who wanted them? I wasn't expecting either team to have home-court advantage tonight (Blacksburg, Va. and Champaign, Ill., are both almost exactly 300 miles from Columbus), but if Illinois is getting some of the tickets that were supposed to go to Virginia Tech, that's a good sign for the Illini.

I complained yesterday about the empty seats in Winston-Salem, NC, but I refuse to believe schools like Illinois and Virginia Tech won't be able to fill an arena that's just five hours away from campus. If only the Illinois fans are showing up, a 12-5 upset is likely.

Virginia Tech Can't Even Sell 250 Tickets for Illinois Game? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Illinois Fighting Illini

Michael David Smith — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:21:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, Illinois

Conference: Big Ten
Record: 23-11, 9-7 in conference
RPI: 29
How They Got In: At large.

Mascot: They're called the Fighting Illini, but they have no mascot now that the university got rid of Chief Illiniwek. If they had known they were going to the NCAA tournament, the school probably wouldn't have gotten rid of the Chief -- they banned the Chief in large part because the NCAA wouldn't allow them to host an NIT game if they didn't, and the school thought it was going to the NIT.

Big Wins: No huge wins, but the Illini did beat Michigan State once and Indiana twice in the Big Ten, plus they beat Bradley in the nonconference portion of the schedule.

Notable Loss: A loss at Iowa in the season finale is the only particularly bad loss on the Illini's schedule. Iowa provided the worst loss for Indiana, Illinois and Michigan State.

Player You Should Know: Senior Warren Carter is the Illini's best player, and he especially makes his presence felt on defense, where Illinois has been absolutely shutting down its opponents of late.

Outlook: As 12 seeds go, the Illini have a fairly favorable draw. It's not unthinkable that they could beat both Virginia Tech in the first round and Southern Illinois in the second. Illinois probably won't reach the Sweet 16, but don't rule it out.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Illinois Fighting Illini originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indiana, Illinois Show Importance of Signature Wins

Michael David Smith — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, Indiana, Illinois

How important are "signature victories" to a team's chances of making the NCAA Tournament? Extremely important. For evidence, just look at two Big Ten teams, Indiana and Illinois.

Everyone agrees that Indiana is a lock to make the tournament, while Illinois is on the bubble. But their resumes are strikingly similar:

RPI: Indiana 28th, Illinois 29th
Record: Illinois went 23-11, Indiana went 20-10
Strength of schedule: Illinois 24th, Indiana 58th
Conference record: Indiana 10-6, Illinois 9-7
Head-to-head: Illinois won two of three
Non-conference RPI: Illinois 29th, Indiana 42nd
Record against RPI Top 50: Indiana 5-8, Illinois 4-9
Record against RPI 100+: Illinois 15-0, Indiana 13-0
Record in last 10: Illinois 7-3, Indiana 5-5
Record in road/neutral games: Illinois 9-8, Indiana 5-10

So why is one a bubble team and one a sure thing? Because Indiana has two signature wins, having beaten both Wisconsin and Southern Illinois. The best wins the Illini had were the two against Indiana, plus a home game against Michigan State. So if you want to get into the tournament, be sure to beat a really good team at least once.

Indiana, Illinois Show Importance of Signature Wins originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CBS Says Wisconsin Could Get a 1 Seed, Illinois On Bubble

Michael David Smith — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Wisconsin Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, Wisconsin, Illinois

CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Billy Packer said late in Wisconsin's victory over Illinois that tomorrow's Big Ten tournament championship game (Wisconsin vs. Ohio State) will be for a No. 1 seed. Nantz helpfully added that finding out which team will get a 1 seed gives the viewers at home more reason to watch.

I don't buy it. Even though a victory by Wisconsin tomorrow would give the Badgers a 2-1 record against the Buckeyes this season, Ohio State has had a better season overall than Wisconsin, and I think the Buckeyes are a 1 seed and the Badgers are a 2 regardless of tomorrow's outcome.

And I also don't buy the comments from just about everyone (with the exception of ESPN's Hubert Davis) that Illinois is in the tournament. As an Illinois graduate I'm disappointed to say it, but I think there's a very good chance the Illini will play in the NIT. The Illini still don't have a signature win -- they're 0-5 against the RPI Top 20.

Prediction: Ohio State is a No. 1 and Wisconsin is a No. 2 no matter what happens, and the Illini are either the very last at-large team in the field or the best team in the NIT.

CBS Says Wisconsin Could Get a 1 Seed, Illinois On Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 10 Mar 2007 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illinois Advances, But Still on Bubble

Michael David Smith — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 23:26:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, March Madness, Indiana, Illinois

The worst thing that could have happened to Illinois today was, of course, losing to Indiana. They took care of that with a 58-54 overtime win in the Big Ten Tournament. But they're not in the Big Dance just yet.

Why? Because the second-worst thing that could have happened to Illinois today was Xavier losing. That loss results in an additional A-10 team getting into the tournament, and it will cost some bubble team a tournament spot. And the Illini would be very good candidates to be the team to lose its spot to Xavier, especially because they lost to Xavier in December. I think Illinois is probably in the tournament no matter what happens, but if they want to feel absolutely, positively certain, they're going to need to beat Wisconsin Saturday.

Indiana, on the other hand, has nothing to worry about despite the loss. The Hoosiers' 10-6 Big Ten record and strong nonconference schedule guarantees them a place. This probably cost them in terms of seeding, but Indiana is in that 7-10 range where the seed doesn't make a big difference. Overall, a much more important game for the Illini than the Hoosiers.

NOTE: Bruce Weber and Kelvin Sampson did shake hands after the game. It was a far cry from the firm handshake with eye contact that your father taught you, though.

Illinois Advances, But Still on Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 23:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One More Game to Settle Illinois-Indiana Rivalry

Michael David Smith — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 18:55:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Indiana, Illinois

Illinois coach Bruce Weber and Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson get one more chance to barely conceal their contempt for each other after Illinois beat Penn State to advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

The game (tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET) is huge for the Illini: Win and they're very likely in the tournament, lose and they're very likely out. That also makes it huge for bubble teams like Drexel, Missouri State and Purdue, all of which would feel a little more comfortable with their own bubble status if a bubble team like Illinois goes down.

The Weber-Sampson rivalry centers around high school senior Eric Gordon, who initially committed to Illinois but changed his mind after Sampson ~~recruited~~ ~~stalked~~ watched him play a few times. The teams split their games this season, so this will serve as the rubber match in addition to serving, essentially, as the Illini's play-in game.

The Illini's 66-60 win over the Nittany Lions was made a lot closer than Illinois fans would have liked by Penn State's Mike Walker, who made a Big Ten tournament record seven three-point shots for Penn State. He missed two in the last 30 seconds, though.

One More Game to Settle Illinois-Indiana Rivalry originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 18:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chief Illiniwek Is Out, But Arkansas State Indians Are In

Michael David Smith — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:46:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, Illinois

The University of Illinois bowed to NCAA pressure and dropped its Chief Illiniwek mascot. But Arkansas State University, which takes on the North Texas Mean Green in the Sun Belt Conference championship game tonight. has no such plans to get rid of its mascot, the Indians.

As Sports by Brooks notes, it's Indians, plural. Arkansas State actually has a whole family of Indians -- known as the Chief, the Brave and the Princess -- as its mascots. Although the decision by the University of Illinois to get rid of its Chief was mostly about having the right to host NCAA postseason games (including, possibly, NIT games this month), Arkansas State figures it's not likely to have that opportunity anyway, so its mascots aren't going anywhere.

Anything is possible in March Madness, and who knows -- maybe the Fighting Illini and the Indians will even play each other. If so, neither team's mascot will be there. But while Chief Illiniwek is gone for good, Arkansas State's Indians will don't seem to be going anywhere.

Previously at FanHouse:
Illinois Fans Cheer Chief Illiniwek's Last Dance
Illinois Fans Voice Support for Discontinued Chief Mascot
Report: Illinois to Retire Chief Illiniwek
Sioux Tell Illini to Return Mascot's Costume

Chief Illiniwek Is Out, But Arkansas State Indians Are In originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illinois Coach Bruce Weber Angry at the Media

Michael David Smith — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:07:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, NCAA Basketball Coaches, NCAA Basketball Police Blotter, Illinois

Here's the thing about being a college coach: You've got to either win or run a clean program. Idelly you'll do both, but if you're doing one or the other particularly well, you'll have the support of your administration. The problem comes when you've got a season when you aren't winning and your program isn't clean. That's when your job is on the line.

I don't think Illinois coach Bruce Weber is there yet, but this has been a rough season. The Illini probably aren't going to make the NCAA Tournament, and two different players have been arrested for drunk driving. And when a coach starts criticizing the media, that's never a good sign. At his most recent press conference, Weber had this to say:

I don't read the paper and I don't turn on the news, nothing against you guys but there's a lot of stuff that doesn't get printed so I don't bother

As an Illinois alum, I like Weber and always have, but he really ought to knock off the "I don't read the paper" talk. That makes him sound like he's out of touch with the rest of the world. This has been his worst season both on and off the court, and if he's getting criticism, that's fair. Just as soon as the Illini start winning again and his players stop getting arrested (and I think both of those things will happen), he'll return to his status as the most popular man in Champaign.

Illinois Coach Bruce Weber Angry at the Media originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Loss to Iowa, the Illinois Bubble Has Burst

Michael David Smith — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:57:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Illinois

Illinois needed a win at Iowa to finish the Big Ten season 10-6 and wrap up an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The win wouldn't have assured the Illini of getting in, but it would have all but done that.

Instead, the Illini lost, and their tournament hopes are looking dismal. At this point, the Illini have to still be playing on Saturday in the Big Ten tournament -- and might have to be playing on Sunday -- to get in. It's a very disappointing ending for Fighting Illini fans who have endured the most disappointing season in Champaign in several years.

Of course, the game raises one other question: Does Iowa have a chance? I don't think so. The Hawkeyes were mediocre in the nonconference portion of their schedule and therefore couldn't afford any major slip-ups in Big Ten play. Losing to Penn State, as Iowa did this week, qualifies as a major slip-up. Unless they can win the Big Ten tournament, both of these teams should get ready for the NIT.

With Loss to Iowa, the Illinois Bubble Has Burst originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indiana, Purdue, Illinois Bring Big Ten Bids to Six?

Michael David Smith — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 09:05:00 EST

Filed under: Ohio State Basketball, Wisconsin Basketball, Indiana Basketball, Michigan State Basketball, Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois

It was just last weekend that I wrote that the Big Ten might get just three NCAA tournament bids. But I also said at the time, "It's not outside the realm of possibility that six Big Ten teams could make it." That's still a possibility.

Wisconsin and Ohio State are obviously in. Michigan State is in as well. Indiana has been struggling lately, losing three of the last four, including Michigan State last night. But the Hoosiers had a very good nonconference schedule, and they should win their last two, Northwestern and Penn State, easily. That's four Big Ten bids.

But what about Purdue and Illinois? The Boilermakers are 7-7 in the Big Ten and close with home games against Minnesota and Northwestern, so they're going to finish 9-7 in the conference. Given some fairly good nonconference wins (Missouri, DePaul, Virginia) that should be enough. And the Illini will go 10-6 in the Big Ten with a season finale win at Iowa. That should also be good enough.

Can the Big Ten really get six bids, though? I find it hard to believe. Most likely, either Purdue or Illinois -- will have a poor showing in the conference tournament and lose out there. But it's surprising we're even talking about six Big Ten bids at the end of February.

Indiana, Purdue, Illinois Bring Big Ten Bids to Six? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 09:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Illini Roll Over Penn State, One Win Away from Tournament?

Michael David Smith — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Illinois Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Illinois

With a 68-50 final score, Illinois had one of its easiest wins of the season at Penn State today. But determining how the Fighting Illini's tournament chances stack up is far from easy.

ESPN's analysts were fiercely divided on the Illini's merits. On College GameDay all three experts said the Illini are in, but at halftime a different group of studio folks said the Illini have no business in the tournament.

The best argument against the Illini is that the Big Ten schedule gave them a huge break in not having to play either at Wisconsin or at Ohio State. That means if the luck of the scheduling draw had been a little bit different, you'd be adding a couple of losses to the Illini's record, which is currently 21-9.

On the other hand, it seems a little unfair to knock a team for games it didn't play, and the Illini's schedule was still reasonably difficult (18th in the country according to RPI). The thinking here is that with a win at Iowa next weekend, which would improve them to 10-6 in the Big Ten, the Illini are in. With a loss they're out. But either way, Illini fans will be sweating on Selection Sunday.

Illini Roll Over Penn State, One Win Away from Tournament? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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