Illinois 5-0, #1 in the Nation?????

Okay, to be honest, it was not a fair fight. The Assembly Hall is a special place, one of the best homecourts in all of college basketball, with the best fans. All that orange? Well it is bound to throw off your shot. Bruce Weber's jacket alone could leave the opposing team wondering about the existence of such a place as Delbert's in Arthur, IL that would make such clothing.

However, what happened last night against #1 ranked Wake Forest was still an incredible moment for Illinois basketball. The announcers (okay, I love Bill Rafftery and hate Jay "Bias" Bilas) kept saying that Wake Forest had been punched in the mouth. I say that Wake Forest walked onto the playground, stuck out their hand, were promptly hit in the mouth with an aluminum bat, and sat down on the playground and cried.

Okay, to be honest, it is nearly impossible to beat a team when they shoot 61% in a half. It makes it even harder when that team only turns the ball over 4 times. Illinois had 27 assists on 32 basketes. Wow. I am still in shock over the complete domination of the Illini. The game was so ridiculous, that I turned it off in the second half and watched part of the Iowa St. vs. Northern Iowa game (GO PANTHERS!).

I love this team, I have for a long time. I love every player. My favorites though, are Roger Powell and Luther Head. Powell is so versatile it is crazy. The way he flashed to the ball and shot with good mid-range last night, just beautiful. He plays a crazy kind of defense, and he is just out there working hard. He is the key to any success we have this year. Luther is just a freak. Nuff said. This is Bill Self's team...he recruited them, coached them, and got them to click as a team. However, this season, the genius coaching of Bruce Weber is really showing through. The motion offense Illinois is running is the perfect complement to the aggressive swarming defense they play. I appreciated the high-low with Brian Cook, but can anyone disagree that watching this team weave, pass, and shoot is one of the best things you have ever seen? They are so fast and they are so sharp with their passes.

This team has discipline, not all of the time as some shots are still rushed, but this team makes snap passes, clean blocks, good cuts, and is shooting great. In my recent memory there have been three great Illini teams that have done things. The 1989 Flyin' Illini were amazing and dominant in many ways. They lost a close game to Michigan in the Final Four in a year that probably should have produced a National Title, they had it all. Another great team was the year we won the conference with Matt Heldman, Bryan Johnson, Jarod Gee and that group of guys. They did not have a ton of talent, but they had more heart than their bodies could contain. The third great team was during the time of the Peoria Manual guys. Frank Williams, Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain, and Corey Bradford were the lynchpins...Brian Cook was in this crowd as well. This team had a ton of talent, but had no heart and had some real problem players...hello Frankie!! My point is, the current incarnation has it all. They have the heart and the talent to do great things. The bench is playing great, and would be even greater with Brian "Damn You Wall!" Randle.

My mom called after the game and immeadiately stated that we were going to the Final Four and she needs tickets. I am not as far out there as her right now, even though one of my bosses does have two tickets to the Final Four. We have not gone on the road yet, although if we keep winning our tournament sites could potentially be Chicago, Indianapolis, then St. Louis. We need to see how we respond in the Kohl Center, and at Michigan State. We still have a long way to go, and some other tough teams to match up against. I think one of the toughest teams out there is Georgia Tech. I am sure if we played them it would be tight. I don't worry about North Carolina, we have matched up well with them in the past 2 meetings over the past two years. Kansas you say? They have a great dominant inside presence with a lot of talent...but I dare you to put this Illini team in the same gym with Bill Self...retribution anyone?

At any rate I am pleased as punch for this team because I truly like this team and the personalities on it. The only thing that makes me sad is knowing the number of NBA folks that were there last night seeing so many Illini having great games. I would hate to see any of these guys leave early, but I fear it is inevitable. I will just enjoy this ride as long as it lasts and give a:

OSKEE WOW WOW!!!!