The story of Illini basketball, during this past decade or so, would make a perfect ESPN Films 30 for 30.
“What if I told you, this team was just two Luther Head three-point field goals away from winning a national title?”
Hard to believe that was just ten years ago.
Especially given the very poor attendance at the United Center today. Most people in the venue estimated the crowd at about 5,000. Hard to believe a team that was national runner-up in 2005 would play before such a small crowd on a Saturday when weather was no obstruction in getting to the arena.
Recent Illinois-Northwestern games at Welsh-Ryan Arena have drawn about 5-6,000. Some of the Springfield games drew about 4,000 or less.
Yes, Illinois won today, but it again feels like a loss. We saw a horror film called “Illini basketball 82, Chicago State 79” back on November 23rd. Today was the sequel, as UIC came in at just 1-5 on the season.
Credit the Illini basketball team for rallying and then closing it out, but when you’re trailing by multiple possessions deep in the second half versus UIC, it’s extremely problematic.
After the game, Illini basketball coach John Groce gave an interesting analogy that one of his friends had made:
“Winning can be a deodorant, it can hide up the things that you stunk at,” Groce said.
There have been quite a few things Illini basketball has stunk at, and you probably already know what those things are- perimeter defense, point guard play, all the things that go wrong when you lack size.
Asked if this win felt like a loss, Malcolm Hill said:
“Winning covers up a lot of things we stunk at. I don’t think we did a good job of starting, starting in both halves. If we do that against Purdue or Maryland, it might cost us the game.”
Consider how atrocious a team and how invisible a program UIC is. It’s not as awful and irrelevant as Chicago St, but it’s close. Struggling like this, you have to look at the bigger picture and ask where is this Illini basketball season headed?
“We got do the best we can to be positive to make lemons out of lemonade,” Groce said.
The six game series with UIC in Chicago is now done. The deal called for the two teams to play in Chicago, at a location other than the UIC pavilion. Also, there are no more contractually obligated future Illini basketball games at the United Center.
The Sports Information Department said that Illinois has plans to keep playing at the UC, but they do not have any future dates or opponents set.
“The contact finished up,” said Groce.
‘We’d like to continue. Against Auburn and Georgia we had good crowds, (we’ll need that) for us to continue to come up here. That’s the direction I’d like to go.”
Crowds and opponents as bad as today will not help the Illini basketball cause in this regard. People vote with their feet/pocketbook, and they have issued a mandate- get better on the court, and get a better opponent on the court with you.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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