By Paul M. Banks The nerve-wracking, oh-so-close, but still ultimately futile Illinois Big Ten conference tournament run is over. You knew from the start that it was going to be a huge long shot for Illinois to get that automatic bid. They inspired and excited us, maybe even got a few of us in Illination to rock out to Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing;’ but the … [Read more...] about The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Illinois Reclaiming their Place
Archives for March 2008
Bracket Predictions
By The Love Of Sports.com Check out our friend Mad Love, the Senior Love God (for some reason I thought Pamela Anderson would be the one holding that title...with "Love" of course being a euphemism for another more provocative word) for his Bracketology predictions. See how many he got right … [Read more...] about Bracket Predictions
Parity in Conference Tournament Weekend
By Peter Christian Last year I confessed that I thought the next 60 days were the greatest two months of the sporting year. Whether you agree with me or not the fact remains the same: every day between now and the end of April will have something exciting going on in the sports world. The kick-off to the excitement is the conference tournaments in college basketball … [Read more...] about Parity in Conference Tournament Weekend
2008 NBA Mock Draft: Extended Lottery Version
David K. gives us an in-depth look at how this year's NBA Draft Lottery could play out.  1. Miami- Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State, Freshman How quickly the mighty have fallen on South Beach. Just two seasons ago, Dwyane Wade and Shaq had the Miami faithful decked out in white, celebrating an NBA Championship. Now, the Diesel is back on the West Coast, and the Heat … [Read more...] about 2008 NBA Mock Draft: Extended Lottery Version
Holiday Road: Michigan State Spartans Part one of two
By Paul M. Banks On deck: Wisconsin Badgers In the hole: Milwaukee Bucks “SPARTANS, what is your profession?!?!†King Leonidas screamed during an iconic scene in the film ‘300.’ It was quite a coincidence that the Leonidas of the Michigan State Spartans, Tom Izzo, got his 300th win in the season following the release of ‘300.’ MSU markets the team in … [Read more...] about Holiday Road: Michigan State Spartans Part one of two
Sox Radio Foundation Now Set in Stone
By Soxman Chicago White Sox fans tuning into radio broadcasts this season may think their ears are playing tricks on them when they will be treated to the commentary and insight of one of Chicago’s better sportscasters. Former White Sox pitcher and long-time Chicago Cubs commentator Steve Stone made his debut this week in the White Sox radio booth, joining former Sox … [Read more...] about Sox Radio Foundation Now Set in Stone
Brandon Lloyd Joins Bears!
By Paul M. Banks Wideout back with former coach Ron Turner Way back in my senior year of college, I made Brandon Lloyd. Well, ok, not really. Not even close for that matter, but I was one of the first journalists to do a feature on him. The freshman from Blue Springs, Missouri came to the Illini instead of Nebraska and converted from corner to receiver during his first … [Read more...] about Brandon Lloyd Joins Bears!
Five Worst Sports Days
By David K.    2008 has gotten off to a very auspicious start in terms of my life as a sport fanatic. I’m the type of fan who tends to wear my heart on my sleeve, something that I am very proud of, but at the same time can bite me in the butt. These are my five worst days as a sports fan. 1. March 4, 2008 Without a doubt, this date will go down … [Read more...] about Five Worst Sports Days