By Paul M. Banks When you saw the box score of #16 Illinois’ (21-6, 9-5) 38-33 home loss to unranked Penn St. (19-8, 8-6) on Wednesday night, you might have thought you were glancing at a Girls’ high school basketball result. In football, the two schools combined to score 62 points last fall, in roundball just nine more. If you ever wondered why the Big Ten, the 2nd … [Read more...] about Illini Lose Ludicrously Ugly Game
Illinois Fighting Illini
Illini-Northwestern Sort of a Rivalry
Paul M. Banks If there’s one game that Northwestern circles on the schedule each year, it’s Illinois. The Illini directly compete with them within the city of Chicago on all levels: for coveted recruits, building a dedicated fan base, and the publicity of coverage from the nation’s third largest media market. While NU fans utterly despise Illinois, Illini Nation abhors … [Read more...] about Illini-Northwestern Sort of a Rivalry
Big 10 Power Rankings
By Paul M. Banks 1. Michigan St. 19-4, 9-2 -Izzo’s squads usually get better as the season goes along, and can be very dangerous in March. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. 2. Illinois 19-5, 7-4 -Given what an awful road team they are, hard to place them here, but no one else has protected their home court like the I-L-L. And they just clobber people at … [Read more...] about Big 10 Power Rankings
Illini Need a Closer!
By Paul M. Banks Remember the Bulls glory years, when Michael Jordan was the finest late game finisher? When somebody had to be the team’s go-to guy and knock down the big shot, MJ was the Bulls’ assassin. The 21st ranked Illini lack this quality- a true ‘balla” to close games out, a star carrying this team on their back when necessary. I asked Head Coach Bruce Weber if … [Read more...] about Illini Need a Closer!
Big Ten power Rankings
By the TSB staff. Welcome to a new weekly feature here at The Sports Bank. Every site out there gives you professional team power rankings, and in college sports you have the national polls, but what about Big Ten power rankings? We fill that gap- especially in a year of extreme competitive balance. The number following the respective records indicates the points obtained … [Read more...] about Big Ten power Rankings
National Signing Dayapalooza
By Paul M. Banks National Signing Day, college football’s version of the NFL draft, continues to grow in popularity each year. The everyday causal football fan has now joined the hardcore college football nerd in following the day’s events. There are even parties thrown at sports bars and restaurants in honor of the event. Yes indeed, there are that many people interested … [Read more...] about National Signing Dayapalooza
Derrick Rose Inspires Illini Leader
By Paul M. Banks Before budding Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose came to the NBA, he owned Chicago prep courts during his career at Simeon. Along the way, he befriended St. Joseph product and current Illinois sophomore Demetri McCamey, who leads the #19 Illini in scoring. McCamey a.k.a. “Cames” is also fifth in the Big Ten in assists at 5.0 apg. In Big Ten games only, … [Read more...] about Derrick Rose Inspires Illini Leader
Illini Leading Scorer Demetri McCamey
Interviewed by Paul M. Banks Sophomore Demetri McCamey is the Illini’s leading scorer and seeing a big improvement from his 8.2 scoring average as a freshman. In addition to his scoring, McCamey is fifth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.0 apg. In Big Ten games only, McCamey leads the Big Ten in assists (6.0 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (4.0). “Cames” has been … [Read more...] about Illini Leading Scorer Demetri McCamey
R.I.P. Illini over Gophers Winning Streak
By Paul M. Banks I'd rather not bring up the score of Minnesota's upset over #19 Illinois. This baffling outcome at Williams Arena marks the end of an era. Pour out a little liquor for the 20 game win streak by Illinois over Minnesota. I'll miss ya buddy...it was fun while it lasted! With some help from the University of Illinois Sports Information Department, here are some … [Read more...] about R.I.P. Illini over Gophers Winning Streak