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Illinois

Illini Hoops All-Decade team

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By Paul M. Banks & Paul Schmidt of  The Sports Bank and Joe Kutsunis of Hail to the Orange, "Home of the Blogging Illini" When putting together an All Decade Team, our first effort was Nick Smith, at guard, forward, and center. Nick Smith all the way baby. So obviously someone spiked our Egg Nog with opium or something. Eventually we decided to take the job seriously and … [Read more...] about Illini Hoops All-Decade team

Illini Football Hires Paul Petrino as Offensive Coordinator

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By Paul Schmidt Get ready for some shootouts. Remember this season when it seemed as though the defensively-challenged Illini would only win games by scores of say, 40-38? And when the offense proved feeble at the beginning of the year, how the season unraveled? Yeah, that won't be a problem with Paul Petrino as offensive coordinator. … [Read more...] about Illini Football Hires Paul Petrino as Offensive Coordinator

Illinois Sports Extravaganza, Part Two, Basketball

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By Paul M. Banks and Paul Schmidt 8 minutes until tipoff Welcome back to Champaign, the Pauls are still in the house.  Quite literally, the House of Paign! Is this game on TV?  Who knows...who cares??? We're here to break down all of the action for you tonight, and we're only slightly tired after the barnburner that was the Illinois football game. Illinois and Boise … [Read more...] about Illinois Sports Extravaganza, Part Two, Basketball

How The Illini Got Their Groove Back in South Carolina

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Why You Should ALWAYS DVR Your Teams' Games If You Won't Be Home By Paul Schmidt Sometimes, life is more important than sports.  It's a rare occurrance.  Even rarer in my life than for most people. But darnit, my wife and I had a gift certificate to a tequila bar/restaurant that was expiring soon...the Illinois-Clemson game of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge was just going to … [Read more...] about How The Illini Got Their Groove Back in South Carolina

Illini Don’t Embarrass Selves, Program or School Against Cincinnati

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By Paul Schmidt No one expected the Illini to win, let's be perfectly honest. But, as 18.5-point underdogs, most expected the Illini to get run right out of Nippert Stadium by the number-5 ranked Cincinnati Bearcats. And while the final score, 49-36, certainly indicates problems, there a couple of things that come out of the game that really reflected well on the … [Read more...] about Illini Don’t Embarrass Selves, Program or School Against Cincinnati