You want a laugh, find a copy of Bill Cosby’s “Himself” DVD. You want a chuckle, look at this season’s preseason prognostications, one month later.
Before Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie came out for Kentucky’s Midnight Madness and tried to secure a dozen letters of intent from 8th graders in the crowd and before Tom Izzo turned back [...]

Regardless of what happens in Indianapolis at this week’s Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin all are dancing. One team – Ohio State – still has realistic dreams of a landing on the right side of the Selection Sunday bubble.
That makes this year’s Big Ten Tournament a little mundane, but there are still [...]

When analyzing matchups, experts tend to look at the obvious: rankings, star players, and big-name coaches. All of these play a factor, but sometimes a win just comes down to knowing your opponent.
How does the opposition score? From the foul line? Mid-range jumpers? Three-pointers? And, almost as important, where are your team’s defensive weaknesses? Can [...]

2006-2007 Record: 23-12 (9-7 Big 10, T-4th)
Postseason Games:

3/8/2007
Penn State
Big Ten Tournament
W
66-60

3/9/2007
Indiana
Big Ten Tournament
W
58-54

3/10/2007
Wisconsin
Big Ten Tournament
L
53-41

3/16/2007
Virginia Tech
NCAA
L
54-52

Returning Statistical Leaders:
11.4 ppg – Shaun Pruitt
7.5 rpg – Shaun Pruitt
4.5 apg – Chester Frazier

Starting Lineup:
Key Stat:

C
Shaun Pruitt
6’10
Sr.
51.3 FT% and just 7 assists last year

PF
Brian Randle
6’8
Sr.
57.6 FT%; fouled out six times in ’06-‘07

SF
Rodney Alexander
6’7
Jr.
Two double-doubles to start ’07-’08 season

SG
Trent Meacham
6’2
Jr.
Team’s [...]

Illinois (4-1) jumped right into tough competition this season by making the trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. The Illini blew out Arizona State 77-54 before losing to Duke 79-66 in the semi-finals. Illinois then dispatched Oklahoma State 65-49 in the third-place game. All this came after the first two wins of the season, [...]

In the past the Maui Invitational has brought us teams coming off of Final Four appearances. The championship in Maui often seems like a potential preview of April’s National Championship.
This year Maui has a little bit of a different feel.
I’m not saying that this field isn’t talented. Duke and Marquette definitely have dreams of getting [...]

General Comments:
Selection Committee Chair Gary Walters has repeated in numerous interviews that this was the hardest field to select and seed that he has encountered in his five years on the Selection Committee. I agree wholeheartedly. The number of teams in contention for the last couple of at-large slots was already massive before all of [...]

Team personality: Picture a pit bull, salivating as he stares down his prey. Move left, the pit bull moves left. Move right, the pit bull moves right. You’re trapped. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. So is the life of an opposing team’s offense against Illinois. Like a pit bull, the Fighting Illini team has [...]