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High Five: Ohio State

No witty lede or amusing anecdote here - I’m just going to dive right into a new (and hopefully regular) feature for the site.  I’m calling it High Five/Low Five.  Five clips which tell the story of each hoops game - “High” Five after a win/“Low”

Go West, Young Man

So I felt targeted by Robert’s recent article about the men’s victory over Tennessee: “...I'm always saying "just get here." Road wins can be so much fun. Those second half threes – the Wagler three, the two threes from Big Z, and the final dagger

Illini Power Rankings: They Grow Up So Fast

Here's a common modern complaint about college basketball that I do not understand: I don't even know who these these guys are anymore. This grousing, such as it is, seems to be a response to the dramatic increase in roster turnover that has resulted from the

Culture Of Fun

Think back to the water guns in the locker room in Boston after beating Iowa State in the Sweet 16. Think about the chair thing during the tournament with the players pushing in their chairs at press conferences. Think about Luke Altmyer and his shirts praising his offensive linemen. Then

Presenting... Light The I

Yeah, so here's what I've been doing for the last six months. I mean, I was still writing the preview and covering games and digging through NERDstats and everything, but with my other available time, I've been working on a new Illini show. Is

Just Get Here

I've sat at this very desk in a SpringHill Suites at least two dozen times. I go for the Marriott Points when I'm on the road, and my preference is to stay at a SpringHill or a Residence Inn (the newer ones, not the old ones)

Rotational Spin

Brad Underwood is GREAT in post-game press conferences - full stop. For starters, he is not openly disdainful of the process (I’m looking at you Mick Cronin) and is respectful to every one in the room be they seasoned vets or Daily Illini reporters. Most importantly, though, he will

How Are You Going To React When I Tell You That 2025 Was Better Than 2024?

Here's a crazy thing I was thinking when I saw the CFP Rankings come out last night. Had we not lost to Wisconsin and Washington and were sitting at 10-2 right now... we'd still be out of the playoff. We'd be Vanderbilt. 10-2 with

Postscript, Northwestern

One of my favorite angles when betting on college football games is weather. Windy? Bet the under. Rainy? Under. Snowy? I don't even have to say it. One of my least-favorite aspects when watching my favorite team play? Weather. There’s a majesty to it, certainly. The conditions

One Question Mailbag: First Day Of The Offseason

I forgot to share that photo the other night. It was such a cool scene when entering the stadium. No matter the conditions, Red is still galloping west. This one will be a quick answer to a question I received via text last night. I'm writing it on

King Of The Mountain

I don't know why, but back in Highland, we called it King Of The Mountain, not King of The Hill. We'd go up to the Super Value parking lot, we'd climb on the big mound of snow from when they cleared off the parking

From The Field - Northwestern

That photo there is the thing I reference a few minutes into this From the Stands (from the field). This wasn’t just a “snow game” - it was an “icy patches on the field in the second half after the icy mist started to fall” game as well. It

SOC - Northwestern

Everything feels wrong today. Don't get me wrong – I'm still very much looking forward to a snow game tomorrow – but it doesn't feel like a Friday before a football game right now. Not at all. Not in any way. First off, there's

Ice House

Every basketball game tells its own tale with its own unique ebb and flow. Each team comes armed with scouting reports and game plans, but the outcome is rarely incumbent upon those best laid plans. Game plans require adaptation and counter planning based on every possible variable - score, situation,