This Won't End Well For Illinois

There have been moments these last 17 years. Ever since I started to type Illini words on the internet, I've found myself fascinated by moments. And it feels like it all pivots around one moment. At least for me:

February 5, 2019. The "this won't end well for Illinois" game.

No, this is not "and that was the low point for Illinois Basketball." I'm just saying that everything shifts at that moment. If I've ever framed something for you – if you've ever read my words and thought something along the lines of "Robert put into words what I was thinking/feeling" – then please know that everything, for you and for me, pivots around February 5th, 2019. You'll understand once I'm finished with this post.

I'll start with the personal. February 5th, 2019 was exactly ten years from when I had started the blog. I had joined my wife on a work trip that February weekend and I was flying back to St. Louis that Tuesday so I could go to the Illinois-Michigan State basketball game that night. I just said the word "that" way too many times.

My flight was delayed, however. And when I landed in St. Louis, I already knew I was going to miss a big chunk of the game. Here's how I started my post that night:

I got off the plane in St. Louis at 3:26. Got my bag at 3:38. Got on the parking shuttle at 3:44, two hours and 16 minutes before tipoff (it's a 2:45 drive from Lambert to Champaign). I texted my wife, saying I was thinking of not going to the game. She texted back right when I got to the car in the parking lot - 3:52 pm according to the text:

"We will probably lose but you gotta show up. U took this flight just so you could go to this game. Show up!"

I love her.

I hit the road at 3:54. Made up, ahem, made up some time on the drive, and pulled into the parking lot at the State Farm Center at exactly 6:29. I had missed the first 11 minutes of game time, but I showed up. I hit the bathroom, watched from the 7:00 mark until the 2:00 mark while standing in one of the concourses (it took forever to get a whistle for the under-four timeout in the first half), and then made it to my seat with two minutes left in the half. I was late, but I showed up.

And then Illinois Basketball showed up.

To set the scene for you, we were 7-15 on the season at that point and hadn't sniffed the NCAA Tournament in six years. It was Brad Underwood's second season in Champaign, and in his first 54 games, we were 21-33. He had just completely overhauled the roster after his first season, leaving only Trent Frazier, Da'Monte Williams, Aaron Jordan, and Kipper Nichols on the roster. And with no transfer portal yet, he had to rebuild with true freshmen (like Ayo and Giorgi) and jucos (like Andres Feliz). It... was going to take a while.

The fanbase? The fanbase was at Francon 3. No NCAA Tournament since 2013 AND we were just one day from Lovie Smith adding his son Miles to the staff instead of hiring a new defensive coordinator. Yes, I was a "give Lovie time to completely rebuild everything" guy, and we were still eight months from October 12, 2019, but even Always Positive Robert couldn't believe it:

The fanbase, even Always Positive Robert, was surly.

So just flash forward with me for a moment. It's 2026. In the last 50 months we have seen:

• An Elite Eight run
• A Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina (a 10-win season)
• A Music City Bowl win over Tennessee (a 9-win season)
• A Final Four run

Now go back. Real fast, go back to the moment I got in my car at The Parking Spot near Lambert Field on February 5th, 2019 and, at my wife's urging, drove to Champaign even though I'd miss most of the first half of the Michigan State game. Illinois basketball is 21-33 under Brad Underwood at that moment and Illinois football is 9-27 under Lovie Smith. The last NCAA Tournament was 2013 and the last bowl game was 2014. How surly were you? Francon 2?

The game played out like every Illini basketball game played out back then. 7-15 Illinois was playing #9 Michigan State but we're surprisingly plucky. We had a 58-46 lead with 11 minutes left and the two freshmen, Ayo and Giorgi, were playing well. And then that thing that always seemed to happen happened. A 20-7 Michigan State run and they lead 66-65 with five minutes left. I tried to summon the same thing I always try to summon and I tweeted this:

And then... we responded. I "switched to emergency mode" and went into the crowd with four minutes left after we tied it at 68. From there, I watched us take a 71-68 lead. And then I got to watch this (just without the Dan Dakich commentary). Sound on because the sound is everything with this clip. The soundbite is the title of this post:

The turning point for Illinois Basketball – the low point before the climb – was not February 5th, 2019. We would end that season with a 4-6 record in our final 10 games (which gave us a team-record 21 losses). And the next season wouldn't start much better, even with Kofi having arrived by then. A 10-5 start to that season (with a terrible loss to a terrible Missouri team in St. Louis) left the fanbase in the same surly mood. Ayo then hit another three from the top of the key in early January, this time over Brad Davison, and the climb officially began. We haven't missed an NCAA Tournament since and are currently coming off a Final Four season while looking forward to a top-5 preseason ranking next year. You have arrived at your destination.

So why choose the "this won't end well for Illinois" three pointer here instead of Down Goes Davison? Because of the audio. From that moment... to this:

Illinois Basketball on February 5, 2019: Dan Dakich still thinking he can pour a bucket of his trademark snark all over the Illini. And then Ayo hits a dagger three.
Illinois Basketball on April 26, 2026: Ayo hits a dagger three. And then Mike Breen anoints him with his trademark "BANG."

The 2012 season? We got BP43... and then 12 losses in the next 14 games.
The 2026 season? We got W46LER... and then a Final Four appearance.

April 2021? After Meyers Leonard's suspension there was not a single Illini player in the NBA.
April 2026? Terrence Shannon with the Timberwolves, Kasparas Jakucionis with the Heat, Will Riley with the Wizards, and Ayo Dosunmu scoring 43 points on 17 shots to lead the Timberwolves to a 3-1 series lead. And speaking of a 40-piece on 17 shots, Keaton Wagler is currently on his way to the Lottery.

So much pivots on February 5, 2019. I'm so glad my wife made me go despite the late flight. On the court after that game, I met Josh and Jonny who are now part of The BoardRoom podcast around here. Exactly one year later (February 3rd, 2020 to be exact) is when I put in my two weeks at my job to quit one career and start another. And February 5, 2019 is when we all collectively were reminded that one true superstar can take over a game. I'll do one more:

2007 through 2019: Not a single jersey added to the circle of Honored Jerseys at the State Farm Center because no one qualified for the honor.
2020 through 2026: Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn, Terrence Shannon Jr, and, very soon, Keaton Wagler will have banners hanging in the rafters.

This won't end well for Illinois? You couldn't have been more wrong, Dan.

BANG.