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[FEB. 26, 2001]  The last thing that you want to see happen on Senior Day is for everyone to get caught up in the emotions of the senior celebration and then forget why we are all here in the first place. The Illinois Fighting Illini alleviated my fears on that early and often in a convincing 89-63 romp over the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes. Not only did the Illini seem to throttle the Hawks at every turn, but confusion reigned as well. How’s that, you ask? Well, apparently not every member of the Illinois squad got the memo that it was, indeed, Senior Day. In fact, juniors Cory Bradford, Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalia, in my mind, stole the show in this one. This week the LDN provides a wrap-up of the exhilarating thrashing of the Hawks and prognosticates as to what may loom in the future…

Led by the sometimes-spectacular play of Cory Bradford and stellar performances off the bench by Lucas Johnson and Damir Krupalia, the Illini crushed Iowa 89-63 in one of the most thrilling Senior Days this reporter can ever remember. Illinois seniors also finished their home careers on a high note as Marcus Griffin led all Illini scorers with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Sergio McClain chipped in nine points and five rebounds for the cause. And even seldom-used seniors Nate Mast and Joe Cross saw more playing time than they had seen all season…yet another reason to believe that Coach Bill Self wasn’t just the best available young coach on the market…there is something special about him, and he and the players seem to be getting closer and closer! If you believe in chemistry, that probably is a very good thing. What better time of the year to be clicking on all eight cylinders than just before the postseason playoffs?

Coach Self responded to the LDN’s notice of that very fact by responding like this: " I think our guys have matured. They have grown into their roles. Our bench is ego-less. They know who starts, and they agree that those guys should get the majority of the minutes. But when they need a rest or are not performing well, they are ready and able to get the job done." The LDN couldn’t agree with the coach more than we do even if we were his assistant coaches (good work if you can get it!).

Speaking of the bench, how about these numbers: Damir Krupalia, 13 points and nine rebounds, and Lucas Johnson, 16 points and eight rebounds. And get these totals: Illini bench, 37 points and 21 rebounds; Iowa bench, 14 points and 11 rebounds!

Cory Bradford and Brian Cook had some of the most spectacular plays of the day. Bradford finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and sounded like Arnold after the game when he uttered, "I’m baack!" Cook finished the day with seven points and four rebounds and, incredibly, once again missed only one shot. His emergence has not gone unnoticed locally or nationally. In this week’s ESPN (the magazine), they point out how much he continues to improve and the force that he has become.

It now all comes down to the showdown in the Gopher Dome. If we continue to play unselfishly…and if we continue to get on the boards and on the floor for loose balls…and if we can heal up and try to stay healthy from here on out…we could quite possibly have a good Big Ten tournament and a deep NCAA playoff run in store for us.

But first…the matter at hand. Let’s go up and take care of business at Minnesota!

To the seniors, the LDN says thank you, and we salute your efforts on the court, in the classroom and beyond. May you always wave the orange and blue banner wherever you end up!

[Jeff Mayfield]

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http://fightingillini.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/022401aaa.html 

[FEB. 23, 2001]  Frank Williams led Illinois with 22 points, 14 in the second half, but the Illini came up two points short on the road in Columbus, Ohio, losing to the Buckeyes 63-61. Illinois trailed for most of the game, yet had two chances to tie or win the game inside the last 30 seconds of the game. Lincoln’s Brian Cook, who was saddled with foul trouble most of the night, missed a 3-point attempt with seven seconds left which would have placed Illinois in the lead. After Ohio State’s Tim Martin missed two free throws, Williams attempted another game-winning 3 at the buzzer, but that one also missed and Ohio State claimed the victory.

The loss drops Illinois’ conference record to11-3 and reduces their lead over second-place Michigan State to just one-half game in the standings. The Spartans play back-to-back road games in the next week, at Penn State and at Wisconsin. Illinois returns to action Saturday afternoon at the Assembly Hall as seniors Marcus Griffin and Sergio McClain will play their final home game for the Illini against Iowa. Illinois will be looking to avenge an earlier road loss to the Hawkeyes (78-62 on Jan. 11).

Illinois battled foul trouble in the second half and quit attacking the basket late in the game. Ohio State was led by senior Ken Johnson, who had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Brian Brown, who finished with 18 points. Ohio State shot an amazing 57 percent from the field in the first half and finished at a 49 percent clip for the game. Illinois’ bench, which played so well Saturday at Indiana, had a sub-par effort, contributing just 12 points. Illinois attempted only nine free throws on the night and only one in the second half, compared to 14 Buckeye attempts during the final 20 minutes of action.

Cook, who finished with six points and four rebounds, didn’t get much help from the men in stripes. Tim Higgins, who has officiated during three Illinois losses this season, called Cook and Johnson for a double foul early in the second half, even though Johnson clearly threw an elbow and Cook appeared to do nothing. This was Cook’s third foul (only Johnson’s first) and he was quickly whistled for a ticky-tack fourth foul just 20 seconds later (Higgins strikes again). Cook was forced to sit for almost eight minutes and was afraid to be aggressive on defense when he returned to the game.

[to top of second column in this article]

Illinois again struggled from the 3-point line, and junior Cory Bradford failed to connect on a 3-point basket for the third consecutive game. The Illini were able to out-rebound the Buckeyes 27-22 on the evening. Marcus Griffin, who played for Lincoln College, joined Williams in double figures with 12 points.

Illinois can still grab at least a share of the Big Ten title by winning their final two conference games but will need for Michigan State to lose one of their final three games in order to claim the title outright. If Illinois and Michigan State finish tied for first in the conference, Illinois would receive the top seed in the Big Ten tourney as a result of beating the Spartans in their only meeting of the year.

Of note: Illinois’ final regular season game at Minnesota has been moved from March 3 to Sunday, March 4, at 3 p.m. This final game will be televised nationally on CBS.

[Greg Taylor]

http://fightingillini.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/022201aab.html

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