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Why did I do these things? Because it
has become apparent that I don't know anything about college
basketball! The tape of the Missouri-Illinois game will confirm what
you already suspected; my predictions weren't even close! And while
I did prognosticate a narrow victory, on “FANdamonium,” I readily
admit that I was more than tongue-in-cheek!
The bigger problem that I will have
with this column is how to describe for you how stunning this game
actually was!
Maybe I should have had a clue (most of
the time I don't) when we walked into the building and there were
FBI and Secret Service dudes everywhere you turned. However, I was
so focused on the game I REALLY wasn't even conscious of them until
after the game and I knew that John Ashcroft had been in attendance.
(And YOU think that I'm wasting my time going to games. What about
him? Boy, do I plan to get a lot of mileage out of that little
development!) Subconsciously, I must have thought that there was a
bomb scare or something, but I've never been smart enough to run for
cover anyway.
[Photos by Ed Bacon]
Then the game broke out. And ol' Mizzou
started off like a house of fire. Especially newcomer Ricky Clemons,
who was dialing in some shots from another ZIP code!
Then not only did Brian Cook hit a few
shots, but Illinois' super freshman Dee Brown appeared to feed on
the riot that Clemons started. He hit two or three long bombs
himself and tried to hush the crowd, and before you knew it the Illini were up 39-32 at halftime.
If you were wondering what happened,
I'm right there with you. I have NO idea what happened, and I was
sitting at courtside!
IF you gave me some time to reflect
back on it, this is what I might be able to tell you. We are seeing
the continuing emergence of a great basketball coach in one Bill
Self. The Illini were so prepared for this game that it wasn't even
funny… especially IF you're a Tigers fan. And then to add insult to
injury, his in-game adjustments were just flat-out sic!!! When Mizzou tried to double-team Cook, he sent Smith, Powell, Augustine
or an usher to the low block for any easy deuce or a trip to the FT
line, where, by the way, Illinois continues to use the LDN for
improvement by going 21-of-25 on charities! When the Tigers were
content to throw up junk from the perimeter, Self said OK and pushed
them farther off the arc, which resulted in even more bricks. There
are so many other things that he did that I'd have to give you a set
of volumes to make sure that I didn't miss anything.
It is clear to me now that young Mr.
Self has forgotten more about basketball than most of us will ever
know about it!
AND, I haven't even told you about the
play of Kyle Wilson, yet! Remember him? He was another one of those
Texas kids that I think we might have gotten as a player to be named
later. Up until this past week he's played a lot at the 3-spot and
shown some fine range himself. Enter an injury to Aaron Spears, and
the next thing you know Kyle's now a four! Probably doesn't mean
much to you, because on your fantasy team, you've got him buried on
your bench. Oh, how wrong you could have been! Kyle not only gets
into the game but probably gives the Illini eight of the best
minutes that you've ever seen from a role player. I know he tallied
only two points, but his four rebounds were huge! And not only that
-- his physical, solid play made a statement to Mizzou that you're
going down for the third time in a row!
Nick Smith even seemed to be inspired
by Wilson's play and gave the team a spirited 17 minutes. Some will
question his four points and two rebounds, but I say his passing and
his outstanding three blocked shots helped set the tone on this
shocking day!
James Augustine chimed in with five
boards, and Roger Powell also had a phenomenal game. Powell hit the
charts for nine points and four caroms and continues to show another
reason that this Illinois team is getting better almost daily.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
And what can you say about the guard
play? Sean Harrington, “Ol' Reliable,” had 11 points and four
rebounds, and Deron Williams introduced himself to the Missouri
faithful by going for eight points, including two 3s, dishing off
two assists and coming away with three steals… not to mention his
unselfish play that excited his teammates into making extra passes
all game long! And Luther Head has a solid performance and 10
points.
Then there was DEE. DEE-offense,
Dee-defense, here a DEE, there a DEE, everywhere a DEE, DEE! The kid
lit the place up with his play and his smile! When I watch him, I
think he was the reason that this great game was invented. Naismith
knew that someone would instinctively know how to play it, and I
think DEE is that someone. His line? He torched the Kitties for only
21 points and seven assists, but please trust me when I say he
inflicted much more damage on them than that!
And finally, there was Lincoln's Brian
Cook… Talk about unselfish?! I thought this was a game he could have
scored 40 in… but, he kept passing the ball to his teammates. His
line? Only 17 points on 10-for-10 shooting at the line and five
assists and nine rebounds, including four big offensive boards. Cook
dominated this game from start to finish. He took Mizzou's big guys
right out of the game and let his friends pick their bones for all
of the scraps.
So convincing was the win that many
Missouri's fans threw in the towel with 4:15 STILL to play! I'm not
so sure even I would have believed it IF I hadn't seen it.
But while you're traveling over the
holidays, if you see the Tiger without his claws and fangs and with
his tail between his legs, you now have some idea of the spanking he
absorbed on Saturday!
Other notes
Railers whack Springfield
I can't speak for anyone else, but I
was really surprised by the Springfield game. I mean I expected the
Railers to win, just not nearly that convincingly. You have to
figure that the Senators will be MUCH tougher when we play the
return game. And what about a Railer trip through the tourney
brackets? I have a good feeling about this year's team, even with
the injuries. I would love to see Lincoln hoist the trophy.
Bears go down
I didn't see even one minute of the
game, so you'll have to consult Greg Taylor, but I'm thinking that
it wasn't a very pretty story.
If you're still looking for a great
Christmas gift, we think we know where you can find some tickets.
The good news is that my
Raiders and my 49ers both won, even though people are trying to run Mariucci right out of the
Bay! Can ANYone explain this to me???
Cards keep making moves
The Cards keep making moves by signing
former Redbird Lance Painter and Cal Eldred.
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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