|
Illini cast Pearl to the swine
Send a link to a friend
Illinois thumps Wisconsin-Milwaukee 77-63
By Jeff Mayfield
[MARCH 25, 2005]
In the Good Book there is a passage that comes
from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. One of the points in his message
that day (Matthew 7:6, for those of you scoring at home) was that
you should never throw your "pearls" to the swine. That is because
they would not recognize their value, stomp them in the mud, and
then turn on you and try to rip you to shreds. In this particular
case, I thought an exception was warranted.
|
|
I know I should be a bigger person than
that. For crying out loud, what Bruce Pearl did to the University of
Illinois and its athletic program happened some 15 years ago. I'm
sorry… but I can't get over it. What he did was wrong, and he and I
both know it. Perhaps if he were remorseful, I could at least feign
some level of forgiveness. I admit, I will need help from above for
that to happen. So, what did I
want from Thursday night's game? I only wanted Illinois to win by
100 or more points. I thought that might send a proper message.
Please don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the Milwaukee
Panthers… except their coach. In fact, if they were playing anybody
else and were coached by Stalin, Attila the Hun or even Bob Knight…
I and legions of others would be backing these Cinderella darlings
all the way. I confess, it was hard to see the forest for the trees.
With all that being said, I liked
Illinois' approach to this contest. They came out from the opening
tip and looked like they meant business. And had it not been for
Joah Tucker's constant cherry picking, the Illini may have been up
by 15-20 points at halftime. Actually, I hate to say it, but those
easy run-outs were probably pretty smart for the Panthers. They were
struggling in their sets, and run-outs are one of the best ways to
take pressure off your half-court offense.
But in the end it was too much Deron
Williams and too much Dee Brown. Not bad for a kid one national
writer called this week, "the most overrated player in the NCAA
tournament." Are you kidding me? Somebody send those rag tabloids
some of Greg Taylor's stuff! I'm quite certain that he is way more
insightful than that!
[to top of second column in this article] |
 It was also way too much Roger
Powell Jr. and James Augustine. How 'bout the job those guys did
cleaning up the glass? Roger Powell Jr. was doing his impression of
the mountain man, or maybe even Dennis Rodman, as for a while in the
second half he took over the game in the paint. He finished a carom
short of matching Augustine's double-double. Coach Weber addressed
us in the post-game press conference and said the rebounding by the
"bigs" over the last six games has been outstanding.
And don't forget the performance of
Luther Head. Hobbled by a sore hamstring, he was -- as one writer
said -- limited to 12 points, six assists, two steals and no
turnovers. I wish I would've had games in my college career where I
was that limited. Luther's important contributions helped get all
five starters in double figures, which has been yet another
trademark of this epitome team. A total of 20 assists on 28 field
goals also continues to demonstrate Illinois' trademark of unselfish
play.
Next, the Illini will take on a
familiar foe in the Arizona Wildcats. They are fast, strong, quick
and speedy. And beyond that they are pretty athletic and shoot the
ball pretty well. Will their athleticism overtake the Illini, or
will Illinois approach them the same way they have all outstanding
opponents all season long? Stay tuned Saturday. Same bat time, same
bat channel!
[Jeff Mayfield]
 |
