A thousand cuts
Lou Henson's ouster came with sufficient advanced warning: Bobby Knight knew to present Lou with a rocking chair.
Was the "Honored Coach" program invented with Bruce Weber in mind? As a golden umbrella? Will Weber be honored on March 13th as Illinois hosts the opening round of the 2012 NIT?
The offense looked great for the third loss in a row. Ball movement, hi-lo, Meyers establishing a low-post presence... all that good stuff. It was fun watching Brandon put the ball on his hip and attack the rack. Rebounding worked. Lots of exciting shot blocking.
How the fuck did they lose?
Well, they fell behind by ten because Minnesota forced multiple turnovers via the full-court press. Minnesota played 10 guys and each got 15 minutes or more.
A deep rotation, running, pressing. Defense creating offense. Sounds good, right?
It was good.
It was even better than Illinois, which handicapped itself by shooting too many threes. Surprise!
As Gilda Radner pointed out, "it's always something." Bruce Weber said as much in his postgame presser. His offense was great tonight, except for the shots dropping 14.3% of the time (3 of 21 from deep).
It may be important, some day, to remember how good the Illini offense looked during this stretch. It's only now that all the major media outlets openly speculate The End of the Weber Era. Ironic that Illinois is playing its best, most entertaining basketball.
Whether wistful or second-guessing, it'll be important to complement the memory with a cold fact: Illinois looked great and finished with fewer points than its underwhelming opponents.
I preferred watching this loss to the shitty wins. But I'd like to see poetry in the motion, and Illinois +15 on the final ledger.
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Ya, I felt the same way. The question I was asking in the game was, “what’s wrong with DJ?” He’s repeated his second major shooting slump in as many years.
My first thought was, “What the hell is Brad Miller doing at our game?” Of course, he now plays for the Timberwolves. Man, I miss him in a Bulls uni—even if we don’t need him as much this year. It’s cool that he’s saying hi to his old Purdue coaches. It’s, uh, odd that he’s wearing an Illini cap.
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Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
Very inspired Photochops as well….
Props on the new YMCA dig. I think it’s a terrible spot for it, but then again, I’m not well-to-do and I’m not willing to drive 15 minutes at $4/gallon to exercise for an hour.
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/do-loud-pipes-save-lives/1119/ Are you a smoker, too? I feel like I’m just getting recycled arguments.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html “Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives”
Yes, I also love the idea of the downtown! However, the “turds” that ride Harley’s or any other motorcycle have the right to ride their motorcycles regardless of the “loudness” anywhere they want. They are buying gas, hence they are contributing to the motor fuel tax that…
Yup, this was the year I realized there’s no way this is my last CU marathon, even though I’m gradumacating next week.Where else am I gonna get cheered on by 70+ year old heart-of-gold volunteers who smile at me so genuinely I could believe I’m their granddaughter?…
I always have a good, but disappointed, laugh when marathon time creeps up and I start seeing posts on the WCIA Facebook page lamenting race day and how difficult it is to get around town that day. One this year said, “can’t they just go run in…
Reminds me of Total Football (soccer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Football
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Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
What? Echo! (Echo!) Where’s the dischord and dissent?
This weekend will mark the first appearance of Kayla Brown’s Fire Doll Candle booth at the Market. Check it: http://www.facebook.com/firedollcandles
And without bloodshed. Sounds like the Savoy trustees aren’t as narrow-minded as some of their whiny pants constituents. Do you think quack Snell is already planning an asinine counterattack or is he still laying low after those “threats” against his person?
hey, if hair ain’t gon’ be over your head, my jokes may as well be.
Okay, almost 24 hours later and I finally got Issac’s Summer joke. I’m an idiot.
Excellent. I am glad sometimes American dreams are encouraged, rather than stifled.
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.