December 2, 2006

December 2, 2006

We spent the day with the Tucson Illini Club watching a doubleheader of basketball in Phoenix. Illinois played Arizona in a revenge match of their meeting in the 2005 NCAA tournament. On the bus ride up we watched a video replay of that Elite Eight game, where the Illini came back from a 15-point deficit with less than four minutes to go. That has to be the most exciting four minutes ever of college basketball.

With Arizona ranked 15th this year, I was expecting a trouncing. I can tell you I was pretty pleased when I found Illinois up by 16 early in the first half. Unfortunately with two starters on the bench with injuries, it didn’t last and eventually Arizona wore us down. My voice is pretty hoarse from cheering on the Illini.