Tomorrow at 5 p.m.
The Road to the Final Four
I’m doing it. I’m going to St. Louis for the Final Four. I don’t have any tickets, but I’ll find them. Just like the Illini found a way to pull out a win versus Arizona on Saturday, I will find a way to get into the Edward Jones Dome tomorrow. Here is where writing your own Illini basketball column has its advantages…if ANY of you have tickets…or know ANYONE who has tickets, please, please, please, let me know.
I might not be able to pay top dollar, but I’ll definitely have a good story to tell you about my trip. It might involve a 15 point come from behind victory, or it might involve stolen signs and the po-po. If neither of those happen, well, I am going w/my man BC…and when BC is around, crazy things happen!
The Pre Game
Reader, I don’t view myself as a journalist or a writer, I see myself as the sixth man…just like each of you. They say that the crowd can be like having an extra player on the court in a big game, and last week we proved it by helping rattle 'Zona as our boys in orange and blue made the greatest comeback in tourney history.
We can’t all be there. If we could, then I might be paying two months rent for a ticket instead of one. But just because you are not there, doesn’t mean that you be the Illini sixth man.
During Saturday's game, as soon as I moved from the couch to the floor, we mounted our comeback. I didn’t move back to the couch until the final buzzer sounded. I wasn’t at the game, but I was doing my part as the Illini’s sixth man.
When it became too much to bear for my friend Melinda, she jumped in the shower to get ready for a night out. A few minutes later, her friends yelled that we were coming back. “So I did what any logical Illini fan would do, I stayed in the shower until the Arizona lead washed away.”
Now Melinda probably won’t stand in the shower for the next two games (though it paints a pretty nice picture) – you get my point. Each and every Illini fan knows that he or she can directly affect the outcome of the game. And in our own way…we all do.
So if you have a lucky Illini shirt, wear it. If you have a lucky seat, sit in it. If you think that the Illini play better while you’re swilling a beer, then pick up a cup and chug. Basically, if something's working for the Illini, for God’s sake man, keep doing whatever you are doing!
Game Preview
Has anyone listened to the interviews w/Rick Pitino this week. He is one arrogant son of a gun. If his players love him half as much as he loves himself, then they’d go thru a wall the guy. I hate him; and for our team, he stands in the way of a National Championship. So he’s going down…hard.
Illinois has its Three Amigos, and Louisville has its own three pronged attack. Just like a pitchfork that the devil throws, you don’t know which prong is going to get you. (Yes I am comparing Rick Pitino to the Devil…Louisville’s primary color is red you know.) Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, and Larry O’Bannon lead the way for the Cardinals. They’re a bit taller than our guards, measuring in at 6’7”, 6’3”, and 6’4” respectively. Instead of the 5 or 6 passes that you’ll see from the Illini, it’s more like 5 dribbles, 1 pass, and 1 shot for the Cardinals. Their game is to penetrate and kick. Controlling the drive is our primary concern. We must play D like we did in the first half against ‘Zona…not like the second half.
My key for the Illini is easy baskets inside. The long arms of the Louisville defenders will prevent Illinois from getting open shots behind the arc. So if Roger Powell and James Augustine are shooting a high percentage at halftime, that means that they are getting quick hits off assists from our guards.
Using the pump fake will be a great weapon. If Luther, Deron, and Dee can get the Louisville defenders off balance by faking a shot, then we can penetrate and dish all afternoon. Establishing dominance in the paint, will open up the three point shot as the defense collapses. I think that Deron will have a double-double in points and assists as he leads us to victory and a shot at the National Championship.
Illinois – 79
Louisville – 72
Sincerely,
The Golden Ticket
PS…Last week I gave you a column to read for inspiration before the game. This week…I have a song guaranteed to pump you up. Check out the attachment.
PS…Last week I gave you a column to read for inspiration before the game. This week…I have a song guaranteed to pump you up. Check out the attachment.
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