Tonight @ 7:15pm CST or 5:15pm PST
Big Ten Network

“Some people are going to respond better to the stick, and some people are going to respond better to the carrot, and some people have to be tricked into doing something that they didn’t believe they could do.” -Mark Twight, owner of Gym Jones in Salt Lake City

It's amazing what you can unlock when you find out what drives a person.  That's what I like the most about our new coach and this year's team.  We are playing with much more confidence and determination than we have in the last few years.  It is a little harder to see this after this weekends 17 point loss to Wisconsin, but the Badgers just knocked off #2 Indiana on the road and are sitting atop the Big 10 at 4-0.

We have 3 wins against teams ranked in the top 15:  Butler at 13, Gonzaga at 10, and OSU at 8.  The Big 10 season has been up-and-down so far, but after a rough 2011-12 season and the departure of our best player - Meyers Leonard - the Illini are light years ahead of where I expected them this year. 

Conference

If we want to dance this year, we need to finish .500 or greater in conference - maybe 1 game under will work with the wins we've posted so far.  After a 1-3 start to the year, we have a slightly uphill battle.  The strategy is simple, though, beat Northwestern, Nebraska, and Penn State and hold court at home.  The Big 10 is stacked this year, and we can't afford to let any games get away. 

So Sorry

The Illini need a little nudge...so I figured the tried and true IGP might help.  Start with a quote, end with a quote (always worked in HS), "It's only weird if it doesn't work."  Let's get back on track Illini.

Illini - 73
Mildcats - 64