Recent content by Fighter of the Nightman

I’ve only been to two (2021 and 2023) blowouts, and it was STILL one of the coolest sporting events I’ve ever been to … I cannot even imagine how cool it is when both teams are great at the same time. I’m sorry, but EVER moving this (specific) rivalry from St. Louis would be a heart breakingly...

Slightly OT, but when I was looking up that stuff about our United Center series history, I found some interesting attendance stats. The percent in parentheses is the attendance as a percentage of State Farm Center's current capacity - 15,544. ILLINI ATTENDANCE AT THE UNITED CENTER (Regular...

FTR, that picture is actually from our 2013 season, during Groce's first year where we earned a #7 seed. It wasn't until the Groce years that the crowds fell below what we would draw in Champaign, and then we gave up the whole idea during Underwood's first couple of 20+ loss seasons. So, I...

I agree for football, but for basketball? I lived in Iowa City for about 19 years and my parents still live there, so my friend group is mostly Iowa fans. Believe me, they hate Illinois basketball just about as much as they hate any team in any sport.

EDIT: This is why I think the perfect series are one of the following: 1. A two-game series with a Blue Blood and/or other elite program that recruits nationally, with one game at the United Center and another game somewhere like Madison Square Garden. This gives both teams what they want, but...

I want the UC game back as much as anyone (and have said this many times!), but I cannot disagree more about the format. Part of the allure of the previous UC setup was that it was a clear-cut Illini HOME game with no ambiguity. When you see this crowd, it makes the statement that Chicago is...

God, I hope not - or at least not in THAT tight of a timeframe! That COVID year was ridiculous, logistics-wise.

I have not followed transfer portal recruiting quite as much this year, but it is worth noting that there was a graphic during the season that showed Indiana had the overall second or third "most talented" roster in the Big Ten. They finished 11th in the league, and their season ended with a...

Nothing will make a Illini fan wonder "what could have been" like watching that 2021 team during this stretch: W 74-69 at #23 Wisconsin (without Ayo) W 76-53 at #2 Michigan (without Ayo) W 73-68 at #7 Ohio State (Ayo's first game back in the mask) W 90-68 vs. Rutgers (BTT Quarterfinals) W 82-71...

THIS. I wouldn't be surprised if Underwood is as frustrated with the changes to college hoops since he started his career as any other coach ... but it's clear he isn't going to cry over spilled milk, and he is adjusting and thriving to this new reality, whether he thinks it's "good for the...

And - obviously IANAL - how the f*** does one eyewitness testimony overrule reasonable doubt arising from Z-E-R-O DNA evidence tying Shannon to the incident?!

I agree, but it’ll never not be annoying when a funny looking guy who isn’t charismatic, funny, insightful or particularly likable somehow gets a platform like that and would use it to broadcast an opinion that directly hurts a kid like TSJ with SO few facts to back up his POV…

RE: your first part, wasn’t it in the police affidavit that she had to go home and Google athletes from Illinois, KU and KSU, though? While that alone doesn’t indicate a mistaken identity (she could have totally recognized Terence right away but had no idea what team he played for, for...

TBF, I actually think a lot of people were open to the fact that the alleged victim WAS “assaulted” (however that is defined) … they were just HIGHLY skeptical that she correctly identified the perpetrator as Shannon. And it sounds like our skepticism was warranted.

That’s fair, but we all know they’ll understandably get paired with Purdue. Iowa rivalry is a no-brainer from a mutual POV, I think.