Steve Alford

January 20, 2005 1:10 PM

On March 1st, 1987, Illinois guard Steve Bardo blocked Indiana star Steve Alford's last-second desperation three at the buzzer and the 14th-ranked Illini recorded a 69-67 win against the 3rd-ranked Hoosiers. In the long line of storied thrillers that have taken place at the Hall, that contest remains one of the best. The Hoosiers did not loose again in '87 and went on to win the NCAA championship. Illinois went on to...well that's not important. What is important is to note how Bardo's block set the tone for Alford's performance as a coach against the Illini. Alford is but 2-6 against Illinois with a 2-2 record at Iowa City—which is dismal considering how one-sided the Illini-Hawkeye series is for the home team.

The Hawkeyes—though ranked—limp into the House of Paign with 1-2 Big Ten record (including a depression-inducing home loss to Michigan). The Alford Era has been beset by ugly scandals, poor team chemistry, and uncontrollable sighing throughout the league when he christened his Big Ten Tournament Championship team "Big Ten Champs". Those issues facing Iowa, and many more, are unlikely to be resolved tonight.

Updated:

Steve Alford's Hawkeyes vs. Illinois
Date	Location	Result	Winner
Jan 26, 2000	Iowa	69-58	Illinois
Feb 12, 2000	Illinois	78-50	Illinois
Jan 11, 2001	Iowa	78-62	Iowa
Feb 24, 2001	Illinois	89-63	Illinois
Jan 15, 2002	Illinois	77-66	Illinois
Jan 15, 2003	Iowa	68-61	Iowa
Jan 17, 2004	Illinois	88-82	Illinois
Feb 25, 2004	Iowa	78-59	Illinois
Jan 20, 2005	Illinois	73-68, OT	Illinois

FireSteveAlford.com
[firestevealford.com]
Triple threats: Big Ten's top backcourts face off in heated rivalry
[herald-review.com]
Illinois' hit show tops the charts
[usatoday.com]

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