An Illini win at Michigan? Really?

On Feb. 8, 2005, the nation's No. 1 team walked into Crisler Arena and promptly ran up their second halftime deficit of the season. That undefeated team still trailed by 8 points with 14 minutes left before Dee Brown's crime spree led Illinois to a 57-51 victory over unranked Michigan.

And that, my friends, was the last time Illinois managed to leave Ann Arbor happy...until tonight. The Illini squeezed through with a 51-44 win that marked their worst offensive showing since last year's 38-33 Penn State debacle.

But, hey, an ugly win whips a dreadful loss any year.

Willhite