UFR: Never-say-die Illini

Something you haven't been able to say about Illinois teams in recent memory: They have guts. It's easy to make the proclamation during a 5-0 start, but to rally from second-half deficits in three straight games is major progress. "You look in our guys' eyes, there was not panic, they believe in themselves," Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "They believe in the coaches, and they believe they were gonna get it done." The comeback from 18 points down is the largest deficit Illinois has erased since coming back from 20 points down to defeat Rutgers in 2005 -- Zook's first game at Illinois.

Marcus Jackson