It was fantastic to see the "Illinois" rule actually work in our favor tonight. Thank God that basketball went between Sencire's legs. That was the start of the whole endgame.
What a great atmosphere! Announcers couldn't even hear whistles at the end. Way to not give up, those of you that stayed after the first half!
I said at the beginning of the year that our success this year was going to depend on how well Brad used his versatile roster. There will be other games where we will need our length and size to get it done, but going small and quick with our lineup completely changed the game.
Best comeback win since beating #1 IU during Groce Era, but ultimately may prove to be the blueprint for our success moving forward. Our key in the 1st half of any NCAA tourney game will be to stay close first half, then let our natural 2nd half dominance take us to where we want to be.
This team has played in so many different types of games, and I couldn't be more thrilled about our versatility right now, especially with Rodgers and Melendez emerging and what I think Goode will be able to do by that time.
I am hopeful this is the year we make it to the 2nd weekend. More hopeful than I have been since after the Texas game, because I think the switch is flipped on the defensive end and the offense is looking so much better conceptually.
