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<blockquote data-quote="Fighter of the Nightman" data-source="post: 1973529" data-attributes="member: 590800"><p>I mean, what about a tenth anniversary next year?!?!</p><p></p><p></p><p>Hate to rub it in, but you were robbed indeed! The first Illini game I distinctly remember was our 2001 Elite Eight loss to Arizona. I was only 9 years old, but I remember watching it with my dad ... living in Iowa City with all my Hawkeye friends, I was getting a lot more into sports and really flexing my Illini pride! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite18" alt=":ROFLMAO:" title="ROFL :ROFLMAO:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":ROFLMAO:" /> The next three seasons, I was more and more engaged as a fan each year, with 2005 (now in seventh grade) really sending my enthusiasm into the stratosphere. I went with my parents to the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 games in Iowa City, and as I strolled into that 2006 game vs. Iowa (which we coincidentally lost), you cannot imagine how on top of the world I was.</p><p></p><p>- We were 15-0, ranked 6th in the nation and (needless to say) coming off of a National Championship appearance.</p><p>- We had won 4 of the last 5 Big Ten championships and 2 BTT championships in that time frame. A BS call on Dee Brown in 2003 was the only reason we hadn't just won <strong><em>5 Big Ten titles in a row</em></strong>.</p><p>- In the previous five NCAA Tournaments, we had 1 Final Four, 2 Elite Eights, 4 Sweet Sixteens and we were a top 5 seed in every single one (including two #1 seeds).</p><p>- We had just won 31 of our last 33 games against Big Ten opponents and <strong><em>66 of our last 70 games overall.</em></strong></p><p></p><p>I learned to grow up to view Illini basketball as elite and anything but that as either (A) a temporary setback, (B) severe underachieving or (C) both. Period. I remember being so annoyed when some posters here circa 2011 or so were trying to defend Coach Weber (whom I really like even still!!) by suggesting our expectations were too high. Underwood has done a ridiculously awesome job restoring our sense of pride in this program, but I cannot stress enough the kind of SWAG this fan base had back then, and we frickin' earned it! Lol. Our fans quickly (and naturally) slid back into this "woe is me/being an Illini fan is so hard!" attitude that we still have not quite shaken off, but for a while there we didn't "look up" at literally any program ... even the Blue Bloods. We'll get back.</p><p></p><p>P.S. I agree about this year's team ... I'm all aboard the bandwagon! They have the pieces, the toughness and the chemistry.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Fighter of the Nightman, post: 1973529, member: 590800"] I mean, what about a tenth anniversary next year?!?! Hate to rub it in, but you were robbed indeed! The first Illini game I distinctly remember was our 2001 Elite Eight loss to Arizona. I was only 9 years old, but I remember watching it with my dad ... living in Iowa City with all my Hawkeye friends, I was getting a lot more into sports and really flexing my Illini pride! :ROFLMAO: The next three seasons, I was more and more engaged as a fan each year, with 2005 (now in seventh grade) really sending my enthusiasm into the stratosphere. I went with my parents to the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 games in Iowa City, and as I strolled into that 2006 game vs. Iowa (which we coincidentally lost), you cannot imagine how on top of the world I was. - We were 15-0, ranked 6th in the nation and (needless to say) coming off of a National Championship appearance. - We had won 4 of the last 5 Big Ten championships and 2 BTT championships in that time frame. A BS call on Dee Brown in 2003 was the only reason we hadn't just won [B][I]5 Big Ten titles in a row[/I][/B]. - In the previous five NCAA Tournaments, we had 1 Final Four, 2 Elite Eights, 4 Sweet Sixteens and we were a top 5 seed in every single one (including two #1 seeds). - We had just won 31 of our last 33 games against Big Ten opponents and [B][I]66 of our last 70 games overall.[/I][/B] I learned to grow up to view Illini basketball as elite and anything but that as either (A) a temporary setback, (B) severe underachieving or (C) both. Period. I remember being so annoyed when some posters here circa 2011 or so were trying to defend Coach Weber (whom I really like even still!!) by suggesting our expectations were too high. Underwood has done a ridiculously awesome job restoring our sense of pride in this program, but I cannot stress enough the kind of SWAG this fan base had back then, and we frickin' earned it! Lol. Our fans quickly (and naturally) slid back into this "woe is me/being an Illini fan is so hard!" attitude that we still have not quite shaken off, but for a while there we didn't "look up" at literally any program ... even the Blue Bloods. We'll get back. P.S. I agree about this year's team ... I'm all aboard the bandwagon! They have the pieces, the toughness and the chemistry. [/QUOTE]
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