There are a lot of really big games where I REALLY want a win this year for what it means for both the season and the program. Obvious examples include getting revenge vs. Tennessee and UConn, getting revenge AND protecting our turf at the United Center vs. Alabama, continuing the winning streak vs. a top 10 Michigan team, etc. However, there is one game I think I want more than any other right now, and it might be a surprising one - the Texas Tech home game.
Warning for a longer post, so the TL;DR section below pretty much sums up why I want to beat TTU so badly, lol.
This wouldn't just be an early statement win vs. a top 10 team, and it wouldn't just give this team some REALLY great momentum early on. It would be a massive step in the right direction re-establishing State Farm Center / Assembly Hall as a place where you just simply don't go in and win. We have been quite fortunate during these Underwood years, but one annoying hitch has been losing too many high-profile home games ... I really think it has prevented SFC from re-emerging on lists of the hardest places to play, no matter how good the atmosphere is. And I hate that. For some historical reference, this is our record at home vs. ranked opponents chopped up into a few different eras. Just for fun since I also mentioned the Alabama game, I will include the United Center games vs. ranked opponents during this timeframe as a separate list below.
"Golden Era" - 2000 to 2006
Summary
93-4 at Home Overall
20-3 at the United Center Overall
13-1 at Home vs. Ranked Opponents
4-2 at the United Center vs. Ranked Opponents
Top 25 Home Games in Champaign, IL
2000
W 80-77 vs. #13 Ohio State
W 87-63 vs. #16 Indiana
2001
W 87-79 vs. #7 Seton Hall
W 77-66 vs. #4 Michigan State
W 68-67 vs. #19 Wisconsin
2002
W 77-66 vs. #17 Iowa
W 70-62 vs. #25 Indiana
2003
W 92-65 vs. #12 North Carolina
2004
L 54-58 vs. #24 Purdue
W 65-57 vs. #12 Wisconsin
2005
W 91-73 vs. #1 Wake Forest
W 73-68 in OT vs. #23 Iowa
W 70-59 vs. #20 Wisconsin
2006
W 60-50 vs. #7 Michigan State
W 71-65 vs. #20 Iowa
Top 25 United Center Games in Chicago, IL
2000
L 69-72 vs. #17 Duke (Chicago, IL)
W 84-70 vs. #8 Kansas (Chicago, IL)
W 72-69 vs. #13 Indiana (Chicago, IL - BTT Quarterfinals)
L 61-76 vs. #5 Michigan State (Chicago, IL - BTT Championship)
2001
W 81-73 vs. #7 Arizona (Chicago, IL)
2002
N/A
2003
N/A
2004
N/A
2005
W 54-43 vs. #23 Wisconsin (Chicago, IL - BTT Championship)
2006
N/A
----> We went 93-4 at home, including winning 13 out of 14 hyped matchups vs. ranked teams. We also treated the United Center as a true Home Away From Home, compiling a crazy 20-3 record there over this time span. It was a beautiful thing to witness!!
"Decline Era" - 2007 to 2012
Summary
74-25 at Home Overall
4-5 at the United Center Overall
9-13 at Home vs. Ranked Opponents
0-1 at the United Center vs. Ranked Opponents
Top 25 Home Games in Champaign, IL
2007
L 66-72 vs. #23 Maryland
L 44-62 vs. #6 Ohio State
L 64-71 vs. #2 Wisconsin
W 51-43 vs. #23 Indiana
2008
L 79-83 in 2OT vs. #14 Indiana
L 57-71 vs. #11 Wisconsin
L 51-59 vs. #17 Michigan State
2009
W 66-51 vs. #25 Michigan
W 66-48 vs. #12 Purdue
L 66-74 vs. #9 Michigan State
2010
W 89-83 in OT vs. #25 Northwestern
L 78-84 vs. #13 Purdue
W 78-73 vs. #5 Michigan State
L 53-72 vs. #13 Ohio State
L 57-72 vs. #15 Wisconsin
2011
W 71-62 vs. #17 Michigan State
L 68-73 vs. #1 Ohio State
L 70-81 vs. #14 Purdue
2012
W 82-75 vs. #19 Gonzaga
W 79-74 vs. #5 Ohio State
W 42-41 vs. #10 Michigan State
L 61-72 vs. #13 Michigan
Top 25 United Games in Chicago, IL
2007
L 41-53 vs. #3 Wisconsin (Chicago, IL - BTT Semifinals)
2008
L 72-78 in OT vs. #22 Arizona (Chicago, IL)
2009
N/A
2010
N/A
2011
N/A
2012
N/A
----> Yeah, obviously the teams were just a lot worse. However, as seen below, my point is that our current caliber of program is being dreadfully between those two extremes, and that is worse than we should reasonably expect! I'm skipping the Groce Era and Underwood rebuild years for this very reason, as they were the true floor for the program. Plus, again my main point is that for as successful as we've been since 2020, we've been disappointing (at least on a relative scale) in front of our hometown fans.
"Underwood Renaissance Era" - 2020 to 2025
Summary
83-17 at Home Overall
0-1 at the United Center Overall
11-9 at Home vs. Ranked Opponents
0-0 at the United Center vs. Ranked Opponents
Top 25 Home Games in Champaign, IL
2020
W 71-62 vs. #5 Michigan
L 66-75 vs. #9 Maryland
W 78-76 vs. #18 Iowa
2021
L 81-87 vs. #21 Ohio State
W 80-75 vs. #7 Iowa
W 75-60 vs. #19 Wisconsin
2022
L 79-83 vs. #11 Arizona
L 88-96 in 2OT vs. #4 Purdue
W 80-67 vs. #11 Wisconsin
L 83-86 vs. #22 Ohio State
W 74-72 vs. #24 Iowa
2023
W 79-69 vs. #14 Wisconsin
W 69-60 vs. #24 Rutgers
W 66-62 vs. #21 Northwestern
2024
L 64-71 vs. #4 Marquette
L 71-77 vs. #3 Purdue
2025
W 86-80 vs. #20 Wisconsin
L 64-66 vs. #1 Tennessee
L 74-95 vs. #11 Michigan State
W 88-80 vs. #18 Purdue
----> While our overall home record has remained decently good though not amazing (.830 vs. .959 in the Golden Era above), it's that record in big games that has been disappointing. We have won 55% of home games vs. ranked opponents vs. nearly 93% in the 2000-2006 stretch. I think we can all rationalize away most Big Ten road losses ... but it sucks to have games like last year vs. MSU or 2024 vs. Marquette when the other team looks comfortable and unintimidated on their way to a win in our house...
TL;DR
This is our home winning percentage both overall and vs. ranked opponents during these stretches.
Overall Home Record
2000 to 2006: 93-4 (.959)
2020 to 2025: 83-17 (.830)
2007 to 2012: 74-25 (.747)
Home Record vs. Top 25 Opponents
2000 to 2006: 13-1 (.929)
2020 to 2025: 11-9 (.550)
2007 to 2012: 9-13 (.409)
I think a lot of fans have the perception that we have underwhelmed in home games, and this is a big reason why (in addition to inexplicable losses to unranked teams like 2021/2022 Maryland, 2023 PSU, 2024 Maryland, 2025 USC, etc.). In these big-time games in front of our hometown fans, we have a record closer to the late Weber years than the 2000-2006 stretch ... even though we have teams that are much closer to the latter. It's undeniable that we haven't experienced the dominance at home that we really should with teams of this caliber, and I want to see that change.
I think that is why the home win vs. Purdue to end last season felt so cathartic ... we had lost 4 of 5 vs. ranked opponents at home, and many followed the same pattern where we looked like we had a chance but folded in the final minutes. Finally, vs. Purdue, we hung on to get the W (and broke a losing streak vs. them!). Beating TTU would go a long way to getting me to start to feel like the House of 'Paign is truly back.
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