Should Illinois be Ranked Higher?

By all accounts, this season has been a giant surprise for Illinois basketball. After a 13-18 record last season and the loss of two of their "best" players, hopes were not high for Illinois. Then they won 13 of their first 14 games and everyone thought this team might be decent.

Now we are certain that this is a good team, that can combine fantastic defense of the past few seasons with a more balanced, efficient offense. In fact, the Illini sit in second place in the Big Ten with 21 wins against 5 losses. This is great for Illinois fans; so great that they may be overlooking something fans are typically very wary of: a lack of respect.

A lot of the teams ahead of the Illini are very good, and it's hard to argue for one over the other, but a couple things stand out when you take a look at the top 25. First, Illinois has one more loss than Missouri, yet the Illini beat the Tigers earlier in the year at a neutral site by 16 points. Mizzou also stacks their resume with losses to Kansas State and Nebraska. Nebraska!

The second problem I have is that Michigan State is ranked so damn far ahead of the Illini. They're number five! Michigan State is a good team, probably the best in the Big Ten, but they aren't top five good if Illinois is out of the top 15. We're talking about a team that lost by 22 to Maryland, lost by...wait for it...35 to North Carolina in Detroit, and lost to Penn State and Northwestern at home. They beat two Big 12 teams that are both ranked below Missouri, and aside from the two terrible losses have been solid in conference play, including a six point win in East Lansing against the Illini.

Illinois' schedule is not as tough as Michigan State's according to RPI numbers, but a close loss to Clemson and a win over Missouri look as good as anything on MSU's out of conference resume.

I'm not saying Illinois is better than Michigan State, and I wouldn't dare put out my own version of the top 25 because somehow I've become a cynical college basketball fan that thinks there are only a few good teams in the country, but all of this information leads me to the conclusion that either Michigan State and Missouri are severely overrated, or because they have exceeded the "experts'" expectations, Illinois has become the victim of a blatant lack of respect.

Qualified Links

• Jeff Garcia is a free agent now. Could the Bears be a candidate for his services?
• A couple of sources "close to the situation" in Phoenix say that it looks like Amare is staying put.
• Jesse "The Body" Ventura wants Bud Selig to be indicted, similar to Vince McMahon, for his role in the steroid problem in baseball. I'd settle for fired.
• Brewers fans drop the knowledge.
• Number One goes down again in college basketball as DeJuan Blair thoroughly outplayed Thabeet in Pitt's 76-68 win.
• The Illini jump to #18/16 in the polls. Big game tonight as Michigan State travels to Purdue.
• Will Buehrle retire after the 2011 season? He's considering it; but why are we? It's a little premature.
• I was going to post this yesterday, but I finally found the video of Tim Floyd going nuts on Sunday night. It was an awful call.
  

Frazier Leads Illini to Second Straight Road Win

After being lauded as a defensive stopper, Chester Frazier slipped into the role of offensive hero for a little while Sunday, as Illinois held off Indiana in Bloomington for a 65-52 win.

Illinois streaked to a 21 point lead in the first half, but saw Indiana claw back to within six with just over six minutes remaining. While Illinois' offense slipped into a "road mode" that is easily identifiable by a lot of passing around the perimeter and taking buzzer-beaters against the shot clock, Chester Frazier was gearing up for a run. Frazier hit a huge three to put Illinois up nine, then made a layup with about two minutes left to make it a 12 point Illini advantage.

Frazier finished the game with nine points, seven rebounds and seven assists; not a bad offensive night for a defensive guy. Mike Davis had another double-double with 16 and 10, and Tisdale chipped in with 16 of his own.

Illinois moves to within a game and a half of Michigan State for the conference lead and the Spartans travel to Purdue on Tuesday. The Illini will play host to Penn State Wednesday, a game that looks tougher every time Penn State plays, then travel to Ohio State Sunday.

I know of no one that could have told me with a straight face that Illinois would be 21-5 right now. It has truly been a remarkable season for the Illini and the goal now has to be to build momentum and secure a top four seed for the NCAA tournament.

Illini Come Back to Beat Wildcats

It looked like another one of those road games for Illinois. They had played so well at home recently and it seemed like they just needed one road win to cement their place near the top of the Big Ten. Last night it was more bricklaying than cementing against Northwestern.

With 5:25 to go, the Illini trailed 57-43 marking their largest deficit of the entire game. About 5:22 later, Illinois had a one point lead marking their largest, and only, lead of the night. During those five-plus minutes the Illini must have blacked out, then imagined themselves back in Assembly Hall because it was solid offense and better defense that led the Illini back. Oh, and Trent Meacham.

Meacham had 12 of his 15 points in the last five minutes, including a three with about a minute to go, followed by a layup about 20 seconds later to make it a one point game. As if the offensive revolution wasn't enough for Meacham, he also caused a turnover on Northwestern's next possession, giving the Illini the ball with 14 seconds remaining.

Demetri McCamey was the hero when he banked in the game winner with 2.9 seconds left. Actually, he was heroic long before that, as he finished the night with a game-high 21 points. Chester Frazier was also great for the Illini, posting eight assists and seven rebounds, with only one turnover.

That makes it 20 wins for the Illini with six games left. They will be at Indiana Sunday, then back to Assembly Hall next Wednesday against Penn State. With Big Ten leader Michigan State playing Purdue and Wisconsin in their next two, this is a good chance for Illinois to gain some ground.

Qualified Links--Pitchers And Catchers Report Edition

• Is it finally the "next year" Cubs fans are always talking about? The journey starts today.
  
• Bulls blow the game in spectacular fashion against the Heat last night. As my friend NQTC reader Adam pointed out, where was Rose on that last inbounds play? And why was an ice-cold Thabo inbounding the ball?
  
• Illinois comes back in spectacular fashion to beat Northwestern in Evanston. Meacham looked amazing down the stretch.
  
• Griffey's short-lived stay on the South Side gets closure as he returns to the Mariners.
• In defense of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Even though I would rather have Amare, I do like these guys.
  
• If you live in Chicago (which most of our readers do), this is not going to be very uplifting: Forbes listed us as the most miserable city in America. Ouch.
• So was Joaquin Phoenix on drugs when he did Letterman Wednesday night? It sure seems like it.
• Oh that pick McDyess set on Rose the other night? The Bulls are asking the league to review it. It might have been dirty, but McNice? Seems unlikely.
  
• Ok, so Portland is apparently out of the Amare running. That's good for the Bulls, considering their package was definitely the best out of the ones that I have heard offered.
• A team is down 5 with 12 seconds and makes an intentional foul. Then the team that was behind wins by 6. This is not a joke (well it sort of is, but it really happened).

Illinois at Northwestern Tonight

The Illini will travel to Evanston tonight to take on Northwestern. The Wildcats are 11-2 at home this year and the oddsmakers are predicting a close game.

I would say the Illini are playing their best basketball of the season coming off their beat-down of Purdue last week, but it hasn't been that kind of season for Illinois. Every time they look like they are playing great, they go out and shoot 28% on the road and lose. Since the beginning of January, the Illini have won every home game and lost every road game. That will need to change if the Illini hope to catch the Spartans for the Big Ten Championship.

Hustle and defense have been key in home wins for Illinois, two things that should translate well to road games. They're catching the Wildcats at the right time though, as Northwestern will be looking to end a four game losing streak* that has included mostly blowouts.

The key for Illinois tonight will be to control the boards and keep Kevin Coble under wraps. In Northwestern's upset wins it has been Coble who has led the charge.

The game starts at 8:00 PM and it's on ESPN2.

*It's bogus fact day on NQTC. I suspect I was thinking of a three game home losing streak to Illinois, but who the hell knows.

Illini Shut Down Boilermakers

In a dominating performance fitting from a top 25 team, Illinois used a stifling defense to run away with the game in the second half.

Mike Davis had a great game for Illinois with a double-double made up of 14 points and 16 rebounds. The game was sealed when Illinois went on a 23-6 run late in the second, a stretch in which Purdue made just one field goal. The Boilers were once again without preseason Big Ten POY Robbie Hummel. Why do they even name a preseason POY? And now...guessing!

Anyway, the win keeps Illinois within two games of Michigan State in the Big Ten standings and with three games the Illini should win coming up, they could get even closer to MSU before the two teams meet March 1st.

This is the first real statement game for the Illini since entering the top 25 a few weeks ago. They had some good wins, and some bad losses, but a blowout of Purdue even without Hummel is a very good looking win.

Next up for the Illini is a date at Northwestern Thursday night, followed by another road game at Indiana, and then Penn State at Assembly Hall where the Illini have a ten game winning streak going.

Qualified Links (Today's Links)

• The Hawks win again. Maybe I should be watching them more during the sports wasteland known as "February".
• Illinois continues its cold play against Wisconsin. It's never easy to win in Madison but this one would have been big.
• It looks like there is going to be a movie made about the book Moneyball and Brad Pitt is going to be starring as Billy Beane. Score one for sabremetrics!
• Elton Brand is being shut down for the season with shoulder problems. Will he ever be the force that he once was? Regardless of the injuries I think Chicago fans will always regret trading him for Chandler.
• Dusty Baker wants to recreate the Chicago Cubs he coached a few years back in Cincinnati. Today's acquisitions? Daryle Ward and Jacque Jones.
• BDL is going to do a 2 on 2 tournament of NBA teams, sort of like an NBA Jam. Hey that was my idea! Well we all know Skeets will do it better than me anyways.
• Looks like Gordon is a little put off by the fact he wasn't selected for the 3 point contest.
  

Illinois Brings in Solid Class

Some stayed true to their commitments, at least one other fled for Wisconsin, and one even switched allegiances from Ohio State to Illinois. When the dust settled, Illinois came out of National Signing Day with a pretty good class.

Rivals rated the Illinois recruiting class at 32. Other Big Ten schools that came in ahead of Illinois were Ohio State at 3, Michigan at 7, Michigan State at 16, and Penn State at 25. The Illini ended up with seven four-star recruits, eight three-stars and five two-stars for their total of 20 new members of the Fighting Illini.

I highlighted some of the major players yesterday, and things went pretty much as planned. The Illini got their Ohio State defection, most of the other commitments stayed around, and they lost one to Wisconsin. Justin Green switched his commitment from OSU to Illinois yesterday and signed with the Illini. The highly touted cornerback might have gone with Illinois because they offered him a chance to play running back also.

Receiver Kraig Appleton wasn't so taken with the Illini. After commiting to Illinois three separate times, the East St. Louis prospect decided to go to Wisconsin. However, the Illini did manage to keep Terry Hawthorne from switching his commitment to Oklahoma.

Long story short, it was a great class with some names you'll be hearing a lot in the near future. QB Nathan Scheelaase, DT Lendell Buckner, DE Michael Buchanan, RB Bud Golden, and some of those gentlemen mentioned above. You have to wonder what kind of role J Leman's patriotism played in the recruiting process.

It's Signing Day

Here's a subject we don't get into that much on NQTC: NCAA football recruiting. Today is like Christmas for those of us who spend way too much time paying attention to where a 17 or 18 year old kid is going to college. Hey, at least Chris Hansen isn't paying us a visit.

Anyway, today is National Signing Day for high school seniors to officially decide where they are playing college football next season. I could spend a lot of time rambling about recruiting classes, but I'll just let you know about some players that have already given verbal commitments to the Illini and will sign today and then we'll look at some guys who haven't decided yet, but are keeping Illinois in mind as they make decisions this morning or this afternoon.

So far, the 2009 class for the Illini consists of 20 commits. Rivals.com, one of the major recruiting services, ranks recruits on a scale of one to five stars. The top 33 recruits this year are five-stars, so you have to be pretty damn special to get that distinction. The Illini have commitments from six four-stars and eight three-stars, with the remaining six recruits coming in as two stars. Of course as with any prognosticating, there are surprises; like Steve Slaton, who was barely a three-star in 2005, or Kevin Grady, who was a five-star recruit that same year.

Talent can't hurt though and Ron Zook has some more of it coming in this year. Juice Williams won't be around forever (no, it's true) and Zook addressed some depth issues at quarterback with a four-star signal caller in Nathan Scheelhaase from Kansas City. He is rated the 7th best dual-threat QB in the nation and held offers from Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Mizzou, among others.

Lendell Buckner is a four-star defensive tackle that definitely has the size to play in the Big Ten. The 6-3, 341 pounder doesn't squeeze easily into most places, but will fit nicely as a nose tackle in the Illini D. The Illini will also welcome Bud Golden, a four-star running back from Ohio. It's always good to add one of the top ten players in the state of Ohio. Leon Hill, a teammate of Buckner's from Chicago Leo, will also come aboard as a four-star offensive lineman.

Despite having a solid class, signing day will not be without drama for the Illini. A couple of receivers that have given verbals to Illinois may be looking elsewhere. Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton, both four-star receivers from East St. Louis, IL, will be deciding today. At 9AM, we should know whether Hawthorne will be with the Illini or will head to Oklahoma, and whether Appleton goes to Wisconsin or Illinois, in a very turbulent recruitment process.

Another one that could go the Illini's way is an Ohio State commit, running back Justin Green. Illinois has come on strong as of late for the four-star and it could pay off. Michael Buchanon will make another decision between Big Ten teams, as the four-star DE is down to Illinois and Purdue.

Finally, a long-shot for the Illini will come with JeRon Stokes, a four-star WR that had been rumored to be deciding between Michigan and Illinois, despite giving a verbal commitment to Tennessee previously. Now it looks like the Vols will retain the services of the standout receiver.

The festivities get started early today and we'll be following along and will have an update this afternoon for all you fellow stalkers.

That's a Little More Like It

Down three at halftime with only 22 points, it looked like it might be another long afternoon for the Illini. The win moves Illinois to 18-4 and made it nine straight wins at Assembly Hall.

Mike Tisdale led the way for Illinois with 18 points and helped Illinois dominate the glass by 13 rebounds, just one game after getting owned by Minnesota in the rebounding department. Dominique Keller continued his strong play with 12 points off the bench.

So it's on to Wisconsin this week, where the Badgers will look to get back on track and Illinois will try to solve some road woes. A win at the Kohl Center would go a long way into securing a good seed for the tourney.

It's hard to say whether this is a good time to play Wisconsin or not. Will they be focused on snapping their six game skid, or will the spiral into Indiana territory continue?

Also, with Michigan State losing at home to Penn State Sunday, the regular season conference title is suddenly looking to be up for grabs. With a home game against the Spartans late in the season and a relatively favorable (knock knock) schedule the rest of the way, the Illini could very well sneak into a Big Ten Championship.

Yeah, but When do They Play the Second Half?

Oh, you mean that's it? 36 points was all Illinois could muster for the entire game? Did everyone foul out before halftime?

What an awful game just when things were looking great for Illinois basketball. The loss ends a 20 game winning streak over Minnesota. I could cite disgusting numbers for Illinois players for hours, so suffice it to say that they played like hot garbage. Illinois scored 16 points in the first half, and the 36 point total was the lowest for the Illini in 24 years.

Remember those keys to the game? Outplay their big men, contain Westbrook, and limit turnovers? The Illini limited the turnovers to nine, but failed miserably in the other two departments. Westbrook led all scorers with 15 points, while Sampson and Iverson outscored Tisdale and Davis 16-11 and the Gophers dominated the boards 40-26. I guess it's not too hard to get out-rebounded badly when you miss 36 of 51 shots.

Whew, okay that's out of the system. The Illini need to forget this game. They need to dig a deep hole, dig a few more feet just to be safe, then throw the damn thing down there after lighting it on fire. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself or even doubt yourself in the Big Ten. Take care of business Sunday at Assembly Hall against Iowa, then get ready for another road test at Madison next week.

A solid win over Iowa might keep the Illini ranked. Tune in before the Super Bowl Sunday when hopefully the real Illini team shows up to take down the Hawkeyes.

Illinois hits the Road

Illinois has enjoyed a lot of success at home this season, to the tune of an eight game winning streak at Assembly Hall. Starting tonight, the Illini will be playing four of six on the road and it's time to show they deserve to stay in the top 25.

People will point out that Illinois hasn't won on the road in about a month, but the Illini haven't exactly had a ton of chances to get wins on the road. That stretch has been two games. As for tonight, if they could choose a road game (other than Indiana), Minnesota would be the one. Illinois has a 20 game winning streak against the Gophers, eight of those on the road.

However, these aren't your older brother's Golden Gophers. Tubby Smith's squad has home wins against Louisville, Ohio State, and a blowout of Penn State. So what are the keys to beating the Gophers?

First, Illinois has to dominate inside. Minnesota has decent bigs, but Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale should be able to win this battle. Secondly, the Illini need to slow down Lawrence Westbrook. The Minnesota guard isn't easy to, well...guard. He's very quick and can get to the basket, but can also hit the three if you give him space. Finally, Illinois need to take care of the ball. The first two goals shouldn't be too hard to acheive; Illinois has better big men and plays great defense, so turnovers are their biggest fear.

Game is on tonight, 8PM on the Big Ten Network.

That was Quick

The Big Ten Conference was the subject to ridicule around the time of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Then the Big Ten came within a few points of winning the challenge and people thought the conference might be stronger than it was first believed to be. Then people realized that Michigan beat Duke and UCLA, Minnesota beat Louisville, Michigan State beat Texas, and other teams earned impressive wins.

Suddenly the Big Ten was a conference to be feared. ESPN's "Bracketologist" Joe Lunardi had seven Big Ten teams in the tournament last week; a total second to only the Big East. So the other day when Big Ten Network announcers said “Big 10 basketball is right up there … arguably, could be the best conference in basketball right now,” you can't just call them wrong. Right?

Well the Big Lead laughed at them, then gave their hard sell for why the Big Ten wasn't that good. First, how do you laugh the validity right out of this point? Not only did the announcer qualify his statement as pointing out that one could make an argument for the Big Ten, he was redundant about it. He tried to point something out twice that the Big Lead either missed, or brushed over. There are arguments for the Big Ten as the best conference.

Now, I don't agree with these arguments, but they're out there. To me, the Big East is the best conference in basketball this year, with the ACC and Big Ten coming in right behind it. It was wrong to laugh at the argument right off the bat, considering the announcer obviously wasn't saying the Big Ten was the best.

Secondly, we have the case made by the Big Lead as to why the Big Ten isn't that good. I'm not going to rehash it much, but suffice it to say there are seven main points and they all have to deal with the teams' records within the conference. When the post ends after these seven points I am lost and confused.

So the Big Ten is mediocre because when they play each other they come out of it with even records? So if the Celtics, Lakers, Cavs, and Magic were to play each other all year and came out with approximately the same records, they would be just okay? Well, that's an extreme case, but what I'm saying is, how does this mean they aren't very good?

Seems to me that if MSU, Michigan, Minnesota, and others all had impressive non-conference wins (some on the road) and the conference holds the #1 strength of schedule and the #2 RPI rating, then they are pretty damn good. And if these teams that had great pre-conference records and are struggling against other teams in the conference, then I'd say those other teams are pretty damn good too.

I know it's fun to beat up on the Big Ten. Actually, I'm not sure why it's fun, but I just assume it is because so many people love to. Anyway, the Big Ten went from mediocre to great pretty fast this season; I'm just saying maybe we should wait a little while before yanking them back down with the likes of the SEC, Pac-10, and Big 12. Is it homerism when an announcer on the Big Ten Network says the Big Ten is arguably maybe one of the best conferences in basketball? Well...maybe, but I wouldn't laugh at the idea that he may be onto something. Was this post homerism by me? Absolutely.

**Update** Sparty & Friends offer their take on the subject.

Today's Links

• McDonough says the timing is right to hold the NHL All-Star Game in Chicago. Agreed.
• Hey, it's Super Bowl week! Here's a little on the big game with an interesting point about the second possession of the game.
• The Big Ten is overrated in basketball so says The Big Lead. More on this later.
• There was some ugly behavior at the end of the Michigan-Michigan State hockey game Saturday night. More video with UM's student section reaction about one minute in.
• Greg Oden turns 21, says he can't wait until someone doesn't recognize him and cards him. Yeah Greg, it's because they know who you are that their "ID if under 30" policy is a little lax with you.
• The Cubs have sued Under Armour for allegedly reneging on a sponsorship deal. Does this mean no more ads on the outfield wall?
• Illinois is ranked 19th in the AP, 20th in the Coaches' Poll and they continue to confound expectations.

Today's Links

• Just when you think things can't get any worse for Eddy Curry, the mother of one of his children gets murdered. Even after everything that has gone on with him, my sympathies go out to him.
• The Bulls suck.
  
• Joe Torre's new tell-all book about the Yankees is very interesting. Some highlights include ripping on A-Rod and Steinbrenner being the evil emperor you thought he was. Big surprise.
• Derrick Rose is thinking about rejecting an invitation to take part in the skills challenge at all-star weekend. First Tyrus disses his invite to be in the dunk contest, now this? What is it with Bulls rookies?
• The East beat the West in the NHL All-Star game, but apparently Toews and Kane looked good.
  
• Illinois gets a big win at home against the Badgers. If only Indiana could have pulled out the win against Minnesota, the Illini could have moved up in the Big Ten standings. That's right, I'm cheering for IU since they are so bad I'm not worried if they get a win here or there.
  
• Michael Redd's knee goes "CRACK" and so goes the Bucks season. Good luck getting to the playoffs with the rest of that bunch Coach Skiles.
• Even Sox fans are acknowledging the Ricketts family may be good for the Cubs.
  

Jeff Jordan put on Scholarship by Illinois

Illinois coach Bruce Weber said Thursday that Jeff Jordan was on scholarship for the second semester. This is great news and a testament to the work Jordan has put in for the Illini.

I'm sure being the son of Michael Jordan isn't an easy task to begin with, and turning down scholarship offers from various mid-majors to walk on at Illinois to earn a scholarship there is remarkable.

Jeff said that he wasn't expecting the scholarship to come so soon, but he has been part of the Illini rotation playing about nine minutes per game as a sophomore. Weber said that the staff is getting more confidence in Jordan every day.

Aside from the story of "hey look what's happening with Michael's kid!" I think that earning a scholarship says a lot about Jeff and about the Illini this year. For Jordan, to turn down the mid-majors and prove himself at Illinois shows he didn't want anything handed to him for being Jordan's son. Not only that, it shows that he is a legit D-1 basketball player and found his role as a defensive stopper that can knock down a mid-range jumper.

In terms of the Illini, I think any time you honor a role player with a scholarship it's good for the team. Not that Pruitt and Randle were bad guys, but without the two "stars" from the past few years, the Illini have becomed more of a balanced, team oriented club and it has led to a lot of success.

Saturday, Illinois will put their 8-game home winning streak on the line against a Wisconsin team coming off an OT loss to Iowa. The Badgers have won five straight against the Illini, including knocking them out of the last two Big Ten Tournaments.

Illini get a W in First Game Since Being Ranked

Assembly Hall is rocking again this year, helping the Illini to a 67-49 win against Ohio State last night and making it seven wins in a row at home for Illinois. It was another balanced attack for Illinois, led by Mike Tisdale with 15 points, Demetri McCamey with 13, and two others in double figures.

Bruce Weber seemed to be making the right moves as well. In the first half he pulled an ineffective Tisdale and Dominique Keller stepped in with 12 points, while Tisdale returned to being the great big white hope in the second half.

This was the kind of win that has seemed to elude Illinois recently, as well as Big Ten teams ranked in the 20's. Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and others I don't care to research have been victims to the 20's curse so far this year, but the Illini came together for a big win over the Buckeyes. We finally saw some offense to go along with that suffocating defense that has been a staple of Weber teams.

It was a complete game and the Illini seem to have that intangible quality where it just seems like all the parts are working. Tisdale commented after the game that it seems like this year's team is a lot more "together" than the team last year. Weber said the Illini are still looking for that big road win to be serious contenders in the conference, but I'm sure they'll be more focused on getting that eighth straight home win when they host Wisconsin this weekend.

Illinois Cracks Top 25!!!

The Fighting Illini 15-3 (3-2) have cracked both polls this week. They are #24 in the ESPN poll and #25 in the AP. It's been a long wait, but the day has finally come. The good times are here again. (Thanks to Ethan for the tip)

Today's Links

• The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl! And apparently AJ over at Deadspin has to get a new tattoo.
• The Steelers will be joining them. That AFC Championship was hard-hitting, but boring. Agreed?
• Shut up mom! I want to play my XBox! I'm going to hit you and throw this taco at you if you don't shut up!
  
• Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose together in the backcourt, is it a good combo or a bad one? Henry Abbott breaks down their dynamic during the Cleveland game.
  
• Bye bye Felix Pie. The question remains; is Garrett Olson the key to a Peavy deal? Is everything the key to a Peavy deal?
• Two-Month old fetus officially decreed to be NCAA "prospect". Just kidding, but seriously, where are the boundaries here?
• The Bears need a wide receiver, and while I'm more in favor of a defensive back, this guy looks really REALLY good.
• Remember Matt Sylvester? That f#$%er that beat Illinois to ruin their undefeated season? Things aren't going so well for him these days. Good.