Fighting Illini Can’t Come Through

One may remember the team in 2005 that battled against North Carolina in the NCAA championship. Three years later, it seems as if Bruce Weber’s Fighting Illini do not even pose a threat.

Finishing the season with a horrific 16-19 record, Illinois has clearly struggled. What makes things even worse is the fact that Big Ten superstar Eric Gordon had all but signed with Illinois before deciding at the last minute to play for the rivaling Indiana Hoosiers. The Illinois club undoubtedly witnessed its struggles this year, as inconsistencies from seniors Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle left the team without true veteran leadership.

The Fighting Illini did manage to stir up the crowd a bit at the end of the season, winning four straight games and earning a spot in the Big Ten Conference Championship. Unfortunately, they were wiped out by the Wisconsin Badgers by a score of 61-48. The Badgers finished the season 29-4 overall and ranked #5 in the country. They will head to the NCAA tournament under the leadership of head coach Bo Ryan. The victory on Sunday gave the Badgers their 10th straight win.

If the Illini had secured the victory, they would have been one of two teams in the NCAA tournament to compile a losing record during the regular season. Unfortunately, Coppin State, finishing 16-20, will be the only club to enter March Madness with a record under .500. By not making it to the NCAA tournament, the Illini ended a streak of nine straight appearances. The Fighting Illini did seem to find some chemistry at the end of the season, and head coach Bruce Weber felt that his team was a lot better than the results showed on paper.

"It's disappointing," he said. "We finally figured it out at the end and got guys to buy in. We should have been waiting to see where we were going."

With just a 5-13 conference record, it is clear that the Illini need to improve significantly to become competitors next season. The Big 10 is not an easy conference, as four of the ten teams, including Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue, finished in the top 25 overall. As stated earlier, it was hard for Bruce Weber this season, watching Eric Gordon put up phenomenal numbers for the Indiana Hoosiers knowing that he was almost going to wear the orange and blue. In addition, the Illini heavily recruited Memphis superstar Derrick Rose, who averaged roughly 14 points per game this season.

What do the Illini have to look forward to in the upcoming years? Though they are losing two of their starters in Shaun Pruitt and Brian Randle, juniors Calvin Brock and Trent Meacham should emerge as exceptional leaders next season. In addition, freshman Demetri McCamey shocked Illini fans at the end of this season and even earned a spot in the starting lineup. Finally, there is no telling what is in store for young Jeff Jordan, who saw limited playing time but demonstrated much talent from the guard position. In summary, Bruce Weber will have a lot to work with next season, but he has much work cut out for him if he wants to improve his young ball club.