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Illinois is (admittedly only technically… this is all very unlikely) still in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball title hunt. Here’s how it could play out:

Illinois wins out, finishing 13–5 in conference and 21–10 overall. Along the way, they beat Ohio State, who also otherwise win out, beating Penn State and Michigan to finish 13–5 and 23–8. Michigan State wins at Purdue but is beat by either Penn State or Michigan to finish 13–5 and 24–7. In addition to losing to Michigan State, Purdue also loses to Indiana or Penn State, finishing 13–5 and 25–5 overall.

Tom and I met in Champaign Saturday to watch Illinois upset #5 Michigan State. This was one of the most anticipated games of the year for the Illini Nation (even if most people thought we’d be doing a little better at this point in the season…). We were tied for second in the Big Ten going into the game, with eight games left (six of which were against ranked opponents) and work to do lest we miss the NCAA tournament. Beating Michigan State was a statement that certainly bodes well for the future of this team.

Months of planning paid off in an Illini (fan) victory yesterday, as the Orange Krush (plus Kelby, Dan, and I) invaded Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Illinois beat Iowa 57—49 as the Krush chanted “This is our house” as time expired. Iowa fans are understandably bitter…

(There’s more coverage online from Hawkeye Insider and the Cedar Rapids Gazette; also, check out this YouTube playlist and the rest of the pictures in the gallery.)

I visited Tom, Terry, and Devon in New York with Kelby and Nathan last weekend, and we had a great time. Great tastes, brilliant nightlife, and excellent company led to a fantastic weekend. Tom’s company putting him up in an extended-stay hotel was the primary impetus for the trip, but it was great to see Devon and Terry, and hopefully it won’t be long before I’m back.

Kelby shared Club Trillion with me yesterday, a blag written by Ohio State University basketball walk-on Mark Titus (i.e., OSU’s significantly taller version of Bubba Chisholm. Although, looking at Bubba’s stats, it doesn’t appear he’s managed to pull off a trillion at Illinois.). His self-deprecating sense of humor and stories about being a mediocre player at a high-profile D1 basketball program are hilarious.

In case you’re unaware, the “trillion” refers to the stat line for a player who gets in the game for a minute, but does absolutely nothing. No shots, no rebounds, no fouls—nothing. For example, Tyler Griffey had a four trillion in Tuesday’s game against Penn State. (Technically, I guess that’s not a trillion, because Griffey put in legitimate minutes, not scrub minutes at the end of a blowout. But the stat line is right, and I’m too busy (liar! —Ed.) to find a better example.)

It’s just too bad Titus doesn’t play for the University of Illinois.

As I mentioned, I spent NYE 2009 in Chicago with many of my fraternity brothers. We had a blast: Makeshift put on a great show at Goose Island, we met up with cousins Kelly and Patrick on the 1st, and despite the wrong team winning at the United Center, we did our best to cheer the Illini to victory. Our family had a lovely evening downtown on the 2nd, before we headed for home on the 3rd.

I’m writing on board the Amtrak #4 train bound for Chicago, traveling into the city for New Year’s Eve. Despite the fact that the train arrived in Princeton an hour and a half late, it’s still definitely the way to travel. And hey, during the delay I chatted with a cute young lady named Desiree, so even running late isn’t all bad.

NYE should be a blast. Makeshift, a band composed of a bunch of guys with whom I went to college, is played at Goose Island, and a bunch of my fraternity brothers will be in attendance. I haven’t seen a lot of these guys in a while, so I’m really looking forward to catching up. We’re staying at a hotel for the first night in the city, and should be crashing at a buddy’s condo later on, while we recover from NYE and wait for the Illinois–Gonzaga game on Saturday. 

While I still need to blog about Christmas, and potentially a couple of other things about this year, this will probably be the last post of 2009. I know it’s been a tough year for much of the world, and lots of people are ready to forget and move on to the second decade of the millennium, but on balance, 2009 treated me pretty well. I spent the first half in India, came home to a promotion, and bought a new house. So, while I’m looking forward to 2010, let’s celebrate the close of the year with gusto.

Having taken a few days to cool off, I’m finally ready to talk about the Illinois–Mizzou Braggin’ Rights game. In a few days somewhat reminiscent to the football game between the schools, I had a great time in St. Louis, with the exception of the few hours watching the event that was our reason for coming into town.

Friday night Josh and I went to Wharton Field House to watch Moline High School take on Rock Island High School. Normally, I don’t attend a lot of high school games, but Rock Island features potential future Illini Chasson Randle, and I wanted to see him play. Due to the weather (and the AlWood Elementary Christmas party) Dad couldn’t make it, but Josh and I braved the freezing rain.

Since Moline–Rocky is a fairly big high school rivalry, and this year’s edition featured a future Division I player, I thought the field house might be a little more packed than it was. I’d say it was probably about 60–70% full, and we were able to find decent seats at mid-court in the upper deck. We arrived with about 5 minutes left in the JV game, so we watched the younger kids play as we settled in.

Both teams brought good-sized student sections that were having a good time. Rock Island had a bunch of guys with body paint spelling out ROCK TOWN USA. Moline had Santa Claus, some elves, and his security crew. Both teams’ cheerleaders got their student sections loud and rowdy.

Disappointingly, Moline’s aggressive zone defense effectively took Randle out of the game. Rock Island was pretty passive in attacking the zone, passing around the outside, occasionally throwing up a three-pointer. Their man defense was much more truculent, though, and they prevented Moline’s offense from doing much damage. At halftime, Randle had no points.

Dad and I drove down to Champaign Sunday morning to take in the Illinois / Western Michigan basketball game, which Illinois won 88–53. We picked up Katie at her place, stopped at Jimmy John’s for lunch, and headed to the stadium.