Are you excited yet?
The Illini football team opens training camp next Thursday at Memorial Stadium, a few days ahead of Camp Rantoul starting on Monday, August 9.
As the preseason approaches, and Illini Chat becomes more and more active for the upcoming season, I want to introduce you to the weekly schedule that you will find here on this site. Every day, starting this coming Monday, there will be a daily feature. These features will normally be all-Illini, all the time, but there is some wiggle room where I can (and will) throw in some thoughts about other stories within the sports world.
Monday’s feature will be entitled Monday Mourning. This will be a feature that will celebrate all that occured over the past weekend, both good and bad.
Tuesday’s feature will be entitled Tuesday Tidbits. This will feature smaller items that do not need much analysis or hype. This will likely be a little barren until we get deep into training camp and begin the season. But I will do my best to keep you excited.
Wednesday’s feature will be entitled Wednesday Whining. As you might expect from the title, this will be where I spend the feature “whining” about whatever I want. It really won’t be very much “whining”, but it will be much more opinionated than many other posts you will see on this site. The goal is to generate some good, healthy debate on current issues. I will also be willing to post reader’s “whines” or rants (see below).
Thursday’s feature will be entitled Thursday Thoughts. This feature will be similiar to Tuesday’s, but with more looking ahead than looking back. Tuesday will be more about reporting items that occured in the past, while Thursday will be more about previewing what’s ahead. It will lead nicely into Friday’s feature.
Friday’s feature will be entitled Friday Forecast. This will be used as a day to look ahead to the upcoming weekend, and include any predictions for the weekend’s events. This could also extend to the local high school football scene. It might also include a list of some of the best (and worst) of the non-Illini television games to pay attention to (or ignore).
A quick note about Wednesday Whining: I am more than willing to post reader whines and rants. If I am going to post your rant, then please, above all, let’s do this in a respectful manner. No subject will be off-limits, so long as it’s sports-related. But respectful ranting at all times. The best rants will be clear, concise, and with correct grammar and spelling. I won’t edit spelling and grammar, so the more professional your rant looks, the better it will be received.
A quick note about Friday Forecast: Any predictions will not be limited to myself. They will be open to anyone who wishes to e-mail me their thoughts. In theory, I would love to have predictions on not just Illini games, but other Big Ten games, as well. The best e-mails will have a clear prediction, and reasons explaining why you think it will occur.
You can e-mail the Wednesday rants and Friday predictions to illinichat@gmail.com, or post them to the Illini Chat Facebook page.
Wait a second. You haven’t joined the Illini Chat Facebook page? You should rectify that mistake as soon as possible! You can also follow Illini Chat on Twitter. You never know when your tweet will be included in a future feature…
A new season approaches….
….and with a new season brings new hope. Hope that the Illinois football team can work its way back into a season-ending bowl game. Hope that the Illini basketball team can return to the NCAA Tournament.
One of these two is more likely than the other. I’ll leave it to you to decide.
My name is Charlie Fillenwarth, and I’ve lived in this area my entire life. I’ve followed Illinois sports for as long as I can remember. I will be your guide through this year’s journey, and I’m honored to be here with you. Camp Rantoul begins next month, and I will be there to bring you all the news and action. I have many exciting features ready to go this season, so I hope you enjoy what I have to offer Illini Chat.
I encourage you to contact me with any questions, comments, complaints, compliments, or if you just want to chat about Illinois sports. You can reach me at illinichat@gmail.com. You can also join the Illini Chat Facebook Group, and follow us on Twitter.
Again, I’m honored to be here with you, and let’s hope for a great year! Go Illini!
A Look Back to the Final Four
It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since the Illini’s Final Four run.
This year’s 14-loss team doesn’t belong on the same page as the 2004-2005 team, but as Illinois crept closer to the NIT Final Four, I couldn’t help but think back to better times.
The games were somewhat similar, the only difference, Illinois couldn’t put together a magical comeback.
Check out the video to actually watch a good team play…
Illinois beats Arizona
“The 2009-2010 University of Illinois Men’s Basketball Team: A Season to Forget”
Did Illinois’ 77-71 home loss to Dayton in the NIT quarterfinals surprise you?
It shouldn’t have…..
Illinois (21-15) head coach Bruce Weber said it best after the game, “They just kind of just kicked us in the face right from the start.”
Ya think?
It was another chapter in the book titled,
“The 2009-2010 University of Illinois Men’s Basketball Team: A Season to Forget”
The book goes something like this:
1. A horrible start
-Demetri McCamey and company with a deer in the headlights look
- Poor defense
-Terrible shooting that includes way too many three attempts
-The mouth open, arms crossed, confused Bruce Weber look
2. A valiant comeback
-Better defense
-McCamey and Mike Tisdale wake up mid-way through the first half, making a few more shots than before
-Illinois cuts the lead to single digits before half
-A poor start to the second half
-An 8-0 run mid-way through the second half
3. The collapse
-After cutting the lead to single digits, the Illini can’t cut the gap any further
-Too many turnovers pave the path for the opponent
That’s how it went game after game for the Illini in 2009-2010. Just when you thought they could be somebody–shoddy defense, poor shooting and costly turnovers down the stretch proved why they were in the NIT instead of the big dance.
Illinois returns all five starters to a team who shouldn’t lose more than 10 games next year.
Let’s hope that book has a better ending.
Dayton leads Illinois 64-51, 3:27 2nd Half
Dayton is just too quick for the Illini.
Mike Tisdale fouled out with 7:53 left in the game. He couldn’t keep up with the Flyer’s up and down offense, and finished with six points and only three rebounds.
Illinois cut the lead to nine twice, but haven’t been able to get any closer.
Dayton 64
Illinois 51
3:27 2nd Half
