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The Start of a New Sports Year

Posted by: Brian Barnhart

Friday, December 26, 2008 5:33 PM

There are several reasons to look forward to the New Year. One is the chance to start over again....and LOTS of us do that EVERY year with a lot of things.... (weight loss....exercise...or both).

From a sports perspective...another reason to enjoy a change in the calendar is to hope that what has been happening recently will extend into the New Year.

Take for example the Illini men's basketball team. An 11-1 start after the Mizzou win means that Illini fans are now hopeful that the surprising non-conference start will carry over into Big Ten play. The Illini put together a performance in St.Louis that even impressed their coach. Now....can they play at that level on a consistent basis in the 2009 portion of the 2008-09 schedule?

The New Year will also bring a chance for redemption for some teams. The Illini football team would like to move on from the disappointment of a losing season and try to recapture the momentum of the Rose Bowl season. They will get their chance with the start of spring practice in late March.

The Illini volleyball team will be looking to extend its 2008 success into another NCAA tournament run in 2009...but will have to do it without their now retired head coach Don Hardin. And dont forget about Janet Rayfield's soccer team...maybe the most consistent Illini sports program of them all(with Mark Johnson's wrestling team a close second).

The Chicago Cubs should have another good year this season....but every Cub fan will be waiting all summer to see if their hometown heroes can win a playoff series when the leaves start to turn in the fall.

Then again.... Cub fans have been saying those types of things for many, many New Years now.

We have had a good start with IlliniHQ.com in 2008. We look foward to bringing you all the latest Illini information as 2009 approaches.

The Ilini battle Eastern Michigan on Sunday. Here is a preview of the Eagles.