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Behind the Mic

Now It Gets Serious

Posted by: Brian Barnhart

Sunday, January 25, 2009 7:18 PM

A lot of events in recent days have been breaking the Illini's way in the race for the top of the Big Ten.

First...the Illini took care of business at home against two teams that have been giving them a tough time the last few seasons. Illinois had lost a combined 10 straight games to Ohio State and Wisconsin... but dispatched the Buckeyes and Badgers at home this past week.

Then Northwestern helped out the Illini with a once-every-25 years win in East Lansing over Michigan State (they had not won there since 1984) .Even Iowa pitched in with an overtime win in Iowa City over Wisconsin...helping the Illini surge into second place behind the Spartans at just past the 1/3rd point of the Big Ten race.

The one advantage Michigan State has over everyone else in the league is the fact they have won 4 road games already (at Minnesota...at Northwestern...at Penn State...at Ohio State)....and none of those teams will be easy for the Illini to beat on the road.

As Bruce Weber has been quick to point out....the Big Ten race is a marathon...not a sprint. You can't get too caught up in which teams surge ahead and then fall back. Any marathon runner will tell you that you have to stay focused on your own pace and not worry about everyone else. Take care of things you can control.

My color commentator on the Illini Sports Network... former Illini Jerry Hester ...turned to me during one of the timeouts in the Wisconsin game this past Saturday and said "this Illini team is a REALLY GOOD basketball team" Jerry would know. He was on the last Illini team that truly was a big surprise. That of course was Lon Kruger's 1998 Big Ten Championship team that was loaded with senior leadership and caught the attention of the league and the nation.

Jerry and I could both tell almost from the start of the season that this Illini team could surprise a lot of people with it's hustle and teamwork. But even we didnt expect 17-3 after 20 games.

Another big week is ahead for Bruce Weber's team with a trip to "The Barn" in Minneapolis (one of my favorite places) and a date with Iowa to kick off February. We look forward to bringing you all the action.