Daniels | Embrace the fun of March
Mar. 13—CHAMPAIGN — The expectations of March are here.
Where one missed shot, one turnover or one technical foul after a dunk (too soon, Illini fans?) can send a whole season spiraling. Not to mention the dark abyss of social media tangents, where everyone with an account is smarter than every official and coach, more athletic than every player that is actually on the court.
The No. 13 Illinois men's basketball team doesn't tip off its postseason run until Friday night in downtown Minneapolis at the Target Center.
Its opponent is unknown, although it's either Iowa for the third time this season or a resurgent Ohio State for a second time, with Illinois a combined 3-0 against those two teams this season.
What happens at the Big Ten tournament matters. Why play the games (OK, media rights deals factor into the equation) if they don't? Of course, most bracketologists — and they're never wrong, mind you — have Illinois penciled in as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament when the 68-team spectacle tips off next week.
Win or lose on Friday night, Illinois is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season. A mark that hasn't been matched since the Illini rattled off eight straight appearances at the start of this century, spanning three coaches in Lon Kruger, Bill Self and Bruce Weber from 2000 through 2008.
Think of all those fun moments. Sure, Sean May is still a four-letter word around Champaign-Urbana these days. Not to mention Bill Walton's broadcasting chops.
But it's easier to complain than to embrace what this month brings.
It brings about Deron Williams making a three-pointer folks can still picture in their mind to this day, nearly 20 years after his heroics in Rosemont. It brings about Dee Brown's jersey pop, Ayo Dosunmu's mask, Coleman Hawkins' outstretched block and the pure joy Giorgi Bezhanishvili elicited from a postgame Zoom call when Illinois last won the Big Ten tournament in 2021.
Will Illinois win the Big Ten tournament again this year? Maybe. Maybe not. In the wise words of former News-Gazette Illinois beat writer Marcus Jackson, there's a 50-50 shot.
And even if Illinois does win the Big Ten tournament, cutting down the nets on Sunday evening in Minneapolis at either roughly the same time as the selection show starts to air on CBS or just before the brackets are revealed, does it matter once the NCAA tournament tips off? Maybe. Maybe not. Just think back to Cameron Krutwig's post moves and the missed opportunity Illinois had as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in 2021.
Illinois has shown during the past four months it can play with any team in the country. The high-octane offense Brad Underwood's seventh team displays at times is reminiscent of what Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill and other members of the Flyin' Illini brought about 35 years ago.
Those Illini, by the way, didn't win the Big Ten championship. Finished in second place to, wait for it, checks notes, Indiana. Remember those 1988-89 Hoosiers? Not really. Why? Because Bob Knight couldn't get past Seton Hall in the Sweet 16.
No Big Ten tournament, right or wrong, existed during the heyday of the late 1980s in the Big Ten, with the first tournament still a decade away.
So, yes, what happens this week in Minneapolis is important. While regular-season champions and conference tournament champions are recognized and celebrated on their respective college campuses, it still pales in comparison to what teams are remembered for by the biggest barometer this month: how they fare in the NCAA tournament.
Again, the expectations of March are here.
Embrace the madness. But don't forget the fun.
Matt Daniels is the sports editor at The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-373-7422 or at mdaniels@news-gazette.com.
