At 2:30 p.m. today, Illinois will play Wisconsin for the Big Ten tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Just think about that - an 18 loss team might get to go dancing.
But after such a horrible, disappointing season, is an appearance in the Big Ten final enough to redeem the year? Even if they lose to the top-seeded Badgers, is getting this far and finally getting the team to click and play with heart, enough to silence the Bruce Weber haters for one more season?
Brian Randle seems to feel that a berth to the NCAA Tournament would be enough to salvage a miserable season, while there are others who who feel differently .
I can't help but sympathize more with Randle's point of view. Yes, the Big Ten was down this season and Illinois got a love letter from Blake Hoffarber's mircale shot that put Minnesota in the semifinals instead of Indiana. But no matter how they get there and how ugly / lucky it might be, if the Illini reach the NCAA Tournament, they've done the impossible and salvaged a season that was all but dead.
It's become trendy to diss Weber and I've heard the arguments - he can't recruit, the NCAA final run wasn't with his players, the Illini have underachieved, etc. All valid points, but I think you have to hold tight and give the man two more seasons. Why? Because this season was a blip, a fluke for an otherwise strong coach and program that has some good players on the way.
Besides, Weber is still a draw for recruits. Just ask Alex Legion and check out Simeon star Stan Simpson's reasons for choosing the Illini. And we should all realize that Kelvin Sampson, the man who slithered his way in and stole Eric Gordon from Illinois, is out of a job. It's unlikely that Weber will have another season like this one, where many of the barriers seemed to be mental blocks, not a lack of talent. From the start, the Illini took on a victim mentality that only got worse after a heartbreaking loss to Arizona in December. What do you think? Is this run enough to cancel the panic alarm?
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