Only the biggest of dreamers gave Illinois a chance of beating the semi-professional USC Trojans in yesterday's 94th annual Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, USC beat the Illini like the proverbial red-headed stepchild 49-17. The academic conclusion to the game also led to some wonderful entendre-laden headlines in the dailies: "Case of California Creamin'", "Too Much Booty Puts Illini on the Defensive", and "Trojans Pull Out All the Stops" are some of our favorites. The loss also provided Jay "the Joke" Mariotti with another opportunity to pen his now-patented "sports in this state really suck" columns, complete with desperate stabs at modern cultural relevance and creating lame-ass nicknames, this time referencing "Knocked Up" and calling Illini head coach Ron Zook "Zooker." more ›

Chicagoist knew there'd be plenty of surprises during Sunday's college football Bowl Championship Series selections, given the losses by the two top-ranked team on Saturday and then general tumult among the top ranked teams all season long. Among the biggest surprises was the Rose Bowl's selection of the Fighting Illini to play against the USC Trojans on New Year's Day. The Illini did knock off Wisconsin when they were ranked fifth, and they handed Ohio... more ›

Illinois budgets are in trouble all over -- at a meeting with legislative leaders late Tuesday, Gov. Blagojevich warned that unless a budget deal is reached, state government could shut down next month. Selling sex toys on the side and earning a $64,000 salary wasn't enough. Karen Bailey, a top assistant to Cook County Commissioner Jerry "The Iceman" Butler, faces felony charges for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 from an 87-year-old woman, prosecutors and police... more ›

University of Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther will not be punished for his actions during the Illini NCAA Tournament loss to Virginia Tech. During the game, Ron Guenther was playing the role of frustrated fan rather than Athletic Director, as he was heard screaming advice at Coach Bruce Weber. It is reported he did not just stop there; he also berated players for poor performance, including calling forward Warren Cater an idiot. The Illini were... more ›

We all know all too well, this week's winter weather can be a pain in the ass. But it can also be dangerous, as two members of the University of Illinois basketball team learned the hard way Monday night. Freshman center Brian Carlwell and sophomore guard Jamar Smith were injured in a single-car accident on an icy road, when Smith's Lexus crossed the center line and hit a tree. Smith drove his car to his... more ›

March Madness is nearly upon us, with the conference tournaments as a little appetizer before the Big Dance begins next week. The Big Ten Tournament opened play Thursday in Indianapolis, with the 6 lowest seeds facing off to see who would advance to the quarterfinals. 9th seed Northwestern is already headed home after losing the opening game to 8th seed Penn St. 60-42. The same Wildcats team that Chicagoist witnessed take Big Ten Champ Ohio... more ›

A sign that Thanksgiving is approaching and winter's not far behind, this week marks the opening of the college basketball season. We'll focus today on the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Their season kicks off in Champaign tomorrow night when they host South Dakota State. Tomorrow, we'll look at the other Division I schools in the area, including DePaul, Northwestern, UIC and Loyola. Last year's Illini team spent most of the season ranked #1 in... more ›

Last week, the NCAA instituted a new policy that would ban schools using "hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery" during NCAA Championships and would prevent offending schools from hosting postseason events. While broad in policy, the NCAA has squarely aimed these new rules at the 18 schools with Native American nicknames -- including the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Many have been outspoken in their opposition to the NCAA's decision, including Florida... more ›

The NBA held its annual draft last night. In recent years, this was the biggest night of the year for the Bulls. This year, however, even John Paxon and Jerry Reinsdorf probably made other plans. Because of a trade for Bryce Drew during the Bulls' Dark Ages and last year's trade for Loul Deng, the Bulls were without a pick in the draft for the first time in their 40 year history. Which was probably... more ›

Illini guard Dee Brown broke his foot yesterday during a game at the NBA predraft camp being held at the Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. Brown declared early for the NBA draft, choosing to test the NBA waters after being named both the Big Ten player of the year and the Sporting News' national player of the year. However, due to his 5'11" height and lack of experience as a true point guard, Brown... more ›

Illinois got a rude awakening from its dream season, as North Carolina won last night's NCAA basketball tournament 75-70. The Tar Heels took a 15 point lead early in the second half before Illinois staged a furious comeback. The Illini fought back to tie the game at 65-65, but could not get over the hump to take a lead. They had their chances towards the end, but the shots wouldn't fall and ultimately, the Illni... more ›

As any sports fan knows, the biggest story of the weekend was college basketball. The conference tournaments wrapped up Sunday afternoon, leading to the NCAA tournament seedings announcement. As expected, Illinois received a #1 seed on account of their 32-1 record and their winning the Big Ten tourney. But the mood was perhaps more subdued that for most teams in their situation. Friday evening, following Illinois' 68-51 victory over Northwestern, coach Bruce Weber's mother passed... more ›

Once again, the Bulls have been banished from home so that the United Center can host another event. Today, the Big Ten's men's basketball conference tournament tips off at the UC. The opening round slate includes Northwestern vs. Michigan, Iowa vs. Purdue and Ohio St. vs. Penn St. The top 5 seeds have byes, with their first action coming tomorrow. The Trib's Mike Downey shares a few tidbits about this year's tournament. For example, in... more ›

We don't like to focus on the negative. So, instead of focusing on the Bears' ineptitude on offense, the Cubs' inability to trade Sammy Sosa, the White Sox losing Magglio Ordonez, the Blackhawks' lost season due to strike ... we're going to focus on the positive. What are we thankful for this Christmas season?We're thankful for the Bulls recent surge. The Bulls have won five straight games! That's right, the Bulls are 2 1/2 games... more ›