Even though watching another Illini football game this season is last on my list of things I’d like to do, the season continues. Up next, Illinois will lose to Ohio State in Columbus this weekend.

I refuse to believe that Illinois will end this season with just two wins, but clearly this isn’t the week that will bump them up to three. If the football team couldn’t get it done at home against the bottom of the B1G barrel, how will they get it done on the road against a team that is undefeated and sitting at the top of the pile?

Though OSU is a 27-point favorite in this annual battle for the Illibuck, our dear Ohio State contributor Krista Jones was kind enough to say :”It would not be out of the realm of possibility for this to be a much tighter game than it should be.”

Oh, she’s not saying we have a chance in hell of winning, just that maybe Illinois won’t get blown out. I, on the other hand, would not be surprised if Illinois fails to score at all this weekend. For more information on our upcoming undefeated opponent, take a look at The Poisonous Nuthouse weekly Known Your Enemy report.

After the dismal downward spirals of both the football and basketball teams last year, Illini fans went into this season with hope in our eyes and trust in hearts for new coach Tim Beckman. Sadly, this season is shaping up to be even worse, and a bowl game is almost impossible at this point. No one expected a complete 180, but certainly we expected more than this.

So let’s just get through this game without too much humiliation, and move on to the next. Home games against Purdue and Minnesota are winnable (they were sure things at the beginning of the season), which would give them at least four wins for the season. Sadly, I’d be pleased with that at this point.

Since we need some fun in our lives, how about some fun facts?

• Ohio State leads the Illibuck series with a 60-23-2 mark.
• Illinois last took the “Illibuck” with a 28-21 win at Columbus in 2007, but Ohio State took it back with a 30-20 win in Champaign in 2008 and retained it the last three years.
• OSU holds the lead in Columbus, 27-18-4
• Beckman worked as Urban Meyer’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Bowling Green from 1998-2004. Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two as head coaches.
• Beckman was the cornerbacks coach on the Ohio State coaching staff from 2005-06 under Jim Tressel.
• In 2011, LB Jonathan Brown recorded 17 tackles – which still stands as his career high – against OSU, while recording 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

The game will be at 2:30 on ESPN.

Henry (20) and Egwu (32) did some nice work in last night’s game.

Yay! I get to use the words “win” and “Illini” in the same sentence! It may have only been an exhibition, but the basketball team had no trouble trampling on D-II opponent Lewis University, 79-47.

The Illini got off to a rockin’ start, with Myke Henry, Joseph Bertrand, Tracy Abrams, Brandon Paul, DJ Richardson and Tyler Griffery swishing in 3-pointers, giving them a 20-4 lead just about 8 minutes into the game. At halftime, the Illini had a comfortable 15-point lead, 35-20.

In the second, the Illini just kept scoring.  In the end, 13 players were in the game, and 11 scored points. Though walk-on Kevin Bernardini didn’t score, he did log an assist, leaving Ibby Djimde without any stats (aside from fouls) to speak of in his five minutes in the game. Henry, Richardson and new senior Sam McLaurin were all in double digits (11,12,11) and Griffey had a team-high 9 rebounds.

Overall, the Illini shot about 51% for the game, and were 50% from behind the 3-point line. The guys were strong on defense as well, keeping Lewis under 30%, and the Flyers were also 3-16 on 3′s.

While I’m super pumped about a win, of course I realize this was just an exhibition against a D-II team.  But, this is the first glimpse of the guys under John Groce, and so far I like what I see. Even though I don’t remember the Illini ever losing an exhibition game under the Weber era, I do recall some closer than necessary games. I love that the Illini never even let the Flyers get close.

Up next, the Illini will host West Chester, another D-II team which I guess is a part of the Penn State University system. I just discovered they spelled Champaign wrong in a news release that mentions the game, so I hope the Illini show no mercy. The game will be Sunday, Nov 4th at 3PM.

QB Nathan Scheelhaase led the team to another loss yesterday.

Pardon me, I’m still sitting here in disbelief, more than 24 hours after the Illini Homecoming loss to Indiana, 17-31.

That’s right, it was our homecoming, and we went ahead and let the Hoosiers make us look like chump. The season has now officially been flushed down the toilet, and Illini fans will have an open calendar when bowl season begins.

The Illini fired first with a Nathan Scheelhaase pass to Eddie Viliunas for a TD just five minutes into the game, but the Hoosiers hit us right back when Stephen Houston rushed for a TD just a few minutes later.

In the 2nd quarter, the Illini grabbed the lead again with a Scheelhaase rushing TD. Except the Hoosiers came back and scored twice more before the half: one a Nate Sudfeld pass to Houston, and the other another rushing TD by Houston. As you can see, that Houston fellow had a pretty nice game up and down our field.

Going into halftime, I thought: no biggie, down by just 1 TD. We’ve most certainly been in MUCH worse positions. Oh, but see then the Hoosiers made a FG in the 3rd, and we answered back with another FG. Then Indiana got one last TD in the 4th (Houston was actually not involved). Scheelahaase, who may be the healthiest he’s been all year, failed to get a TD in the second half. Leaving the Illini with their 5th loss in a row, 17-31.

Five losses in a row. That’s just 1 shy of the number that got Ron Zook fired last year. New head coach Beckman wasn’t expected to perform miracles, but he was expected to beat Indiana, at home.

Moving forward, the Illini have absolutely nothing to lose, because the season is already over. There are actually 4 more games left on the schedule, so while technically they could hit 6 wins, it’s not happening. I find it extremely difficult to believe the team that I watched yesterday has any chance of going into The Horseshoe and beating Ohio State next week, let alone a win at Northwestern to finish off the season over Thanksgiving weekend.

I’m not being pessimistic, just realistic. On the bright side, I’m about to write my recap of the basketball win yesterday evening. Time to focus my energy on a team that knows what it feels like to win.

The next game will be on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2:30PM at Ohio State.

In my happy haze of the B1G Basketball Media Day this morning, I nearly forgot that we were still playing football. Luckily, the upcoming game on Saturday at home against Indiana is just what the doctor ordered to cure the downward spiral the Illini are currently suffering from. 

After a much-needed bye week, Coach Beckman and the Illini can return to the comforts of Memorial Stadium and face the one opponent in the conference that is arguable worse than we are: the Hoosiers.

Both teams actually have the same overall record of 2-5, and both have yet to win a conference game. Clearly someone is going to be happy Saturday evening with their first conference win, and it better be Illinois.

Indiana has wins over Indiana State and Massachusetts at home. Though Charleston Southern is probably worse than both those teams, Illinois did beat Western Michigan, a team that might be a notch better than the other two. Regardless, the key is that both teams are winless on the road, and Illinois gets to be at home.

Beckman has to be a little relieved to have a soft team for Homecoming, but the pressure is still up there, because if he can’t pull of this win then people are going to be angry. So far we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt, as it is a transition for a team that really wasn’t that great last year. But, a home loss against Indiana isn’t going to fly.

The Illini are just 2-point faves for the game on Saturday, but I think the margin will be considerably higher. That doesn’t mean the whole season is going to turn around, it just means I think they’ll finally win Saturday.

Fun Facts

• Illinois has faced the 23rd-toughest schedule so far this season, as Illini oppponents have a 22-13 record against FBS competition (not including their game against Illinois). Non-conference FBS foes Louisiana Tech (6-1), Arizona State (5-2) and Western Michigan (3-5) are a combined 14-8 overall this season.
• The first homecoming celebrated on Illinois’ campus was on Oct. 15, 1910, which the Illini won 3-0 over Chicago.
  
• This year’s game against Indiana marks the Illini’s 102nd Homecoming.
• Illinois has an all-time record of 44-55-2 on Homecoming.
• This is the 70th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers.
• The Illini have won four of the last five against the Hoosiers and hold a 45-21-3 overall series advantage against IU.
  
• Illinois also leads the series 29-8-1 margin in games vs. Indiana in Champaign.
  
• Illinois coach Tim Beckman has never faced the Hoosiers, while IU coach Kevin Wilson is 0-1 against the Illini.
  

The game will be at 11AM on the Big Ten Network.

Since Indiana has a preseason No. 1 ranking out of all Division I teams, it’s no surprise for them to be named Preseason Big Ten fave as well. Soph Cody Zeller of the Hoosiers was also named Preseason Player of the Year.

Joining Zeller on the preseason team are Michigan’s Trey Burke, OSU’s Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas and Penn States Tim Frazier (that guy hasn’t graduated yet??).

From my orange colored glasses, there is one name clearly missing from that list: Brandon Paul. No matter, that just means he needs to work harder to make the postseason list, which is infinitely more important.

Michigan and Ohio State were selected to finish second and third in the conference. This seems like the first time in a while that Michigan State is nowhere to be found on either list. While I can’t really get on board with being happy about Indiana’s honors, I guess it is nice to see someone else on the list. Can’t wait to see Tom Crean’s smug face as he addresses the media as a preseason fave.

Follow Aerys_NCAA for all of the action from the #B1G Media Day!

Mike LaTulip – The Basics

Year:  Freshman
Previous School: Prospect High School
Ht/Wt: 6-0/165
Jersey #: 10

The Orange & Blue Scrimmage will take place tonight! Let’s celebrate by getting to know the last newbie player on the list, who also happens to be the one and only true freshman of the group: Mike LaTulip.

The preferred walk on actually committed back in September to join the Illini, but he reaffirmed that he was sticking with the team, and with new coach John Groce, in May. He attended Prospect High School, and is a member of the Full Package AAU team.

LaTulip, a 6-0, 165-pound guard averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds during his senior season, leading Prospect to a record of 17-9 and 7-3 in the Mid-Suburban League’s East Division. He made 75 three-pointers on the year while shooting 38.5 percent from behind the arc. He averaged 22 points, four assists and 2.7 rebounds as a senior, and was voted Third-team All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

The Illini are in need of some good offense next year and having someone like LaTulip on the team that can really shoot could be a nice boost. Though he is a preferred walk-on, that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to make a difference on the team. Jeff Jordan and Trent Meacham both started out as preferred walk-ons, so that’s the club that LaTulip is now joining. While things worked out better for Meacham than for Jordan, it’s still important to note that preferred walk-ons should not be discounted.

LaTulip will be wearing jersey No. 10, and he will turn 19 on December 7. A little fun fact about LaTulip is that his father was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies organization and played minor league baseball.

Check out some video highlights below.

This is last year’s logo, but you get the idea!

I love this time of year. Basketball is just about to start, which means the team is currently undefeated. The basketball poster has been released with Coach Groce and everyone else looking badass, and expectations are through the roof.  And now we find out the Bud Light Braggin’ Rights Game has been extended to 2017.

This might not be good news to everyone, but I love me some Braggin’ Rights! For about 9 years it was a guaranteed win, so that’s always nice. With Missouri being more competitive the last few years, the game is still a great mark on the calender to get the Illini warmed up before starting the conference season. The game is going to stay at the Scotttrade Center in St. Louis, which is also great because it’s just a hop, skip and a jump away from Chicago, and worth a visit.

“Scottrade Center has been the proud home of the annual Braggin’ Rights game since the building opened in 1994,” said Tom Stillman, Chairman of the St. Louis Blues and Scottrade Center.  “We are thrilled that this St. Louis tradition will continue through 2017.”

The Braggin’ Rights Game began play in St. Louis on Dec. 10, 1980, and has been played 31 times over the last 32 years, including this season’s meeting on Dec. 22, 2012, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

Illinois holds a 20-11 series advantage in St. Louis and an 11-10 lead in games over the last 21 years. Missouri has won the last three meetings following up a nine-game winning streak by Illinois from 2000-08. I’m guessing that Missouri now being in the SEC won’t make much of a difference in terms of this game.

Overall, five games in the Braggin’ Rights series have gone into overtime, and 14 games have been decided by two possessions or fewer.

“I’ve heard about the importance of the Illinois-Missouri game since the day I took the job here at the University of Illinois,” said Coach John Groce. “This is one of college basketball’s best non-conference rivalry games. When you factor in the longevity of the series, holding it at a neutral site in St. Louis with the crowd split 50-50, and playing it right before the holidays; you are talking about a big-time environment for our players, alumni and fans. I’m excited about experiencing this rivalry for the first time, and that we are extending the contract so the Braggin’ Rights game will continue for many years.”

So this came out yesterday:

It case you’re not pumped, now is the time to start getting there.

Rayvonte Rice – The Basics

Year:  Junior. Rice will not play for Illinois until next season. After he sits out for a year, he will have 2 more years of eligibility
Previous School: Drake
Ht/Wt: 6-4/240
Jersey #: 24

Next on our list of new guys on the basketball team is Rayvonte Rice, who is transferring to Illinois after spending two years at Drake. You won’t actually see him on the court this season, as he has to sit out due to transfer rules. Sam McLaurin, on the other hand, does not have to wait because he graduated from Coastal Carolina, and is heading to Illinois as a grad student.

Rice will be able to play for the Illini starting next season, and then the 6-foot-4, 240-pound guard will then have two years of eligibility with Illinois.

A native of Champaign, Rice was the first official recruit that John Groce brought into the program. He averaged 16.5 points and 5.7 rebounds last season for Drake, and overall in his career there totaled 983 points, 339 rebounds, 103 assists and 105 steals. He played in 64 career games at Drake, and started 62 times. Rice also set the Drake freshman scoring record with 428 points (13.8 ppg)

Rice will be wearing jersey number 24 when he plays next season, and since that’s my favorite number I’m going to keep an eye on this guy. Also, we’re from the same hometown. He’ll be 21 July 14th  next year, so that means he’ll be of drinking age once he can officially play for the team.

What you may not know about Rice is that he is cousins with Illini football star Mikel Leshoure, who holds the Illini Football single-game (330 yards) and single-season (1,697 yards) rushing records and single-season rushing touchdowns (17) record. Leshoure is now a running back with the Detroit Lions.

Check out some Rayvonte Rice high school highlights below, because I couldn’t seem to find much from when he was at Drake. Still exciting nonetheless.

Last year, the Illini basketball team featured a whopping 7 newcomers, with 6 freshmen and 1 senior transfer (Sam Maniscalco). The Illini lost two guys at the end of the season with Sammy Ice graduating and Meyers Leonard getting drafted #12 in the NBA. Crandall Head also skipped town in the middle of the season, leaving a total of 3 open schollies for the coming season.

Despite some expected decommitting and shuffling after John Groce replaced ex-head coach Bruce Weber, Groce managed to bring in 3 new players this year: 2 transfers (Rayvonte Rice and Sam McLaurin), and 1 freshman (Mike LaTulip).

Since LaTulip is a preferred walk-on, he won’t be taking up one of those available schollies, which means there is still 1 open one out there. But at this point it looks like that won’t be filled before the season begins in just a couple of weeks.

Let’s get started meeting the 3 new guys!

Sam McLaurin – The Basics

Year: Senior
Previous School: Coastal Carolina
Ht/Wt: 6-8/230
Jersey #: 0

I decided to respect our elders by starting with them first, and so I’d like to introduce you to Sam McLaurin, a fifth-year senior transfer from Coastal Carolina.

He is the guy with the tweet heard round the world back in May when he tweeted: ” “F*** it, I’m going to Illinois. #Illinination.” It’s not clear if he informed the staff of his decision prior to the tweet, but either way I’m in love with his passion for the team.

Following closely in the footsteps of last year’s fifth-year senior also named Sam, McClaurin will also be sporting 0 on his jersey. That’s where the similarities end, because McLaurin is a forward who will be assisting in filling the void left by Leonard. The 6-8, 230-pound forward started all 31 games for the Chanticleers last season, averaging 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 65.2 percent from the field.

McLaurin scored in double figures in 18 games and recorded five double-doubles last year. In his career at Coastal Carolina, he totaled 674 points and shot nearly 62 percent. He also owns the Coastal Carolina record for career blocked shots with 155, and ranks seventh on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 647 boards.

A native of Havana, Fla., McLaurin is a two-time Big South All-Academic selection and earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in 2012 as well.

His birthday is November 8, and he will turn 24 years old. As a mature statesman, I hope he can bring in the kind of experience and leadership that Maniscalco was supposed to bring last year, though it never really happened. We’ll know more as practice continues, but I would think McLaurin will get a starting job early on in the season.

Check out some highlights of his Coastal Carolina work below.