Illinois Fighting Illini Blog
Notes On 2013 ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Although there wasn’t a conference crowned the champion of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge because of a tied 6-6 outcome, plenty of story lines and questions emerged from the event. We take a glance into some intriguing aspects seen in the challenge. Read more »
Comparing The Conferences
The Pac-12 has been suffering through a long dark period. The Big Ten has been dominant (at least in the pre-conference schedule) for the last few years. Should we expect a change this year? Is the Pac-12’s slump over? Is the Big Ten’s boom about to come to an end? Read more »
Team-By-Team Gold Medal Winners
The Jazz and Thunder have had the most Gold Medalists since the USA began bringing NBA players in 1992, while Duke leads amongst colleges. How do the other 29 NBA teams rank? Read more »
2012 Big Ten Power Rankings
The Big Ten was incredibly close at the top, with a three-way tie in the standings and also in our statistical rankings. Read more »
Who Is Hot, Who Is Not
When it comes to February in college basketball, some teams get better, the rest get left in the rear view mirror. Here are the teams that are surging and falling over their past 10 games. Read more »
Top NCAA Coaches Of Past Five Years
There are a lot of complicated ways to evaluate college coaches, but in this edition we look at the coaches with the best per possession numbers over the last five years. Read more »
Behind Brandon Paul's 43 Points, Upset Of Ohio State By Fighting Illini
Brandon Paul had a night to remember, almost doubling his career high in points and converting eight three-pointers to lead Illinois to a 79-74 win over No. 5 Ohio State. Read more »
Big Ten Power Rankings (Jan. 9th)
With teams having played either three or four conference games, it is an opportune time for a Big Ten power rankings. Read more »
Freshmen Bring Hope
Teams that play a lot of freshmen are the most likely to improve as the season goes on, while those with a lot of experience are more likely to plateau. In this piece, we examine freshmen minutes for every major school in the country. Read more »
The Census: RealGM's NCAA Rankings For Dec. 12
Syracuse has yet to leave New York and have played a relatively soft schedule, with their only impressive wins coming against Florida and Stanford, but they are 10-0 and now No. 1 in RealGM’s weekly poll. Read more »
The Census: RealGM's NCAA Rankings For Dec. 5
Aaron Craft, Jared Sullinger and Ohio State were ready to trounce on the No. 1 slot in RealGM's rankings if not for an Anthony Davis block. Read more »
Harry Potter And The 2011 NCAA Tournament
Unlike books and films, sports is always unscripted entertainment and the good guys don't win every time. Let's look at how that relates to the schools (beyond UConn) that should celebrate their March success. Read more »
College Coaching Series Part 3
Part two showed that Jim Calhoun's teams have been the best in the nation at forcing missed shots over the last 9 years. But which coach has consistently taught the best defensive rebounding? Read more »
On The NCAA Tournament (Day 2)
Kyrie Irving's return, Gus Johnson's Mom, why Georgetown was Friday's biggest loser, plus Texas' expectations remain relatively stagnant. Read more »
Surprises And Flops, Part 1
Looking at the surprises and flops this season in the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-10 and Mountain West. Read more »
Conference Rankings (End Of Jan. Edition)
As we have commonly seen in recent seasons, the Big East has been the deepest conference in the country. Read more »