Woe Is The Illini

The Tennessee State Tigers are 4-8, with losses to Belmont, Akron, Colorado State and Southeast Missouri State. It was once known as the Tennessee State Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School for Negroes. Oprah Winfrey went there. And yesterday, they beat our Illini at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.

It's somewhat comforting to know your NCAA tournament hopes have been extinguished before the conference slate has even begun. Saves a lot of time and energy.

It's New Years Eve, so we're going somewhat self-indulgent here, but anyone who has watched this Illini team knows they're not very good. Everyone knows this, apparently, but the players, who were apparently snickering while watching the Tennessee State game tape.

It's just very disappointing that maturity level and understanding that anybody can beat anybody," [coach Bruce] Weber said. "We talked about it last night at our meeting and you have snickers. Just from our clip tape on (Gerald) Robinson and Price, they had to realize how good those guys were, and then we let Houston get involved."

Yeah, they deserved to lose; screw 'em. Save us, Zook, save us!

Illini Find Intensity Eludes Them Again [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]