PJ Star 12/22

[Da Coach]

Bradley tries to wash away 'taste of Butler' tonight
VCU, however, won't be an easy test for Braves after deflating road loss Wednesday

http://pjstar.com/stories/122207/BRA_BF9BAEBK.071.php

Unusual honor for BU soccer
DeRose doesn't win title, but national publication names him coach of year

http://pjstar.com/stories/122207/BRA_BF9AE7EI.075.php

And here is a very strange headline- I know Illini fans aren't happy, but they are 6-4 (Bradley is 7-4 by comparison) and I don't think anyone expected Illinois to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season. This is the first time I have heard the term "crisis" applied to Illinois this season--

Illinois reaches crisis mode
Overtime loss at home doesn't put Illini in great frame of mind heading into Braggin' Rights game against Missouri

http://pjstar.com/stories/122207/ILL_BF9C9NNQ.076.php

[smitty]

Here is a clip from the Illinois article--

Hours after an overtime loss Thursday night to Miami of Ohio, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber found himself counseling players by phone.
It's not yet Christmas, but even the Illini admitted the season already is at a crisis.
"A couple of them called,'' Weber said. "One was sobbing. One was very distressed. It was emotional. It means something to them.''


Who do you think was the sobbing, crying weenie?

I hope Bruce Weber has a lot of Paxil and Valium for all those "emotional" and "distressed" crybabies.

It sounds like he needs to stop worrying about recruiting 4 star and 5 star players, and recruit some real men, not pansies.

[BU1999]

And here is a very strange headline- I know Illini fans aren't happy, but they are 6-4 (Bradley is 7-4 by comparison) and I don't think anyone expected Illinois to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season. This is the first time I have heard the term "crisis" applied to Illinois this season--

Illinois reaches crisis mode
Overtime loss at home doesn't put Illini in great frame of mind heading into Braggin' Rights game against Missouri
http://pjstar.com/stories/122207/ILL_BF9C9NNQ.076.php

None of that kind of headline over here in Champaign.
Here where there are way too many Illini fans buying newspapers to ever be harsh or even realistic, it is all rosy with sports headlines like

"Streakin' Illini"

"It's More than just a Game"

and the really good news:
"Legion Says He'll Join Illini"

http://news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/

[JBinPeoria]

One problem for Illinois is that they have no leader on the court. Nobody wants to step up and lead the team. But the biggest problem at Illinois is that Eric Gordon went to Indiana. Eric Gordon has impressed me more than any of the other freshmen people are always talking about.

[MacabreMob]

IMO, EG's decision to go to Indiana is not Illinois' problem. It was the failure of the coaching staff to start looking for another player in the event EG switches his mind and goes to Indiana. IMO, most coaches in that situation woulda started looking for a replacement... it's almost as if BAM didn't want to find someone available at the time... rather wait until it was too late to find someone and then the blame can be put on IU and EG.

[Da Coach]

Bruce Weber did get a commitment from another shooting guard to replace Gordon who he has said he thought was an extremely talented scorer, Quinton Watkins. Watkins did not qualify, and they didn't learn that until late August, then too late to replace him.