A Look Back

Illinois got all Jekyll on their Hyde last night, ending a brutal road slump by staging a comeback victory against Northwestern. Down by 14 with just 5:28 left, the Illini went on a 17-2 run, and Demetri McCamey banked in the winning jumper with 2.9 seconds left (17-2, oddly, matches the Bulls' run to beat the Pistons Tuesday). Northwestern dominated the first 35 minutes of the game, but once Illinois instituted a full-court press, the Wildcats fell apart, showing why they've never made it to the NCAA tournament. C'mon, Northwestern. The NCAA tournament has been around since 1939, and you've NEVER made it. NOT EVER. Your last conference championship was in 1933! There was no TV or radio in 1933! You are clearly the 11th wheel in the Big Ten.

The Bulls, proving they are consistently inconsistent, dropped their final game before the All-Star break, losing to Miami 95-93. The Bulls trailed most of the game, tied it with 6.5 seconds left, then lost on a Shawn Marion dunk with 1.1 seconds left. At the break, the Bulls are 23-30, in 10th place in the East.

Notre Dame's losing streak had to end sometime, and you figured that when it did, they were going to unleash their anger on someone. The Irish took out their religious wrath on Louisville, getting revenge for an OT loss earlier this season with a 90-57 victory. Louisville shot a pathetic 39 percent, while ND was 10-18 from three.

On a separate note, I'm glad to see Field of Dreams did well in the poll. Whoever voted for The Natural: you are wrong.