Care for some Gopher? Earlier this week, the Illini finished off the Badgers and now it's time for the Gophers, made famous by the classic movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? The sentiments of Everett no doubt apply to the Illini, as the gophers can only arouse their appetite as what they're really looking for is something a little more Spartan (relevant audio clip here).

6th-year Minnesota head coach Dan Monson has not won a game in ten tries against Illinois. But this year's team has been perhaps the biggest surprise of the Big Ten with a 14-5 (4-2) record that has them tied with Wisconsin and Indiana for third place in the conference. Although the Fighting Illini will be tempted to look past this game to the second-place Spartans, they clearly can't aford to do that. The Gophers will/should be hungry for this game since they have lost all four games they've played this year against teams in the top-25 (Alabama, Oklahoma, Iowa, Michigan State). They are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament and need a quality win for their resume.

As excited as Illini Wonk is to see the Centennial celebration during and after the game, it has the potential to be an added distraction. As usual, coach Bruce Weber is on top of it and is using it as motivation for his team.

You don't want to miss this game. If you can't get to a TV, then here's the link to Gametracker and the link to Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast. For those willing to spend $6.95 to register for a one-month membership to College Sports Pass, you can watch the Centennial events online here.

Illinois official game notes here.
  posted by Illiniwonk at 7:49 PM