Illini Wonk
Friday, February 11, 2005
  The Buzz Grows
An earlier post from Illini Wonk has chronicled The Buzz on the Illini and regular posts (e.g. here, here and here) have tracked the overwhelming press coverage of Illinois Basketball during their historic season.

On Tuesday, the last semi-competitor for the Illini's buzz fell away as Boston College lost to Notre Dame. Now, the buzz on the Illini has risen to a roar. Associated Press sports-writer Jim Paul wrote a flattering profile of Coach Bruce Weber (could there be any other kind after his track record) that made the Most Viewed Sports stories on Yahoo! News and turned up in 77 places on a Google News Search.

In-state coverage has been overwhelming for months, but much of it is still well worth reading. Chicago Sun-Times sports-writer Herb Gould asks the question Exactly how does a program go through three coaching changes in eight years and achieve more under each new coach without missing a beat? He answers the question by chronicling those eight years here.

Copley News Service sports-writer Mike Nadel gives us a look at the mail he received about Illinois basketball here in the Sauk Valley Daily Gazette. In further confirmation of the Illini buzz, he writes not surprisingly, the nation's hottest college hoops team has been the hottest topic this winter in Mike's Mailbag. There's some about the lack of exuberance among Illini fans, Charlie Villanueva, their post-season prospects and Weber as a recruiter.

In more local coverage, there are two profiles of Illini big men. Lindsey Willhite on James Augustine and Steve Batterson on Jack Ingram. In the Chicago Tribune, Marlen Garcia has a must-read about Illinois' motion offense and a companion piece on their defense.

While the national sports media may not have been there since the beginning (or at least since consecutive wins in one week over Gonzaga and Wake Forest), they have certainly been around as of late. According to Yahoo! Sports National Columnist Dan Wetzel, it's Perfection or bust for the Illini. In his mailbag, SI columnist Grant Wahl writes: Dee Brown's three consecutive steals against Michigan on Tuesday may have been the single most impressive short-term feat by a player that I've seen this season. William Geoghegan of SportsCentral says here that things will be sorted out come March.

But now, sports-writers around the country are filing their stories. Joe Gergen gives readers of New York Newsday a look at the Illini here. Jack Wilkinson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution weighs in here. The Los Angeles Times sent a reporter to Champaign to file this report. Even the Gray Lady herself got in on the act with a profile of Bruce Weber here.

Add another sports-writer to the list who think the Ilini will finish the season undefeated. Jake Curtis of the (just outside Big Ten territory) San Fransisco Chronicle profiles the undefeated and the winless.
 
Comments:
Very good. This may be your best post yet wonk. Thanks.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home
A college hoops blog dedicated to the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team.
Where will Illinois spend the 2007 postseason?
NCAA
NIT
Watching on ESPN
  
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Amazon Honor System Click Here to Pay Learn More

Link to buy Dee Brown book Link to buy Leatherbound, Autographed Century of Orange and Blue book

Where do my $ go? Blogroll Me! Subscribe in NewsGator Online LiveMessage Alerts

Add this blog to my Technorati Favorites!
Your E-mail:

ARCHIVES
December 2004 / January 2005 / February 2005 / March 2005 / April 2005 / May 2005 / June 2005 / July 2005 / August 2005 / September 2005 / October 2005 / November 2005 / December 2005 / January 2006 / February 2006 / March 2006 / April 2006 / May 2006 / October 2006 / November 2006 / December 2006 / January 2007 / March 2007 /


Blingo

Sports Publishing Logo

Listed on BlogShares

Powered by Blogger