By Paul M. Banks Welcome to a new quasi-weekly feature where we discuss some of the biggest topics in the Michigan State Spartan world, including the insight and observations of legendary MSU coach Tom Izzo. This installment highlights his charity free shooting contest against close friend, and Illinois Head Coach, Bruce Weber. … [Read more...] about Fridays with Izzo:Free Throw Contest vs. Bruce Weber
college gameday illini
Connections, Nepotism Brings ESPN College GameDay to Champaign Saturday
By Paul M. Banks Once again the old adage "it's not what you know, but who you know" rings true. This time it's applied to ESPN's location selection process for broadcasting their national college basketball pregame show. From 2003-07 Illinois had MORE WINS than any program in the nation. But ESPN College Gameday never visited once (not even during the Champaign Campaign … [Read more...] about Connections, Nepotism Brings ESPN College GameDay to Champaign Saturday
ESPN Finally Gives Gameday Love to the Illini
By Paul M. Banks For some bizarre reason, the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network ignored the University of Illinois when it came to finding a locale to host their popular "College Gameday" pre-game show. The show has been running for six seasons, and during that period of time, the Fighting Illini were 6th in the nation in total wins! They've been a NCAA Tournament regular … [Read more...] about ESPN Finally Gives Gameday Love to the Illini