Column: A traveling circus

By Jacob Bressler

Last Monday, I was at The Daily Illini getting an edit when I was offered a press pass to the Illini basketball game in East Lansing against Michigan State.

My excitement level reached a feverish pitch as plans were solidified on Monday night regarding the driving situation. Sure, I had to drive through Indiana and Michigan, two states that I despise, but I felt as though it was worth it.

I was expecting a fired up Izzone, a big media contingent and a pure hatred for the Illini from the Michigan State faithful. Oh, and another victory for the No. 1 team in the country. I was not disappointed.

Arriving at the Breslin Center about an hour and a half before tip off, I immediately became aware of the magnitude of this game.

While waiting in line to receive our press credentials, I ran into a man who had written Jack Ingram in an attempt to acquire a ticket to the game. He looked as though he had been following the team around the country and hadn’t been home since the days of the Flyin’ Illini.

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The man had driven to East Lansing from Decatur – with the only problem being that Ingram apparently had never met or spoken to him.

However, I had no time to worry about this conundrum. I was about to watch the Big Ten game of the year.

As I walked onto the Breslin Center floor an hour before tip off, the Izzone was already in full effect.

Students occupied the seats in the lower level of the arena all around the court. Dressed in their “White Out” T-shirts, they were primed for an upset of The Top Dog.

Humorously, they would be disappointed. By the way, how much better is “Paint the Hall Orange” compared to the “White Out?” Not even close.

Michigan State was warming up, and Spartans guard Shannon Brown was so excited he looked as if he had just won the Jimmy John’s shooting contest at Assembly Hall. I think he might have a better jump shot than some of the contestants, though. (Hey Assembly Hall contest organizers, I sit in section A40, row 9).

Amazed at the intensity that was already in the arena, I heard some rumblings at the scorer’s table that the Illini had just entered the building.

Suddenly, assistant coach Wayne McClain emerged from the locker room with his Illinois sweat suit on.

The Izzone wasted no time in giving McClain a rude welcome. They berated him with boos as he walked from one end of the court to the other.

This is the type of passion and hatred opposing teams’ fans exude when you are ranked No. 1.

The media following this basketball team are no longer merely central Illinois outlets. The amount of national media in attendance, such as representatives from ESPN and Sports Illustrated, made the atmosphere feel more like a Beatles reunion than a Big Ten basketball game in early February.

Anybody who thinks this team is no longer getting the attention or credit they deserve from the national media is crazy.

In fact, there were so many press people there that I and many others had to stand for the entire game.

There were an abundance of “oohhhs” and “ahhhs” throughout the first half from the press core, especially as Dee Brown started draining from beyond the arc. The Illini hit 13 three-pointers.

When Luther Head took over the game to begin the second half, several Chicago beat writers jokingly wondered as to who is the best player in the conference. Geee.

At one point in the second half when the Illini couldn’t miss from the field, a girl working for the Michigan State athletic department made this profound statement: “They pass the ball so fast.”

It was business as usual as Illinois was able to hold off a late Spartans run. Ho hum – another quality victory in this season where no goal seems unattainable.

At the post game press conferences, it was clear that Brown, Deron Williams and Head, the best backcourt in the country, are relaxed and comfortable assuming the role of the top tier in college basketball.

This Illini basketball season reminds me a lot of those great Chicago Bulls campaigns in the late 90’s. You don’t want to miss one second of the action, and you know that victory is something that is expected and achieved.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride – perhaps all the way from Decatur to St. Louis.