Maybe I’ve got a case of March madness – because today is not even close to the fourth Thursday in November, and I’m feeling extra thankful.

Someone smart once said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Well, Illinois basketball, I wrapped a gift. So I might as well give it.

But first, I have to pick out the right type of card to stick on top.

A “Congratulations” card might be the right choice. After all, I could give you guys a collective pat on the back for being undefeated. For slicing through the league and winning back-to-back Big Ten championships. For having four different players garner Big Ten Player of the Week honors. For practically locking up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before the end of the regular season.

Then again, maybe I should go with a “Happy Anniversary” card. Illinois basketball is 100 years old. Man that’s old – isn’t it the same age George Foreman was last time he won the heavyweight championship of the world? Anyway, I’m glad to have watched your program arrive at its centennial in such a flashy fashion.

But seeing as you are heading toward the finale of the season and into tournament play, perhaps a “Good Luck” card would be most appropriate. Here’s to you guys steamrolling Purdue tonight and Ohio St. on Sunday. Good luck in the Big Ten tournament and the NCAAs – wherever you are, you know this campus has your back.

Geez, I could spend hours in the greeting card aisle at Walgreen’s trying to pick out the perfect card for you guys. This is tougher than I thought.

But I think I finally found the right one. And it was so obvious. How about I get you guys a simple “Thank You” card? See, that way I can tell you the following things.

n Thanks for making the regular season anything but regular. You have been a 29-game memory factory for all your fans. No matter what happens in the postseason, we won’t forget what it took to get there.

n Thanks for remaining humble through all the media attention, NBA talk and the general craze surrounding your squad. Your most outspoken and recognizable player would rather sport his backcourt mate’s jersey than his own? And they call you guys amateurs – the teams on the next level could benefit from some time in your company.

nThanks for the unselfish basketball you play. You guys have somehow defied linguistics to prove there is no “I” in Illinois. You might not hear the cheers when you make the great pass before the pass that leads to a wide-open look for a teammate. But we all see it.

n Thanks for making the winter in Champaign a little more bearable. Some doctors say people should install full-spectrum lights in their house to ward off winter depression. Those guys should have been at your Wake Forest game. Then they might be prescribing Illini basketball tickets to all their patients as the hot new remedy.

n Thanks for helping us forget about football season. Yeah, I know, sorry to bring that up.

n And thanks for providing this sports-obsessed college senior enough “When I was your age” stories to bore my grandchildren for hours some day.

Now that I have your card, you’re probably wondering about that gift.

To express my extreme gratitude for the team, I’m going to go to Assembly Hall and cheer you guys on tonight. And I’m bringing 16,000 of my friends with me.