The poster child for Illinois basketball, the cover boy for Sports Illustrated and the flat-out man around Champaign-Urbana is warmed up for the tournament. Dee Brown tied the Illinois record for three-pointers in a game with eight; he had seven at halftime and was only trailing Purdue’s score by two points. On a night for the seniors, the usually generous Brown became the centerpiece of the celebration, but then quickly brought his teammates into the limelight with him. The cover boy had an idea, though, of how to make the cover more attractive.

“There is not an individual on this team,” Brown said. “I wanted me and my team (on the cover).”

Senior Curtain Call

Before the game, each senior player was introduced with a family member one-by-one, and one-by-one each one’s face detailed the strain of holding back tears. Various fans in the crowd weren’t as strong-willed; it was a touching example of what this team actually means to the community. A brief glance around the stadium showed people young and old wiping away tears of gratitude for the departing class.

Then the fans stayed well past 10 p.m. to watch the post-game presentation. After the game, Bruce Weber acknowledged that Illinois’ run has been pretty special.

“The crowd stayed,” Weber said. “They stayed into it right to the end.”

Keady Farewell Tour

As well as honoring Illinois’ seniors, Purdue head coach Gene Keady was celebrated. Keady was Weber’s mentor while the Illinois coach was at Purdue and is one of the most influential figures in Weber’s life.

“I don’t think I can repay him,” Weber said. “We got him just some fun gifts that I hope he enjoys.”

The gifts included:

n A tailor-made suit from Dilbert’s in Chicago. A present Weber owed Keady when he ripped a pocket off of one of Keady’s jackets while trying to restrain him from refs years ago. Weber tried to repay the wardrobe damage after the occurrence, but Keady said Weber didn’t have enough money to afford it. While having his suit made in Chicago, Keady will enjoy a golf outing, dinner and hotel reservations.

n A Weber grill and apron. With the retirement, it’s time for Keady to start sharing the load around the house. The grill is the perfect way to fire up a good meal, and the famous Weber orange apron will prevent any further garment damage.

n A brand new cell phone and a two-year plan. Keady recently had his cell phone plan run out, so Weber wanted to be able to keep in touch with the retiring coach.

Classy Krush

The Krush granted invulnerability to Purdue’s Keady and presented him with a shirt making him an honorary lifetime Krush member. The cheering squad once again started the wave from C section and even convinced a referee to double knot his sneakers from the court.

Best thing to do when not celebrating while intoxicated today:

Visit www.mrbluehands.com.