SAN DIEGO – Illinois redshirt Trent Meacham spent the NCAA tournament in the same place he spent every road game this season – the stands. NCAA regulations restrict Meacham’s participation on the team, but he flew to San Diego to kick off spring break with the rest of the Illini.

Q: So does spending the tournament in the stands qualify as the worst part of being a redshirt?

A: Oh, I don’t know. There’s so many things about it that are bad. I have to sit in the stands for every road game, so I guess I’m getting used to it.

Q: Is it worse now that it’s the NCAA tournament and every game could be the last?

A: Every game I wish I could be out there playing, but especially at the big games you want to be out there. But I’ve just got my goals, my sights set to next year and getting ready for when I can play.

Q: What does being a redshirt mean you are unable to do this season?

A: I have to travel separately from the team. I can’t sit with the team at away games. I can’t practice with them on road trips and I can’t warm up at home games.

Q: Do you have to pay for everything then?

A: There’s a student opportunities fund that paid for my flight, which is really nice. Then if I go out to eat and my hotel and stuff, I have to pay for it all, but I have to save the reciepts and I can get reimbursed. There’s so many rules.

Q: Did your family come to San Diego?

A: No, they actually went to Florida over spring break. They would have been here, though; they went to the Final Four last year.

Q: What about getting out of classes – you probably don’t get absences excused like most athletes, right?

A: Yeah, they can’t give me a written excuse, so I have to go talk to my teachers on my own. But a lot of them are big Illini fans, so they don’t seem to mind and I can usually work things out.

Q: Do you have any plans for spring break?

A: I haven’t even thought about it. I can still practice at home, so I didn’t make any plans or anything. I haven’t even thought about if we lose yet.

Q: What’s the best thing you’ve done in San Diego other than watching the games?

A: I wanted to go to the beach, but I haven’t been able to yet. I love March Maddness though, so I love just watching all the games here.

We went to a huge sports bar last night; that was fun. It’s been nice to enjoy the weather and just the NCAA tournament.

Q: What would you consider the best game of the tournament?

A: I don’t know. I’ve seen pieces of so many games. There haven’t been any blowouts, and I think that shows the parity in college basketball. Really every game start to end has been good.

Q: What do you think was the biggest upset of Round 1?

A: I’d say Northwestern State and Iowa. I played against Northwestern State last year; they’re a pretty good team, but Iowa has a lot of experience, so I thought they’d win. In high school I played on an AAU team in Iowa, so I know a lot of those guys, too. I thought they’d do pretty well.

Q: Who did you put in your Final Four?

A: Illinois, Florida, Memphis and Texas.