Talk about a roller coaster. Illinois just doesn’t like doing anything the easy way, does it?

The Illini put together an impressive first half performance against Colorado on Friday, showing no tournament jitters as they bolted to a 37-21 halftime lead.

It was some of the best all-around basketball Illinois had put together all season. The ball was flowing from side to side, guards were attacking, finishing and kicking the ball out to open shooters that were knocking down shots. The Illini held their own on the glass (Tyler Griffey, known by no one anywhere as a force on the boards, had more rebounds than Andre Roberson at the half) and defending aggressively, forcing the Buffaloes into as many turnovers (eight) as field goals. I even had a “Whoa, look out Miami” tweet on deck that I wisely (in retrospect) chose not to post. 

I don’t know what happened at halftime. Colorado must have pulled a Ron Artest and sipped on a few bottles of Michael’s Secret Stuff. But the second half was an entirely different matter.

Basketball is a game of runs, and we’ve watched all season long as Illinois has been on the wrong end of some brutally long ones. It happened at Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa and Minnesota. It’s a byproduct of an offense centrally based on jump shooting and of lacking a player that can consistently create his own shot or get to the free throw line. When the Illini go cold, they have nowhere to turn.

And whatever happened at halftime, the 11-minute stretch to open the second half was the coldest, longest, most brutal drought I can recall an Illinois team suffering. When Tracy Abrams finally coaxed a layup through the sheet metal guarding the rim, it felt like I had just spent an 11-minute round boxing Mike Tyson. Some Colorado fans actually gave the Illini a sarcastic cheer when they broke through.

But the odd thing about this drought, and what separated it from runs Illinois has allowed in past games, was that the Illini weren’t playing particularly poorly. When they opened the half 0-for-10 from the field, eight of those shots were quality, open looks taken by some of team’s best shooters. Their defense could have been slightly better, but Colorado’s shooters were knocking down tough looks. Only when the game tightened to within five points did Illinois begin to look truly shaken. And when the Buffaloes took the lead and the Colorado crowd — which was consistently louder than the larger Illinois contingent — really got into it, the Illini showed a resiliency that many, including myself, had written off countless times.

Illinois took Colorado’s best punch, as John Groce likes to call it, got off the mat, dusted itself off, and proceeded to claw its way to an ugly victory. Survive and advance.

When asked after the game why Illinois repeatedly falls into these ruts, Brandon Paul shook his head and began his answer with, simply, “This is March Madness.” 

It truly is, and if the Illini continue ride these ups and downs, these roller coaster games will soon drive me crazy. More than an hour after the game as I write this, my heart is still racing.

Deep breath. In and out. One more. Rinse and repeat.

The roller coaster continues Sunday against a Miami team that will turn a drought like Friday’s into a 20-point deficit. Illinois will have to sustain its play at continuously high level for the full 40 minutes. That first half level would be a good start.

Deep breath. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Daniel is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @danielmillermc.