WE ARE STILL LOYAL TO YOU, ILLINOIS

3/25/10

I rarely (never, really) write about sports on this blog, largely because I know very little about sports unless the event/team/game concerned took place at least forty years ago. This, of course, makes me quite unique in the world of punditry; utter ignorance of the subject one is addressing generally presents no barrier to a pundit’s expostulating on that topic at great, and usually annoying and/or amusing, length.

However, the appearance of one of my almae matres, the Fighting Illini of the Big U, in the NIT has prompted me to write a piece I have been contemplating since their first round game in which they narrowly defeated the Seawolves of now Stony Brook University, formerly SUNY-Stony Brook, my wife’s alma mater. (Incidentally, we both enjoyed that game very much; what are the chances of these two schools ever playing again? They never played before. And I suspect that we might be the only couple in the entire world composed of a U of I graduate and a Stony Brook graduate, but, if I am wrong, I would love to hear from others similarly configured.) Further, this post is not about sports per se, but rather on displaying a degree of class and courtesy, or at least shame.

Ever since the Illini wound up in the NIT, every time I’ve heard Bruce Weber, or virtually any other representative of the Illinois hoopsters, speaking, he was whining about the Illini not being asked to the NCAA but having to settle for the NIT or, when he wasn’t personally complaining about his plight, responding to alums, students, and other fans similarly sullen and down in the mouth regarding the Illini’s failure to secure an invitation to the Big Dance. Such ceaseless airing of this grievance is disappointing for two reasons.

First, complaining about being invited to the NIT rather than to the NCAA is rude. Yes, I understand that everyone understands that the NIT is very much the consolation prize for those who couldn’t make it to the NCAA and has been for at least forty years. No one at the NIT, or anywhere, has any illusions that the NIT is anything but that. But enough of this Yeah, we couldn’t get to the NCAA so we had to settle for this inferior tournament talk. It is, despite the very much acknowledged relative desirability of the two tournaments, very much akin to saying something like I couldn’t get invited to the nice party, the one I really wanted to go to, so I guess I’ll have to settle for your crappy party. And buy some better chips next time, will ya? A host, confronted with such an ornery guest, would be tempted to ask him to leave if the party that host so carefully prepared and to which he so graciously asked the guest, was not up to that guest’s standards. Where are people’s manners?

Second, after the spanking (Spanking? The wholesale, unabashed, embarrassing trip to the woodshed) the Dayton Fliers delivered to the Illini last night, the boys from my school showed that they didn’t belong in the NIT, let alone the NCAA. After an utter embarrassment like last night’s, I hope Weber and his minions will finally have the shame to stop this Oh, woeful day, we had to settle for this miserable tournament” talk.

And another thing…I hope, but certainly don’t expect, that, next year, the NIT sends out a blanket announcement to every college and university with a basketball program, and one specifically addressed to Champaign-Urbana, stating that if you really don’t want to come to our tournament, we will spare you the ignominy and not invite you in the first place. Just let us know now if coming to our party will be some sort of unbearable disgrace and we will spare you the embarrassment.