When I was a junior at the University of Illinois, there was a furor not to be resolved for twenty years about the appropriateness of using the Indian tribe nickname Illini in sports competition.  Mocking both the controversy and Illinois' student body at once, a columnist for the Daily Illini sarcastically set the matter to rest by saying the nickname could stay, because University anthropologists had discovered that the Illini were really a tribe composed almost entirely of white residents of suburban Chicago.  While the University has become more diverse over the years, its alumni and students remain Chicago-centered.  Taking advantage of this Chicago-centrism, the basketball program had the bright idea in the mid-'90s of having the Illini play in Michael Jordan's United Center, originally to the same Bulls-style introductions.  Happily, today's Illini include scrappy backup point guard Jeff Jordan, son of the one and only.  As they get set to drub a weak Georgia team that -- late in a home game -- trailed the mighty Presbyterian Blue Hose of the Big South 36-34, I'm remembering some of the most exciting UC experiences I've had with the Illini.  There have been many, from Frank Williams' Illini handling Kirk Hinrich's Jayhawks, to Illinois beating Shareef Abdur-Rahim's Golden Bears of Cal, to the foul-shot driven December 2005 comeback over a good Xavier team. But here are three that stand out for me.

1.  Illinois 81, Arizona 73 (December 16, 2000).  Lute Olson's team was more loaded than half of today's NBA teams.  The Wildcats featured NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas on the wing.  NBA All-Star Richard Jefferson at forward -- backing up NBA vet Luke Walton.  A seven foot, high school All American center (Loren Woods).  One of the best college point guards of this decade (Jason Gardner).  A beastly power forward in Farragut's Michael Wright.  After losing in Maui to the Cats 79-76, the Illini played a physical game behind the banging and midrange jump-shooting of center Marcus Griffin and the in-your-shirt Rodmanesque flair of Lucas Johnson.  The difference was probably the six threes that Sean Harrington and Frank Williams made.  But my best memory of that game was Olson leaping off the bench and berating Johnson on the floor after Johnson went chest to chest with Arizona's good-natured, big-haired Gene Edgerson (now a Globetrotter, and a good one).  In this one, Illinois made nine more free throws than did Arizona -- quite unlike the Elite Eight game three months later between these teams when an NCAA record number of free throws carried Arizona over top-seeded Illinois 87-81.  The UC, not the loudest building ever, was filled, rocking, and loud.  Lute lost his stuff.  Self's boys were banging, and shirt-grabbing.  And winning.

2.  Illinois 72, Indiana 69 (March 10, 2000).  Bobby Knight never won a game in the Big 10 tournament. That's memory enough, eh?  I was lucky to be there (well, I always found tickets from someone in my firm during the many UC Big 10 tourneys) when unranked Illinois toppled number 13 Indiana to keep Bobby's oh-fer intact.  The win was very dramatic, both as a close-fought affair that would put one team in the conference semifinals, and secondarily, as Cory Bradford sought to keep alive his streak of 59 consecutive games in which he'd hit a three-pointer.  With seconds remaining, Bradford had no threes, and Illinois and Indiana were locked up at 69.  With 1.3 seconds left, Sergio McClain penetrated, found Bradford deep in the left corner, and Cory took care of both of those problems.  The UC was up for grabs.  Knight, already T'ed up in the first half, was a picture of impotent disgust.  One choked player later, Bobby was off to Texas Tech, and would never again darken the courtside of this rivalry (though I'd rather see him than Eric Gordon.)  Bye bye, Bob.

3.  Michigan State 67, Illinois 50 (March 7, 1999).  In one of the most improbable runs in the history of conference tournaments, Lon Kruger's point-guardless and young 1999 Illini -- dead last in the conference, 11th at 3-13 -- defeated three teams ranked in the top twenty-five to get to the finals.  Of course, it didn't hurt that the tournament was played at, you guessed it, the UC, in Chicago, in front of so much of the loyal Illinois fan base.  After Illinois edged sixth seeded Minnesota 67-64, trounced 3 seed Indiana 82-66, and shockingly held off top ten ranked and 2 seed Ohio State 79-77 behind loads of timely shooting, my mission was clear.  I found good scalped tickets (15th row above a bench) and took my Illinois fan Dad to the Big 10 Championship at the UC, where we watched the fourth-game-in-four-days kiddie corps run out of gas.  Illinois was as close as 27-22, but you could see the lack of lift in Bradford's legs, the fatigue in Sergio McClain, and most importantly, the Final Four excellence of a great MSU team.  But it was great to be there to clap at the game's end for the heroism of that team's effort.  I saw someone from the NCAA say on CBS that day that had Illinois won (with four wins over ranked teams on consecutive days), it would have drawn an 8 seed -- with a 15-17 record.  Amazing stuff.

Today's Georgia game, with its weak opponent and understandably subdued crowd, reminded me of the December 1998 Bradley-Illinois UC affair:  another dull, poorly attended UC game that Illinois won early in a year that ended eventfully. That game ten years ago featured a bunch of kids who showed flashes -- Krupalija passing, Johnson rebounding, Bradford shooting -- of what they would become.  Today's flash was another fast start for Demetri McCamey:  at the 12:20 mark, McCamey 13, Georgia 6, Other Illinois Players 6.  Just as importantly, the stifling defense from the Tulsa game was in the house, holding listless Georgia to eight points at the 9:00 mark, and carrying the Illini during some spotty shooting of their own.  The second half was marked by crisper, more efficient ball movement and tough D, culminating with a smothering, dunk-and-three laden game-closing 22-0 run.  For critics, there were some causes for concern, here and there:  this Illinois team is susceptible to its own lazy passing, and to aggressive, athletic big men.  But the generally crisp ball movement, greatly improved offensive efficiency, and solid defense outweigh those flaws.  Without adding a single special memory, this one adds an RPI neutral site win the Illini were supposed to get to a campaign that looks a little more promising with each game.

Check out my recurring Illini hoops column here at dagblog, beginning with Tuesday night's column arguing that despite the Clemson loss, Illinois is back.