The DePaul/ Illini Connection
How can I let the DePaul defeat of Bill Self's #5 ranked Kansas Jayhawks stay off the Fleece & Flog radar for three days? (I know, my news is older than a subscription to a weekly sports magazine.)Maybe it's the fact that Kansas already dropped a game to that fiercest of traditional basketball powers, Oral Roberts. (Quick ORU tie-in to the Southside: what's the name of the Argo High School alumnus who played with B.J. Armstrong for one season at Iowa before transferring to ORU? Submit your guesses in the comments and I'll post the answer in a day or two as an update at the bottom of this post.)
But Sammy Meija did his best David Booth impersonation and brought the Blue Demons all the way back from 14-point deficit at the Allstate Arena on Saturday to shock the Kirk Hinrich alma mater, or not shock the Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk group.
On behalf of Illini fans everywhere, I'd like to thank the DePaul Blue Demons for defeating the Self-ish one.
When was the last time Kansas actually won a big game? In their last national championship they were coached by a spry young man named Larry Brown who's now so old he's being paid NOT to coach the New York Knicks. In fact, Kansas has been an underachiever for years now. And with the hated Mr. Bill Self-ish at the helm of the Jayhawks, I really could care less. Roy Williams was someone I could root for at Kansas even if he flat lied about not moving to North Carolina; I wish nothing but a porous defense and turn-over inclined point guard for Bill Self-ish and his new contract extension.
But this post was supposed to be about the Blue Demons and their marvelous win over a highly ranked opponent and how, come tourney time in March, this win will add big points to its RPI, but as an Illini fan, I can't help but look at it from an anti-Bill Self-ish slant, especially after watching the Orange Krush turn to orange mush in the desert on Saturday as they fouled away their chance at beating a highly ranked team on the road in #16 Arizona.
Talk about a team going cold, after shooting somewhere around 70% in the first half the Illini couldn't do anything right in the second half and gave up a 16 point lead as Arizona exacted some small measure of revenge for their 2005 tourney collapse against the runners up for the national championship.
So in a circle of life theme, one favorite team wins (DePaul) while another favorite team loses (Illini), and the devil (Bill Self-ish) gets his due. Two outta three aint bad.
posted by jamesmnordbergjr at 3:35 PM
9 Comments:
David Booth...what no Andy Laux or Tom Kleinschmidt???
The Demons are picked by a lot of people to be a tourney sleeper...
I guess the national media people love Wilson Chandler and Sammy Meija more than the local media does.
This year is bizarre. Top teams are dropping like flies...I'm knocking on wood that such a fate doesn't befall my Bruins.
What have the Bruins ever done in basketball? Certainly not much more than Orel Roberts.
As big an Illini fan as I am, I realize that beating Arizona would have been a big bonus for a team on the rebuild. This isn't a program that goes from loaded team to loaded team, at least not yet.
The Blue Demons should be a program on the rise in comimg years. The new coach, Jerry Wainright I believe, seems to be a good guy intent on bringing Depaul back to some level of prominence.
Sure, root for Roy Williams because now that he got the last job he will likely ever have, you won't have to feel squeamish about how he bald-faced lied to those silly Kansas kids. Kids, who if upset enough to want to leave, have to sit out a year, while the old coach walks into his new multi-million dollar contract instantly. If you hate Bill Self for doing it to Illinois, there isn't a difference because it's leaving Kansas for UNC. Except Self (who I am obviously unhappy with) didn't tell everyone repeatedly he was staying just to leave anyway, ala R. Williams.
I should really build stairs for this soapbox.
Didn't say I was rooting for Roy Williams now (you're exactly right -- he did just what Self-ish did); I said I could root for him at Kansas, which I rarely ever did.
And, Mr. Grammatically Correct, what's BALD-faced? Is the term you're trying to use BOLD-faced?
I think Soxually was referring to Roy's lack of facial hair.
I was thinking more of a Dallas Comegys impression myself.
No one has ventured a guess at the embedded trivia question, I see. Of course most of you have probably never heard of the player in question, but around these parts he was a big deal. I remember thinking he was gonna be a pro-baller; he certainly got more local pub than D-Wade did...and the answer is...Ray Thompson.
Well after leaving Argo, Thompson made such a name for himself; oh no wait, he faded into obscurity. My mistake.
Also my mistake? Not sending a dictionary definition in with the column, I guess. As much as I appreciate Jeeves take on Roy Williams' lying without a beard, the truth is that bald-faced is a version of bare-faced. That definition includes but is not exclusive to 1) without disguise or concealment 2)Without apparent guile or to appear as innocent or honest. In your defense, I understand your thought. BOLD-faced does define as 1)brazen or impudent. You can look up bald-faced if you don't trust vernacularial skills.
P.S. Pretty sure I made up vernacularial.
Well I knew the answer. I tried to send a comment, but I needed to have a account.
So here it is... You can ask anybody and they know who RAY THOMPSON #32 is and was. You had one thing right. He was better than any of these overpaid scrubs they have in the league now. He played with some of the best... Alonzo Morning, Sean Kemp, and yes BJ Armstrong. I could go on and on, but there is no reason. You know what he was about. He had a great career then and a great career now. By the way who are you again??????
Sincerely
Mrs. J. Thompson # 32
Ps. You know nada about Ray Thompson. Can I get something positive.
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