Big Ten Network Outsmarts Me

Last night's Illinois - Penn St. game aired at 9 PM EST in New York. I wasn't in the apartment at the time so I set the DVR to record the game. On my cable package, the Big Ten Network is channel 472. That channel airs the games and other BTN programming. Problem is, channels 473-476 are other Big Ten Networks - BTN2 through BTN 5 - that aren't included in my cable package, but are listed in the Guide function. They just show the Time Warner logo and zero programming.

You know where this is going.

I accidentally set the DVR to tape channel 473 last night and recorded 2 hours of the Time Warner logo and none of the Illini game.

So I didn't see McCamey's go-ahead three with just over a minute to play. I didn't see Tisdale's monster block on Talor Battle's running layup in the closing seconds, and I definitely didn't see McCamey's lock down D that forced Battle to take a last gasp fadeaway three at the buzzer.

I didn't see any of that goodness.

Zounds!

Highlights here.

The Quest To Stop Talor Battle Continues Tonight

See that photo above. That is the face of debacle. The man who has singlehandedly defeated the Illini on four occasions in the last two years.

It is Talor Battle. Penn St. junior guard. He even has a blog named after him.

It is perhaps a sad comment on the state of Illini basketball that its most fearsome nemesis right now is a guard from Penn St. It is certainly a sad comment on the state of Illini basketball that they have lost to Penn St. four times in two years. I'd rather lose to an Indiana team with Eric Gordon, or a Kansas team with Sherron Collins, or a Villanova team with Scottie Reynolds, or a Purdue team with E'twaun Moore, or even a Duke team with Jon Scheyer.

But not a Penn St. team with Talor Battle.

Not any Penn St. team for that matter.

An Illini win tonight puts them at 4-0 in the Big Ten. Let's pad that cushion.

Gates Will Be Ready On Sunday, As He Was In Jan '05

When the Jets last played the Bolts in a playoff game it was January 2005. Guys with names like Marty Schottenheimer, Keenan McCardell, Roman Oben, Steve Foley, Eric Parker, Donnie Edwards, Terence Kiel and Drew Brees roamed the Bolts sideline. LT was in his prime. Philip Rivers was on the roster but inactive for the game. It was a different Chargers team.

That particular game didn't end too well for the Bolts, but the sad outcome was not the fault of one Antonio Gates. He hauled in the tying TD pass from Drew Brees with 16 seconds left in regulation, making the leaping grab you see above. Antonio finished the game with 6 catches for 89 yards, not an epic performance but a solid performance nonetheless.

My guess is Antonio at least equals that performance this Sunday.

Scouting The Jets - Bungles Game

Spent the late afternoon scouting the Jets - Bengals game at the Village Pourhouse on Amsterdam Avenue up near Columbia's campus (not the one pictured above, that's in the actual Village). Father D.P. McGillicutty, a notorious Jetsies fan, showed up and helped me house some angus beef sliders, hot wings and numerous Bud Louie's.

Based on the Jets 24-14 victory, I note the following in a potential Bolts-Jets matchup:

- the Jets defense is strong but Rivers could throw up and over their smaller corners to the likes of Antonio, Malcolm and Vincent;

- Shon Greene and Thomas Jones would be difficult to stop, assuming Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer continues his creative play calling (the counter-pitch to Greene that went for a touchdown in the first half was choice);

- Dustin Keller, the Jets TE, would likely be able to exploit the Bolts LB core and pick up some big gains underneath and on bootlegs, as he did today against the Bengals; and

- LT and Sproles would have some daylight to pick up yards in the ground game, in theory opening up Philip even more for some deep tosses to Vincenzo, Antonio and Malcolmo.

We'll know tomorrow after the Pats-Ravens game whether the Bolts will indeed play the Jets, or if there will be a Bolts-Pats rematch from the 2006 playoff debacle.

Oh my.

Missing Jamar

Sometimes, when I daydream, or when it's late at night and I'm sitting in my apartment listening to the howling winds of a New York winter, or when I'm sitting at the end of the bar at Amsterdam Ale House, alone, sipping a Southern Tier Krampus in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday, my thoughts turn to Jamar Smith and his what-could-have-been career at the University of Illinois.

In these moments, I wonder to myself how good Jamar could have been had he played his career out with the Illini, and, much much more important to me, I wonder how good the Illinois team could have been had Jamar played each of his four seasons with Weber and the boys. He'd be a senior now, raining threes like it's his job, mentoring Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, taking some of the pressure off those two freshmen, perhaps even teaching Demetri McCamey how to play 40 minutes in full gear. He'd be beastly.

But more than this season, I think of the difference Jamar could have made during the horrendous '07-'08 season and the aborted '08-'09 season when Chester Frazier went down with a season-ending injury on the even of the tournament, leaving a very solid Illinois team to play without its senior leader. In '07-'08, Jamar would have provided the outside offense and ability to hit free throws that Shaun Pruitt-led team needed most. And last year, had Jamar played, Weber could have used Trent Meacham as a super-sub 6th man, and let Jamar and Chester start at the guard spots along with McCamey. That would have been a dominant group throughout the season, and would have lessened the blow of Chester's injury come tournament time.

All this is brought home now because Jamar was named the Division II national player of the month for December. Over the course of the season, Jamar, playing for the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, is averaging 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He's also shooting 50% on threes and 84% from the line. His recognition for December did not even include a 40-point outburst he had last Saturday. In a word, he has been dominant.

Jamar will always be one of my favorites because he is a lights-out three-point shooter who happened to attend my same high school - Richwoods in Peoria, IL. It's sad he couldn't stay at Illinois, but I'm glad to see he is doing well with the vaunted Screaming Eagles of South Indy.

Impressions Of Illinois-Gonzaga

Gonzaga did not have John Stockton on the floor when they beat the Illini last Saturday at the United Center, but they might as well have. The Bulldogs consistently got to the hoop for easy layups and dunks en route to a monster early lead, and then during a dagger comeback in the final minutes of overtime.

Final score: Gonzaga 85, Illini 83.

I still don't regret going to the game. My Chicago-based advisors picked up some choice tickets in the 200 section at the United Center, seats that afforded us excellent views of the on-court action, as well as easy access to $6 dollar Bud Light drafts. Former Illini great Lucas Johnson sat a few rows ahead of us with a gorgeous blonde, proving once again that if you like gorgeous blondes, you should attend the University of Illinois.

Illini Have Big Game Tomorrow Against Gonzaga, Also Happy New Year

After spending 10 days on the island of Oahu, I'm back on the mainland and ready to devote my full attention to the world of sports. And by "sports" I mean Illini hoops, Padres baseball, Charger football and, if I feel up to it, Illini football.

If there is a nobler pursuit in this world, I cannot fathom what it is.

It all starts tomorrow with the annual Illini game at the United Center in Chicago. This year the Illini host Gonzaga, a team that has a run a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, including Michigan St., Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Duke and Oklahoma. No doubt they will be primed for an Illini team that has shown its weaknesses - lack of a power inside game, inexperienced guard play from freshmen Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson - in losses to Mizzou, Bradley, Utah and Georgia.

For the Illini, they are coming off a big win over Northwestern in the Big Ten conference opener. I didn't see the game because I was en route from Oahu to New York on Continental's 10-hour direct flight, but from my perusal of the stats it looks like the Wildcats went cold from three-point land in the second half and the Illini capitalized by dishing the ball to Tisdale over and over again. The Zags won't fire as many threes tomorrow, but the Illini should continue to feed Tisdale on the post.

Oh by the way, I'll be in attendance at the United Center.

So choice.