The Illini got smacked in the mouth last night by the Georgia Bulldogs. I wrote yesterday that the game in Georgia would be a good test for the Illini's young guards in a hostile, road environment. Not so. The game was played at a neutral site north of Atlanta, not in Athens on the Georgia campus, and the Illini fans equaled or exceeded the Bulldog fans.Despite that advantage, the Illini were pushed around by Georgia all night, and looked one-step behind a desperate Bulldog squad. Give Georgia credit, they hit big shots, scored inside at will, and withstood a late comeback from an Illini squad that nearly pulled off another comeback win on the road in the South, as they did a few weeks ago against Clemson.
In a few years, Georgia is going to be tough to beat. Mark Fox, the man who coached Nevada successfully over the past 6 years, has taken over the program and, based at least on last night's performance, has already asserted a solid work ethic with the players. Once he recruits some talent to match his scheme - and maybe even before then - he'll have a consistent winner on his hands.
But enough about the Illini. Today the Bolts take on the Bengals in a huge matchup for the second seed in the AFC West. A Bolts win would almost guarantee a bye and home playoff game during the Divisional Playoff weekend. A Bolts loss keeps all those other sharks - Denver, Cincy, New England - in the hunt for that all-important #2 seed.
Take care o' business, Phil. I know you will.
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