Illinois Fighting Illini Football Tickets

Illinois had its first disappointing season in quite some time in 2006, mostly due to the way it bowed out of the NCAA Tournament.

The Illini completely dominated Virginia Tech in their first round matchup in the NCAA Tournament for a large portion of the game but could not put them away. They allowed the Hokies to hang around, and Virginia Tech went on a furious closing run at the end of the game to win by two in the final minute.

Any time a team with the high basketball profile of an Illinois falls to a school now known as a basketball powerhouse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the season certainly goes down as disappointing.

The team also managed just one victory over a ranked team the entire season, a major surprise considering how strong Illinois has been in recent years. It was just a few years ago that Illinois had a fantastic regular season and made it all the way to the national championship game before losing to North Carolina.

Bruce Weber has done a great job since taking over the head coaching position for Bill Self, who left to take the Kansas job when Roy Williams left to take over at North Carolina. Many thought the program would fall a bit with the changing of the guard, but Weber didn't miss a beat coming over from Southern Illinois.

Under Weber, the Illini are a physical team that can also play an up-tempo game if need be. They also play terrific defense, take care of the basketball and rebound well, which lends them to being a successful team in tournament play.

Heading into 2007, Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt look to be the scoring leaders and should control the paint. The key for Illinois will be whether their younger players can step up, particularly in the unsettled backcourt.

One thing working in the Illini's favor is their home court advantage, as it plays in front of a raucous crowd decked out in orange t-shirts, an intimidating environment for any opponent. No matter the opponent, it is a very rare occasion to see Illinois lose on their home floor.

Look for Illinois to end up in the middle of the pack in the Big 10, which means they should be able to get into the NCAA Tournament against as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed.