CHAMPAIGN — Gameday started at Ubben Basketball Complex on Saturday morning for several hundred Illinois fans. An open men's basketball practice — with the Illini women doing the same next door — drew the typical standing-room-only crowd.
Simply put, fans consistently turn out to catch a glimpse of the Illini basketball team at any opportunity. Those fans also probably left Ubben with a more positive feeling than they did Memorial Stadium several hours later after Illinois football's 46-7 Homecoming loss to Purdue.
"It's great to be able to expose our fans to a little bit of practice — not just a scrimmage — and to get out and actually see some of the things we work on and see some of the things that we do," Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood said.