I remember the exact moment that my Illinois Basketball fandom really hit me. On a March day in 2004, my science teacher — an outspoken IU grad — walked over to the window of my civics class. He breathed on the glass, fogging it up, and he wrote something I’ll never forget.
Illinois 71, Indiana 59.
The No. 1 seed Fighting Illini had defeated Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. For some reason, in that moment, Illinois Basketball felt larger than life. Ultimately, the 2003-04 squad would go on to lose in the Sweet 16 to a Duke team with J.