CHAMPAIGN — Deon Thomas was unavailable. Doug Altenberger, too. That left Brian Barnhart without a partner for Saturday's radio broadcast on the Fighting Illini Sports Network.
But there's a list of potential fill-in analysts left from two years ago when Thomas and Altenberger were brought on to replace fellow former Illini Jerry Hester. Another former Illini — Champaign Central grad Nate Mast — was on it, and the one-time Illinois walk-on was available.
Even if he'd never been on the radio outside of being interviewed himself.
"They must have looked down the bench and seen me sitting there," Mast said before Saturday's game.