Indiana - Illinois: A Revived Rivalry

On Nov. 28, 2005, Illinois got news that lifted their spirits following a disappointing runner-up finish to North Carolina in the 2005 in the NCAA championship.

Eric Gordon (North Central High School, Indianapolis), the best junior guard in the country, made an oral commitment to play for Bruce Weber and the Fighting Illini.

The Illini were immediately thrown into the national spotlight. Gordon had not yet stepped onto the Assembly Hall hardwood but the Illinois faithful were already making Final Four reservations.

Illini alumni were taking routine bus trips to Indianapolis to see their future star guard hard at work.

Just when Illinois thought things were on the up and up, the bottom fell out.

Indiana head coach Mike Davis was out following an NCAA tourney loss to Gonzaga. Former Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson was named IU coach on March 29, 2006. And Gordon, a long-time Hoosier fan, did the ultimate shot-fake on the Illini and signed a national letter of intent to play for Indiana in October 2006.

Gordon did nothing but follow his heart, but the Illini fans were not forgiving or understanding.

Now, nearly 18 months after the switch heard ‘round the world, Gordon prepares for his first – and probably only – visit to Champaign, IL when his No. 14 Hoosiers (18-3, 7-1) invade the inferior Assembly Hall to do battle with the Illini.

A battle will be an understatement.

Mr. Gordon, you are treading on dangerous waters. Despite Illinois’ lackluster season thus far (10-13, 2-8), one thing Illinois fans have for their team is passion.

When these teams hook up at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Gordon will think his name was legally changed overnight to Boo as that is what he will expect to hear from the Orange Crush, Illinois’ world-famous student section.

Every dribble. Every pass. Every shot. Every foul. Gordon will be harassed from start to finish. Think the Orange Crush will go bonkers if Gordon were to throw up an air ball? The eruption and pandemonium might be so fierce that it may register on the Richter Scale.

As much attention that will be focused on this game, this is not the first time that Indiana and Illinois have hated each other due to recruiting issues.

In the late ‘80s, former IU coach Bob Knight went into then-Illinois coach Lou Henson’s backyard and recruited two high school players that would help lead the Hoosiers to a Final Four. Jamal Meeks and Eric Anderson, both of Illinois, were starters on Knight’s 1991 Final Four team that lost to Duke in the national semifinal.

This recruiting “scandal” sent shockwaves across the state line, as Henson referred to Knight as a “big bully” for stealing his players from his state.

So, this is nothing new for Indiana and Illinois. The only thing different is it now involves a high-profile player who is probably one-and-done to the NBA.

Just think how each team would be different had Gordon followed through on his oral commitment and enrolled at Illinois. If you take away Gordon’s 21.8 points per game from Indiana and add it to Illinois and the roles are completely reversed. Illinois would be a national ranked team and IU would be near the basement of the Big Ten.

So, Mr. Gordon, the next 24 hours of your life will be under a microscope. Fortunately for Gordon, he will probably not have to experience the aftermath of his change of heart, but the damage has already been done.

Expect this rivalry to go from snowball to avalanche in a hurry as Sampson has already received a commitment from high school senior Matt Roth of Illinois. He is not the crown jewel of the 2008 high school class as Gordon was, but gauntlet has been thrown down.

The Indiana-Illinois basketball rivalry has returned with a vengeance.

How ugly will it get? Mr. Gordon, you will soon find out.