I posted earlier that this is the first Zag squad that seemed to have something special. They seemed to have real fight in them; a novel bulldog kill instinct never before seen. They seemed to have the balance and depth that could overcome any obstacle. I truly felt these warriors were different than any other to put on the uniform. That they had the real possibility, not potential, but real possibility of cutting down the nets at the tournament in march. After this game, my faith is shaken. It wasn't the loss; I didn't expect them to win every game. It was they WAY they lost. As an an official homer, my public statement is:

'The refs jobbed us. Too many bizarre no-calls. Charges turned into fouls in favor of Illinois. Also, Illini got insanely lucky with wacky 3 point shots that happened to fall.'

Personally/privately: 'Zags gave up at halftime. They played the second half like they expected to lose. Pangos especially seemed vacant on the court. They showed they are mid-major rather than a major program.'

So the question is, are you still feeling this season is different?