It’s been a hell of a week – really, a hell of a season – for fans of the Illinois men’s basketball team. The latest incident: sophomore guard Jamar Smith will sit out the rest of the year. Smith was driving in a snowstorm Monday night with freshman reserve forward Brian Carlwell when his car crashed into a tree. Carlwell was listed in critical condition after the accident, but he will leave the hospital later today and may play in the Big Ten tournament, which starts March 8. Smith drove away from the scene with Carlwell in his car. (Lab tests to check whether or not Smith was intoxicated have not been completed yet.)
Jokes aside, this incident is truly a tragedy, and it’s yet another unfortunate blow to the Illini this year. Senior Rich McBride was arrested for driving under the influence in September, and he’ll appear in court on the charge March 1. Injuries have piled up; forward Warren Carter is questionable for Sunday’s game against the ‘Cats. Now Smith and Carlwell are out as well.
I’ll be attending Sunday’s game, and I’m excited and anxious to see what happens, especially with Friday’s announcement that Chief Illiniwek will be retired at the end of the season. Illinois fans are some of the most passionate fans in the country, and I’ll admit part of my dislike for them is rooted in envy. Most NU students will never understand the passion and unbridled emotion of a student body like the one at Illinois.
We can laugh at the Chief, jingle our keys and make all the cornfield jokes we want. (I’m as guilty of these things as anyone.) But Illinois fans – despite their supposedly low station as a “state school” – have something to teach us about devotion to our school.
It will be an important victory for the ‘Cats if they win, and they absolutely need this one to stay in the hunt for the NIT. But no Northwestern fan can take much happiness in beating a team in this condition.The game starts at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. Sidelines will have a re-cap and (maybe) photos from Sunday’s contest.