Something to Talk About

Chicago just keeps on disappointing us, don't they?

In the past week, we have seen the utter cheapness of the Chicago White Sox, unwilling to keep sluggers like Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez.

The Chicago Cubs are peddling Sammy Sosa and, though he is actually drawing interest, he'll still be in a Cubs uniform next year, meaning the North Siders will not be enjoying the offense of Carlos Beltran.

The Bulls gave us a little spark of hope by defeating Heir Jordan, LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but without a true go-to player, Kirk Hinrich, notwithstanding, the close ones slip away, as it did against the Dallas Mavericks, last Monday.

The Bears? Must I really get into that one? Chad Hutchinson beat the Vikings just to come back and get manhandled by Byron Leftwich and the Jaguars.

Did we really believe that we would see a different result?

Mercifully, the Blackhawks aren't disappointing us because of the lockout, but eventually, when the teams take the ice, they will return to form.

Fortunately, not all is lost in this once proud Midwestern state, as there is one team that has a chance to bring a championship to Illinois and they aren't even professionals.

The Fighting Illini, ranked number one in the country, for the first time since 1989 are on top after their second week. Two straight weeks is the longest time they have ever been ranked that high.

What's even more incredible is that they aren't any signs of slowing down, boasting a 9-0 record.

The buzz began when Illinois destroyed the then No. 1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Since then, the Illini continue to roll along and have beaten every opponent by double digits, including the once undefeated Oregon Ducks.

In the game against the Ducks, all five Illini starters scored double digits, behind Luther Head leading the way with 23, Deron Williams pouring in 17, and Dee Brown chipping in 13.

"We're just worried about getting better and preparing for each game as it came to us. Hopefully, we can keep that ranking a little longer," Deron Williams said.

I really hope you keep it, too, Deron, but it won't be because you lost a game to lose the No. 1 ranking.

Even with Illinois' newfound success, there is only one problem with holding on to the top spot ... the schedule.

The Kansas Jayhawks, also undefeated, are lingering behind the Illini, in the No. 2 spot.

At the moment, Kansas is 13 first place votes short of the Illini, which is pretty hefty, but that may change when you look at the power of each team's schedule.

The rankings will change as the season wears on, but the most difficult teams the Illini have to deal with this season are No. 17 Cincinnati, No. 18 Michigan State, and No. 21 Iowa.

Granted, the Big 10 is very competitive and even a Minnesota or Wisconsin team could give the Illini their first loss. Anything is possible, but this really looks like the season for coach Bruce Weber's team to go undefeated before March Madness begins and possibly beyond.

However, Kansas has to deal with the likes of No. 3 Georgia Tech, No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Kentucky, and No. 12 Texas. Now, if Kansas can remain undefeated, with a stretch like that, then Illinois would surely lose its ranking.

However, voting isn't altogether perfect, either, but it beats the hell out of the BCS. If we used that system for NCAA basketball, USC and Oklahoma would be ranked over Auburn. Illinois, Kansas, and Georgia Tech would be left out of the tournament altogether.

Go figure that one out.

Now, with all that said, none of it takes away from the stellar season that Illinois is having.

No matter what Kansas does, no matter where the Illini are ranked, there is only one thing for sure...

Come tournament time, the Illini will be on my bracket in the middle square.

Why?

Well, being a resident of Chicago, I suppose the only reason I can give is that the Illini are simply just something to talk about.