Illinois embarasses UNLV, 73-62

steve — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:21:59 +0000

The Illinois Fighting Illini jumped out to a huge lead and never looked back in a 73-62 win over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.

The final score was no indication of the beatdown that Illinois placed on UNLV, as they quickly built a 20-point lead in the first half.

The Fighting Illini went into the locker room up 22 points, and maintained that lead until the final minutes of the game.

Illinois won fire, shooting almost 60 percent from the field and over 53 percent from three-point range.

It was an impressive offensive display against what was supposed to be one of the top defensive teams in the tournament.

Zook on the hot seat in 2010? Duh.

Raj Sethi — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:59:25 +0000

PennLive.com’s Jared Shanker breaks down the head coaches on the hot seat in the Big 10 this coming season. Topping the list? None other than Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Ron Zook:

“When the University of Florida replaced legendary coach Steve Spurrier with Zook, one question was raised throughout the country: Who the heck is Ron Zook? Despite a number of great recruiting classes (which would help him land the job at Illinois) Zook was fired after three seasons before becoming the coach at Illinois before the 2005 season. Zook continued to reel in elite recruits at Illinois such as Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn, but with the exception of 2007, on-field results never came. Entering his sixth season at the helm of the Fighting Illini, Zook owns a 21-39 record and has just 12 wins in the conference. The talent level in Champaign has dropped significantly, and it’s unlikely Zook could survive another disappointing season. Anything short of a bowl appearance and the Illini will be looking for a new coach. Even a bowl might not save Zook.”

In other news, grass is green and the sky is blue. Zook’s job security, or lack thereof, is one of the worst-kept secrets in college football. Other than a surprising run to the Rose Bowl in 2007, Zook has been a colossal disappointment in Champaign.

The guy can recruit, that fact cannot be disputed. But his ability to actually coach has always been a question, dating back to his tenure as the head coach at Florida. He routinely appears overmatched against his coaching counterparts from an X’s and O’s standpoint. That must change if he wants to keep his job for another year. And with the departures of the aforementioned Williams and Benn, winning will be a tall order this season.