Infighting Illini?

Illinois advanced to the National Final of the NCAA tournament yesterday, and will meet the University of North Carolina for the championship on Monday. Illinois did this by handling a Louisville squad that featured Juan Palacios and Francisco Garcia (who used to wrestle together in the WWF as the Conquistadors). Unfortunately, the buildup to the game was marred by bickering between the current Illinois players and members of the 1989 Flyin' Illini team. Basically, several members of the Flyin' Illini came out and said that there was no way that the current roster could beat the 1989 version. Deron Williams took offense to this, and the debate over who would win a game that will never be played raged on the rest of the week. On one hand, I can understand the way the 1989 players feel. The 2004-5 Illinois team has already done 2 things that the 1989 team never did, win the Big 10 and advance to the championship game. The 1989 team will likely go the way of the NFL Champion 1963 Chicago Bears, who were the toast of the city until the 1985 Bears were able to run through the season and win the Super Bowl in a more spectacular fashion. But I question the 1989 team's timing, and frankly, I question that they really could beat the 2004-5 team. After all, the Flyin' Illini managed to lose in the National Semi Final to a Michigan team that they'd already beaten easily, on two occasions. And despite the assertion that college basketball is watered down because of NBA defections, the truth is, athletes today are bigger and stronger than they were even 15 years ago. Obviously, this debate can never really be settled, but I'll look at it this way: I do not think that the Flyin' Illini could beat the current North Carolina squad. So if Illinois does win on Monday, in my mind, they'll be the best the school has ever seen.