By Chris Hine
CHAMPAIGN -- There's little doubt that Illinois is a better team than Stony Brook. Under ordinary circumstances, Stony Brook would be the type of team Illinois would trounce in a non-conference tune-up. But Wednesday's first round NIT matchup between the two teams isn't exactly typical.
When Illinois (19-14) takes the floor, it will be about 72 hours removed from the disappointment it felt Sunday, when it failed to make the NCAA tournament.
Stony Brook (22-9), meanwhile, is thrilled to be in the NIT. It is the school's first postseason appearance since joining Division I in 1999. Even better for the Seawolves, they are hosting the game because Cirque du Soleil is beginning a multiple-night run at Assembly Hall on Wednesday.
CHAMPAIGN -- There's little doubt that Illinois is a better team than Stony Brook. Under ordinary circumstances, Stony Brook would be the type of team Illinois would trounce in a non-conference tune-up. But Wednesday's first round NIT matchup between the two teams isn't exactly typical.
When Illinois (19-14) takes the floor, it will be about 72 hours removed from the disappointment it felt Sunday, when it failed to make the NCAA tournament.
Stony Brook (22-9), meanwhile, is thrilled to be in the NIT. It is the school's first postseason appearance since joining Division I in 1999. Even better for the Seawolves, they are hosting the game because Cirque du Soleil is beginning a multiple-night run at Assembly Hall on Wednesday.
Will Illinois find enough emotion -- something that seemed to come and
go for the Illini this season -- to overcome a motivated opponent in
front of its home crowd?
"I don't know. We'll see," junior captain Bill Cole (cq) said Sunday. "I know the guys were just extremely disappointed in the locker room. It'll be tough to get out of the mindset of disappointment and get into the preparation and mindset it takes to win a tournament."
Cole said he had barely heard of Stony Brook, the regular-season champions of the America East conference. He might have seen the school once or twice on the ESPN crawl, but never any highlights. Coach Bruce Weber said in all his years of coaching at the college level, he had never played Stony Brook.
If there's one thing Illinois can use for motivation, it's the feeling of being jilted by the tournament committee -- something every high seed in the NIT tries to channel.
"You can't be down on yourself about the games or the season, especially if you get a chance to keep playing," junior Demetri McCamey said. "Everybody's down about not making the NCAA tournament, but at the same time we have a chance to prove to people that they made a mistake."
Then there's the requisite talk that the NIT helps younger players on the team get more experience, with the end goal of playing in Madison Square Garden for the title.
But after riding an emotional roller coaster that left Illinois with a bad case of whiplash, it may not be easy to get properly psyched to play Stony Brook.
"We felt sad (Sunday)," Weber said. "We could really feel sad Wednesday night if we don't have the right mental approach."
"I don't know. We'll see," junior captain Bill Cole (cq) said Sunday. "I know the guys were just extremely disappointed in the locker room. It'll be tough to get out of the mindset of disappointment and get into the preparation and mindset it takes to win a tournament."
Cole said he had barely heard of Stony Brook, the regular-season champions of the America East conference. He might have seen the school once or twice on the ESPN crawl, but never any highlights. Coach Bruce Weber said in all his years of coaching at the college level, he had never played Stony Brook.
If there's one thing Illinois can use for motivation, it's the feeling of being jilted by the tournament committee -- something every high seed in the NIT tries to channel.
"You can't be down on yourself about the games or the season, especially if you get a chance to keep playing," junior Demetri McCamey said. "Everybody's down about not making the NCAA tournament, but at the same time we have a chance to prove to people that they made a mistake."
Then there's the requisite talk that the NIT helps younger players on the team get more experience, with the end goal of playing in Madison Square Garden for the title.
But after riding an emotional roller coaster that left Illinois with a bad case of whiplash, it may not be easy to get properly psyched to play Stony Brook.
"We felt sad (Sunday)," Weber said. "We could really feel sad Wednesday night if we don't have the right mental approach."
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