Chief Illiniwek long ago was ousted from the University of Illinois, banished for being an intolerable display of hateful oppression by society’s moral arbiters.
Even at a distance, Illini basketball is creating buzz again in Champaign-Urbana (and beyond)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
Brad Underwood jogged through a sea of orange with outstretched hands to high-five members of the Orange Krush student section after his Illinois basketball team just beat Iowa on March 9, 2020 in the regular-season finale.
“I love you guys,” Underwood said as he made his way through for his post-game celebration.
Three days later, Illinois was on a bus returning from Indianapolis after COVID-19 changed our world and canceled both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Videos of large swaths of people in close quarters and touching one another looks like a lifetime ago. Since March 12, 2020, our lives have been lived at a distance. For the most part, we exist through screens. Arenas and stadiums sit mostly empty aside from the games being played, which at times can feel like they’re being played on another planet.