Demetri McCamey

The point of the NCAA Tournament, as I understand it, is to determine the best team in college basketball. I’m far from a NCAA committee member, but I am logical in this thought: To be the best, you have to beat the best. In no way am I saying they’re the best, but our Illini have beaten many of the best.

I remember the night I realized Demetri McCamey was going to be a star.

It was Feb. 7, 2008. A top-15 Big Ten team was visiting Champaign to play a bad Illinois squad. It was the most electric Assembly Hall atmosphere I’d been a part of (until the Michigan State victory this year).

My uncle Paul, Purdue class of 1993, is a true Boiler. After big losses, he, like many of us, has been known to get a bit passionate. Ask the TV in his basement, which has been hit countless times by remotes and various objects.