INDIANAPOLIS — Athletic director Josh Whitman doused more fuel onto the tinder pile of slights Illinois has been collecting by publishing an open letter Tuesday ripping the Big Ten for not naming the Illini men’s basketball team regular-season co-champions with Michigan.
Although Whitman didn’t use his name, Commissioner Kevin Warren became the target of more criticism from a Big Ten athletic department in what has already been a rough last 12 months for the conference leader.
“As a conference, we talk about being values-based in our decision-making,” Whitman wrote. “We talk about prioritizing our student-athletes. We talk about doing the right thing. I have seen my colleagues do it time and again. Yet in this instance, we failed to act. We became so focused on process and timing that we lost sight of the bigger picture. Illinois is left to pick up the pieces.”
Should Michigan be punished for being shut down by the state health department for a COVID-19 issue and not fitting in all of its regular-season games? No. Should Illinois be punished for managing to play all of its games, including a win against Michigan in their only meeting? Of course not.
A co-championship does sound fair, and Illinois was right to appeal for a change.
But a rule had been set that the Big Ten champion would be determined by winning percentage. So be it. Part of sports is going along with the rules, however much they don’t suit your team.
The same was true when the conference changed a rule late in the football season to benefit Ohio State. The Big Ten needed to be upfront and clear about the rules throughout the season instead of letting confusion fester, setting up an opportunity for a left-out team to cry foul.
Warren walked into a no-win situation, trying to govern sports during an unprecedented pandemic. But the Big Ten’s mixed messages are not surprisingly perturbing to Illinois.
The more interesting question is what message is Whitman sending?
Airing this complaint publicly accomplishes two things: One, it continues to fire up a team that, despite being destined for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, thrives off feeling slighted. And two, it encourages more criticism of the conference office under Warren, revealing another case of the Big Ten and one of its schools not being on the same page.
Whitman said he began appealing to the Big Ten in February about amending the winning percentage rule that was made in November. If the Big Ten didn’t agree to change it during the season, why would the conference retroactively alter it after crowning Michigan as the outright conference champion?
During football season, Warren came under intense fire for initially suspending the season and then bending to demanding parents, players and fans who wanted a fall season.
Football season felt like a mutiny. Nebraska threatened to leave the conference. Players’ families filed lawsuits. Athletic directors expressed confusion and frustration.
And now there’s drama during the basketball season.
Whitman said he reached a “breaking point” Monday when he learned Michigan would remain the outright champion. His legitimate arguments lost some heft by leaning on dramatics in his letter, which surely will play well in Champaign but might come off as sour grapes nationally.
“This is a decision that will resonate with our program for generations,” he said. “As part of my argument, I focused on the rarity that is the chance to compete and win a Big Ten title in men’s basketball. Schools go decades without that distinction. ... (T)his decision matters. History matters in college athletics, and this is an outcome that will forever live in infamy amongst the Illini family.”
Illinois players have talked boldly and clearly about their intentions to win the Big Ten Tournament and the national championship. Those are realistic, inspiring goals.
Coach Brad Underwood took the right tone last month when asked about the tough scheduling hand Illinois had been dealt. The Illini crammed in makeup games late in the season and had to end the regular season with three straight road games against ranked opponents.
And guess what? They won all of them.
“Who cares?” Underwood said. “Line ‘em up. I’m so tired of talking about scheduling. Bring them on. It doesn’t matter who we play. This league’s a monster. Next! Who’s next?
“This team is going to have to fight. We’re going to have to play. We could sit and make excuses (about how) the three games canceled were road games. I don’t care. Let’s go.”
Instead of a lengthy letter focused on how it was victimized, Illinois should be saying, “Who cares? Bring them on.”
There also can be psychological benefits for top teams to motivate themselves with perceived slights.
Every March, a top-seeded team claims, absurdly, “Nobody believes in us. It’s us against the world.” Five-star recruits often claim everyone doubted them. Michael Jordan famously — and constantly — fed off imagined slights.
From Ayo Dosunmu losing out to Luka Garza as Big Ten Player of the Year, to Trent Frazier not being named a national defensive player of the year candidate, to Underwood not being named a national coach of the year finalist, Illinois is intent on feeding off these so-called insults.
Whitman’s letter might add to their edge.
“Every time we are slighted, every time we are disrespected, use each instance as an excuse to sharpen your axe,” Whitman wrote, addressing the team. “And when we accomplish our goals, we’ll use that razor-sharp axe to cut down the nets.”
The Illini are headed for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed. They will be a popular pick among analysts and fans to win the national title.
Dosunmu is on the verge of becoming a national household name and is widely recognized as one of the best college players in the country.
Illinois aired its grievances about not having a share of the Big Ten championship.
Now it needs to turn the page to focus on winning more memorable titles.
Who will remember a second-place Big Ten finish if Illinois players are holding up first-place tournament trophies?
