Illini fan cheers like a Hoosier

I was born and raised near Champaign, Ill.. As such, I was genetically predisposed to be a fan of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini (even though I am a quarter Hoosier; my grandmother was from here). What\'s more, I came of age during the tenure of Lou Henson, who as UI basketball coach -- as readers who are old enough will remember -- had a \"cold war\" of sorts with IU\'s Bobby Knight. We love our basketball in Illinois, so my antipathy for IU and its basketball program could not have been greater.\nLast spring, when I told my family I had decided to get my Master's at IU, their first question was, \"Who are you going to root for?\" Not \"Is it a good school?\" Not \"Did you get any financial aid?\" But \"Who are you going to root for?" The answer was easy then: Illinois. I simply didn't think it was biologically possible for me to pull for a team in red. \nThis season has changed my tune. Both IU and UI finished as Big Ten co-champs; they split their series 1-1. Both lost in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Illini had a strong preseason, a slow start in conference play and finished with a seven-game winning streak before losing in the Big Ten semis. The Hoosiers played a strong conference season, faltered a touch at the stretch, but rebounded to go to the Final Four. \nI'm still an Illini fan, to be sure, because the bond between a man and his favorite team is a mystical one. But I am no longer hostile toward the Hoosiers. Indeed, I've been rooting for them; they've won me over. That's a big deal for an Illinois man!\nIU is arguably not an overwhelmingly talented team, but basketball is not solely about talent. It's also about competing every time out on the court, working hard and being strong fundamentally. It's about teamwork and it's about a little thing called "heart". Its a fire inside; a desire to win that cannot be extinguished. \nThis year, IU has heart. Sure, they've had their share of plain stupid moves: Witness Dane Fife's foul on Jason Williams with 2.8 seconds to go. When you're four points up, the only thing that you do not do is foul! But I haven't seen this IU team give up or stop fighting hard. They're warriors. That's what makes observers into fans. It makes people proud.\nThe thing about watching IU this year -- Jared Jeffries, Dane Fife, Tom Coverdale and especially Coach Mike Davis -- is that you really feel that the team wants to win every bit as much as you want them to. It's even better when they win, but I'm not converted because IU has been winning. I'm no fair-weather friend. I'm converted because these Hoosiers play like winners.\nThere's been a lot of talk as if no one expected much of this Hoosier team, but it's been clear to me since mid-January that this team is special. It's no surprise to me they've made it to the Final Four. It will come as no surprise to me if they win the whole darn thing. If they do, you can bet that this Illini fan will be cheering like a Hoosier all the way.