Gordon to meet the mob

In Champaign, the mob has assembled, the torches have been lit, the pitchforks have been sharpened in anticipation of the arrival of a chubby-cheeked, back-stabbing beast with a jumper that could jolt Frankenstein to life.\nOK, I’m exaggerating.\nThat mob? Probably just a bunch of foul-mouthed college kids. Those torches? More likely to be a few ill-conceived signs made of poster board. And the pitchforks? Well, they’ll have to be left at the door. But when Eric Gordon takes the floor in the other Assembly Hall for the first (and mostly likely last) time, his recruiting soap opera will be far from the forefront of his mind. Gordon moved on a long time ago. It’s Illinois that can’t get over the breakup.\nAnd with the way things have been going for the Illini this year, it’s almost understandable. There hasn’t been much to take their minds off “The Season That Could Have Been” had Gordon made it to Champaign. I mean, if you don’t count losing. \nThe Illini have been an offensive weapon away from victory all season. They currently are the Big Ten bottom feeder in 3-point field goal percentage. Their 2-8 conference record, however, fails to accurately portray the level at which this team competes. In 10 conference games, Illinois has only allowed 14 more points than it has scored. Compare that to a team like Iowa which has four conference wins but has allowed 50 more points than it has scored, and it becomes pretty clear that the Illini have drawn the short stick on several occasions this season. And you thought Bruce Weber just likes to whine for the hell of it.\nA 33-point win against Northwestern pads that statistic for Illinois, but tack a player of Gordon’s caliber on to Weber’s team and that 2-8 easily inverts itself to 8-2. Pardon my crocodile tears.\nLast month, Hoosier fans and pundits alike expected Gordon and company to mop the floor with Weber’s offensively-challenged squad. Instead, Illinois’ Calvin Brock and Brian Randle largely contained Gordon, holding him to one 3-pointer and forcing four Gordon turnovers. The IU offense degenerated to playground pick-up ball, and it took a lockdown defensive effort in the second half to salvage a win. Heck, the Hoosiers depended on critical defensive stops by A.J. Ratliff. A.J. Ratliff!\nHopefully, the Hoosiers aren’t banking on Ratliff to save their bacon this time around. \nWhen asked what kind of environment he was expecting in Champaign, Gordon hesitated before brushing the question off.\n“I don’t know,” Gordon said. “Just got to go over there and win. That’s the number one thing.”\nWhile Gordon is focused on winning, the rest of us will be keeping our eyes peeled for bad behavior, something we know all about here in Bloomington. A rabid home crowd should bolster Illinois’ chances this time around, but in the end it will come down to who learns from their mistakes the last time around.\nIn front of a pitchfork-less crowd, Gordon should be able to focus on winning just fine.