The Real Pat Blair

Last night I watched part of the Illinois-Indiana basketball game. I have no real vested interest in either of those teams, which is probably why I spent a lot of time watching what was going on away from the ball. Specifically, I noticed that Indiana Forward Marco Killingsworth is a giant thug who deserves to be taken to the woodshed by Shaq, Jared Homan, or both. After every Illinois possession, Killingsworth would run down the court and put a shoulder into the Illinois defender who was standing in the middle of the lane. EVERY possession. Jog down the court, find defender, shove. It was unbelievable. Fortunately, referee Curtis Shaw must have been paying some sort of attention.
Near the end of the first half, Illinois defender Shaun Pruitt stepped back as Killingsworth started his shove. Killingsworth responded by stepping into Pruitt and pushing harder. Pruitt pushed back. Killingsworth put a forearm to Pruitt’s neck/elbow to his face, and Shaw called an intentional foul. He must have been paying close attention, because the whole thing happened in an instant, and the whistle blew just as I started screaming at the TV. Amazingly, the story on espn.com makes no mention of this.
What the story does highlight, however, is how Killingsworth played with enormous back pain, managing to come back for a great second half. Said Marco (I am not making this up), “At halftime, I just prayed.” Said Pat, “You are lucky God wasn’t feeling smiteful.”
An additional lowlight: Indiana coach Mike Davis’ comments on the intentional foul: “The officials have had some words with Marco about his actions inside. What do you say to him during the half? …Marco’s an enforcer. We want Marco to play with intensity and play with emotion all the time.” Perhaps, Mike, but do you want him to throw an elbow on offense, before the ball has even crossed the time line? That’s not intensity, that’s a cheap shot.
Maybe this blog isn’t big enough to have an impact, but I’m putting it out there – referees, coaches, Indiana staff and faculty, Big Ten officials: do something about this. Suspend him, rebuke him, take away a week’s salary… I don’t care. Do something. Marco Killingsworth is an embarrassment to your conference and the game of basketball.