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TULSA, Okla. (AP) All those late-season struggles are behind Mike Davis and Illinois. The NCAA tournament is all that matters now. Davis tied his season high with 22 points, Demetri McCamey added 17 points and seven assists and Illinois dominated UNLV 73-62 Friday night to set up another meeting between Fighting Illini coaches past and present in the Southwest region of the NCAA tournament. The ninth-seeded Illini (20-13) took control with an early 15-0 run and led by as many as 25 in a surprisingly easy rout, after losing 10 of their previous 16 games to bring into question whether...

A column by Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune got me thinking on this subject of web sites dedicated to firing coaches. Fire Joe Paterno.com, the subject of Downey's wrath, has backed down a bit from its "noble" cause, and the domain owner has reserved the domain name "Keep Joe Paterno.com." Too bad the board of directors at Penn State didn't reserve it first. My first foray into internet activism was Blue States for Bush. I got some hate e-mails, which I expected. The e-mails I got that really troubled me usually followed this line of logic. "Your site sucks...

GAME: North Carolina (32-4) vs. Illinois (37-1). ROUND: National championship. TIME: Monday, 9:21 p.m. EST. SITE: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis.

The long-running dispute over the University of Illinois' Chief Illiniwek as a symbol will move into a courtroom. Chief Illiniwek has long been a target of Native American groups who say he is demeaning to them. But the mascot still performs at U of I sporting events. At a news conference Tuesday, the Illinois Native American Bar Association announced it filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. The group says continued use of Illiniwek is racial discrimination and violates civil rights laws. "The University of Illinois ought to be teaching respect for other ethnic minorities, not exploiting them. Continuation...

So far: Yes 53.2%

April 15, 2004 (CHAMPAIGN, IL) — Protesters occupied the main administration building on the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus Thursday demanding that the school eliminate its Chief Illiniwek mascot and associated Indian-head symbol. No one was allowed to enter the building after protesters arrived about 7:25 a.m. "We're prepared to be here for several days," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who was standing with about 10 other protesters four hours later. They blocked the entrance to the Swanlund Administration Building under a large sign that read, "Sit in against the chief." Tulsi Dharmarajan, a spokeswoman for the group...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) The agency that certifies the University of Illinois plans to send a team to Urbana-Champaign later this month to examine how the school is dealing with the divided opinions surrounding its Chief Illiniwek athletic symbol. The visit by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission is a follow-up to its 1999 accreditation review of the university. That review found that UI easily met accreditation standards, but the commission was concerned about the school's response to the Illiniwek controversy. Chief Illiniwek has divided the campus for years. Supporters argue the mascot, a student who dresses in buckskins and...

URBANA--A resolution to retire Chief Illiniwek, the mascot that for years has divided the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus, was withdrawn from the board of trustees' agenda Thursday. Frances G. Carroll, the trustee who introduced the motion earlier this week to retire the American Indian mascot, said she was withdrawing it because other trustees were upset at the short notice. Carroll said she would reintroduce the resolution for a vote at the board's July 2004 meeting. Carroll's resolution called for retiring the chief and the American Indian-head image that adorns banners, sweat shirts and other merchandise advertising the school. The...