Let me pause a moment in preparing my game scoresheets for this weekend's football and basketball games to reflect on last Wednesday night's Big Ten/ ACC Challenge game in Clemson, South Carolina.

No it wasn't for a trip to the Final 4 (like the Arizona game in the Elite 8)...and it was only December....but Illini fans will always remember the Clemson Comeback.

If you didnt listen to it or watch it...it was truly remarkable. 

The Illini battled the Tigers even at 19-19 early...but then with Demetri McCamey in foul trouble.... Illini fans watched in horror as Clemson used a 28-8 run at the end of the first half to jump out to a 20-point lead.  The Illini looked like a team that might lose to the aggressive and trapping Tigers by 30 or 35 points before the night was over.

But after a quiet request by Bruce Weber at halftime to at least  "play hard and compete"...the Illini promptly fell behind by 23 points in the opening minute in the 2nd half. 

But then the rally started....fueled by 2 key events.  One was a basket by Mike Tisdale that was immediately followed by a steal by Mike Davis who made a layup and was fouled.  He made the freethrow and the Illini had a quick 5 points.    The other key play was D.J. Richardson's 4-point play after being fouled on a made 3-point basket.  That was a quick 9 points that started the comeback.   The Illini shot 60 percent in the 2nd half overall...which also helped..

The amazing thing about the comeback was how quickly the Illini rallied.  The made up the 23 point deficit in the span of 12 minutes.   The only concern for me was that they might have burned up all their energy just getting even.  But to their credit....the Illini fought off the suddenly stunned Tigers over the final 8 minutes of the game....  to pick up an unexpected victory in a very loud Littlejohn Coliseum.

It turned out to be the biggest Illini rally to win a game in school history.... surpassing the 21-point rally to nip Seton Hall at home nearly 10 years ago.  But that game  was played in front of a partisan Illini crowd that was roaring with delight after the overtime win that day in the Assembly Hall against the Pirates.  

 This rally was on the road....in the building of a team picked to finished 3rd in the ACC behind North Carolina and Duke.

It was a memorable night in South Carolina.

Next up..... an Illini football/basketball doubleheader with two teams from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)....Fresno State and Boise State respectively. 

Now back to work on my scoresheets.