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Gonzaga-Illinois series in the works

Posted by: Paul Klee

Wednesday, December 5, 2007 8:56 PM

On Saturday at the United Center, Illinois meets Arizona for the seventh time since 2000.

But there's another series in the works that would pit the Illini against a national power from the west.

Gonzaga and Illinois are in the process of finalizing a four-game series that likely will begin during the 2009-10 season, according to a source close to the discussions. The series would include games in Chicago, Seattle, at the Assembly Hall in Champaign and at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane.

Just a hunch, but I'm guessing the game in Seattle will be played at Key Arena as part of Gonzaga's annual Battle in Seattle event. The game in Chicago will probably be played at the United Center. The contract for the series has not been finalized, so it's still in the discussions stage.

There isn't a great deal of overlap between the two programs outside a mutual respect between the coaching staffs. They crossed paths at the Hall of Fame Challenge last season in Phoenix, where Gonzaga beat Texas and Illinois lost to, yes, Arizona. Illinois beat Gonzaga in their two previous meetings, both of which occurred in the last six years. GU point guard Jeremy Pargo is from Chicago, but the junior will be gone by the time the series would roll around.

-More on the series in Thursday's News-Gazette.

Paul
pklee@news-gazette.com