Chicago Trip Recap - Gonzaga vs Illinois

My buddy Nathan and I have made a tradition out of taking an annual trip to see the Zags whenever they visit the Midwest.  We've seen them in Memphis a couple times, Indianapolis, and they even played SLU once here in St. Louis.  But this time, we went to Chicago to see our beloved Bulldogs exact revenge on the Illini for an ill-gotten beatdown we suffered at their hands back in ...oh... about 2006. 

With Nana and Papa in town for a few days to celebrate Christmas with us, the trip morphed into a father/son event.  To maximize his quality time with Bennett, we flew back and forth for this trip, whereas we normally pile in a car for these adventures.  We got into Chicago on a Friday evening and hopped the "L" right downtown where we exited the subway a half-block from the ESPN Zone where we all met up.  Thankfully, we didn't have to walk far, as temps were in the single digits.

Immediately, games ensued.

I love those pictures of us shooting hoops.  It's not every day that a guy gets to shoot hoops with his dad at our ages.

After a short wait, we were called to our table.  We all enjoyed dinner and a couple pints while telling stories and rehashing memories of past Zag-trip shennanigans.

Dad and I got to crash at Aunt Kris' condo for the night.  Thank you, Kris.  What an incredible view.  And not only that, but she graciously offered us a ride to the United Center so we wouldn't have to walk to the subway, and spend an hour being frigid while transferring trains and walking to the arena.  She took us on a quick tour and pointed out some of Chicago's coolest features to my dad, who had only ever seen Midway airport before.

Once inside, we mingled with the GU Alumni group for a bit, and then found our seats and anxiously waited for the action to begin.

The game and the atmophere were electric that day.  I've never seen so much orange!  The Zags pulled out a huge win in the form of an overtime thriller.  Our seats were with lots of other Gonzaga fans, so it was fun to commiserate and celebrate with them druing and after the game.

After the game, we followed Nathan's lead - he has a nose for autographs - and looked to catch a few players.  Legit 7-footer, Robert Sacre, stands next to Nathan in the picture below.  Nathan is already standing on a step, and RS is still hunching over a little!

Below is a perturbed Bruce Weber.  Poor guy.

And also, there's Zag-fan Stephen Bardo, giving us the thumbs up because he knows the Zags are "the best in the West."

That wraps up another installment of the Annual Midwest Zag Game adventure.