Tale of Hogs-Illini Hoops, a Goat, a Tavern and a Curse

Fans hope holiday renewal of Arkansas-Illinois series as exciting as 2001

Razorbacks coach John Calipari, shown here during the Hogs' 79-67 win against the Little Rock Trojans at Bud Walton Arena last Friday, hopes his team can hold off a talented Illinois squad to give Arkansas fans an extra holiday treat. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

When Arkansas and Illinois began their four-year "home and home" series 23 years ago, Bill Self was coaching the Fighting Illini. Rumor was he might be interested in the Arkansas job when it came open, which it did at the end of the season.

But when Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson was fired, Self stayed put on the Illinois campus in Champaign. Self did pop some bubbly a year later when he left Illinois for Kansas, where he's now coaching the nation's No. 1 team.

A Kansas fan holds a sign about Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who formerly coached the Illinois Fighting Illini, during the third round of the schools' matchup in round 2 of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 20, 2011, in Tulsa, Okla. Kansas prevailed 73-59. / Mark D. Smith-Imagn Images

Self was tutoring the No. 5 team when the Illini hosted Arkansas at the United Center in Chicago back on Dec. 8, 2001. A packed house of 18,761 showed up and witnessed quite a show.

It was an especially fun game to see and write about a night after I led my handful of journalistic co-workers to the famed Billy Goat Tavern in an underpass beneath Michigan Avenue. Why do I digress from a thrilling basketball game that wasn't decided until the buzzer?

Simply to explain that the original Billy Goat Tavern, founded by Greek immigrant William “Billy Goat” Sianis in 1934, moved to its current location in 1964 near the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, both esteemed papers whose workforce frequented the tavern.

The Cubs were cursed for 71 years after the team wouldn't allow "Billy Goat" Sianis to bring his pet goat, Murphy into Wrigley Field for game four of the 1945 World Series. Murphy even had his own ticket. / Olivia Sun/The Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Now, the tale of why the Cubs were cursed. Sianis famously took his pet goat, Murphy, to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. He possessed tickets for himself and for the goat. Seems fair, right?

But when they wouldn't let the goat into Wrigley Field, Billy was incensed — Murphy was probably mad, too — and put a curse on the Cubs. They didn't win the World Series in 1945 and never reached the Fall Classic again until winning in 2016, their third title to go with 1907 and '08.

The "Billy Goat Curse" lived 71 years. Want another reason to go to the Billy Goat Tavern? How about it was made famous on Saturday Night Live by famed comedian John Belushi.

It's a well-known fact that one of Belushi's best characters on SNL was the fast-talking counterman in a Greek hamburger joint, fashioned after real live burger-flipper Sam Sianis, son of "Billy Goat" and second owner of the Billy Goat Tavern.

No idea if Michael Jordan ever ate or drank at the Billy Goat Tavern, but we did see his statue outside The United Center and that 2001 game between Arkansas and Illinois did MJ proud.

Statue of Michael Jordan outside the United Center. Jordan, whose No. 1-ranked North Carolina team lost to Arkansas in 1984 in Pine Bluff, led the Bulls to six NBA championships. / Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

Arkansas led 38-36 at halftime, but was outscored 58-53 in a frenetic second half that saw both teams at their best and thrilled fans watching in the building and on ESPN.

Brandon Dean (29 points) and Jannero Pargo (28), a pair of strong and explosive guards, led the Hogs. Pargo, a Chicago native, was undrafted following that year, but played 14 seasons in the NBA. Frank Williams (25) and Brian Cook (21) topped six Illini in double figures.

Chicago guard Jannero Pargo dribbles during the Bulls' 120-110 win against the Indiana Pacers at The United Center on Feb. 24, 2010. Pargo played the 2001 and '02 seasons with Arkansas while shooting 43% on 3-pointers and averaging 16.6 points a game as a senior. / Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

Illinois had won the first-ever meeting between the schools in 1949. The Illini also claimed the next three in the four-game series: 62-58 in North Little Rock, 84-61 in Chicago, and 72-60 in North Little Rock.

The Razorbacks broke through when it mattered most two seasons ago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. No. 8 seed Arkansas led by 10 at halftime and prevailed 73-63 behind 18 points by Ricky Council IV and 16 from Devo Davis.

What was the Hogs' reward? A meeting with No. 1 seed Kansas and the maestro himself, Bill Self. Many of those 2023 Razorbacks had not been born when Self's Illinois team beat Arkansas back in 2001 in Chicago.

Still, the Hogs got revenge of sorts by pulling a major upset and knocking Self's Jayhawks out of the tourney in the round of 32. They erased an eight-point halftime deficit to win 72-71 and crushed the defending national champs' hopes of a repeat.

It will be a whole new cast of characters for both Arkansas and Illinois when they square off today in the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. CBS will televise at 3 p.m., perfectly placed in between everyone's first and second helpings of turkey.

Arkansas' John Calipari, the third Hall of Fame coach mentioned in this article, hopes his players give Razorback fans an additional holiday treat by making it two straight against Illinois.

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