CHAMPAIGN – When football and men’s basketball wins games, it’s always better for the athletic director.

So as Illinois AD Josh Whitman heads deeper into his third year on the job, the former Illini tight end and academic whiz knows it’s time for the football program and basketball team to shows marked signs of improvement, whether that’s wins on the court or competitiveness on the field.

“In the third year, it’s about progress,’’ said Whitman, who still worked in the gray areas. It’s the lawyer in him.

It’s time for football coach Lovie Smith and basketball coach Brad Underwood to make Illini sports fun again. Because no matter what appears to be big news about the creation of Illini hockey and a replacement for Huff Hall, or any tidbits about a Big Ten Conference basketball game played at the United Center, it’s still about winning a few games and being competitive in football and kicking some rear end in basketball again.