TCR GIF Tournament: Players Region

And we push on here in the first TCR GIF Tournament with our Players Region, coming in at the bottom left of our 32-GIF bracket.

In this region we have some of the best GIFs of players doing things. Voting will be open for 24 hours.

HAT Nutshot vs. The HAT Is Ours

In the ‘cheap shot of the year,’ Jonathan Brown took his knee and sent it to the groin of an unsuspecting Northwestern offensive lineman, Pat Ward. Was it warranted? Sure. Was it worth it? Probably not. Illinois had Northwestern pinned inside their own 10 in the HAT game.

Another HAT moment in this matchup, except this time the Illini are celebrating after a 47-33 win over the Wildcats in 2014. In the actual video, Illinois is singing Illinois Loyalty in the locker room, which is pretty cool. But this GIF of celebration is neat, marking the most recent win over that team up north.

Wes Lunt’s Fist vs. Malik’s Dancing

What game was this? Does it matter? Wes Lunt is pumping his fist, and it’s a beautiful sight to see. It’s just majestic, and you notice something new every 55 times this quick GIF plays. Very enjoyable. Go Wes!

The coolest part about this GIF is that it can never end. There’s almost no distinct pause, because Turner’s left shoulder returns perfectly to where it started. Add in a ref pointing and a celebration on a play the Illini definitely didn’t get a touchdown on, and this might be the perfect GIF (and a dark horse to win).

IMar’s Pop vs. Malcolm’s Pop

Isaiah Martinez is probably the greatest Illini athlete of the past decade, and one of the all-time greats. He didn’t lose many times in his career, and his first loss came against Penn State’s Jason Nolf in the regular season. Martinez avenged it and beat him in the Big Ten Championship, leading to this slick singlet pop. But is it the best pop GIF we have?

Say what you want about Malcolm Hill, but he gave Illinois a chance at least during his time in Champaign. A lot of emotion, a lot of heart, and a lot of improvement under John Groce. This GIF (not really a ‘jersey pop’ but close enough) is pretty intense. It also comes against Penn State, just like Martinez’s. Up to you.

Malcolm Kisses the Floor vs. Gonzaga’s Bench

How many moments have I been able to get emotional about as an Illinois student over the past three years? One. And it was this moment. Illinois beat Michigan State on Senior Night, and Malcolm Hill — after all he had given the program — had this sweet moment, kissing the block I on center court. That’s when I knew I was proud to be an Illini.

Brandon Paul scored 35 points as No. 13 Illinois improved to 10-0 by defeating No. 10 Gonzaga (ON THE ROAD) 85-74. The best moment of that December 2012 game? Definitely this bench kid for the Zags. He’s living the college dream. Free Nike apparel. A seat on Gonzaga’s NCAA Tourney bench every year. And he ended up losing the game that night, too, to Illinois, despite definitely never touching the court. You can tell. He’s playing an air guitar with his team down four with less than five minutes left.

Come back tomorrow for our Games Region of the Round of 32!