Jamar Smith, the Illinois player who was driving the car when it wrecked, kept driving home that night because he thought his friend was dead.

Smith, a sophomore guard, was driving a 1996 Lexus last Monday night when it struck a tree in heavy snow. He then drove the car a little more than a mile to the apartment complex where he lived.

Bystanders called 911 after seeing the badly damaged car in the parking lot, with Smith’s passenger, teammate Brian Carlwell, still inside, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said. A number of other team members were gathered at the apartment, Rietz said.

“It appears that Smith was distraught, as he believed Carlwell had died in the crash,” Rietz said in a written statement.

Smith’s blood-alcohol level was .176 after the crash, more than twice the legal limit of .08, Rietz said.

My guess is Smith was too drunk to even know he’d been in a wreck, or at least how serious the wreck was. I highly doubt he knew his friend was injured and, to cover his tracks, just said the first thing that came to his mind: I left him there because I thought he was dead.

I didn’t say the smartest thing, just the first thing.

Maybe They Needed a Pep-Talk From Saban: Losing to Auburn in football has become annualy accepted, but losing in basketball isn’t supposed to happen. The Tigers put it all over their state rival, beating the Crimson Tide, 81-57. They ended a 7 game losing streak to the Tide, and have now beaten two top 25 teams in a row, after going 0-for-their-last-15 against their previous top 25 opponents.

Finally, A Win: Nice to see Illinois win a game. Every time I watch this team, it’s an ESPN weeknight game, and it’s the same result: They lose. Illinois got their first win against a top 25 opponent last night, beating the Hoosiers, 51-43. I know it’s college basketball, and every year is completely different, but it’s hard to imagine that this team was in the finals two years ago.

Luck of the Irish? Nah: Notre Dame dropped one to St. John’s, probably dropping them out of the top 25. Larry Wright hit a three-pointer with time winding down, and the Johnny’s beat Notre Dame for their second big win in a row. If Notre Dame wants to continue to win basketball games, it shouldn’t resemble the football team’s secondary, giving up 49 points in the first half.