Pregame: Illinois at Nebraska, Tuesday, January 22nd, 7:30pm CT, BTN
 

Game 20: Illinois (14-5, 1-4) at Nebraska (9-9, 0-5)

Tuesday, January 22nd

Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE

Time: 7:30pm CT

TV: BTN

:illinois:

:illinois: - 67
UNL - 63

I still have hope that we aren't playing for next season.

:illinois: 57

NEBRASKA 75

i see no reason why not.....

78-52 Nebraska. Sigh

I am hoping we have been hit by the flu and it is not just that we stink. I think Groce gets to them after this loss the way he did after Purdue. Finally get a win in this stretch.

I can't believe I'm saying this but

68-61 Nebraska. What in the world is going on with Illinois athletics.

UI-56
NU-65

I went to the beat down out here in Lincoln last year...not sure I can get up for that kind of drubbing again.

Illini - 52
'Skers - 67

I can't rationally come up with a reason we'd win this game.

My thoughts exactly. UGH!

Neither can I. Maybe revenge for last year's 30-point drubbing in Lincoln? UNL is bad, though they seem to play good D and play a slowdown style that keeps them in all games. We will have to shore up our D big time, get better looks on O and actually make some shots (a mix of 3s, mid-range, lane shots and FTs) to win. I could see us win, but I could also see us lose decisively again.

Doesn't really matter. Northwestern is bad, too.

So are we :(

Hopefully nobody cries.

Is another epic Nebraska collapse in the cards? Who would have thought we would be in danger of repeating last year so exactly?

We'll win this game. I'm sure of it.

Then, we'll get absolutely drubbed in the next one.

If we can't beat Northwestern on our home floor in front of a sellout crowd, why would anybody think we can beat any Big 10 team on the road?

Even if these guys lack what ever it is they lack, the blame goes further than just the players. With a new coach we should see something different than the same old stuff. While they have proven to us they can't compete in the Big 10, I would think our new coach with his new system and coaching style, we would at least see them losing in a different way, but it looks like the movie Ground Hog Day. A coach running up and down the sideline ranting and raving and a bunch of lifeless players on the floor. Now that's entertainment.

Although predicting a win after last night is difficult, I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I predict a loss to Nebraska. Then again, I'm still shocked every time we lose to Penn State.

We'll win by 15:illinois:

Ask yourself something...if you see the same crappy movie a couple of times with the exact same actors with the same poor acting but a different director is hired who's done good movies in the past it the director's fault if the acting is still poor?

Not to mention we saw this team better coached and better prepared earlier this season. Once things started going south they reverted to old form that has been developed over 3+ years.

Now, I'm not completely absolving Groce and the staff. Everyone needs to a better job and even Groce admitted as much. But you can only get so much out of players.

I give up guessing what's going to happen, the trend is down so one can assume it will stay that way until some variables change. Fourth blow out loss in a row? Odds are good...

i have said all year to -josh-
same team different coach, why expect different results

Nebraska is a sound team. They won't wow you with talent, they are short on it, but they execute their stuff pretty well, play good defense, and slow the game down to give themselves a chance to hang around.

From what I've seen out of our group of players, they are done.

I don't expect us to get routed like last year, but I expect something similar to last night. A double digit loss that we never really challenge in but never swells to more than 15 or so. Hope I am wrong.

Also, don't underestimate what walking into Devaney is going to do to our guys. My guess is they will mentally cower just entering that place and never recover.

I'm done predicting wins. Obviously I have no clue what I'm doing. So maybe if I predict a terrible loss...

Nebraska: 72
Illinois: 58

If we lose to Neb, UM, and MSU then the season is lost and we need to start preparing for next year. That means more playing time for the younger guys. It will become clear that yeah the seniors will play but shave of 10 mins a game off each of them. We need to get these guys ready for next year.