Bracketology: Illinois a 10 seed, last 4 in

[Dan]

1/22 Joe Lunardi Bracketology-

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

[Thor015]

And a play in game at that. Luckily a long time to go and plenty of opportunities to prove ourselves

[Cool Hand Luke]

I just have a hard time seeing it. The upcoming schedule is brutal. Unless they figure something out real quick I'm thinking 6-12 and an NIT appearance.

[bootsy]

I can't believe this team is 2 weeks ago from being a 4 seed to now barely making the tournament. It makes me so mad that these guys have again blown a golden opportunity to set themselves up to be in pretty good shape.

[brosox]

Originally Posted by bootsy

I can't believe this team is 2 weeks ago from being a 4 seed to now barely making the tournament. It makes me so mad that these guys have again blown a golden opportunity to set themselves up to be in pretty good shape.

welcome to our senior class. no guts, no glory.

[OrchardDowns]

Originally Posted by bootsy

I can't believe this team is 2 weeks ago from being a 4 seed to now barely making the tournament. It makes me so mad that these guys have again blown a golden opportunity to set themselves up to be in pretty good shape.

And against the easier teams in the Big Ten too. Purdue. Northwestern.

[bootsy]

Originally Posted by OrchardDowns

And against the easier teams in the Big Ten too. Purdue. Northwestern.

I think most of us were ok with losing to Minnesota and even Wisky but losing to Purdue and NW is what really hurts and is maddening. All this team had to do after it's impressive non-con was to beat the teams it was supposed to beat and maybe win 1 or 2 they weren't supposed and they would have set themselves up for a very good seed in the tournament. It's like giving someone the answers to a test and they still end up flunking it.

[Thor015]

As disappointed as I am in the last 1-2 weeks I am not giving up hope. They either step up and win some games or they don't.

If they dont then No one will be more upset than the players.

Here is to hoping...

[sapan1030]

Originally Posted by Thor015

As disappointed as I am in the last 1-2 weeks I am not giving up hope. They either step up and win some games or they don't.

If they dont then No one will be more upset than the players.

Here is to hoping...

Have to agree with you here. I've been extremely critical of the players at times, but when I stop to think about it, I'm sure they're playing their hearts out. No one likes losing. Sometimes they're going to get outplayed, and sometimes they'll outplay the other team. We just have to accept it. I don't think that because our players are lighthearted and comical, it mean they don't care about basketball. Every team has characters. The real problem here over the past 5-6 years has been recruiting. We haven't had a top flight PG since Deron left, and that's left us struggling

[Alfonz24]

Originally Posted by Thor015

As disappointed as I am in the last 1-2 weeks I am not giving up hope. They either step up and win some games or they don't.

If they dont then No one will be more upset than the players.

Here is to hoping...

Agree. I have not given up and let the sky fall on me.

IF they can play like early in the season we have a good chance to make the NCAAs.

[BexleyIllini]

This team will either rebound and make the tourney or collapse and go the NIT. I really think their problems are mental at this point. The talent is there to play well; either they get their heads in the game or they don't. I hope it is the former.

[brosox]

Originally Posted by sapan1030

Have to agree with you here. I've been extremely critical of the players at times, but when I stop to think about it, I'm sure they're playing their hearts out. No one likes losing. Sometimes they're going to get outplayed, and sometimes they'll outplay the other team. We just have to accept it. I don't think that because our players are lighthearted and comical, it mean they don't care about basketball. Every team has characters. The real problem here over the past 5-6 years has been recruiting. We haven't had a top flight PG since Deron left, and that's left us struggling

I strongly disagree that our team is "playing their hearts out." After admittedly coming out flat against Wisconsin and getting totally embarrassed, any players with pride would have come out breathing fire and extreme intensity against Northwestern. Being a Northwestern season ticket holder who has seen NU lose to UIC at home and almost lose at home to Texas State, I can tell you unequivocally that NU is a bad team this year, especially once it lost Crawford. A team playing their hearts out would have dictated the tempo of the game from the opening tip. I truly was expecting to see us start the game on something akin to a 15-0 run. A prideful team would have done so. Instead, our team let NU get an uncontested lay up ten seconds into the game and showed so little defensive intensity that NU had two wide open threes, another layup and 10 points on the scoreboard before two and a half minutes had elapsed. By contrast, I was at Sunday's NU/IU game and IU put so much defensive pressure on NU's half court offense that NU had only 9 points (yes 9) a full sixteen minutes into the game. And the team that hit on 83% of its first half threes against us because we didn't come out to guard them, was 1 for 9 on its threes in the first half against IU. I can excuse our team's offensive deficiencies. I cannot excuse or condone our defensive deficiencies because defense, as well as rebounding, are the result of effort and intensity. These seniors haven't played with intensity or a killer's instinct since they stepped on to the campus. Our players, despite their deficiencies, are better than NU's players. There is no way we should have even come close to losing to NU, let alone lose by double figures. Instead of playing "their hearts out", our players play without heart and have been doing so since at least the middle of last year.

[zoggle101]

We can win our next five games and be ranked in the top 10. A lot of teams can't say that. If our early season swagger comes back its more than possible. Lets go ILLINI!!!

[Orange]

^

[Calvin]

Originally Posted by zoggle101

We can win our next five games and be ranked in the top 10. A lot of teams can't say that. If our early season swagger comes back its more than possible. Lets go ILLINI!!!

You can't buy optimism like this. Not legally.

[OrangeAndBlue217]

Originally Posted by zoggle101

We can win our next five games and be ranked in the top 10. A lot of teams can't say that. If our early season swagger comes back its more than possible. Lets go ILLINI!!!

Im on your level. The conference is so tough this year. I hope our teams can run through the tournament and pick up a lot of wins. All B1G final 4? Has this ever happened for any conference?

[Ramrod2010]

Originally Posted by brosox

I strongly disagree that our team is "playing their hearts out." After admittedly coming out flat against Wisconsin and getting totally embarrassed, any players with pride would have come out breathing fire and extreme intensity against Northwestern. Being a Northwestern season ticket holder who has seen NU lose to UIC at home and almost lose at home to Texas State, I can tell you unequivocally that NU is a bad team this year, especially once it lost Crawford. A team playing their hearts out would have dictated the tempo of the game from the opening tip. I truly was expecting to see us start the game on something akin to a 15-0 run. A prideful team would have done so. Instead, our team let NU get an uncontested lay up ten seconds into the game and showed so little defensive intensity that NU had two wide open threes, another layup and 10 points on the scoreboard before two and a half minutes had elapsed. By contrast, I was at Sunday's NU/IU game and IU put so much defensive pressure on NU's half court offense that NU had only 9 points (yes 9) a full sixteen minutes into the game. And the team that hit on 83% of its first half threes against us because we didn't come out to guard them, was 1 for 9 on its threes in the first half against IU. I can excuse our team's offensive deficiencies. I cannot excuse or condone our defensive deficiencies because defense, as well as rebounding, are the result of effort and intensity. These seniors haven't played with intensity or a killer's instinct since they stepped on to the campus. Our players, despite their deficiencies, are better than NU's players. There is no way we should have even come close to losing to NU, let alone lose by double figures. Instead of playing "their hearts out", our players play without heart and have been doing so since at least the middle of last year.

Totally agree. Look at the the games surrounding the UI - NU game.

@ Minnesota - 14 1st half points, 51 total - Loss
Iowa - 15 1st half points, 50 total - Loss
Indiana - 17 1st half points, 59 total - Loss

And then you have these two:

@ Penn State - 33 1st half points, 70 total - Win
@ Illinois - 36 1st half points, 68 total - Win

And actually, the point by half breakdowns are eerily similar for the PSU and Illinois games.

So yeah, I have a hard time believing that a team with the talent that Illinois has and one that is "playing its heart out" gets clowned in a similar fashion to that of a bad Penn State team. As you said, no excuse for it.

[zoggle101]

Originally Posted by OrangeAndBlue217

Im on your level. The conference is so tough this year. I hope our teams can run through the tournament and pick up a lot of wins. All B1G final 4? Has this ever happened for any conference?

I don't think all the final four teams have ever been from the same league, but With the new formation of mega conferences its bound to happen I'd imagine.

[Symmooth]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

I just have a hard time seeing it. The upcoming schedule is brutal. Unless they figure something out real quick I'm thinking 6-12 and an NIT appearance.

I'm thinking 6-12 and one win in the BTT gets us in the dance.
Whoopee.

[OrangeAndBlue217]

Originally Posted by Symmooth

I'm thinking 6-12 and one win in the BTT gets us in the dance.
Whoopee.

It could if the people who put the teams in feel our conference is as strong as most think.

[trevdv]

It's as simple as beating: Iowa State, San Diego State, Louisville, Butler/Mizzou. Badda bing, badda boom! Elite eight.

[gibb52]

I wish I could channel ThaKid like you guys are. Just not feeling it.

[WizardBill]

I am sure that we are going to see the Illini that we saw vs. OSU, Gonzaga and Butler, not the illini we saw against PU, NU.

[kcib8130]

Originally Posted by BexleyIllini

This team will either rebound and make the tourney or collapse and go the NIT. I really think their problems are mental at this point. The talent is there to play well; either they get their heads in the game or they don't. I hope it is the former.

I FIRMLY believe that in the rest of our games this season, we will either win them, or we will lose them. I hope it's the former. :rolleyes:

Seriously though, last year after not making the tourney, I thought we were a for sure NIT team. Like a possible 1 seed. Didn't get in. I was fine with that; we were in no position to play any more after the end of the year debacle. Coach was done, players were done, it would have been no good at all. And after the Stony Brook game a few years ago, I could pass on the NIT every year.

[FeelYourPaign]

I remember reading on here . . . and this was labeled speculation at the time, IIRC . . . that the University asked the NIT not to invite, so that they didn't have to turn it down.

Who knows?