hooraybeer
- Pittsburgh, PA
When people ask about freshman year Curbelo
Illini Basketball
It sure would be nice if they would schedule a game like this at the United Center.
Sal Iacuzzo
- Yonkers, NY
Wouldn't be against Duke then. They are always angling to play at MSG.
Maybe there would be a return game at the UC? Duke recruits Chicago a good amount (and Scheyer is from there) so I could see them wanting to do that.
hooraybeer
- Pittsburgh, PA
Duke at the UC would be electric. needs to happen
Alright, bear with me. Now that we have a true big, if Coleman were to come back he could focus on guarding wings and providing help side defense. If we get this game locked up, Coleman comes back specifically to shut off Cooper Flagg’s water under the bright lights of MSG, thereby sending his draft stock soaring. Tell me I’m wrong!
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
As a fan from Chicago area, I completely agree. Given that the Illini play annually against Mizzou in St. Louis, I can't see why the Illini can't get something in the works for Chicago. I am just not sure that you will get the big name teams. I would personally love to see an annual tradition of getting Illinois and other "Chicago" based teams play at the UC. Similar to that of the State Farm Champions Classic. Have Northwestern and Illinois play a game vs another Chicago based school (DePaul, UIC, Loyola, etc.) on a rotation basis during Winter break (if scheduling will allow for it).
However, there is always an allure to travel to New York to play at MSG. I think (and hope) we will see MSG opportunities on a near annual basis against top competition like Duke. I went to opening night for the NY Rangers a few years back, and the venue is amazing to watch a game.
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Curbelo AND Miller in those clips got me feeling a type of way.When people ask about freshman year Curbelo
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Really appreciate the staff finding ways to play in MSG year in and year out. Those games get a lot of eyes and it helps show we are a national brand. Not to mention, it probably helps OA recruit the NYC kids when he can point to us consistently playing there.
We had no issue getting big name teams in the past.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I want the UC game back as much as anyone (and have said this many times!), but I cannot disagree more about the format. Part of the allure of the previous UC setup was that it was a clear-cut Illini HOME game with no ambiguity. When you see this crowd, it makes the statement that Chicago is (or should be) our turf:
Making the event a "look at ALL of these 'Chicago teams' coming together!" vibe merely helps to elevate schools like Northwestern, DePaul, Notre Dame, Marquette, etc. in the eyes of casual Chicago fans that WE need to be courting. As an example that works in our FAVOR in the opposite direction, you know how the St. Louis Area overall is probably Mizzou territory by a ratio of closer to 3:1? Well, the Braggin' Rights gives us an annual showcase there as a sort of "equal local team" alongside Mizzou, and this can ONLY help us with recruits and potential fans there that the Braggin' Rights gives off such a vibe. In other words, I would argue it is way more in our interests than Mizzou's to have a crowd like this every year and the Illini logos, colors, band, etc. displayed just as prominently as theirs in what is truly their backyard:
TL;DR
We have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that GOOD Illini teams will draw fantastic crowds at the United Center, and we do not need other fan bases to help us fill it. Personally, I want an opponent that will get as many orange shirts in that arena as possible and showcase it (once again) as our Home Away From Home. It should be our event, not a true neutral court one.
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
If you look at our history of playing at the UC, I would argue that we actually did have some difficulty (near the end of the UC run). We played against UIC five times since the early 2000s when this was an annual "home" event. The issue has been to get the big name teams, you have to then play there the next season (i.e. Gonzaga). I would prefer having an annual game at MSG against the big tier teams compared to these "deals" to play one here, one there (which eats into the scheduling then).
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Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I completely agree in theory. The challenge is always logistics to Illinois playing host there every year. If my memory serves correctly, the Illini actually did start struggling filling seats near the end of the initial run at the UC (obviously the court play is a major reason for the drop off in attendance). It should not be an issue with the trajectory of the program recently, but the image you posted of the UC was more of the "glory days" of the program compared to what it became near the end of the initial run at the UC.
I want Illinois to play annually at the UC, and I do not care how they get there. I am skeptical that Illinois will put in effort to host annually due to perceived overhead. To be clear, no matter the setup, the way the program is trending, it will be dominated by Illinois fans regardless of the setup.
I remember sadly watching highlights of the loss to UIC at the UC in 2010 at a bar while being stood up for a date. I don’t need either of those feelings ever again.
GallopingGhost
- Denver, CO
As a family of Nebraska fans, the Iowa-Nebraska rivalry is pretty strong. They hate each other lol
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
Can we just take a minute and appreciate how back Illinois basketball is the past 5 years.
Consistently now in marquee games against marquee brands - You think Duke schedules us for the MSG showcase game (I’m sure on ESPN or CBS or FOX) 6 years ago?
Consistently now in marquee games against marquee brands - You think Duke schedules us for the MSG showcase game (I’m sure on ESPN or CBS or FOX) 6 years ago?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
EDIT: This is why I think the perfect series are one of the following:I want the UC game back as much as anyone (and have said this many times!), but I cannot disagree more about the format. Part of the allure of the previous UC setup was that it was a clear-cut Illini HOME game with no ambiguity. When you see this crowd, it makes the statement that Chicago is (or should be) our turf:
Making the event a "look at ALL of these 'Chicago teams' coming together!" vibe merely helps to elevate schools like Northwestern, DePaul, Notre Dame, Marquette, etc. in the eyes of casual Chicago fans that WE need to be courting. As an example that works in our FAVOR in the opposite direction, you know how the St. Louis Area overall is probably Mizzou territory by a ratio of closer to 3:1? Well, the Braggin' Rights gives us an annual showcase there as a sort of "equal local team" alongside Mizzou, and this can ONLY help us with recruits and potential fans there that the Braggin' Rights gives off such a vibe. In other words, I would argue it is way more in our interests than Mizzou's to have a crowd like this every year and the Illini logos, colors, band, etc. displayed just as prominently as theirs in what is truly their backyard:
TL;DR
We have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that GOOD Illini teams will draw fantastic crowds at the United Center, and we do not need other fan bases to help us fill it. Personally, I want an opponent that will get as many orange shirts in that arena as possible and showcase it (once again) as our Home Away From Home. It should be our event, not a true neutral court one.
1. A two-game series with a Blue Blood and/or other elite program that recruits nationally, with one game at the United Center and another game somewhere like Madison Square Garden. This gives both teams what they want, but we would likely have to stagger it with another UC option or just live with the UC game being every other year.
2. The more traditional "neutral-neutral" series like we used to do, where we would play a team in their big neutral market, and they would return a game at the United Center with us. We have done this with the following teams in the last 30 years:
UCLA: Chicago in 1996-97, Los Angeles in 1997-98
Clemson: Chicago in 1997-98, Greenville in 1998-99
Kansas: Kansas City in 1998-99, Chicago in 1999-00
Duke: Chicago in 1999-00, Greensboro in 2000-01 (though this was the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, so maybe not the best example)
Arizona: Chicago in 2000-01, Phoenix in 2001-02; Phoenix in 2006-07, Chicago in 2007-08
Arkansas: Chicago in 2001-02, Little Rock in 2002-03; Chicago in 2003-04, Little Rock in 2004-05
Oregon: Chicago in 2004-05, Portland in 2005-06; Portland in 2012-13, Chicago in 2014-15
Xavier: Chicago in 2005-06, Cincinnati (neutral arena) in 2006-07
Georgia: Chicago in 2008-09, Atlanta in 2009-10
Gonzaga: Chicago in 2009-10, Seattle in 2010-11
UNLV: Chicago in 2011-12, Las Vegas in 2013-14
Auburn: Chicago in 2012-13, Atlanta in 2013-14
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I agree for football, but for basketball? I lived in Iowa City for about 19 years and my parents still live there, so my friend group is mostly Iowa fans. Believe me, they hate Illinois basketball just about as much as they hate any team in any sport.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
FTR, that picture is actually from our 2013 season, during Groce's first year where we earned a #7 seed. It wasn't until the Groce years that the crowds fell below what we would draw in Champaign, and then we gave up the whole idea during Underwood's first couple of 20+ loss seasons. So, I think an Illini program at our current level would once again put a ton of butts in the seats. For a reference, we drew nearly 17k for our BTT game there against Penn State two years ago, and (I was there) it was 90%+ Illini fans ... and that was for a VERY frustrating and not that good team, haha.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
We reached the pinnacle of the sport only to slide into irrelevance. Staying on top is hard. We've seen how easily it can all go away. Thankfully, now the administration and coaching staff have their eyes on the prize in every single facet. We have the best assistant coaches money can buy. We have the best facilities in the country. We have the best training staff around. And we consistently schedule big programs in the mecca of basketball. It all matters. It's all necessary to finally get that national championship. After experiencing the down years, I appreciate the attention to detail essential for success. I refuse to take any of this for granted.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Slightly OT, but when I was looking up that stuff about our United Center series history, I found some interesting attendance stats. The percent in parentheses is the attendance as a percentage of State Farm Center's current capacity - 15,544.
ILLINI ATTENDANCE AT THE UNITED CENTER
(Regular Season Games Only)
Best Crowd for #7 Arizona vs. #5 Illinois in 2000-01: 21,885 (141%)
When BOTH Teams are Ranked: 19,581 (126%)
When Illini are Ranked: 17,272 (111%)
vs. Power Five Team: 17,242 (111%)
Pre-2015: 16,358 (105%)
Excluding UIC/Bradley: 15,927 (103%)
--- OVERALL AVERAGE: 15,138 (97%) ---
vs. UIC/Bradley: 12,378 (80%)
Post-2014: 5,377
(35%)
So again, I totally understand why we got spooked of terrible crowds ... we drew about 5,000 fans for the last four games we played there! However, we were averaging about 16,300 fans per game (including smaller crowds vs. UIC and Bradley in that average) before those four duds of a crowd, and it seems obvious that a halfway decent Illini team will outdraw our SFC capacity easily.
ILLINI ATTENDANCE AT THE UNITED CENTER
(Regular Season Games Only)
Best Crowd for #7 Arizona vs. #5 Illinois in 2000-01: 21,885 (141%)
When BOTH Teams are Ranked: 19,581 (126%)
When Illini are Ranked: 17,272 (111%)
vs. Power Five Team: 17,242 (111%)
Pre-2015: 16,358 (105%)
Excluding UIC/Bradley: 15,927 (103%)
--- OVERALL AVERAGE: 15,138 (97%) ---
vs. UIC/Bradley: 12,378 (80%)
Post-2014: 5,377
(35%)So again, I totally understand why we got spooked of terrible crowds ... we drew about 5,000 fans for the last four games we played there! However, we were averaging about 16,300 fans per game (including smaller crowds vs. UIC and Bradley in that average) before those four duds of a crowd, and it seems obvious that a halfway decent Illini team will outdraw our SFC capacity easily.
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I knew it was bad based on my response, but I must have blocked out how bad it was at the end.
