Illinois 79, Michigan State 74 POSTGAME

#201      
I am one proud Illini this morning and I have not felt this way in a long, long time.

The way we sped MSU up and had them all out of sorts was a continuation of the development we've been seeing for awhile. But the way we responded to blowing the big lead and being on the ropes was the sort of character we haven't seen in awhile. Synthesize those two things and make that consistent and we're really going somewhere.



HOWEVER, oh my god this was so bad. First of all, Brad's a big man, and that's always going to be a struggle with a brightly colored suit, it's just an awful lot of fabric. And his orange blazer in particular has a pastel-ish creamsicle hue that matches neither the Henson ones of old nor our current uniforms. And then he goes with a similarly pastel blue shirt, the whole effect makes him look like an ice cream man, which is ridiculous against his always volcanically angry Mount Rushmore-sized head.

The only coach who has looked good in the orange blazer since Henson was John Groce because he didn't try to make it into a Halloween costume. Neither did Weber really, but Weber never looked comfortable in anything.

I'd say Underwood should just scrap the orange altogether, but we know that's not gonna happen, so he needs to bring the whole look down to earth with a simple white shirt and dark trousers and a solid tie that lets the jacket do the work.



hqdefault.jpg
 
#203      

LeinieGuy

Will work for bourbon
Lexington, KY
To the Dakich haters, I get it, but to be clear about the Izzo/MSU angle: Dakich does NOT love Tom Izzo (or Mike Krzyzewski or Roy Williams, et. al) He always bashes those guys for being "kings in their own minds" and is very cynical toward what some of these top coaches do, say and how they hold themselves. Except for a couple dumb things he said last night (and a guy like that is always going to say some dumb stuff), he was very complimentary of Illinois, and I felt like he was totally pulling for the upset.
 
#205      
What a game! What a win! Loved the court storming. Happy for each and every player and coach, but really ecstatic for AJ, TF, and Adonis. Aaron has gone through so much and just continued to fight. So many big plays over the last month. Before the Minn. win, Trent (as well as DW) has had to persevere through an 18-30 stretch and a 4-19 record in BIG, and went through a tough stretch this year with his shooting. But he still leads the team in scoring and steals. And Adonis comes back early from a knee injury, and though it might not always look pretty and I'm sure it hasn't been easy, he has given this team some big minutes of banging of late. I loved when he sprinted down the court to be in position to pick up a charge.

As if we need any more reasons to be happy over this game, I think it could potentially help with Ayo staying. Seems like a certainty he'll go through the early draft process to get feedback. If what he hears about where he'll be drafted has him thinking maybe he should come back then I have to think a game like this with the court storming and a stretch like this might tip the scales. He'll have to be wondering about what this team could do next year with the development they've had and a year more experience for everyone.
 
#206      

drsmitty74

Rochester
Really dislike when our fans go out there and post on others boards. It's a really bad look, but I'm guessing its mostly kids doing it.
Agree. BUT..... The first 43 pages of the thread were priceless. Especially the build up when they actually took the lead.......then to read the posts as we took over again......man I love this feeling this way about our Beloved O&B. :love:
 
#207      
Dakich has a personality, which is why I like him. He says what he’s thinking and is self-deprecating when it turns out to be wrong. I’ll take that over color announcers who never go out on a limb and are unwilling to criticize players, coaches or refs. I think opinions and anecdotes make the games more fun. It seems like some of you would rather the commentary mimic a world news broadcast.

He never shuts up. You could easily think that he was doing the play by play he talks so much I am thinking even Bill Walton might be better than Dakich and we know Walton is definitely, "not of this planet." :) :)

bill walton.jpg
 

Attachments

  • bill walton.jpg
    bill walton.jpg
    30 KB · Views: 196
#208      
Wow, still feels so good! It was so refreshing to see a top ten team regain momentum, completely erase our lead, TAKE the lead for themselves and then watch our guys play with ice in their veins! Such a great team effort. I am trying to remember two things going forward that will keep me grounded during this excitement:

1) Michigan State does appear to be in a bit of a slide. However, #9 in the country is #9. What I think is responsible to take away from this is that we can't just go out and slay top ten teams on the road with regularity or anything now, but this team does have the talent to beat VERY good ball clubs when we're hot.

2) We are still a very, very young team that is going to display some inconsistencies. Heck, even our 2005 team had uncharacteristically off games (vs. Iowa in OT, at Michigan, etc.). I refuse to let one disappointing loss in the coming weeks let me lose faith in the vision for this program. I am FULLY on board right now, and I cannot wait to see what we can do down the stretch. A BTT run doesn't look so crazy anymore.

With those two in mind, however, I am still sky high!! Here are my revised predictions down the stretch:

W vs. Rutgers - I predict this one is uncomfortably close, as RU is playing well and we might have a bit of a letdown. However, I think we win in the end, 75-69.
W at Ohio State - OSU will likely need a win badly, and this would usually be a "come back down to Earth" type of game. However, my (perhaps foolish) optimism has us coming into this game absolutely fired up after a lackluster win vs. Rutgers. UI 78, OSU 72.
L at #19 Wisconsin - Wisconsin is good and nearly impossible to beat at the Kohl Center, especially for us. This 72-63 loss will likely have a few of our more pouty fans right back to being negative, but they shouldn't be!
W vs. Penn State - I think, in a similar performance to our home game vs. Nebraska, we handily beat Penn State, this time hitting way more free throws: UI 78, PSU 68.
L at #15 Purdue - I think we look REALLY good in this game but come up short, 77-73.
W vs. Northwestern - In a take-out-our-frustration game and with revenge on our mind, we beat NU 81-68.
W vs. Indiana - In somewhat of a nail-biter, I think we beat the rival Hoosiers 80-76.
W at Penn State - Finishing the season strong with a sweep of a B1G opponent, we handle PSU easily at their place, 78-67.

That would put us at 14-17 (10-10) going into the Big Ten Tournament, likely earning a decent seed. I am going out on a limb and guessing that, behind a great Illini fan showing at the UC, we actually make it to the BTT championship game before falling to someone like Iowa or Wisconsin (not MSU, Michigan or Purdue). I, then, will be absolutely ecstatic for next year!! GO ILLINI!
 
#209      

foby

Bonnaroo Land
For a guy that clearly makes a good amount of money, I don't understand how hard it would be to walk in with a jersey, tell the tailor "make me a jacket that matches this color"
Or walk in with a bolt of jersey cloth and say, "Make me a jacket." That would be a bold move. lol
 
#210      
I actually like Dakich. He was very pro-(whatever-coach-his-son-was-playing-for-that-year) but he’s actually a relatively smart basketball mind that just happens to talk a lot, so he’ll say dumb things more often than bland commentators. He said A LOT of good things about the Illini last night, especially defensively.
 
#211      
best atmosphere at the game I have seen in a long time. Great to see and the program is finally on the rise again
 
#212      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
This was a huge step forward. I'll feel we take the next one when we have a 4 point lead with 48 seconds left and I am 80%+ certain we will close it out. Right now it's not comfortable until the last horn and unfortunately, if we were 4 down with 48 seconds to go I'd give us a 99% chance of loss.
 
#213      

LeinieGuy

Will work for bourbon
Lexington, KY
After rewatching the game I am a bit more toned down re: his comments on us. It was the bolded above that really got me going - both the 'turn in the game' and the comment right before Ayo hit the 3. However, I still don't like the constant armchair coaching and/or bball camp skills drivel.

As for the coaches comments - I don't recall if he did or not, but he should have really given BU kudos for a job well done against Izzo last night AND for getting the team to gel.
Yep, I'm sure if he hasn't already, he will be making those compliments about BU soon. He was a big fan of the Underwood hire when it happened. As to my knowledge of his view toward those other coaches, that comes from listening to him on Waddle & Silvy (ESPN Chicago) over the past couple years. They like to have him on from time to time, and he's a great call-in every time. Funny guy, obnoxious in an entertaining way, and full of opinions and hot takes. It's through these various interviews that I realized that he sort of resents these top-tier coaches when they won't "stay in their own lane" and worry about their own kids, etc. He has funny snark to his comments whenever he talks about some of those coaches.
 
#217      
After rewatching the game I am a bit more toned down re: his comments on us. It was the bolded above that really got me going - both the 'turn in the game' and the comment right before Ayo hit the 3. However, I still don't like the constant armchair coaching and/or bball camp skills drivel.
I'm with LeinieGuy. I like Dakich if for no other reason than the bolded. My last experience with organized bball was with the Lights at Leo in the 60's (remember the Lights and Heavies in the Chicago Catholic League old timers?). So when Dakich, and Robbie Hummel and Shon Morris, explain what is happening and what just happened, I really enjoy that. Also, since Indiana fans hate him even more than Loyalty posters, he gets improved marks from me, as well.
 
#220      

sacraig

The desert
For a guy that clearly makes a good amount of money, I don't understand how hard it would be to walk in with a jersey, tell the tailor "make me a jacket that matches this color"

Well, in fairness, it depends on the material. You can get a polyester jacket that is "cheap" and super hot in just about any color. You can get a nicer, more breathable wool jacket, but you are much more limited. Generally you would have to start with white wool, which is really more of a cream color naturally, and then you dye. That cream base would make it more difficult to end up with a bright, "construction-cone orange" as opposed to something that is more "orange creamsicle."
 
#221      
I actually like Dakich. He was very pro-(whatever-coach-his-son-was-playing-for-that-year) but he’s actually a relatively smart basketball mind that just happens to talk a lot, so he’ll say dumb things more often than bland commentators. He said A LOT of good things about the Illini last night, especially defensively.
At least he has an opinion and says what it is, unlike most other announcers who only spout the politically correct drivel so as not to offend anyone (Steve Bardo).
 
#222      
The only way the evening could have been improved is if Dakich would not do his best to prevent viewers from enjoying the game.
True, his mindless predictions about pivotal moments and turning point is certainly annoying. (He "took back" a "take that back")
But his criticism of what the players should of done each and every time down the court really grates on my sensibilities.
It has always been painfully obvious that in his heart he wants the Illini to lose.
ESPN needs to promote Bardo, and send Dakich back to the Hickory Huskers.
Once a Whosier always a Whosier.
SMH
Bardo can't even pronounce Dosunmu, give me a break. Dakich may be a dick, but he provides better insight overall.
 
#223      
What? I know everyone likes buzzwords, but could it be that Bardo is just a nice guy and it's not his personality to offend people while doing his nationally-televised job? Give me a break. He's pretty vanilla, but he's not some "goes out of his way to be uncontroversial" dweeb.
Bardo seems to make a huge effort to not appear biased toward Illinois IMO. Give me a break, it's my opinion along with plenty of others that he IS someone who goes out of his way to be uncontroversial.
 
#224      
Any good broadcaster should be going out of their way not to favor their alma mater. Everyone here would be first in line to jump down Dakich's throat the second he heaps unearned praise on Indiana, or if Bilas heaped unearned praise on Duke, and so on. Why should we hold Bardo to any other standard? Suddenly, because he's "our" guy, he is milquetoast because he isn't effusive in his praise for the Illini and tries to be objective? Yes, I do think that warrants a "give me a break."

The most egregious example of this, which I still see brought up on this board, was Walton when Illinois played Arizona in the NCAAT and Luke was playing on Arizona.
 
#225      
Really dislike when our fans go out there and post on others boards. It's a really bad look, but I'm guessing its mostly kids doing it.
I completely agree with you. I remember during the 2005 year when we were top in the country, there were many posters that took great pride in trashing the other programs in the Big 10. They would slobber all over Weber, and rip a lot of the other coaches. I remember thinking, "guys.......karma can be a !!!!!. Just enjoy our success and don't revel in the misery of others."

Well, we all know how the following years turned out, don't we. I hope that if we get back to winning ways, we won't turn into an ugly fan base again.