Pregame: Illinois vs Nebraska, Monday, February 24th, 7:00pm CT, BTN

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#26      
This reminds me of the Northwestern game, gotta win these easier teams at home.
 
#27      
Didn't realize Illini don't play again until Monday. Nice to get a little extra rest for Ayo and everyone after that tough PSU game, but will make for a tough next week -- Monday, Thursday, Sunday.
 
#28      

3DegreeIllini

Chicago,IL
Will be interesting to see what we can do now that teams will try even harder to do to Ayo what we did to Lamar Stevens...
 
#29      
Will be interesting to see what we can do now that teams will try even harder to do to Ayo what we did to Lamar Stevens...

A lot of AD's points where free break. And some where all on the other guys. DM's bounce pass against sticky defense on Ayo was gorgeous.
 
#33      
Good energy and defense should be all we need. Fred has them playing hard but they don't have the horses yet.
 
#35      
We got our swagger back (🤞), so keep winning! Hopefully this reignites a hunger to be on another winning streak ... I’m sure they were having as much fun as we were during it. :cool:

I’m not counting my chickens and I’m not expecting it ... but we could win out. Period. At OSU will be tough, and at home vs. Iowa will be another war (okay, no game - including Nebraska and Northwestern - is easy), but there aren’t any more games I’m penciling in an L for. How sweet would this look?

22-9 (14-6)
Likely top 20 or top 15 ranking
Double bye in BTT
6-game winning streak including at PSU, at OSU and vs. Iowa

All with a favorable path in the BTT in front of what’s likely to be a good Illini contingent in Indy ahead of us still. It starts tomorrow! Hope the players take it one day at a time, but a fan can dream! :)
 
#36      
We got our swagger back (🤞), so keep winning! Hopefully this reignites a hunger to be on another winning streak ... I’m sure they were having as much fun as we were during it. :cool:

I’m not counting my chickens and I’m not expecting it ... but we could win out. Period. At OSU will be tough, and at home vs. Iowa will be another war (okay, no game - including Nebraska and Northwestern - is easy), but there aren’t any more games I’m penciling in an L for. How sweet would this look?

22-9 (14-6)
Likely top 20 or top 15 ranking
Double bye in BTT
6-game winning streak including at PSU, at OSU and vs. Iowa

All with a favorable path in the BTT in front of what’s likely to be a good Illini contingent in Indy ahead of us still. It starts tomorrow! Hope the players take it one day at a time, but a fan can dream! :)
I'm not an insider, but I highly doubt the team's hunger to win and belief they could win every game (thus a winning streak) was ever extinguished. Now the same can't be said about the fans' belief. That ebbs and flows, but I doubt the team's does.
 
#37      
I'm not an insider, but I highly doubt the team's hunger to win and belief they could win every game (thus a winning streak) was ever extinguished. Now the same can't be said about the fans' belief. That ebbs and flows, but I doubt the team's does.

Fair enough, I was thinking of a hybrid between hunger and confidence - that “grit” that puts you in the W column in crunch time. I know these Everyday Guys bring it every game!
 
#38      
Honestly, this game and @ NW are the games that have scared me the most for quite some time.

The rest of the games are all dogfights. Any team can beat any team. We were going to win some and lose some, and the surprise W's would probably balance out the surprise L's. Nebraska and @NW are 4 foot putts. We can certainly stub our toe on either of those games, not to mix figures of speech.

Thankfully I feel like our win @PSU widened our margin for error such that I think we can stub our toe against one of those two and still get in. I've said 12 conference wins, given our weak non-con, gets us safely in, and I stand by that. Very doable.

That being said, lets crush the Huskers!
 
#39      
I don’t think Ayo needs rest but the schedule dictates he’s gonna get it. Even next weeks schedule of Monday, Thursday and Sunday is a walk in the park compared to the NBA schedule he aspires to compete in. He’s young and healthy. He’ll be fine.
 
#40      

haasi

New York
Ayo played 37 minutes at PSU following a week of intensive PT and not knowing whether he’d play until right before the game. He is tough.
 
#42      
Ayo impressed me so much in the huddle with his vocal leadership. I don't think he will allow for a let down against the Huskers. Conversely, the guys on PSU were quiet as church mice. Chambers had to ask Stevens six times in a row about a defensive adjustment to get confirmation. It was weird.
 
#43      
I think you're crazy. Check out: YOUTUBE ILL at home vs. Wake Forest in December 2004.

I am crazy. Crazy for the Illini. If you check my post history, you'll see I claim the WAKE game as MY FAVORITE GAME EVER. The reference was about "beating inferior teams like a drum". If you're referencing playing the number one team in the country, then by all means, kick their A$$ into next week. It can't get any better.
 
#46      
Like Purdon’t, twice this year?
I wouldn't put @ Purdue being a game we were supposed to win, plus we were losing at halftime at Mackey. 70% second half shooting helped a tiny bit. I'm talking the games where we shouldn't be sweating it out.

I reference games vs:

Northwestern
Miami
Nichols

All at home, all causing heartburn.
 
#47      
We got our swagger back (🤞), so keep winning! Hopefully this reignites a hunger to be on another winning streak ... I’m sure they were having as much fun as we were during it. :cool:

I’m not counting my chickens and I’m not expecting it ... but we could win out. Period. At OSU will be tough, and at home vs. Iowa will be another war (okay, no game - including Nebraska and Northwestern - is easy), but there aren’t any more games I’m penciling in an L for. How sweet would this look?

22-9 (14-6)
Likely top 20 or top 15 ranking
Double bye in BTT
6-game winning streak including at PSU, at OSU and vs. Iowa

All with a favorable path in the BTT in front of what’s likely to be a good Illini contingent in Indy ahead of us still. It starts tomorrow! Hope the players take it one day at a time, but a fan can dream! :)

I like the optimism. Still suspect we'll lose at least one, maybe two more. @OSU is likely a loss with them playing well as of late. I give us about a 40% chance of winning that one. We'll be favored in the other four, but I won't be shocked if we lay an egg in one of those games. Gotta avoid losses to NW/Nebraska though. 4-1 is a good realistic goal in our remaining games but 5-0 is not impossible. 3-2 would be a bit disappointing but we'd still easily make the tourney. Just keep the momentum going!
 
#48      
I like the optimism. Still suspect we'll lose at least one, maybe two more. @OSU is likely a loss with them playing well as of late. I give us about a 40% chance of winning that one. We'll be favored in the other four, but I won't be shocked if we lay an egg in one of those games. Gotta avoid losses to NW/Nebraska though. 4-1 is a good realistic goal in our remaining games but 5-0 is not impossible. 3-2 would be a bit disappointing but we'd still easily make the tourney. Just keep the momentum going!
Honestly... I'd be ok with 2 -3 as long as one of the wins is against Hawkeyes. I think 2 more wins will get us in the dance....and I cant stand Garza!
 
#49      

illini80

Forgottonia
Not sure where the best place for this is, but did anyone else think Walker appears to be more involved lately? The last couple games he was in the huddle and talking. A few games back he was sitting behind the bench not looking happy to be there.
 
#50      
This game just got a bit bigger to get a top 4 seed
Rutgers looks like they are gonna lose at home and will fall behind us in the loss column.. That loss really helps us if we can finish out on a good note! MSU and Rutgers are at a disadvantage schedule wise to finish above us if we play these last games like we can. Wisconsin likely has the most favorable schedule of those tied for third.We still arent out of this for a strong finish and a bye. Even Maryland could lose a few with the brutal 3 road games they have and home vs MSU and Michigan Let's win em all!
 
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