Pregame: Illinois vs Nebraska, Thursday, February 25th, 6:00pm CT, BTN
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DB11Headband
- Chicago Burbs
This should be uglier than Minnesota and NW combined if BU does his job
I want us to come out so hard msu game is the final straw of not coming out hard and thinking it will be an easy win
Teddy Allen had 41 tonight for the Huskers
Yea and they still lost kinda feel for him I think he was a transfer too. Either way I hope we come out with insane fire especially from Ayo to shut up the doubters
Turpin & Tate in 2008!
- Addison, IL
After the close call in Lincoln and the game we just saw them play in East Lansing, I think the Illini win this one by 20+. Then again, who knows with this team.
When they do that we supposedly should be fine because we have shooters. But it seems they’re afraid to shoot at times especially DMW
I think the problem is more that Kofi either doesn't look for kick out opportunities or isn't confident in his passing ability. We're a good 3P shooting team by percentage even if a couple of our guys are gun shy
DMW hasn't attempted more than two 3-pointers since our loss to OSU and hasn't made more than one since January 7 at Northwestern. He's attempted just six 3pt shots in the last 8 games. I think it's time to close the book on DMW as a 3pt threat. Can't imagine he's going to be taking these come tourney time if he can't bring himself to pull the trigger down double digits against MSU in the regular season.
Yea if kofi could recognize double or triple teams which is almost every time he gets the ball and pass out we could be insane. It would also help kofi’s draft stock
He had many open looks that he passed off on but our offense wasn’t extremely bad I mean we still had 72 pts. Our defense was just as much of a problem that game
Deleted member 747840
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The thing about Kofi kicking the ball out occasionally is that his pass doesn't need to be perfect. The defense sags so hard on him that they're gonna have to sprint to cover the guy he's passing to. If that guy doesn't get a clean pass, he can kick it to someone else and chances are their look is going to be even better.
If Kofi did that 3/4 times a game, we'd be a better team overall.
I hope Brad tells DMW he's got the green light when open. Ridiculous to see someone who hit 60%+ not even attempt one there. I get he went through a down stretch, but why he lost his confidence is beyond me. DMW had at least 3 good to great looks from three yesterday, I highly doubt he would've missed them all. He adds a lot to this team, but being a mediocre ball handler and free throw shooter combined with not wanting to shoot the 3 has gotta make it hard to play him.
If Kofi did that 3/4 times a game, we'd be a better team overall.
I hope Brad tells DMW he's got the green light when open. Ridiculous to see someone who hit 60%+ not even attempt one there. I get he went through a down stretch, but why he lost his confidence is beyond me. DMW had at least 3 good to great looks from three yesterday, I highly doubt he would've missed them all. He adds a lot to this team, but being a mediocre ball handler and free throw shooter combined with not wanting to shoot the 3 has gotta make it hard to play him.
Deleted member 747840
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MSU's midrange 2 game was on one yesterday. Langford and Henry must have had 10 shots barely touch the twine. Hard to not be impressed by some of those turn around jumpers. Definitely not an excuse to lose that game, but I doubt they do that very frequently. The offensive rebounds hurt a ton.
I haven't looked at all the shot charts in detail, but it sure feels like teams that are productive from mid-range (OSU, MSU) are the bane of our defensive philosophy. I don't know how many of Langford's offensive rebounds boards last night were completely untouched, but it sure seemed like a ton of them.
Wonder if its ever been analyzed, but I think conventional wisdom is that, in practice, the bigger the player the easier it is to get away with fouling them. Shouldn't be that way, but it is. I'm assuming it's something subconscious, maybe based on a human evolutionary tendency to protect smaller individuals (i.e. children) and/or view size as a potential danger. In any event, the rules are the same, but the uneven application of the rules is such that you get dinged for being big (which is why Kofi gets assaulted every game).
We have shooters, but they go for naught if Kofi becomes a black hole. Gotta get it back out the instant he sees the double.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I will never quite forgive this team for allowing me to be so nervous about games like this. 
I know part of it is rose-tinted glasses, but I can't help but wonder with envy how Illini fans felt going into games vs. the last place team at home in a season like 2001; that was JUST a bit before my time. Anyway, I am going to go on record now to predict how these guys cap off this wild ride of a regular season!
#5 Illinois 77, Nebraska 70
#23 Wisconsin 69, #5 Illinois 65
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#9 Illinois 78, #3 Michigan 77
#9 Illinois 77, #4 Illinois 74
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BTT Championship Game loss in a rematch to Michigan
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21-7 (15-5), good for a No. 1 seed along with Michigan and beating out OSU. I'd be damn happy with that! I know winning at Michigan or OSU is going to be a tall order, but I could honestly see a bit of a hangover game vs. Nebraska and then an unfortunate loss at Wisconsin before really regrouping and going on a tear to end the season. I, like everyone, hope we can win out, though! I am an optimist by nature, and I am inclined to believe that MSU really might have just been our true "stinker" game of the season and not overly indicative of what to expect in the future. I would not be surprised if we came out and dominated Nebraska, and that would be a VERY encouraging sign, as it would validate that MSU was simply an off-game and not a continuation of a trend of playing down to the competition. Let's start that new winning streak!
I know part of it is rose-tinted glasses, but I can't help but wonder with envy how Illini fans felt going into games vs. the last place team at home in a season like 2001; that was JUST a bit before my time. Anyway, I am going to go on record now to predict how these guys cap off this wild ride of a regular season!#5 Illinois 77, Nebraska 70
#23 Wisconsin 69, #5 Illinois 65
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#9 Illinois 78, #3 Michigan 77
#9 Illinois 77, #4 Illinois 74
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BTT Championship Game loss in a rematch to Michigan
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21-7 (15-5), good for a No. 1 seed along with Michigan and beating out OSU. I'd be damn happy with that! I know winning at Michigan or OSU is going to be a tall order, but I could honestly see a bit of a hangover game vs. Nebraska and then an unfortunate loss at Wisconsin before really regrouping and going on a tear to end the season. I, like everyone, hope we can win out, though! I am an optimist by nature, and I am inclined to believe that MSU really might have just been our true "stinker" game of the season and not overly indicative of what to expect in the future. I would not be surprised if we came out and dominated Nebraska, and that would be a VERY encouraging sign, as it would validate that MSU was simply an off-game and not a continuation of a trend of playing down to the competition. Let's start that new winning streak!
We win big.
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