Newmark4thFloor
- Houstown
Illini Basketball 2021-2022
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sacraig
- The desert
Geez, Bardo sure does hate us 
247sports.com
Bardo bills the Illini 'probably the best team in the Big Ten'
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sure, Stephen Bardo has a little bias. But the long-time college basketball broadcaster isn’t known for hot takes or letting his University of
247sports.com
Bardo doesn’t hate us. In fact I’ve heard from several folks close to the program that also know/talk to him that he LOVES us. (Not sure if it’s recent love or continued love from his days here)
Regardless, it’s there, but he feels he has to cover it up when he does our games.
And in an effort to sound fair, I think he overdoes it. It’s not like he doesn’t talk us up at times, but that conscious effort to hide his bias actually gives the perception of bias to the other team.
He is trying to act like both teams are teams he has no connection to. But it’s impossible because he’s Stephen Freakin Bardo.
I’d rather him simply stop doing our games or be okay if a little bias comes through. Trent Meacham has done a couple games now and has found a way to pull it off.
Just my $.02.
Regardless, it’s there, but he feels he has to cover it up when he does our games.
And in an effort to sound fair, I think he overdoes it. It’s not like he doesn’t talk us up at times, but that conscious effort to hide his bias actually gives the perception of bias to the other team.
He is trying to act like both teams are teams he has no connection to. But it’s impossible because he’s Stephen Freakin Bardo.
I’d rather him simply stop doing our games or be okay if a little bias comes through. Trent Meacham has done a couple games now and has found a way to pull it off.
Just my $.02.
sacraig
- The desert
I mean, I obviously don't think he hates us. I posted an article about how much he likes this team.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Have had a fairly recent convo with Bardo and he’s a big time fan of the current teams and past teams. I’m sure he finds it difficult to bottle that up when he’s on a call.
Oh I know. It seemed like you were posting that for all the folks that think Bardo does actually hate us.
Covering the games of a team you have a connection to has be hard. TBH, my opinion of Bill Walton changed when he was covering an NCAA Illini /Arizona game about 20 years ago. Illinois had beaten Kansas in the previous game by using every foul they had on Kansas’ bigs. He talked glowingly of the brilliant strategy. When they played Arizona ( Luke’s team), he was obviously biased, criticizing their physical play. I haven’t liked him since.Geez, Bardo sure does hate us
Bardo bills the Illini 'probably the best team in the Big Ten'
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Sure, Stephen Bardo has a little bias. But the long-time college basketball broadcaster isn’t known for hot takes or letting his University of
I’ve bought 2! He’s been my favorite player.
Newmark4thFloor
- Houstown
There's another thing where we beat Mizzery yesterday!!
247sports.com
'We take it seriously': Meet the cheerleaders who helped Illini further secure Braggin' Rights
Meet the Illini cheerleaders who helped the Illini win the Lib Contest for the second straight time at Braggin' Rights
247sports.com
Suuuuure…. Classic attempt to throw us off your scent.
Someone here mentioned about Trent's jersey being retired. Intriguing to me and it is one to think about. He will end up being in the top 5 in scoring overall but his numbers will be skewed. Is he one of the greats? Possibly. He has intangibles that might get him there. He willed us to a near upset of Gonzaga. He has the heart of a champion. He stayed with us, never wavered and came back for a 5th year. I would consider raising his jersey along with Kofi's in a couple of years.
Great quote from Bardo from Illini Inquirer interview :
They’ve got the best combination of shooting and post presence. There’s no other team that can match up with them in that category,” Bardo said of Illinois. “The way that Kofi is playing … he made a play where he caught the ball, they had a double-team and he did a pass fake and the guy ran to the corner and he was able to score. That’s the maturation of Kofi. If he can do that consistently, they can be tough to beat.”
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Actually, they're not, and I'm well-versed in the topic. But you'll never see the data b/c no head basketball coach will ever permit this kind of strength training. So we get balancing on bosu balls while holding dumbbells and such. No S&C coach anywhere, college or pros these days, will be fired for that kind of nonsense
Any 18-22 year-old D1 athlete who can't post those numbers isn't trying hard. Guys my age, who are decidedly not gifted in neuromuscular efficiency or explosiveness, can get to within 100# of them on the squat and deadlift, and within 30 on the press, with persistence over 2-3 years. I started at 49 and did. These athletes can blow through those thresholds easily in less than a year if trained properly.
Of course, there's a trade-off between weight gain and maintaining quickness depending on your sport. However, the ceiling on strength gain, and that inflection point for basketball players, is much, much higher than acknowledged. However, bucking that CW if you're an S&C coach gets you fired quickly.
Getting closer to BIG play, thought I'd take a conference look at Kenpom. Bigger spread this year than most. Purdue's going to be tough.
Rk | Team | AdjEM | W-L |
3 | Purdue | +28 | 11-1 |
14 | Illinois | +23 | 9-3 |
15 | Ohio St. | +22 | 8-2 |
16 | Michigan | +21 | 7-4 |
17 | Michigan St. | +21 | 10-2 |
23 | Iowa | +19 | 9-3 |
28 | Indiana | +18 | 10-2 |
33 | Wisconsin | +16 | 9-2 |
39 | Northwestern | +16 | 8-2 |
49 | Maryland | +13 | 6-4 |
70 | Minnesota | +11 | 10-1 |
88 | Penn St. | +9 | 5-5 |
98 | Rutgers | +8 | 5-5 |
136 | Nebraska | +3 | 6-7 |
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
It’s a 5-horse race for the crown. Don’t see anyone outside of the top 5 competing for the B1G championship.
Just see Purdue as a tough matchup with Edey, Williams and Ivey. With Kofi out we are going to get killed at center. Foul problems with Kofi would be disastrous. DMW vs Ivey should be a great matchup. Ivey just reminds me of Ayo and that is not a great thing. 40% three point shooting is also not great for us.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I have to admit I agree with the Ivy - Ayo comparisons , with a tweak......Ayo was a more under control college player.....Ivy tends to get a Tazmanian devil fever going and gets out of control sometimes .....he also takes bad shots at times that I figure drive painter crazy.....But he is a talent and the physical likeness to Ayo is striking ....It seems his 3pt shot is also like Ayo's , kind of a set shot using both hands the same ......
As far as Edey and T. Williams in the paint , since they don't play at the same time , I hope Kofi can limit their touches ....I'm sure Painter is thinking 10 fouls to give the hack attack on Kofi....Our 3 pt shooters are superior to their" even with Stefanovich (sip)...........I'm too lazy to look up where the game is played .....
Both Mackey and SFC are definite tough to play in as the visiting team....................
Hope I made some sense with this post........I had another late night Peppermint Schnapps and NL's encounter.......wow..........
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
Why does any thread in the chat need moderated? Just wondering.
I'm part of many boards. This is by far the most moderated board I've been a part of. It has its advantages, of course. But the Chat forum seems like a good one to just let be and see what happens.
Just some thoughts. Hopefully that's allowed.
Seems like Kenpom isn't buying the early season hype around Minnesota. Let's beat the brakes off them
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
Amazingly, this is never a problem.
I appreciate the structure. Sometimes things get unnecessarily personal.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Ho, ho, ho, my Paducah brother. Santa filled your stocking early!
My observation about the KenPom dispersion of BT teams as of 12/24: don't really care that the Gophers are #70 and Rutgers is #98. Neither of them (nor PSU, whom we avoid this year in State College) will be easy road wins, IMO. Never are. (Obvi, as Purdue learned to its dismay.)
And on a personal note, thanks to Dan for hosting us, and to all of my fellow Loyalty posters, for yet another year of great enjoyment and Illini bonding. Happy Holidays to all. Celebrate em' if you got em'!
ILL- !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Almost never.
illini55
- The Villages, FL
Looks to me like you had a Eureka moment.
Statistically (ESPN) both teams are very close.
Wonder how Rutgers(!) negated/controlled Edey.
BTW, Plummer is around 40% on 3s
I think IL is arguably the best team on the road - and will get better as time goes by.
And, IF and WHEN AC comes back, the stats will change - hopefully for the better for us
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