Pregame: Illinois at Rutgers, Wednesday, February 16th, 6:00pm CT, BTN

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#226      
altgeld88
bootsy1974 said:
We have too many scared fans.


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We will win are winning.
 
#227      
Brosky
You just never know what player might light it up in a game like this. Often, it's somebody you wouldn't expect who brings it off the bench.
 
#228      
HensonHall71
I know this sounds odd - but I almost don't care if we win tonight

I care about us playing well, seeing Curbelo at 100% and starting to solidify what the rotation is going to look like going forward, RJ's role etc. I still don't feel like we've seen the team running on all cylinders and that is much more important to me than a win

Rutgers has been really hot and may shoot lights out and win, but if we're playing well and clicking with all of our pieces in place (including the second half) and happen to lose a close game, I'll still be feeling good about our chances down the stretch
 
#229      
Bigtex
PIT_ILL said:
I know I am probably in the minority but I actually think Weber was a good coach. Couldn't recruit worth a lick and basically just chased stars after some of the misses instead of players that fit the scheme.

I think where Brad is different is that he better understands his own weaknesses and has assistants that not only fill that gap but are aligned with him in terms of who they are targeting. You can tell by the recruits coming in that Underwood has a "type". I don't think you will see one of his assistants pushing for a recruit that doesn't fit the system. Under Weber that definitely happened more than once. Knowing his weaknesses and having alignment throughout the staff on direction of the program is what makes Underwood a very good coach.
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I think many thought he was a good coach, me included - that is why he was a good assistant for sooooo long. Leading a program is so much more than coaching games.
 
#230      
jrichisamazing
I have a feeling this will be a Belo game. The first half will be an ugly struggle and nothing is going our way. One of those halves where it feels like we should be down 20, but we are actually only down 6.

Then in the 2nd half Belo just completely takes over the game. They can't stop him so they try to go zone, and that is when we start raining 3's. The air is taken out of the building and the last 4 min are relatively stress free.

UI - 70
RU - 60
 
#231      
Ga65
Bigtex said:
I think many thought he was a good coach, me included - that is why he was a good assistant for sooooo long. Leading a program is so much more than coaching games.
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BW was a good coach, Brad is a good manager who can coach. The difference was signaled as they were hired and whom they brought in as assistants. A good manager covers his weakness rather than hiring clones who are yes men.
 
#232      
Scanggg
WWWWRocU said:
This is where the emergence of RJ comes in. RJ gives us that 6'6"-7" height. I believe that is why BU brought in RJ to guard Ivey at Purdue. RJ has the height. And quickness, by the way.
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That sounds like the ideal matchup defensive matchup on Mulcahy. What kind of game does RJ have on offense?
 
#233      
Rocky
Yesterday after reading Illini Enquirer's transcript of BU's IL-NW postgame comments, I was struck by a few things:
1) He ofc talks a lot about "impacting the game" to his players, to the point where they in turn parrot that phrase a lot. He made a comment about Plummer still thinking that only means scoring.
2) He went quite far in saying in so many words that the refs were terrible.
3) He said Curbelo turned an ankle a day or two (didn't specify which day) before the NW game in practice.
 
#234      
InDaAZ
HensonHall71 said:
I know this sounds odd - but I almost don't care if we win tonight

I care about us playing well, seeing Curbelo at 100% and starting to solidify what the rotation is going to look like going forward, RJ's role etc. I still don't feel like we've seen the team running on all cylinders and that is much more important to me than a win

Rutgers has been really hot and may shoot lights out and win, but if we're playing well and clicking with all of our pieces in place (including the second half) and happen to lose a close game, I'll still be feeling good about our chances down the stretch
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Sounds like you’re pain mitigation mode. C’mon, bruh! Just say it…
They will have no answer for Kofi, no answer for our speed, no answer for our depth.
Go away, Piscataway - a RAC-attack is coming, and it won’t be pretty!
30B7C454-4C00-40EE-B371-610064ACA5FE.jpeg
 
#235      
EyeoftheIllini
LouHenson said:
Hawkins is very good interview and very humble. Know one would like to be relegated to a lesser role, but he handled those questions like a pro. I for one hope he stays focused as I think he will have a big effect for this team and in years to come.

In my mind it should start on the defense end for him. He is so athletic and we really don’t have a defender like him. If he can do that he will find himself on the court a great deal more.

I am rooting for the kid as he really is a “stand up” person and in todays world there are less and less of those.
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Exactly. This is why it bothers me when people come on here and state “CoHawk will transfer after this year.” I’m guessing 99.8% of those posting that have never spoken to Coleman. Their opinion is based solely on mpg, maybe some body language they perceive as poor, and some cryptic social media posts by family. As we saw last year with Miller, mpg is not always an accurate indicator of intentions to stay or leave.

I was never part of the CoHawk hype train. I need to see things on the court before I start declaring someone a first-round talent. He has holes in his game, and thus far this year the bad might out weigh the good. But no doubt he has talent and seems like a good young man and teammate. If he chooses to transfer than I’ll say thanks for his effort and contributions and wish him the best. But I have no idea if that will happen nor do I think anyone on this board does with any kind of certainty. Let the season play out. Is it really that important to people to be able to say, “I called it back in February” should he decide to move on?
 
#236      
Pennsy
HensonHall71 said:
Rutgers has been really hot and may shoot lights out and win, but if we're playing well and clicking with all of our pieces in place (including the second half) and happen to lose a close game, I'll still be feeling good about our chances down the stretch
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There is no such thing as a good loss.
 
#237      
SouthFarmLlama
Really excited for the game tonight. It's going to be a war. Going to be interesting how we come out the gate again and what the line up is. Rutgers is fighting for respect and to dance. They NEED this. If we lose tonight, I would not be surprised. Hoping for the best. Go Illini!
 
#238      
Stevegarbs
TMC999 said:
I would never cheer for an injured opponent. But I would pass the hat for some NLI income if Damonte snapped his little stupid red headband right before tipoff.
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If you could punch one, and only one, B1G player in the nose would it be Mulcahy or Davison?
 
#241      
ILLINI IN NE
pruman91 said:
Brooks Wells is a new one for me
Paul Szelc is OK , I guess
Bill Ek is a borderline Bo clone


JMHO
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Brooks Wells has done a B10 game for us this season but I don't recall which one.

He is from Grand Island Ne also. I played hoops with his dad. He started out doing high school and then some NAIA and div 2 games and it's nice to see him make the big time. In my opinion he is an excellent official, hopefully he doesn't do anything to tarnish that tonight.
 
#242      
the national
jrichisamazing said:
I have a feeling this will be a Belo game. The first half will be an ugly struggle and nothing is going our way. One of those halves where it feels like we should be down 20, but we are actually only down 6.

Then in the 2nd half Belo just completely takes over the game. They can't stop him so they try to go zone, and that is when we start raining 3's. The air is taken out of the building and the last 4 min are relatively stress free.

UI - 70
RU - 60
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I like this plot. I do see them starting with a ton of confidence and then grinding down as the game wears on.
 
#243      
Rocky
EyeoftheIllini said:
Exactly. This is why it bothers me when people come on here and state “CoHawk will transfer after this year.” I’m guessing 99.8% of those posting that have never spoken to Coleman. Their opinion is based solely on mpg, maybe some body language they perceive as poor, and some cryptic social media posts by family. As we saw last year with Miller, mpg is not always an accurate indicator of intentions to stay or leave.

I was never part of the CoHawk hype train. I need to see things on the court before I start declaring someone a first-round talent. He has holes in his game, and thus far this year the bad might out weigh the good. But no doubt he has talent and seems like a good young man and teammate. If he chooses to transfer than I’ll say thanks for his effort and contributions and wish him the best. But I have no idea if that will happen nor do I think anyone on this board does with any kind of certainty. Let the season play out. Is it really that important to people to be able to say, “I called it back in February” should he decide to move on?
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I went on an IU site before our away game against them. It is against the rules of their forum to make portal speculation comments, which I found interesting. They had a rather active Moderator.
 
#248      
EyeoftheIllini
Rocky said:
I went on an IU site before our away game against them. It is against the rules of their forum to make portal speculation comments, which I found interesting. They had a rather active Moderator.
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I believe Dan recently requested the same for here, but I don’t think he is actively removing posts.
 
#249      
Fighter of the Nightman
This game scares me, not gonna lie. RU is playing very well. I am honestly not THAT concerned about what is sure to be an insane crowd, as these guys really have been great Road Warriors for three seasons now. However, with RU being hot AND the crowd, there is always potential for either digging too deep of a hole early while they get off to an explosive start or the crowd carrying them through in the final minutes. I think if we avoid an early slump or generally allowing them to go on the types of runs that can help you pull away with the home crowd behind you ... we got this. Here is my final prediction!

First Half: #12 Illinois 38, Rutgers 37
FINAL: #12 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI 71, Rutgers 64

DAYMAN!

P.S. Credit to our opponent ... I love Jersey Mike's subs, great food for a great price.
 
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