This is more reflective of the B1G conference but also applies specifically to Illinois:
-B1G has some star power but style of play doesn't bode well for NCAA tournament success.
-Why do we regularly see scores of less than 30 in the first half?
-Watching NCAA games - it was evident for the most part B1G teams don't take the ball down the lane and finish.
-Mid range jumpers are very effective (high percentage shots)
-Athletes - Seems like other teams have faster, stronger, better jumping athletes who are also good basketball players.
Big Ten teams are geared to playing ‘Big Ten’ basketball. Spirited, tough, defensive-minded. Other teams are built to play Big Dance ball. Flashier and more flowing. Generally more athletic.
Yes, Big Ten teams have had success in the past in the tournament. But not really enough (lately) given how highly some B1G programs think of themselves.
The big name-plate programs still remain Gonzaga, Duke, Baylor, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona... based upon their body of work the past ten years or so.
Generally, they attract the high-star guys due to their program’s prominent status and wide media exposure. UCLA has made strides to get back up into that group again. Some SEC teams are getting close to the upper reaches now that the word is out it’s not just a football conference any more. Some Texas schools besides Baylor are getting good.
Other programs like Marquette and De Paul and Louisville who used to live high in the rankings have slipped from that perch and haven’t been able to get back up there. Georgetown, too.
Illinois right now is stuck one notch below the high Blue Bloods. The Orange has elevated up from the middle pack and into the upper solid program level. But the past two years has proven that one more big step up must be taken.
The big name coaches and big name programs will remain where they are until someone else can break through and join the party. Illini Nation knows who we want to see break through the glass ceiling and join the most high perches.
Coaches can get caught up in the day-to-day concerns of running the team and providing for the well-being of these young men. The off season gives the coaching staff a chance to take a step back and evaluate where the program is and what it needs to do to build from the foundation they have laid down.
Yes, Illini Nation. We are hungry. But we can’t let our eagerness for success just add to the pressure that the Illini roundball program already feels. They feel the pressure and our hopes and they want badly to give us what we all want.
Just play ball, guys. Put the best team on the floor every night and guys that will give it their all and we can live with the results. Continue to make the program a place where top guys want to come and where they know they will succeed. That’s what they want. And that’s what we want.
For me, the bar this year was set at Sweet Sixteen at least. It remains there for next season even with all the Illini roster changes. And maybe Elite Eight. That would be a solid step to the Promised Land.