Illini Basketball 2022-2023

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#27      

Mobi

M
Mobi
skyIdub said:
A. This is a ridiculous statement considering look back drafts have Ayo Top 10.

B. Skyy is very talented.

3. You know I wasn't referring to Ayo...right?
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Skyy is more skilled but Ayo has the height and defense prowess. If we are talking about NBA, those two things are very important. I do believe Skyy can be a more dangerous scorer at the college level though.
 
#28      

Godard

Godard
Godard
Finally cracked top 25 in ESPN poll:


If I'm tracking this properly, we were unranked previously and some mid-major teams (like the mighty Billikens of St. Louis) had spot we now have.

But how much meaning is there in polls like this, anyway? Seems like it's always a handful of blueboods vs. team that is firing on all cylinders that represent the pool of possible NCAA title winners. We'd have to he in the latter group to run the table at the tournament...and rankings not based on actual performance are irrelevant for determining whether we will be playing well enough several months from now.

I always like to remind myself that Butler was one desperation half-court heave going in (it was close) in 2010 from upsetting Duke and ruining John Scheyers dream of winning it all. So, there's that...
 
#29      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
Mobi said:
Skyy is more skilled but Ayo has the height and defense prowess. If we are talking about NBA, those two things are very important. I do believe Skyy can be a more dangerous scorer at the college level though.
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I mean, if Skyy can be a more dangerous scorer at the college level than a first-team All-American, Cousy Award winner that increased his scoring average from 13.8 as a frosh. to 16.6 as a soph. and 20.1 as a junior, that would be...
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We'll see. He looks great and the potential is through the roof. It's incredibly exciting.
 
#30      

CentralILLini

C
CentralILLini
Godard said:
Finally cracked top 25 in ESPN poll:


If I'm tracking this properly, we were unranked previously and some mid-major teams (like the mighty Billikens of St. Louis) had spot we now have.

But how much meaning is there in polls like this, anyway? Seems like it's always a handful of blueboods vs. team that is firing on all cylinders that represent the pool of possible NCAA title winners. We'd have to he in the latter group to run the table at the tournament...and rankings not based on actual performance are irrelevant for determining whether we will be playing well enough several months from now.

I always like to remind myself that Butler was one desperation half-court heave going in (it was close) in 2010 from upsetting Duke and ruining John Scheyers dream of winning it all. So, there's that...
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A ton of very solid teams....and a couple (2) loaded teams.
 
#31      

Mobi

M
Mobi
The Galloping Ghost said:
I mean, if Skyy can be a more dangerous scorer at the college level than a first-team All-American, Cousy Award winner that increased his scoring average from 13.8 as a frosh. to 16.6 as a soph. and 20.1 as a junior, that would be...
View attachment 19095
We'll see. He looks great and the potential is through the roof. It's incredibly exciting.
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I do not think Skyy will have higher PPG than Ayo at the same stage due to the fact we have way more weapons on our team now. I am simply pointing out Skyy can score in a variety of ways more than Ayo did.
 
#33      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
Mobi said:
I do not think Skyy will have higher PPG than Ayo at the same stage due to the fact we have way more weapons on our team now. I am simply pointing out Skyy can score in a variety of ways more than Ayo did.
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I hope that's true. Ayo's ability to get a tough two when needed made our offense significantly more multifaceted. We didn't have anyone on our roster that could do that last year and it hurt us. Not to mention, he was incredible in transition. And he was incredibly clutch from deep. Honestly, even if Skyy isn't quite the player Ayo was, he's going to be a heck of a player. If he's as good or better, it's going to be a wild ride.
 
#36      

21ChampaignSt

21ChampaignSt
21ChampaignSt
Godard said:
Finally cracked top 25 in ESPN poll:


If I'm tracking this properly, we were unranked previously and some mid-major teams (like the mighty Billikens of St. Louis) had spot we now have.

But how much meaning is there in polls like this, anyway? Seems like it's always a handful of blueboods vs. team that is firing on all cylinders that represent the pool of possible NCAA title winners. We'd have to he in the latter group to run the table at the tournament...and rankings not based on actual performance are irrelevant for determining whether we will be playing well enough several months from now.
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This question comes up a lot. The truth is, the AP poll is actually pretty good at identifying the best teams.

The past 5 champions were all ranked in the top 6 preseason.

Over the past 5 seasons, 9 of 20 Final Four teams were ranked inside the top 10 preseason and only 4 of 20 were ranked outside the top 20.

Now when it comes to that second tier of teams, the AP poll becomes a crap shoot. Last year, for example, 10 of the teams that were ranked 11-25 in the preseason poll were unranked in the final poll.

So, to answer your question, IMO they do have some meaningful predictive value in addition to the positive publicity that comes with being ranked.
 
#37      

skyIdub

skyIdub
Winged Warrior
skyIdub
Welp....I certainly wasn't trying to open a Ayo v. Skyy debate....but Loyalty gonna Loyalty. The idea that Ayo has "half the talent" of Skyy is just absurdly ridiculous.

My initial post about Skyy and having a Lottery PG was not even about Ayo.

There is no cure for message board Tourette's.
 
#40      

Epsilon

Epsilon
M tipping over
Pdx
Epsilon
skyIdub said:
Welp....I certainly wasn't trying to open a Ayo v. Skyy debate....but Loyalty gonna Loyalty. The idea that Ayo has "half the talent" of Skyy is just absurdly ridiculous.

My initial post about Skyy and having a Lottery PG was not even about Ayo.

There is no cure for message board Tourette's.
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This somehow reminded me of the Animaniacs and Froynlaven.

 
#41      

Mobi

M
Mobi
The Galloping Ghost said:
I hope that's true. Ayo's ability to get a tough two when needed made our offense significantly more multifaceted. We didn't have anyone on our roster that could do that last year and it hurt us. Not to mention, he was incredible in transition. And he was incredibly clutch from deep. Honestly, even if Skyy isn't quite the player Ayo was, he's going to be a heck of a player. If he's as good or better, it's going to be a wild ride.
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It is definitely hard to be clutcher than Ayo. That is NOT what I expect from Skyy.
 
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