NW has 4 wins against ranked teams now. If I remember, a number of posters on here were writing their death certificate about 10 days back due to their difficult schedule. I am not a fan of NW, but you have to give them credit. Unless they have a total collapse, they are going to the Big Dance. Got to tip your cap to them.
2/13 Weekday Games
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Our coach is too stubborn and Gentry is not there to help us change. Hopefully our coach wakes up and our team comes together.
Nope
Wins against PU IU @MSU @OSU @IU win against us
Yeah they had a weak non conference but their PU and 2 IU wins are just as good as our UT and UCLA wins. They win at Iowa they will be on the 4 line
Let's see how they finish up the season before doing victory laps for NW.
I mean they deserve a victory lap. Whatever happens rest of year they have locked up a tourney bid.
Did everyone forget all the adjustments Underwood has made over the last several years to make this team better? He's a great coach, maybe even elite. lol. Doubt there's much chance he's on the hotseat anytime soon and even less chance any of us will be in the running to replace him. Might want to support him, he's done a lot to turn the Illini program back around.
They don't deserve a victory lap for just making the tournament and playing a weak non conference schedule. They've had a nice season but I'm not giving them much more than that right now.
People have been saying this for weeks. It’s okay to admit that our team underperformed and theirs overperformed. If Underwood gets us to the Sweet 16, no one will care either way.
We'll see who finishes where at the end of the season. There's still plenty of games left. And if you were so in on NW I didn't see you refute any of those people that said NW was done. Gotta love the 'I told you so' after the fact.
I guess I don’t get the posturing when we haven’t beaten anyone of substance since Texas. I would have said Rutgers, but they just lost at home to Nebraska.We'll see who finishes where at the end of the season. There's still plenty of games left. And if you were so in on NW I didn't see you refute any of those people that said NW was done. Gotta love the 'I told you so' after the fact.
Cmon man, they have made the tournament once in their freakin history and this will be the second. Give them some credit and move on.
And this team is legitimately good, this is not some fluke.
Man I don't care about NW. I care about one team and one team only. Good for them they are going to the tournament, so are we. There are still 5 more games left in the regular season. Like I said let's play the rest of the season out before puffing out your chest about them.
Mistakenj doesn’t have to refute anyone to say Northwestern is playing really good, consistent basketball right now. They have veteran players that are playing together. They missed a pile of 3’s tonight and still found a way to knock off #14. We are anything but consistent. As much as it pains me to say they are really fun to watch. And yes, we have more talent but that doesn’t always equate to more W’sWe'll see who finishes where at the end of the season. There's still plenty of games left. And if you were so in on NW I didn't see you refute any of those people that said NW was done. Gotta love the 'I told you so' after the fact.
I didn't say they weren't playing good I said hold off on going over board when there are still 5 games left in the regular season. You act like they just made it to the Final Four. You guys need to become NW fans. The short time I've been on this forum some of you root for the hot team or other teams more than on our team. First it was Purdue, then Rutgers, now it's NW. Who will it be next?
We can root for this team and still appreciate when other teams around the league are playing well, especially ones that perennially stink.
Cool story
They are making the tournament this year. I am not an alumn of NW and I am not doing victory laps. I have my under graduate and MBA from Illinois. However, I have to tip my cap to how they have played this year. Wish we were in 2nd place.
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And, contrary to the wishes of ever poster here, if the Illini play true to form, they may not get there. But we have seen some good things lately in losses that can raise their ceiling. Better at the line, better at ball security, excellent defense at times. But no one can truly be confident in them showing consistency in anything. Staying motivated to get better every day and be accountable to their teammates is a big first step. The problem is, as NW proved tonight, there are a number of good teams that have SS talent and it takes consistently strong and smart play to beat any of them on any night. That makes this one of the most interesting and compelling B1G seasons in a long time. Every game, as has been proven in fact, has a probability for either team to win that is elusive....as has been proven. Maybe not so many singing the praises of the B1G as in some past years, but the quality of play has been excellent....and yes, Northwestern has been a leader in that regard.
Illini in Italy
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For those stating that the B1G is having a down year, I'd suggest that looking around the B1G and the rest of CBB, we're reached a level of parity not seen in maybe forever, possibly due to NIL and the portal. Of the "traditional" blue bloods, only Kansas and UCLA (although I don't think their performance the last 40 years would consider them a blue blood anymore) are ranked in the top 10. I don't know that we've ever seen in-conference results like this year's - FFS, NW is in 2nd place in the B1G with 5/6 games to go! What's next? Human sacrifice? Dogs and cats living together? Mass hysteria?
Duke or NW? Let’s see which has better team without 5 stars.
Sorry they rejected your grad school application.
illini80
- Forgottonia
Substitute mediocrity for parity and I probably agree with you. Mass roster churn is creating an atmosphere where it’s less conducive for players to change their game and accept a role they didn’t envision for themselves. Playing time is the number one thing a coach could use for motivation. We’ve seen twice now, in different situations I know, what the result of that can be. I do think things will improve as coaches and players adapt, but at the moment the result is very inconsistent play across a wide swath of college basketball. JMHO
just venting ... refs alter games. Pickett should have been called for offensive fouls on firs 4-6 possessions for pushing off etc. Turned off after first half but NW was clobbering TJD or anyone else that got inside as well as when getting off/def rebounds - if refs call those from the start, its a different game. In general, some contact ok, let them play, but many games are not "basketball" to me and not enjoyable as it usually creates unfair advantages for one team, even if refs are "consistent" with their calls - but usually one team doesn't or is not allowed to employ the push off/clobber strategy. We just describe it as one team was more aggressive or physical. Anyone get can get open if they push their defender away and anyone can play defense when they hack. It might be one reason BTN does poorly in tourny as they can't adapt although I think over the last 5 years, refs allow both off and def to get away with way too many fouls in the tourny. That said, in first half double team as soon as TJD got ball was extremely effective and their often open jump shooters couldnt hit anything - I would utilize that strategy Sat
pruman91
- interviewing new NL's daily....I really really am
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