Maybe I am underestimating Morehead, but we should absolutely crush this team. You can look at their stats and be concerned, but when you look at who they were putting stats up against, it's a different story. It's not like they have been playing Power 5 teams and winning. I think the Illini D will look much better against them, even if we aren't playing lights out. A loss here would be the worst in memory, and I don't see that happening. Ilini by at least 20.
Pregame: Illinois vs Morehead State, Thursday, March 21st, 2:10pm CT, truTV
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Anyone who has YTTV and happened to set the record feature for all NCAA men’s games should be able to go back and watch recent games by Morehead State, BYU, etc.
Just curious but if this was the beginning of the season and we're playing MHS in the early non-con would people be saying this was a cupcake?
IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
We played tournament teams Colgate and Oakland early in the year. Everyone was freaking out when we struggled against Oakland because it was a cupcake game.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
We said that about fellow 14 seed Oakland. And we struggled in that game.
An interesting note on Morehead, they lost every game they played in this year that was decided by five points or less. They only played in six games all year that were decided by seven points or less.
The closest margin of victory in a game they won was by six points against Tennessee-Martin in the conference tourney semifinals, but the game never got closer than six points in the final seven minutes of the game.
Also in their one point loss to Indiana, Morehead had a 15 point lead at 64-49 with 9 minutes to play. Then they went on a SEVEN minute scoring drought and didn't score until there was 2:13 to go in the game. They scored FOUR points total in the final 9 minutes of the game and lost 69-68.
So if God forbid it does come down to a close game down the stretch, Morehead has not performed well in those scenarios.
The closest margin of victory in a game they won was by six points against Tennessee-Martin in the conference tourney semifinals, but the game never got closer than six points in the final seven minutes of the game.
Also in their one point loss to Indiana, Morehead had a 15 point lead at 64-49 with 9 minutes to play. Then they went on a SEVEN minute scoring drought and didn't score until there was 2:13 to go in the game. They scored FOUR points total in the final 9 minutes of the game and lost 69-68.
So if God forbid it does come down to a close game down the stretch, Morehead has not performed well in those scenarios.
Feel like the Illini must be the aggressors and come ready to set the tone early. Playing from behind is not the move, despite our recent success with it. The NCAA Tournament is a different beast, in that regard, I feel.
Morehead State just has the look of a team that could give us problems. We must be ready to shift into that higher defensive gear that has been seen in spurts lately, and we must play to our strengths offensively. I want to see merciless attacking of the paint and we MUST dominate on rebounding. I look for Dainja and Rodgers to be key factors.
Morehead State just has the look of a team that could give us problems. We must be ready to shift into that higher defensive gear that has been seen in spurts lately, and we must play to our strengths offensively. I want to see merciless attacking of the paint and we MUST dominate on rebounding. I look for Dainja and Rodgers to be key factors.
I was wondering this as well. I fly back from Vegas 2pm Pacific.... I was hoping for Friday Sunday draw because of this. Let's get the win Thursday and I'm willing to move my flight to Sunday if needed. We all make sacrifices, lol
cuillini
- San Bernardino, Ca.
This will be my third "retirement" tournament. The best part is not having to rush home on Sunday.
Watching some of the Morehead/LR game. In a single elim tourney anything can happen, and it is a little scary knowing we are going to play a lower possession game where they shoot a lot of 3’s. Anything can happen.
That said, it doesn’t look like they run their shooters through multiple screens, which how our bigger guys often get hung up. I think we can stay with their shooters.
Minix is a terrific player who has good size and plays his own version of booty ball, can drive and can also hit a lot of tough shots. A fair bit of Domask to his game.
I think we will have a few guys take turns guarding him. But looking at this matchup I think this might be a good game to play Dain/Coleman together and put Coleman on Minix. Their bigs don’t score much and don’t stretch the floor so Dain should be able to sit in drop protect the rim and rebound.
I love Quincy but he hasn’t always had the bite to fight guys on the block and doesn’t have the lateral quickness to stay in front of Minix on drives. I doubt Minix has played against someone with Coleman’s length and athleticism. And Coleman just got done shutting Storr’s water off. I don’t think Minix quite got the size to booty ball Coleman.
I don’t see that they have anyone that can guard TJ, Domask, Coleman or even Dain really. If take care of the ball and run our stuff on offense and just stick with their shooters I think we should be okay.
That said, it doesn’t look like they run their shooters through multiple screens, which how our bigger guys often get hung up. I think we can stay with their shooters.
Minix is a terrific player who has good size and plays his own version of booty ball, can drive and can also hit a lot of tough shots. A fair bit of Domask to his game.
I think we will have a few guys take turns guarding him. But looking at this matchup I think this might be a good game to play Dain/Coleman together and put Coleman on Minix. Their bigs don’t score much and don’t stretch the floor so Dain should be able to sit in drop protect the rim and rebound.
I love Quincy but he hasn’t always had the bite to fight guys on the block and doesn’t have the lateral quickness to stay in front of Minix on drives. I doubt Minix has played against someone with Coleman’s length and athleticism. And Coleman just got done shutting Storr’s water off. I don’t think Minix quite got the size to booty ball Coleman.
I don’t see that they have anyone that can guard TJ, Domask, Coleman or even Dain really. If take care of the ball and run our stuff on offense and just stick with their shooters I think we should be okay.
Oakland has a heck of a player in trey Townsend. Wouldn't mind seeing him in orange and blue
16 seeded Fairleigh Dickinson beat 1 seeded Purdue last year.
There have been three straight years of a 15 over 2 upset (3-9 in last three seasons). There hasn't been much in the way of 14 over 3 recently, but that's just variance.
You are 100% correct that Illinois "should" crush Morehead, but recent tournament history shows the gap amongst teams in college basketball has never been closer. Super Seniors, transfer portals... they aren't going to come in and be happy to be there, they're going to give it their all and Illinois will need to be better.
I watched they Horizon League final against Milwaukee because I know one of the kids on Oakland (Chris Conway) and Townsend was fantastic. He has a lot of Domask in his game. Just kept backing his man down and seemed to score or get fouled every time they had the ball in the second half.
I think some of these big conference teams can get a little bit overconfident with OOC cupcake schedules when it comes NCAA Tournament time.
(1) those OOC games are always played at home (this is the biggest factor by far), in front of raucous home crowds, neutral courts are trickier and if the favorite falls behind, the neutrals in the crowd will start pulling for the underdog.
(2) the players are all eager to compete against each other for minutes/touches and show what they can do.
(3) the other team knows it's a "buy" game, they may get up for about 5 minutes but if they fall behind it's "oh well" because they're in a 1-bid league, it doesn't effect their season in a meaningful way.
(4) it's easy in your brain to conflate "school I've never heard of in some no-name conference" all with each other, but there is a large variance and the ones left are among the best teams in schools that represent about half the conferences in the country. Morehead is probably a top 5 team from the 17th-32nd best conferences in the country combined.
ginabackes00
CrazedUIFan
I can see Shannon and Domask attacking the drop coverage instead of shooting a mid-range jumper. I don't think they will be able to contain either Ty, Domask, or Shannon and their strength.
Hopefully we don't get "charge happy" refs. Shannon eating those blocks barreling towards the basket is like a cheat code, and I always worry non-Big Ten refs will view some of those plays differently.
Three cheers for all the retirees.
Watching some of these mid major conference tournament finals, I am less scared of Morehead St than say McNeese St or James Madison. I think if we got either of those draws, that would've been rough. Minix is a great player but I don't think they have enough beyond him to pull an upset on us. I feel comfortable with Illinois in this game as long as we don't get into a halfcourt slugfest with them. Minix kind of reminds me of Baylor Scheierman. Same size and similar skillset. Dangerous player but I just don't think they have enough firepower beyond him
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It’s a Midwestern thing.
'Back of the Envelope' Version:
New Yorkers and Easterners are born into an air of superiority and the belief that everything west of Syracuse is an untamed wilderness with people still wearing cave people skins.
Californians and West Coasters are born into an air of thinking that they are always ahead of the pack and cutting-edge and that everything east of Palm Desert is an untamed wilderness with people still wearing cave people skins.
And New York City, Washington, and Los Angeles/Hollywood completely dominate National media and so what the Two Coasts think goes out 24/7 to all the World.
We Midwesterners live in the heart of Fly-Over Country. The always forgotten folk. And while we in the Prairie State region are the true heart and spirit of roundball and still claim many legacy solid breadbasket farming communities... we can get a complex from time to time after a while... 'Inferiority'.
And what does Chicago call itself? The Second City! Who aspires to be Number Two in anything? Does anyone care who lost the World Series in 1958? Who lost the NCAA championship in 1969? Does anyone ever chant, ‘We’re Number 2! We’re Number 2!’
Midwesterners have had the reputation of being solid and predictable citizens. Not prone to having ‘attitude’ or being too laid-back.
How to get people to sit up and take notice? How about the Illini grabbing hold of the 2024 Dance by the throat and never letting it go? Make the Nation and the World learn about Illini basketball and the great Midwestern legacy that the U of I and its home State have enjoyed in building America from its days as an untamed wilderness. The great Illini Fly-Over Zone players from Chicago and Wisconsin and Indiana and Michigan and Minnesota..
But if you’re going to the tournament games... don’t wear cave person clothing of any kind, please! No sense in affirming the stereotype.
The Illini need to do well not just for themselves and Illini Nation... but to let the World take notice of where the true heart and soul of this Game lives. And banish any sense of Inferiority, forever.
'Back of the Envelope' Version:
New Yorkers and Easterners are born into an air of superiority and the belief that everything west of Syracuse is an untamed wilderness with people still wearing cave people skins.
Californians and West Coasters are born into an air of thinking that they are always ahead of the pack and cutting-edge and that everything east of Palm Desert is an untamed wilderness with people still wearing cave people skins.
And New York City, Washington, and Los Angeles/Hollywood completely dominate National media and so what the Two Coasts think goes out 24/7 to all the World.
We Midwesterners live in the heart of Fly-Over Country. The always forgotten folk. And while we in the Prairie State region are the true heart and spirit of roundball and still claim many legacy solid breadbasket farming communities... we can get a complex from time to time after a while... 'Inferiority'.
And what does Chicago call itself? The Second City! Who aspires to be Number Two in anything? Does anyone care who lost the World Series in 1958? Who lost the NCAA championship in 1969? Does anyone ever chant, ‘We’re Number 2! We’re Number 2!’
Midwesterners have had the reputation of being solid and predictable citizens. Not prone to having ‘attitude’ or being too laid-back.
How to get people to sit up and take notice? How about the Illini grabbing hold of the 2024 Dance by the throat and never letting it go? Make the Nation and the World learn about Illini basketball and the great Midwestern legacy that the U of I and its home State have enjoyed in building America from its days as an untamed wilderness. The great Illini Fly-Over Zone players from Chicago and Wisconsin and Indiana and Michigan and Minnesota..
But if you’re going to the tournament games... don’t wear cave person clothing of any kind, please! No sense in affirming the stereotype.
The Illini need to do well not just for themselves and Illini Nation... but to let the World take notice of where the true heart and soul of this Game lives. And banish any sense of Inferiority, forever.
The one thing I wish the media would do when talking about the allegations against TSJ is to say they arose out of "an alleged brief interaction between TSJ and the victim in a college bar in Lawrence, Kansas." I think our DIA etc would use that language as well to put the matter in perspective. The pattern of saying he was accused of forceable rape creates a perception of a much more serious violent crime. I would also have the PR people remind reporters that TSJ has not been formally indicted (I believe that is the correct word) because there has been no grand jury and no preliminary hearing yet. I believe that he was arrested for but not yet charged with the crime. While it is probably best not to give it any comment, maybe Josh should step in and give a short statement if this comes up repeatedly in media interviews of players or BU. Hopefully, the national media will treat this fairly but that is probably not what will get them the most clicks, so I am probably going to be disappointed.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Bottom line: we have TSJ. Morehead State does not.
Illini don't play their best but prevail 83-70. Moorhead can't handle Shannon or Domask
I would be saying less frosting on mine. Yes! They lost to Penn State by 23. Anything is possible so we have to play them tough and will all players on all cylinders
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