100% agree
Pregame: Illinois vs UConn, Friday, November 28th, 11:30am CT, FOX
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
That has literally no impact on our ability to prepare for the basketball game. It’s not hard whatsoever to imagine the marketing major whose LITERAL livelihood depends on getting us social media exposure asking the team to be in those photos, the players/staff taking a few seconds to get photographed and everyone moving on and getting back into the zone for the game…
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altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I was out since around noon. Logged back in now at near midnight and just wasted 15 minutes catching up on this thread. I could have simply gone to the end, read Fighter, and gone to bed. lol
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I'm staying up a bit later now so that I can finish drafting a strongly worded letter to Josh Whitman concerning the matter tonight.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Is watching sports fun for some of you? Why do it, if it only makes you miserable?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I’ve noticed some people I know gain confidence or self assurance from being a sarcastic, pessimist persona. It’s like maybe they have a defensive shell to protect themselves from getting hurt, maybe they feel smart by broadcasting how much less gullible they are than others … not sure, and I don’t care. It’s maybe THE most annoying type of person I’ve ever met. Because if they actually walked the walk, they wouldn’t feel a need to drag others down into their pessimism.
“Misery loves company” is one of the most true expressions ever.
I feel like I’m very alone in my confidence level going into this game.I love our size advantage which would be hyper inflated if Reed doesn’t play. They really don’t have anyone to guard Mirk. Just come out with great intensity and effort and I feel good about our chances. I will be very disappointed if we’re not the first to the ball consistently in this game. Dive on the floor and aggressively go after boards. Let’s get a huge win this week and climb back into the top 10!
It's obvious that this analysis shows Hurley cares more about winning than Underwood.
Yes, having fun 2 days before the game while traveling to the game by wearing a track suit and a hat will have detrimental consequences on Friday. How are the players supposed to get locked with this type of distraction with the game only 2 days away. Should the players be disciplined for cracking a smile on gameday.
Not quite sure what you're trying to calculate here, but Illini have been in the FF 4 different times that I can think of off the top of my head. One national title, according to the one respected poll there was back then. That would be the '44 Whiz kids. Would have won the actual tourney easily had the team not been devastated by the military draft. Without those guys, coach decided not to enter the tourney. He just didn't think it wouldn't be respectful to the missing players. Naturally, a lot of fans disagreed with him.
Illini in Italy
- Illini HQ, Florida Panhandle
Yeah, there are multiple labels for folks like that, and I am too much of a gentleman to use them in a public forum (and get the resulting ban from @Dan the Man). College sports are supposed to be entertainment, and if one is not entertained, maybe once should seek out other forms of entertainment . . . Like wearing a cilise or a hair shirt. Or maybe self-flagellation.
unleash the Petrovic
Although, same can be said for the exuberant optimist. It's a defense mechanism that allows them to avoid confronting the truth. And, while perfectly well intentioned, can come off to others as disingenuous. This persona is way more fun at parties though.
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
Taxi. Has to be Taxi.
blackdog
- Champaign
Go back through our social media the past, well however long there’s been social media, and you’ll see them post stories of the team with pics of them getting on the plane, at the hotel, etc etc
It’s not like this was any different than the last hundred social media road trip posts, other than Brad had to recreate the AI meme, and why wouldn’t he? It’s hilarious and everyone loves it
Except for a few sticks in the mud
They do have to wear clothes to get on the plane. Why does it matter if the clothes match a theme?
Some people get anxious before big events and have to stress about it the whole time to feel like they are getting ready properly. In reality its not actually helpful and the human mind needs breaks to relax in order to perform at peak.
What truth are the exuberant optimists avoiding though? I accept the deficiencies this team has (though I hope the correctable ones are fixed, obviously).
There’s a small but very loud group on here who constantly criticize no matter the outcome of games (60 point win, 4 point loss to top 10 team, etc).
It’s the gloating after we lose that bugs me the most: “I said we were a terrible free throw shooting team, and nobody believed me, welp looks like I was right” … when we shoot 76.4% on the season.
I’m all for balanced discussion, and having yin to the yang, but I honestly don’t see any of these “exuberant optimists who are running from truths of how bad this team is” (or whatever).
This gloating of “I told you this team wasn’t good” is what causes me to hiatus once in a while. We could lose by a buzzer beater on Friday and this place will be an absolute mess for the next 8 days talking about how we’re going to lose by 30 to Tennessee. Is that enjoyable? It’s not to me
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Eeyore is an archetypal character for a reason.
[EDIT: On that note....Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And thanks, Dan, for the Illini Commons you created and tend with such care and generosity that we may bask peacefully in the sunshine here among our brethren.]
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If we win (and I realistically think we won’t), then it will be a sign of the potential that most of us are hopeful of. If we lose, then it will be a great test and further evidence of what needs to happen to reach that potential.
I would be more hopeful if this group had more time together in practice (including summer). I am completely meh regarding UConn but despise Hurley so I would love to see him blow a gasket.
If we win, I predict 94-90
If we lose, I predict 95-80
I would be more hopeful if this group had more time together in practice (including summer). I am completely meh regarding UConn but despise Hurley so I would love to see him blow a gasket.
If we win, I predict 94-90
If we lose, I predict 95-80
It's more of a commentary on the human condition than a criticism of specific posts or posters.
But there are certainly posters who believe we'll win every game, are quick to talk about moral victories after losses, who believe the team or coach is above criticism, who never wanted that recruit anyway, so on and so forth.
In these examples, the "truth" they're avoiding is that the team is not as good as they want to believe. That failure and disappointment are 100% on the table for any given game or season. For fanatical people (which all of us here are), this can be hard to deal with emotionally so they focus on the positives (or sometimes make up a positive) to avoid confronting the negatives.
The way I see it, there is good, healthy optimism and then optimism that borders on delusion. A healthy optimist doesn't actually believe they're going to win the lottery every week. That's delusional. The healthy optimist knows they probably won't win the lottery but that it'll be ok and life will still be good.
My point isn't to alienate either one or say that either side is right or wrong. It's to point out that neither are absolutely good or bad.
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