Pregame: Illinois at USC, Wednesday, February 18th, 9:00pm CT, BTN
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I am with you… aggressive forecheck too!
but only because they hit a garbage time 3 after Illinois is up 10+ most of the game
Given the way he defends the rim, Z would probably be good between the pipes.
I think we can take care of business with the 7 man rotation on this road trip, not because Andrej ain't a DAWG but because there's plenty of rest opportunity before Michigan and we've done some serious damage with a 7-man rotation already that I didn't think was as good at on-ball defense as this one should in theory be.
Get healthy to smash Michigan and then hope Fears remembers that Izzo's clout travels to Ann Arbor where they have no home court advantage. Would like to see some serious outrage from Michigan fans at Big Ten officiating after that UM/MSU game.
Get healthy to smash Michigan and then hope Fears remembers that Izzo's clout travels to Ann Arbor where they have no home court advantage. Would like to see some serious outrage from Michigan fans at Big Ten officiating after that UM/MSU game.
Illinois with a slow start but then things click and we have a somewhat comfortable 78-64 win.
It's been two months since Illinois lost a game that wasn't straight up stolen from them in an elaborate ruse.
This is a very good team.
This is a very good team.
Even if CBM plays hopefully he is rusty.
Interesting comparison/symmetry...hopefully a better sprint to the finish line!
This wasn’t the first time Illinois beat Indiana on Feb. 15 to get to 21-5. It also happened in 2009; this is the Illini’s best start since then. That team ended up losing five of its last eight games, culminating in a first-round upset against Western Kentucky in the Big Dance.
There are no guarantees, as Illini fans understand well. Maybe too well.
Illini freshmen (better than last year?), NCAA potential (better than 2024?) shine through in rout of Indiana
With Keaton Wagler, David Mirkovic and others cooking, the Hoosiers had no shot. Just how good are these Illini?chicago.suntimes.com
That '09 team was a quite good but not great team in my opinion. I don't think anyone thought of them as a title contender, but they had a good young core in McCamey, Tisdale and Davis, a deadeye senior shooter in Meacham and an absolute shutdown defender and senior leader in Chester. I saw them more as a Sweet 16 type of team that if everything fell the right way could make a dark horse run to an Elite 8 or Final 4.
One thing to remember though is that Chester Frazier broke his hand right before the BTT and never played in it or the tourney. And that team was barely 6 deep as it was talentwise. So, hard really to judge their postseason- missing such a huge piece of the lineup and their senior leader. And crazily that team also would have featured senior Jamar Smith. That team was absolutely cursed...
That said, this year's team has a much higher ceiling, is much deeper, and has a higher talent level. Definite contender for a Natty if everyone is healthy. The '09 team wasn't that. Different team, different expectations
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Kenpom offense #104, defense #4, overall #25.
The Weber-est team he ever had at Illinois. You mention Jamar, but the other guy that was supposed to contribute that kind of offensive impact to that team was Alex Legion who just got pushed out of the rotation even with how thin it was (player development?
). Calvin Brock and Dominique Keller was the whole bench.That's a crazy stat. I always forget 2020-21 played a shorter non-con schedule because of Covid.
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Kenpom offense #104, defense #4, overall #25.
The Weber-est team he ever had at Illinois. You mention Jamar, but the other guy that was supposed to contribute that kind of offensive impact to that team was Alex Legion who just got pushed out of the rotation even with how thin it was (player development?
That's a crazy stat. I always forget 2020-21 played a shorter non-con schedule because of Covid.
Even the current staff has had their Alex Legions, man
No coach will have a perfect track record with anything
Its cool my comments the other day have sparked a rehashing of the Weber tenure tho
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Dunno whether it's sad or beautiful, maybe both, but there are very few things I have spent more of my life arguing about than this.
Ron Guenther also on that list.
LOL
If arguing about the 2005-12 Illini basketball era isn't a cornerstone of our personality, I don't know what is. It's not just a hobby, its a lifestyle-induced headache yet still a testament to our commitment as fans that we continue to think/talk about it.
splitter
- and not Nebraska
This is a business trip. They will be working on their game and not their tans.
Riiiiiiight... Alex Legion. Now there's a name I haven't thought about in a long long long time. I remember the hype for him, and then I remember him missing shot after shot after shot, not getting others involved in the offense, and dogging it on defense. For a modern day comparison that was a Petrovic level miss at the time. I don't know if it was even a development issue with him as much as he was almost the opposite type of player Weber enjoyed coaching checking almost every single wrong box and wound up deep in the doghouse.Kenpom offense #104, defense #4, overall #25.
The Weber-est team he ever had at Illinois. You mention Jamar, but the other guy that was supposed to contribute that kind of offensive impact to that team was Alex Legion who just got pushed out of the rotation even with how thin it was (player development?
That's a crazy stat. I always forget 2020-21 played a shorter non-con schedule because of Covid.
Man, Alex Legion... Yeah we had no depth whatsoever on that team. Brock and Keller combined barely made for a playable 6th man. That team had 5 starting caliber players. That's it. Then they lost Frazier right before the Dance. *Shudders* No chance whatsoever to go anywhere. Hopefully we're getting all our injuries on this team out of our system now and are healthy for a deep stretch run.
Set the tone. Just what Ohio State did to win. Michigan set the tone against Purdue. We did it last Sunday against Indiana. Make free throws.
Well said
Don't want to pop your bubble - Minnesota finished 9-9 in the Big 10 in '89 and they were 2-3 in conference when we played them.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
There are periods when I'm reading the Board and am thankful that the foundation of my Illini basketball fandom was the early '80s.
This is one of them. Thank goodness I was sufficiently busy from 2006-17 that I can just glide over that unfortunate time and pick up in 2018 as life began to open up again.
I just don't think about Alex Legion, fin de siecle Bruce Weber, John Groce, Mike Thomas, or even Ron Guenther. Ever. It's all a predawn nightmare that I banish with a fresh pot of Whitman's finest Underwood dark roast over a hearty breakfast to begin my day.
Onward and upward.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Every time I see the names Alex Legion and Dominique Keller, all I can think about is them calling Bruce "dream killer" and Legion's completely busted jumpshot.
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