Pregame: Illinois vs Penn, Thursday, March 19th, 8:25pm CT, TNT

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#251      
March2TheArch
zentrails said:
Went to Penn while in the US Navy then graduated from UIUC using GI bill (couldn't afford to continue at UPenn)
Work at UPenn now, (started in 2004 right around that Wake Forest game.
Go Illini! I'd normally root for UPenn but not this time.
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Yeah I was watching the Ivy tourney and enjoyed the Harvard and Yale wins!

Obviously rooting for a monster Illini win to get our head right for the R32 game.

- - -

I was a Wharton undergrad 2007-11. Now work a remote job in the tech sector. Coincidentally, won’t be far from Greenville next weekend. I’ll be on Amelia Island off the Jacksonville coast as a groomsman for my Penn best friend. All my Penn gang will be there. I’ll be clowned to no end if the Illini lose on Thursday (rehearsal night).
 
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#253      
CleverHandle1
illini0440 said:
We’ve shot 40 3s twice this year OT vs UCLA and blowout against Maryland
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Those are facts. No arguing this.

For me, though, and I feel this is a plausible point: if the Illini have a double-digit lead, can the staff instill in their players to try and shoot less three-pointers?

Run the clock a little, post the block players up and try to score inside? How about "booty ball?" Is there someone on the roster that can try and do it effectively?

Two years ago, it seemed Domask scored huge baskets playing "booty ball." Baskets that kept the lead, kept the pressure on the opponent to score on every possession. Ultimately, the opponent forced some bad shots.

I also feel having a post-up game will lead to more wide-open three-pointers in which the shooter is more set.

And if this is what the Illini do, then disregard my point, as I haven't watched all of their games.
 
#258      
Oracle21
Penn doesn’t have any athletes so I think Illinois handles this game easily. This game should be similar to the Northwestern game.

UNC/VCU…I actually think VCU would be a tougher matchup for Illinois. I don’t think much of Hubert Davis as a coach. VCU plays a ton of guys in their rotation. They are 16-1 in their last 17 games. UNC without Caleb Wilson is a bubble-ish team. They just seem like a mediocre team that doesn’t have much juice in them. VCU feels like a momentum type team. And if they knock off North Carolina they will have lot of confidence going into Sunday
 
#259      
wc_illini
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Didn’t Vandy get an easier path than us as a 5?

They’d play FLA in Houston in the S16 versus getting Houston in Houston.

They also get Nebraska as a 4 who’s a fraud. We get UNC in Greenville.
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Point taken about locations, but against Q1:
Nebraska is #13, UNC is #41 (and without Wilson), VCU is #62
FL is #4, Houston is #7

Against Q1A:
Nebraska is #23, UNC is #42, VCU is #59
FL is #8, Houston is #6
 
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#264      
BatteredWifeSchwartz
BashCtIllini said:
Not a huge fan of playing a team that shoots 38% from 3 as a team. They're top 20 in the nation and have 3 guys shooting over 40%, 2 more over 38%.

Upsets happen when an underdog gets crazy hot from 3.
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Don’t be worried. Just bc they can score from 3 doesn’t mean they’ll be able to score from 2. Look at the Villanova box score. 50% from 3 but 35% from 2. We win the glass and paint, then we will the game. Simple as.
 
#265      
EmeraldCityIllini
BashCtIllini said:
Not a huge fan of playing a team that shoots 38% from 3 as a team. They're top 20 in the nation and have 3 guys shooting over 40%, 2 more over 38%.

Upsets happen when an underdog gets crazy hot from 3.
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Certainly don't like playing teams that can shoot.

I'd say the good news for us is that while theyre a good shooting team, they're 274 in assist rate. Which means a ton of iso or standstill contested. As we know, we struggle with containing the dribble drive contain and kicks out.

Maybe these guys who shoot well have some wiggle to their off the bounce game and can get off open looks without needing teammates to set them up. But if Penn is able to do that to us, blow up this roster philosophy.
 
#267      
and 69 others
I see that Michael Zanoni plays for Penn. We recruited him for a bit when he was an underclassman but never offered. He ended up playing with Jake at Mercer.
 
#268      
Thaillini22
EmeraldCityIllini said:
Certainly don't like playing teams that can shoot.

I'd say the good news for us is that while theyre a good shooting team, they're 274 in assist rate. Which means a ton of iso or standstill contested. As we know, we struggle with containing the dribble drive contain and kicks out.

Maybe these guys who shoot well have some wiggle to their off the bounce game and can get off open looks without needing teammates to set them up. But if Penn is able to do that to us, blow up this roster philosophy.
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I'm pleased that they're not running a "fundamental you to death, back-door passes" offense.
 
#269      
PepeSilvia
abchew2 said:
Michigan at 31% for champion is really high. Not saying it’s wrong but they have shown some weakness in letting teams hang around that previous dominant winners haven’t imo.
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Michigan's biggest problem is Cadeau. He is not good and at some point you are going to need your guards to come up big and that's a major issue with Cason injured. Burnett, McKenney, and Gayle are ok but it's a far cry from the type of guard you see lead teams to a championship.

Duke is also very beat up though with Ngongba injured and Foster breaking his foot a week ago.
 
#270      
Se Il Illini
I like the draw. The Illinois coaching staff is very familiar with Fran McCaffery. If past history holds true, I expect a bunch of points to be scored in this one.
 
#271      
CrazedUIFan
Will we benefit from not having Big Ten refs, specifically Wagler? If so, it changes our game tremendously. Playing overly physical against with him has impacted his and our offense. He should be getting to the line more if they call the game fairly.
 
#273      
rdk573
TheChief4Life said:
Why does he have to be mentally ready at 6pm on a Sunday night? God damn. Sometimes the last thing I want my players doing is overthinking a game that is 5 days away. If he wants to wear a !!!!ing mustache, let him.

Have we forgotten these are 18-22 year olds?
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If he were playing well, I would give him a pass...But he's not...This kinda of talk shows his focus is all wrong and his talk foretells another sub-par effort in tournament
 
#275      
Thaillini22
RabidDawgClassic said:
That has never been Fran McCaffrey’s style.
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Yeah, I just meant it as a generalization of Ivy League teams running Princeton-y stuff in the past. That kind of deliberate, slower-paced offense would scare me, although maybe it shouldn't with the rim protection we have.

Thankfully, we should know how to prepare for Francon's stuff. This seems like a real good matchup for us.

Survive 'n advance!
 
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