Pregame: Illinois vs Houston, Thursday, March 26th, 9:05pm CT, TBS

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#101      
Oracle21
A matchup of skill vs physicality. Very intriguing. I think we have a better chance this time than the Kofi team.

I don’t think the home court advantage will be that much. I expect there to be more Illini fans there than Houston fans even with the game in Houston
 
#102      
Yes33
If we don’t play physical they will smoke us. All of those spin moves Peja, Mirk, and Wags love will be jumped and swiped for easy buckets. They will be jumping pick and rolls, a lot of things we don’t handle well. For all those on here that argue Brad is a great coach, here’s the game we need to see it. Sorry, I’m somewhat pessimistic, although I dislike Sampson, he is a superior coach. For Brad and those that disagree, we’ll see in 5 days.
 
#104      
logjam
A matchup of skill vs physicality. Very intriguing. I think we have a better chance this time than the Kofi team.

I don’t think the home court advantage will be that much. I expect there to be more Illini fans there than Houston fans even with the game in Houston
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That's optimistic...they probably bought up most of the tickets...I hope not...
 
#106      
Fly Illini Fly!
PTPerUniversity said:
Houston lost to Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Tre White.

They have a small team playing 5 guys almost the entire game. They're athletic but play at a similar pace as the Illini.

They're very good, but they're not a juggernaut. Size and depth can beat a team like this. Let's do it.
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Not disagreeing with your entire post, but “small team” is just not true. That frontline of Tugler, Cenac, and Sakho is extremely difficult to score against. For any team.
 
#107      
Chase321
A matchup of skill vs physicality. Very intriguing. I think we have a better chance this time than the Kofi team.

I don’t think the home court advantage will be that much. I expect there to be more Illini fans there than Houston fans even with the game in Houston
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Really? My understanding is you can walk to the arena from campus. What makes you think Houston won’t overwhelm the place? Sure Illinois travels well but not that well.
 
#109      
Thaillini22
Obvious comparisons to 2024: After a slow start, we beat a 14 handily. Then beat an 11 by 20+. Then played a B12 team who was feared for their physical, pressure, trapping D. We were ~2.5pt underdogs in Vega$.

I think we really handled the pressure/trapping that game and it was maybe one of BU & staff’s best games IMO, in terms of prep and handling an opponent’s most dangerous weapon.

I definitely think we have the ball handling and offensive play-making ability. Do we have the guts and poise to do it again?

This game will absolutely come down to our preparedness for UH’s aggression and physicality and we gotta take the ball to the hole strong IMO.
 
#115      
IlliniwekKDR
Thaillini22 said:
Obvious comparisons to 2024: After a slow start, we beat a 14 handily. Then beat an 11 by 20+. Then played a B12 team who was feared for their physical, pressure, trapping D. We were ~2.5pt underdogs in Vega$.

I think we really handled the pressure/trapping that game and it was maybe one of BU & staff’s best games IMO, in terms of prep and handling an opponent’s most dangerous weapon.

I definitely think we have the ball handling and offensive play-making ability. Do we have the guts and poise to do it again?

This game will absolutely come down to our preparedness for UH’s aggression and physicality and we gotta take the ball to the hole strong IMO.
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Then if you get past the 2 seed, you have potentially the defending champion 1 seed waiting for you. If it gets to that, let's make that outcome much different
 
#116      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Thaillini22 said:
Obvious comparisons to 2024: After a slow start, we beat a 14 handily. Then beat an 11 by 20+. Then played a B12 team who was feared for their physical, pressure, trapping D. We were ~2.5pt underdogs in Vega$.

I think we really handled the pressure/trapping that game and it was maybe one of BU & staff’s best games IMO, in terms of prep and handling an opponent’s most dangerous weapon.

I definitely think we have the ball handling and offensive play-making ability. Do we have the guts and poise to do it again?

This game will absolutely come down to our preparedness for UH’s aggression and physicality and we gotta take the ball to the hole strong IMO.
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Circumstances not even close. The ISU game was played down in Boston. This will be a road game; 2 miles from Houston university.
 
#117      
wc_illini
RollChief said:
Disagree honestly, each of the top 4 teams have better wins on the road than Houston has in general. They’ve destroyed inferior opponents but if they beat us it’ll be there best win of the year by a healthy margin.
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Houston just moved ahead of Florida in Torvik and KenPom. They are for real. But so are we. We're actually tied in Torvik for net efficiency, but he ranks by Off divided by defense rather than offense minus defense (probably for good reasons).

Also, Torvik has Houston by 1.3, and I assume Torvik counts it as a true neutral site game. Since the line is only 2.5, they are saying the location doesn't matter much, since a true home court advantage is ~3.5 points, and I imagine they'd be slightly favored on a neutral court. Also, KenPom says home-court advantage is primarily officiating bias, and that's presumably due to the crowd. A tournament game crowd won't be anything like a Houston home game.
 
#120      
CrazedUIFan
Kendall Gill’s Uncle said:
Stojakovic needs to start against Houston and their athleticism. Loved what he and Tomi brought tonight.

Yeah, I get that you don’t need to start to influence the game, but I don’t really care. He should’ve been starting this whole time and we need a quick start against Houston.
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I love him coming in with the second unit. Him and Boswell not on the floor at the same time is advantageous
 
#121      
hoopsfan47
IMHO, the Illini need to play:
1. Smart
2. Physical
3. Focused on defensive intensity while embracing 1 and 2 above.

If they can do that for 40 min. and shoot a normal %, this game can be won. So much will depend on Mirk, Tomi, and Z and how they perform at the rim. Can they finish and/or keep the Cougar bigs in check?

Now, if they turn the ball over double digit times, get two guys in foul trouble early who need to sit, and fail to box out, all bets are off. But I do not expect that to happen as playing to win is too important to every one of them.

This will not be a game for the faint of heart.
 
#122      
thefalcon5
When are game times typically announced? Do they wait till tomorrow games conclude?
 
#123      
Iamgroot
AirTran said:
Houston has trouble scoring against teams that rebound well and they don't don't defend the three point shot all that well.

However, they have terrific interior defense and if they can get the board they will run on us.

Not alot of depth there either. They really depend on 6 players.

To be the best, you have to beat the best.

Was able to write that entire summary without metioning Houston's head coach, Whatshisname.
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Idkwti
 
#125      
dmb24illini
When are game times typically announced? Do they wait till tomorrow games conclude?
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Yes because they don't know all the matchups for each day yet.

Florida vs. Nebraska has a different national pull for example than Iowa vs. Nebraska.
 
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