Houston lost to Tennessee and Texas Tech. We didn’t.
We might be the underdog but this is a very winnable game.
We might be the underdog but this is a very winnable game.
Pregame: Illinois vs Houston, Thursday, March 26th, 9:05pm CT, TBS
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You can. You will. You must.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
This!
Guard these guys for 40 minutes with our size and length!!! They will struggle to hit contested shots!!
IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
You hand picked four very good games to attend (I was there in Krush for that 2010 game on College Gameday weekend)
Great post!
Nah… I’m OK with the guys playing loose and not tormenting over every shot and defensive possession. Anyone who competes knows you tend to play better when you’re having fun. It doesn’t mean not caring. It means having a flow and avoiding the yips.
Most of America thinks Houston will win according to the betting sites. And probably most of the pundits.
SO... the Illini don’t have the weight of expectations on Their backs (except around These Here Parts). Illini can play fast and loose and let Houston feel the heat (both meanings).
This kind of challenge is what we want to see. This is how the Illini get into the highest reaches of the best of College Ball. Play these kinds of teams in the most meaningful of games in a hostile environment and show everyone what They’ve got.
All Season I’ve been hoping to see some Street Ball Toughness from the Illini. They showed a good deal of that last night.
This is a special group of Illini. A real great mix of talent for a single year as is the rule now with NIL and The Portal. Make it count, boys.
Yes, the goal should always be winning the championship, but this is more my coping mechanism as a fan. It's easier to accept that a loss is likely and be pleasantly surprised with a win than it is to anticipate a win and then deal with the disappointment of a loss. I definitely understand that not everyone thinks that way.
For this game in particular - If we played Houston 3 times, I think they would beat us 2. We just have to hope Thursday's outcome is the 1 of 3.
That's where I am.
Already a successful season but let's get greedy.
Was listening to one of the national shows this m9rning on Sirius before a beautiful day for 18.
They said "it's nationally known that Illinois twins and Mirkovic dont like to be touched and fold like a flower thats been in the sun too long without water." They had the stats of the games in which they had been bodied and I believe the average for all 3 was 12 points and 7 rebounds combined. He had talked with Sampson and that was the 1st thing he said, "they dont like being touched, we'll bang on em early!"
Somebody find that, print it, and hang it in on the bulletin board. Then get the tight ends at practice this week and bang on em a little. Or at least get the forearm tackling pads out and actually bang a little, dont just swat at them.
They said "it's nationally known that Illinois twins and Mirkovic dont like to be touched and fold like a flower thats been in the sun too long without water." They had the stats of the games in which they had been bodied and I believe the average for all 3 was 12 points and 7 rebounds combined. He had talked with Sampson and that was the 1st thing he said, "they dont like being touched, we'll bang on em early!"
Somebody find that, print it, and hang it in on the bulletin board. Then get the tight ends at practice this week and bang on em a little. Or at least get the forearm tackling pads out and actually bang a little, dont just swat at them.
I have watched both Houston and the Beloved play this season & in the tourney. I am not ready to award them 2 out of 3 games. Yes, they have dawgs basically every game while we seem to have dawgs in the odd months and occasional even month. I have not seen anything about Houston's game that made me think we're in trouble. In fact, I think they are going to have to play the best game of their season to beat us, even for what is basically a home game for them. We are a really good road team, a better team overall (IMO) with more threats, it's an odd month (April will be the occasional even month for our dawgs), and best of all, we look to be peaking into January Illini form again. I expect to survive and advance, if not more.
It’s not their home court even though it’s geographically close to their home court. Is it really any different than Illinois in Chicago?
Again, this team has played its best ball on the road.
2 hours compared to 2 miles? Absolutely.
Illini4Chief
- TENNESSEE
exactly...It's home game For Samson the cheat.
Obviously Houston is really really good. And playing in their home city isn't ideal. But this isn't some David vs Goliath matchup.
Since Feb 1, Torvik has us as the better team. Interestingly, we have the #2 offense and the #23 defense during that time and Houston has the #2 defense and #23 offense.
Their best win is Arkansas on a neutral floor. They're 0-3 against the top 10 in NET.
Plus, they're susceptible to getting caught in rotation and giving up open shots. If we just stay composed and find the open man, I really like our chances.
Since Feb 1, Torvik has us as the better team. Interestingly, we have the #2 offense and the #23 defense during that time and Houston has the #2 defense and #23 offense.
Their best win is Arkansas on a neutral floor. They're 0-3 against the top 10 in NET.
Plus, they're susceptible to getting caught in rotation and giving up open shots. If we just stay composed and find the open man, I really like our chances.
We are not playing with house money. If we were NOT one of the best 16 teams, but were somehow in the Sweet 16 anyway, you could say house money.
Are we one of the top 8 teams in the country? I say yes. So if we win we will be where we should be, the Elite 8. Brad says that we are elite. Anything else is loser talk IMHO.
Can we beat Florida? We can and maybe will.
If we beat Duke in the Final Four, I won't mind you saying that we are playing with house money, but if we beat Duke, we can win it all!
We deserve nice things, let's go get them! Everything beyond midling isn't gravy.
ILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are we one of the top 8 teams in the country? I say yes. So if we win we will be where we should be, the Elite 8. Brad says that we are elite. Anything else is loser talk IMHO.
Can we beat Florida? We can and maybe will.
If we beat Duke in the Final Four, I won't mind you saying that we are playing with house money, but if we beat Duke, we can win it all!
We deserve nice things, let's go get them! Everything beyond midling isn't gravy.
ILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AGREED! +100!
What a stat! +100! Let's do this!
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