Pregame: Illinois vs UConn, Saturday, April 4th, 5:09pm CT, TBS

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#727      
PapaKvells
Tournament only offensive and defensive rankings according to Torvik:

Arizona: 6 / 3
Michigan: 2 / 23
Illinois: 5 / 10
UConn: 19 / 19

UConn is very fortunate to be in the Final Four with those metrics.

Overall rankings using tournament only games:

1 Arizona
4 Illinois
5 Michigan
14 UConn
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As much as I like seeing this, it is going to be skewed a bit by match ups- particularly S16 and E8. I don’t know if I’d read as much into this as I would the full season numbers.
 
#728      
RML
Second place is 1st loser said:
He absolutely has been fantastic, but it's a big of a pick your poison because Ball really, really hurt us in the first game and Demerey is also a problem in the backcourt. We're not going to shut down all three. Karaban isn't going to kill us by beating us off the dribble and getting to the rim. Ball most definitely can and Demerey can do more, across the board, than Karaban. If I had to guess, Drej and KB are going to draw those assignments.

Karaban is a problem because coming off a screen, he'll hit the open look. Can't go under it with him. He's very much like Sandfort, where you don't worry about a blow by, but if he gets on a heater....it's not ideal.

This is PROBABLY a game where Ben is going to have to play a key role? I don't see Jake being overly playable on the defensive side of things.

UCONN can lose to literally anyone, which we've seen this season. They can also beat anyone, which is also what we've seen this season. Their game vs Duke is a microcosm of who they are. In the first half, they looked like the team that lost to St. John's by 40. In the second half, they looked like the team that beat St. John's by 40. Actually, their game vs Michigan State was another example. They were beating the brakes off of them in the first half, they coughed it all up and it was a barnburner. They also lost to Marquette.

It's a weird team. Very volatile.
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Very educational post, thanks!
 
#729      
PapaKvells
In an alternate universe where we schedule a few more cupcakes and a few less non-conference powerhouse matchups, are the results the same? Honestly, I don’t think we could have done much better with seeding after the B1G schedule matter what our non-conference record was and it seemed like this team was ready to collect scalps. Maybe a team like Houston is a bit more of a struggle if we didn’t play a gauntlet of teams of their caliber?
 
#730      
Macho Man
UConn has been arguably the best basketball program of my lifetime (born in March of 89 and my dad missed the final 4 because of me). But I can think of very few coaches easier to dislike than Hurley.
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Bruce Pearl
 
#731      
rbse
In an alternate universe where we schedule a few more cupcakes and a few less non-conference powerhouse matchups, are the results the same? Honestly, I don’t think we could have done much better with seeding after the B1G schedule matter what our non-conference record was and it seemed like this team was ready to collect scalps. Maybe a team like Houston is a bit more of a struggle if we didn’t play a gauntlet of teams of their caliber?
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I totally agree, I think the sum is the total, and we've arrived at where we want and need to be. I said from the very beginning this team has what it takes to beat anybody, and they know and believe it. Confidence coupled with talent, the unselfishness and healthy, all the ingredients needed to bring it home. Please have a large and loud fan base present, our guys will do the rest. Feeling good!
 
#732      
1970 John
Illini_Jack said:
I love seeing the former players doing interviews talking about this year's team. They still bleed Orange and Blue like us.
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Don’t we? Funny thing is that from my experience, those who do undergrad work at Illinois and grad work elsewhere (such as my wife with her doctorate at Maryland) remain true to the Orange and Blue.

But those who come to Illinois for grad work often change their allegiances. I’ve seen it too many times to believe otherwise.
 
#734      
mpm61614
bavanga3 said:
First off, condolences for his father's recent passing, an Illinois basketball legend himself and one of the best shooters ever before the 3pt line. Second, Roger is one of the best humans on Earth, I'm so happy to see his success beyond college for the way he can impact these kids' live. The rev, and for me being from Joliet as a young kid, the first person I've ever been star struck by was Roger Powell for how much he did for our city. He gave me so much joy representing our school and state and I'm so proud to see him doing so much positive for kids that don't always have the best influences. Roger Powell Jr is one of our finest Illini ever.
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I was at ISU to see his dad and Roger Powell play. As you noted, great players and even better people.
 
#740      
NarrowJ
RabidDawgClassic said:
Funny… on the Iowa board they thought the refs were in the pocket for us. 😂
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I would venture to bet the casual fans of just about every team we've played thinks that

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#741      
ChiefGritty
RabidDawgClassic said:
Funny… on the Iowa board they thought the refs were in the pocket for us. 😂
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On balance they probably did make more bad calls on our side, but they were brutally inconsistent. Called the two halves totally differently and never established what players were allowed to do on the perimeter.

That last touch foul on our high screen that gave us free throws was horrible, I don't blame Iowa fans for being apoplectic, they hadn't called that all game.

I defy Iowa fans to tell me there was a worse whistle than the one on Stojakovic when Stirtz crossed over and jumped straight into him though.
 
#742      
Illini 993
We are three days from a lifetime memory of another Final Four. Who would have thought that we'd not only be in this position, but also have the best odds of the four teams to advance to the Championship Game?! Truly, we are living "the good old days." I have gone from having nagging doubts about Brad and Tyler Underwood 3-4 years ago to being of the mind that we have exactly the right coach for this time in Illini history.
 
#744      
ChiefGritty
WeWillWhen said:
The Illini’s three point shooting is volatile; they shot pretty well the first three games of the tournament, but poorly against Iowa. If they can get back to the 38-40% range they’ll be tough to beat.
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I feel like in a football stadium it's always the same, neither team can hit the broad side of a barn for the first 8-10 minutes.
 
#745      
thefalcon5
I can’t believe so many people are in on the “house money” or “it’s all gravy” statements. To me, that makes it sound like we’re an 11 seed mid major who’s caught fire late. Of course, this year was a success regardless for the next weeks outcome.

You make a final four you should absolutely be thinking natty. This teams absolutely capable of beating any of the teams remaining. I want it all.
 
#746      
NarrowJ
thefalcon5 said:
I can’t believe so many people are in on the “house money” or “it’s all gravy” statements. To me, that makes it sound like we’re an 11 seed mid major who’s caught fire late. Of course, this year was a success regardless for the next weeks outcome.

You make a final four you should absolutely be thinking natty. This teams absolutely capable of beating any of the teams remaining. I want it all.
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I interpret the "house money" and "all gravy" statements to mean this year is a success regardless of F4 game outcomes. I don't want to assign "11 seed mid major" to folks who will be happy even if we lose.

If I'm a player on the team or a coach on staff, there's no "house money" mindset though, of course.
 
#747      
blackdog
thefalcon5 said:
I can’t believe so many people are in on the “house money” or “it’s all gravy” statements. To me, that makes it sound like we’re an 11 seed mid major who’s caught fire late. Of course, this year was a success regardless for the next weeks outcome.

You make a final four you should absolutely be thinking natty. This teams absolutely capable of beating any of the teams remaining. I want it all.
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How I think about it as a fan is a very different mindset from how the team should be thinking about it. I absolutely want a natty but if we lose Saturday I will still be very satisfied with the season.
 
#748      
RabidDawgClassic
thefalcon5 said:
I can’t believe so many people are in on the “house money” or “it’s all gravy” statements. To me, that makes it sound like we’re an 11 seed mid major who’s caught fire late. Of course, this year was a success regardless for the next weeks outcome.

You make a final four you should absolutely be thinking natty. This teams absolutely capable of beating any of the teams remaining. I want it all.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until I die… I HATE the “we’re playing with house money” phrase. That immediately creates an acceptance for losing. Besides… once the chips are in your rack, they’re now YOUR money.
 
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