RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Pregame: Illinois vs UConn, Saturday, April 4th, 5:09pm CT, TBS
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Mirk is the extremely rare triple threat of (1) his 20 year old jock teammates think he's funny, (2) twitter likes chasing dork sports reporters think he's funny and (3) he's actually funny.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Damn, great job, Illini Nation! I cannot wait to be surrounded by fellow Illini fans in Indy.
Oh yeah ... WEAR ORANGE! We are playing a team whose primary color is navy and whose fans often wear white or gray. PLEASE avoid the urge to wear your favorite navy, gray or white Illini gear (unless it's lucky!), folks! It is a striking and intimidating image to see our orange shirts swarm an arena away from Champaign, and it gives our program some very positive notoriety as a "big-time" program. People expect elite programs to travel well, and the effect is SO diluted when our fans don't wear orange. I mean, just look at how beautiful this was ... let's repeat it:
I think he was going by who ate the dog food first
Loved Underwood comparing him to a kindergartner who transforms into a Ninja Warrior when the game starts. Paraphrasing, of course. The one photo from the game at Nebraska where he has this big evil grin while playing defense is etched into my brain. It would be a little scary going against someone that big and strong who you suspect might be a little crazy.
Isn't there something to be said about a "business as usual" approach as we near 24 hours before tip off? It has to be incredibly tough when you see 10,000 people show up for a shoot around.
Ultimately, not one of us on any message board knows what goes into this and how the emotions can or can't get the best of you. Does the moment get best of you?
To me, that's the challenge for Brad. How can you get young guys to settle in when there is absolutely no way to reasonably make this normal and maybe letting them take it in is a good thing? I suppose only a sports psychologist could answer that.
I do think a coach like Hurley could manage that from the jump. I'm not saying they don't enjoy it as much, but knowing what buttons to push and when to push them is important.
In 2005, I totally remember us not being ourselves in the first half vs UNC. It was like, who is this team? We got down significantly and were back to normal. I've wondered if Roy Williams managed the moment better? We'll never know, but there's no real replacement for experience in any facet of life.
The emotions for these guys has to be off the charts.
Ultimately, not one of us on any message board knows what goes into this and how the emotions can or can't get the best of you. Does the moment get best of you?
To me, that's the challenge for Brad. How can you get young guys to settle in when there is absolutely no way to reasonably make this normal and maybe letting them take it in is a good thing? I suppose only a sports psychologist could answer that.
I do think a coach like Hurley could manage that from the jump. I'm not saying they don't enjoy it as much, but knowing what buttons to push and when to push them is important.
In 2005, I totally remember us not being ourselves in the first half vs UNC. It was like, who is this team? We got down significantly and were back to normal. I've wondered if Roy Williams managed the moment better? We'll never know, but there's no real replacement for experience in any facet of life.
The emotions for these guys has to be off the charts.
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i hope the illinois staff are watching the st. john's/UCONN tapes.....
Already getting screwed by the refs.
That should have explained to the dogs. I am super pissed.
SuperMetroid
- Evanston
I actually really like that they did this. Get a feel for the building with a decent amount of fans in it, get used to the court and unusual sightlines. Anything to take the nerves away
Who had the most fans at open practices?
I'm sure it's different for different players. They probably spent the first couple of days of the week in heavier practices, but holding something like this also puts up a psychological barrier for the other teams, too. Y'all are basically road teams here, so good luck..
For some shooters getting your bearings in these huge arenas can be an issue. The sight-lines and backgrounds are not what you are used to. Even how the sound carries in those places can be weird. It can take some time to get yourself adjusted and comfortable.
I hope the Illini take plenty of time on the Big Floor to get themselves oriented right. And may the rims be accommodating and friendly...
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I hear you, but I have actually sensed the OPPOSITE problem from our guys at points this season, so I hope they are soaking it in and realizing what a big stage this is! You obviously never want to be tight and rigid, but there have been some "big games" this year (e.g., Wisconsin in the BTT) where it seemed like we lacked a bit of fire (after the immediate Boswell T anyway, lol). I personally hope Brad is playing up how much this means to the fan base and giving the players some extra motivation to let the legions of orange-clad shirts that followed them there pump them up a bit!!
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Then that’s clearly Michigan.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Tell me what you guys think of my ai slop illini dedication song. For an ai song it gets in my feels a little bit
I would like to see Z dunk all over UCONN's head the whole game long. Not a coach in the world I want to beat more than Hurley.
Just keeping in line how much Andrej has dominated the first half of games in this tournament.
I love that he gets into a stance. Makes it look like his wingspan is practically the full width of the court. Ball handler has to be saying to himself, how the f could I get past this guy?
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