12/20 Polls

#1      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
#2      

sacraig

sacraig
The desert
sacraig
Keep on overlooking us. A chip on the shoulder is a nice motivator.

Jack Nicholson Reaction GIF
 
#4      

2qtslow

2qtslow
2qtslow
Arizona is still #1 in the NET rankings, while the Illini move to #16. In a world of perfectly pure pairings, they would Dance together in the Sweet Sixteen.
 
#5      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
Still got a couple more weeks before we can reasonably expect to be back in considering our schedule. Just gotta keep winning and force them to rank us.

Kind of hilarious Nova is still ranked. They've had a tough schedule, but boy howdy, they've also looked bad. There's no doubt in my mind we beat them handily right now.

Arizona has a real tough stretch coming up: 19 Tennessee, 5 UCLA, and 8 USC. I'm interested to see how they handle it. Hopefully, they sweep it and we can feel even better about our close loss.
 
#6      

WyattEarp

WyattEarp
WyattEarp
2qtslow said:
Arizona is still #1 in the NET rankings, while the Illini move to #16. In a world of perfectly pure pairings, they would Dance together in the Sweet Sixteen.
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If that happens I hope its a sad waltz for ’zona and we lead the whole way. I‘m thinking we play them again its gonna be more like a mosh pit.
 
#8      

Homecoming 2019

Homecoming 2019
Chicago
Homecoming 2019
2qtslow said:
Arizona is still #1 in the NET rankings, while the Illini move to #16. In a world of perfectly pure pairings, they would Dance together in the Sweet Sixteen.
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My prediction is 4/5 seed for us and 1/2 seed for them, so I'm guessing we'd have to get further than sweet sixteen to see them.
 
#10      

2qtslow

2qtslow
2qtslow
Actionjackson said:
Not sure I want to see em again though lol
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If Belo gets better soon, I'd love to see them in the Sweet Sixteen.

Then again, if Belo get better soon, and if we are already a 4 seed in the NET rankings, our NET ranking could be quite a bit higher by the time the Dance waltzes around. Any chance an Elite Eight game will be (re)played in Chicago?
 
#14      

mysterio2525

mysterio2525
mysterio2525
Prepare yourself for chaos in the tourney and the champ not to be a 1 seed... Setting up perfectly for the illini!
 
#16      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
mysterio2525 said:
Prepare yourself for chaos in the tourney and the champ not to be a 1 seed... Setting up perfectly for the illini!
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Certainly possible, but 1 seeds have a very good track record of winning it all

www.google.com

How do seeds perform in the Final Four?

When filling out your bracket, it’s good to not get too caught up in the first-round upset picks. But when thinking about Final Four picks, what should you look for?
www.google.com www.google.com
 
#17      

RockfordIllini

R
RockfordIllini
the juiceman cometh said:
Certainly possible, but 1 seeds have a very good track record of winning it all

www.google.com

How do seeds perform in the Final Four?

When filling out your bracket, it’s good to not get too caught up in the first-round upset picks. But when thinking about Final Four picks, what should you look for?
www.google.com www.google.com
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Yes but there’s a bit of a bias built in there in that if there are any elite teams in a given year (very squishy term I realize), they are overwhelmingly likely to earn a 1 seed. Think Baylor and Gonzaga last year. Teams that are head and shoulders above the fray.

Not sure there are any elite teams this year. Gonzaga and Baylor again, maybe. But I don’t think either is as good as last year. I still think Zona is the best team I’ve watched so far (and I’ve seen more than just our game with them) but I don’t think they are head and shoulders above anyone else.

If we can tighten up our ball screen defense, and get Belo back at anywhere even close to where he was as a Frosh and properly integrate him into our rotation, I don’t think there’s a team with a higher ceiling than us.
 
#18      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
RockfordIllini said:
Yes but there’s a bit of a bias built in there in that if there are any elite teams in a given year (very squishy term I realize), they are overwhelmingly likely to earn a 1 seed. Think Baylor and Gonzaga last year. Teams that are head and shoulders above the fray.

Not sure there are any elite teams this year. Gonzaga and Baylor again, maybe. But I don’t think either is as good as last year. I still think Zona is the best team I’ve watched so far (and I’ve seen more than just our game with them) but I don’t think they are head and shoulders above anyone else.

If we can tighten up our ball screen defense, and get Belo back at anywhere even close to where he was as a Frosh and properly integrate him into our rotation, I don’t think there’s a team with a higher ceiling than us.
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I mean, before I saw this article of you'd told me on average a 1 seed is 2x more likely to win it all than a 2 seed I'd have been surprised. Is a 1 seed really that much better? Add in the chaos of a single elimination tourney, and it's gotta be much closer than that, right?

Article shows that going back to 1985 (1st year of 64-team tourney) 1 seeds have won 23/36. 2 seeds 5/36. 3 seeds 4/36. Historically a 1 seed is 2x more likely to win the tourney than the entire rest of the field combined.

Of course we have a chance even if we don't get a 1 seed. Every team that makes the 68 team field has a chance. Just saying I think the "chaos" of the tourney gets exaggerated a bit, and typically the team coming away with the prize at the end is from that top tier of teams.
 
#20      

purcy51

P
Nappanee, IN
purcy51
the juiceman cometh said:
I mean, before I saw this article of you'd told me on average a 1 seed is 2x more likely to win it all than a 2 seed I'd have been surprised. Is a 1 seed really that much better? Add in the chaos of a single elimination tourney, and it's gotta be much closer than that, right?

Article shows that going back to 1985 (1st year of 64-team tourney) 1 seeds have won 23/36. 2 seeds 5/36. 3 seeds 4/36. Historically a 1 seed is 2x more likely to win the tourney than the entire rest of the field combined.

Of course we have a chance even if we don't get a 1 seed. Every team that makes the 68 team field has a chance. Just saying I think the "chaos" of the tourney gets exaggerated a bit, and typically the team coming away with the prize at the end is from that top tier of teams.
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Most of the upsets/chaos seems to happen in the first two rounds. After that it evens out. I didn't read the article, so that is just my impression
 
#23      

Navy_illini

N
Navy_illini
How is the ncaa going to handle these Covid cancellations. Seton Hall has to forfeit a game against St Johns but won’t affect record. I think it will be more of a mess than last year from figuring out uneven schedules
 
#24      

frozenrope9190

frozenrope9190
Aurora, IL
frozenrope9190
Navy_illini said:
How is the ncaa going to handle these Covid cancellations. Seton Hall has to forfeit a game against St Johns but won’t affect record. I think it will be more of a mess than last year from figuring out uneven schedules
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Yes. I was thinking that. It's a loss, but does the committee look at that? Should the committee look at that?