3/8 Polls - Illinois #3 in AP Poll

SescIllini said:

I would take Iowa, especially now. Seems like scouting and injuries are catching up to Michigan. Iowa has a big to match and be better than their big and a deeper bench.

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That's fair. I don't think Iowa is built to compete with elite teams. Michigan just beat them by 22 eleven days ago and I have zero fear against them in the BTT. I will also be taking the money line against them in the second round of the NCAA tournament sight unseen.

Warren Carter Fanclub said:

Jesse Newell must love to see his name in print or is mentally challenged. Out of the 66(?) voters he voted at least 4 of the top 12 teams the lowest rating of the entire panel. Who the hell does he like?

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And he has Wisonsin at #12...smh

Warren Carter Fanclub said:

Jesse Newell must love to see his name in print or is mentally challenged. Out of the 66(?) voters he voted at least 4 of the top 12 teams the lowest rating of the entire panel. Who the hell does he like?

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Sounds like he pissed off some Gary Parrish last year with his ranking "formula":

Turpin & Tate in 2008! said:

This reminds me of '88-'89. Indiana won the Big 10 title because we lost 4 games when Kendall Gill was injured and out of the lineup. We had lost zero games with Kendall in the lineup. We beat Indiana twice. The selection committee gave ILLINOIS a 1-seed and I believe Indiana got a 2-seed. Bobby Knight was pissed.

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Rumor has it that Bobby is still pissing right now..

nycillini said:

I know this is a longshot but if we win the B10 tourney and Baylor gets bounced in the first round, could we jump them to #2 in the final AP poll?

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All that matters is we end up a 1 seed so the Zags or Baylor aren't in our bracket

Benjamin Hochman
I see Zorro out there. Others suggested Batman. Or Black Panther. Or, as Illinois coach Brad Underwood said, Catwoman.
But I see Zorro — the understated black mask wrapped around the top part of his face, holes for his purposeful pupils. And as Ayo Dosunmu activates in the backcourt, he slashes through the defense — Zig! Zag! Zig! — like Zorro cutting his trademark “Z” with a sword.
“I feel like a superhero with the black mask on,” Dosunmu said.

“I enjoy it — it makes me focus in more,” he said via the postgame Zoom conference. “Every shot I’m shooting, in my head, I look at it as extra contesting in my face. So I try to focus in even more and dial in even more on my technique.”


What a cool approach. He is so likeable. Perhaps even some Mizzou or Michigan fans could admit it.

But in practice the day before, Dosunmu’s defense was deplorable. He admitted that Underwood “went so crazy on me” for his play. And you know what? Dosunmu welcomed it.
“Great players — truly great players — always want to be pushed,” Underwood said. “And that’s one thing I respect about Ayo. There’s something about (players with) greatness — they’re never satisfied. Ayo was not good defensively — and I told him he might have the shortest comeback in history (if he played that way against the Buckeyes). But gosh darn it, he loves that. He doesn’t want to be coddled and told he’s great. He thrives on that. And that’s a blast to coach. It’s called character. And we’ve got a whole bunch of character in our locker room.”

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And we’ve got a whole bunch of character in our locker room.”

Say's it all for me......

SescIllini said:

I would take Iowa, especially now. Seems like scouting and injuries are catching up to Michigan. Iowa has a big to match and be better than their big and a deeper bench.

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I wouldn't take Iowa. Michigan matches up really well with Iowa (as we do) with really good perimeter defenders and a guy that bully Garza in the post.

WhiteHorseWings said:

And Michigan won the title

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"was handed"

ugottabjoshinme said:

I wouldn't take Iowa. Michigan matches up really well with Iowa (as we do) with really good perimeter defenders and a guy that bully Garza in the post.

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I think Brooks being injured makes a difference there. Maybe not a big enough one, but I think he matters a lot to their perimeter defense.

Butters said:

I think Brooks being injured makes a difference there. Maybe not a big enough one, but I think he matters a lot to their perimeter defense.

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And their depth

I11ini82 said:

Illinois could play Gonzaga 3x and lose all 3 ....

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I refuse to accept this hypothetical for any purpose.

Goode-for-3 said:

If we win the BTT I expect we jump Baylor even if they win their tournament as well.

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Illini_Jack said:

All that matters is we end up a 1 seed so the Zags or Baylor aren't in our bracket

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Agreed - although being the #3 overall seed ahead of Michigan has some benefits, given we would get the lower ranked non-Big Ten #2 seed (likely Houston rather than Alabama) in our bracket and the weaker non-big ten 4 seed. It also means we avoid Gonzaga until the NC, which is a plus

If we win the Big Ten tournament or even get to the finals and Michigan doesn't - we have a strong case to be ahead of them. If we play well we can beat anyone, but it's always better to have a path with slightly more favorable matchups