Bracketology
- Status
Will likely be quad two by the end of the year. Can't count on that though. With that being said, we need to start picking off road games the rest of the year. Needs to start with Michigan, and would like to see a few more after that.
Magic number should be 23-8. 22-9 worse case. I think both of those and you have a decent shot at a top 4 seed, hopefully with Shannon in the mix by then
Thinking same thing. Try and make up for that horrible loss against Terrapin. Winning at in Ann Arbor and Evanston would be significant.
Respect your opinion and I wish I shared your optimism. With TJ, sure. Without I think we are borderline Top 25 at the end of the year and around a 6. Hope I'm wrong.
Illinifan533
- Normal, Illinois
Usually don't put too much stock into any type of bracketologies before March, but ESPN's latest one has us as a 4 seed facing off against none other than John Groce's Akron team.
Men's Bracketology: The fact that UConn even has a chance to three-peat is amazing
The last time anyone saw an NCAA basketball three-peat the heroes were John Wooden, Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins. Enter the current UConn Huskies.
www.espn.com
sacraig
- The desert
Me reacting to Gonzaga not being projected as a tournament team as of today:Usually don't put too much stock into any type of bracketologies before March, but ESPN's latest one has us as a 4 seed facing off against none other than John Groce's Akron team.
Men's Bracketology: The fact that UConn even has a chance to three-peat is amazing
The last time anyone saw an NCAA basketball three-peat the heroes were John Wooden, Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins. Enter the current UConn Huskies.www.espn.com
Personally, I am soooooooo over Gonzaga being a force in NCAA basketball......... NIL has killed whatever clout they had in the past in my totally unknowledgeable opinion....Me reacting to Gonzaga not being projected as a tournament team as of today:
To me it is interesting see Wisky as a 2 seed by some experts. They beat Marquette and have done very well in conference. They played a tough non conference playing Arizona and Tennessee
If the experts think they could be a 2 seed there probably is not a huge gap between us.
If the experts think they could be a 2 seed there probably is not a huge gap between us.
Wisconsin #6 in SOS on kenpom right now. That's helping them along with not having a bad loss at home to Maryland.
I will say our team, more than any other team in recent memory is built very well for the tournament.
Experienced
Well balanced
Good 3-point shooting
Defensive flexibility
Shares the ball well
Off Rebounds to make up for poor shooting nights
Limits turnovers
There are a lot of things to like the way we are constructed for March - a team with multiple bigs that are physical can give us trouble obviously, but there aren't too many of those around anymore.
Experienced
Well balanced
Good 3-point shooting
Defensive flexibility
Shares the ball well
Off Rebounds to make up for poor shooting nights
Limits turnovers
There are a lot of things to like the way we are constructed for March - a team with multiple bigs that are physical can give us trouble obviously, but there aren't too many of those around anymore.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Illini NET back at #13 after the win at Michigan. Obviously the NCAA doesn't just go straight down the rankings for the seeds, but that means we are in the #3 to #4 seed conversation currently. Here are our remaining opportunities:
Quad 1
vs. #2 Purdue
at #15 Wisconsin
at #22 Michigan State
at #48 Iowa
at #49 Ohio State
at #74 Northwestern
Quad 2
vs. #48 Iowa
vs. #58 Nebraska
at #95 Maryland
at #120 Penn State
Quad 3
vs. #92 Rutgers
vs. #99 Indiana
vs. #93 Michigan
vs. #96 Minnesota
The one game that scares me the most is at home vs. Indiana. They're good for a solid performance once a year, and any of those bottom four would be a terrible loss, at least as bad as Maryland. Here are our results to-date! It would be really nice if NU can stay in the top 75, because that's barely ever a real road game!
Quad 1
L at #2 Purdue
L at #6 Tennessee
L vs. #18 Marquette
W vs. #29 FAU (New York, NY)
W vs. #22 Michigan State
Quad 2
W vs. #74 Northwestern
W at #92 Rutgers
W at #93 Michigan
Quad 3
L vs. #95 Maryland
W vs. #116 Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W vs. #134 Oakland
W vs. #148 Colgate
Quad 4
W vs. #177 Southern
W vs. #216 Western Illinois
W vs. #283 Valparaiso
W vs. #305 Eastern Illinois
W vs. #319 FDU
On a pessimistic side, our MSU Quad 1 win is somewhat tenuous (MSU has to be top 30), and our Quad 2 win vs. NU at home is hanging on by a thread (NU has to be top 75). However, on an optimistic side, there is a decent outside chance that at least one of Rutgers, Michigan or Maryland creep back into the top 75. If Michigan or Rutgers do, we get another Quad 1 win on the road. If Maryland does, our really bad Quad 3 loss to them at least becomes Quad 2.
One underrated thing that I don't think people consider enough! A solid showing in the BTT can sometimes push you up a seed line, and it is relevant to look at what each Big Ten opponent would be if we played them in Minneapolis. Assuming we can get a top 4 seed in the BTT, we (theoretically) might get to skip right to meaningful games for a resume. For how bad the conference is said to be by some pundits and even our own fans, there will certainly be opportunities in Minneapolis to improve our seed!
Quad 1
#2 Purdue
#15 Wisconsin
#22 Michigan State
#48 Iowa
#49 Ohio State
Quad 2
#58 Nebraska
#74 Northwestern
#92 Rutgers
#93 Michigan
#95 Maryland
#96 Minnesota
#99 Indiana
Quad 3
#120 Penn State
Quad 1
vs. #2 Purdue
at #15 Wisconsin
at #22 Michigan State
at #48 Iowa
at #49 Ohio State
at #74 Northwestern
Quad 2
vs. #48 Iowa
vs. #58 Nebraska
at #95 Maryland
at #120 Penn State
Quad 3
vs. #92 Rutgers
vs. #99 Indiana
vs. #93 Michigan
vs. #96 Minnesota
The one game that scares me the most is at home vs. Indiana. They're good for a solid performance once a year, and any of those bottom four would be a terrible loss, at least as bad as Maryland. Here are our results to-date! It would be really nice if NU can stay in the top 75, because that's barely ever a real road game!
Quad 1
L at #2 Purdue
L at #6 Tennessee
L vs. #18 Marquette
W vs. #29 FAU (New York, NY)
W vs. #22 Michigan State
Quad 2
W vs. #74 Northwestern
W at #92 Rutgers
W at #93 Michigan
Quad 3
L vs. #95 Maryland
W vs. #116 Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W vs. #134 Oakland
W vs. #148 Colgate
Quad 4
W vs. #177 Southern
W vs. #216 Western Illinois
W vs. #283 Valparaiso
W vs. #305 Eastern Illinois
W vs. #319 FDU
On a pessimistic side, our MSU Quad 1 win is somewhat tenuous (MSU has to be top 30), and our Quad 2 win vs. NU at home is hanging on by a thread (NU has to be top 75). However, on an optimistic side, there is a decent outside chance that at least one of Rutgers, Michigan or Maryland creep back into the top 75. If Michigan or Rutgers do, we get another Quad 1 win on the road. If Maryland does, our really bad Quad 3 loss to them at least becomes Quad 2.
One underrated thing that I don't think people consider enough! A solid showing in the BTT can sometimes push you up a seed line, and it is relevant to look at what each Big Ten opponent would be if we played them in Minneapolis. Assuming we can get a top 4 seed in the BTT, we (theoretically) might get to skip right to meaningful games for a resume. For how bad the conference is said to be by some pundits and even our own fans, there will certainly be opportunities in Minneapolis to improve our seed!
Quad 1
#2 Purdue
#15 Wisconsin
#22 Michigan State
#48 Iowa
#49 Ohio State
Quad 2
#58 Nebraska
#74 Northwestern
#92 Rutgers
#93 Michigan
#95 Maryland
#96 Minnesota
#99 Indiana
Quad 3
#120 Penn State
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
You lose 83.5% of your minutes played.
You lose 86.1% of your points scored.
Then you lose your All American 1 game into the big ten season. After game 6 of the big ten you’re ranked 14 in the nation and on pace to finish the 3rd in the big ten.
Absolute masterful coaching.
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
On a national broadcast this morning, the coach of the year conversation came up. They didn't mention Underwood, but it sure seems like he should be considered.
BTT means little to nothing for seeding. I don’t remember someone moving much due to their performance. If someone unexpectedly wins a conference tournament who wasn’t going to get in then lower seeds shuffle
I think your seed is more or less determined once regular season play ends
What does Maryland have to do to get that back to a quad 2 loss vs 3?
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
This has always been my understanding, if for nothing else then because of how late the games take place. Especially the championship game being just before the seed reveals.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
A 63 percent chance of a top 3 seed? I'll take it.
I don't know what we have to do to get more national love, but whatever. Not including Brad on that list is just a flat-out miss. He has a real case to be NCOY if voting took place today
If he considers us the weakest 4 and BYU the strongest 5 it is not unheard of
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
The usual line I have seen is that the BTT Title Game means nothing. That is because the brackets are already pretty much made by the time the BTT Title Game comes on, and they hold a spot if a team that would miss the field ends up winning it. However, I completely disagree that anything before that is meaningless. A team can go from 2 to 4 Quad 1 wins in a couple days; that fundamentally transforms your resume.
On Selection Sunday last year, this was our resume that earned us a #9 seed:
NET Ranking: #34
Record: 20-12
SOS: #30
Q1: 2-11
Q2: 7-1
Q3: 4-0
Q4: 7-0
The FUNDAMENTAL problem with our resume, if you look at it, was not enough Quad 1 wins. We were excellent in every other category. If we had beaten Penn State and then gone on to beat Northwestern and Indiana before losing to Purdue (as PSU did), our resume would have looked like this instead.
(It is of course unknown what our NET and SOS rankings would be ... but we would have just beaten #48, #41 and #30 on a neutral court for 3 more Quad 1 wins)
NET Ranking: #34
Record: 23-12
SOS: #30
Q1: 5-11
Q2: 7-1
Q3: 4-0
Q4: 7-0
More than doubling our Quad 1 wins well before the BTT Title Game very possibly pushes us off the 8/9 line and gives us an actual chance at a Sweet Sixteen run. Never know. Our 2006 and 2022 teams likely similarly played themselves off of the 3 seed line and onto the 4 seed line with first round BTT losses.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Are the top 4 seeds still considered "protected" seeds? I know sometimes it is just not possible, but usually a top 4 seed (presumably in descending order of preference) is supposed to get preferential treatment as far as location goes. Making a 4-seed Illini team play 5-seed BYU in Utah certainly would not fit the bill, lol...
Understand what you are saying but teams who do well in their conference tournaments are not rewarded from getting multiple quad 1 wins. I don’t think our seed would have changed even if we would have won those games last year.
I think the first round game is probably all that is looked at because every team has that opportunity after that games mean less
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