Most importantly, who's officiating?
Game Thread: Illinois vs Florida Atlantic
- Status
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Thank you. Absolutely bizarre. I actually live in that Ballston area and that house is less than a 15-minute walk from my place. I'd just finished in the gym last evening at 8 when the explosion occurred, went upstairs to my place for a quick shower and got in the car to drive several blocks to a grocery store so I could get there before the deli counter closed. As I approached the intersection of the main road I heard sirens and as I crossed it a fire engine was bearing down on me. Went another two blocks to a second main road where the grocery store is located and another fire engine sped by.
I wondered what was going on. Two-alarm fire? Lots of high rises around me ringed by residential areas. That one in particular is a strange little wedge of duplexes and old apartments and small houses, bordered by the I-66 off ramp, a small park, and hotels/office buildings. A remnant of Arlington from before dense development occurred in the '80s and '90s. I had no idea it was even there until this morning.
I also had no idea about the explosion until I awoke this morning when I saw an email from a friend in Washington State who used to live in NoVA. Imagine my surprise. That video of the blast is startling. It's a miracle, given the compression wave and debris, that none of the neighbors or police were injured seriously.
Anyway, thanks for your kind words. And now... it's Illini time!
Can already tell ESPN is going to be on their knees for FAU tonight lol.
I think whether the Illini win or lose will come down to whether they shoot above 40% from behind the arc.
TSJ shot well at MSG last year, so I’m optimistic.
TSJ shot well at MSG last year, so I’m optimistic.
That's because it's not ESPN but actually Anti-Big Ten Network (ABTN).
To fair to ESPN (I am not a fan), the draw for the game is FAU. Regardless of having a great NCAA Tournament last year, they're viewed as the Cinderella and the underdogs and they will be all year. They're not a household name.
Truthfully, if they weren't playing us, I'd be on their bandwagon.
All that said, the headliner (UNC vs UCONN) is going to control the headlines.
Looks like FAU is wearing an Adidas copycat version of our shorts … this’ll be an awkward game from a uniform template perspective.
Attachments
For me, an Illini victory tonight will be a huge surprise Christmas gift. Most of what I know about this matchup is what I have learned from pre-game information and matchup/strengths/weaknesses breakdowns from posters and media. The Illini should have advantages in rebounding and defense....but they will have to play all out in both departments from the tip...and that has not been a strengh. FAU will play with a swagger based on last year's result and offensive advantage that receives the most lauding from fans.
That said, the Illini certainly can prevail, but need to do it by transferring their mental knowledge into physical results. Should be a barnburner and maybe one of those epic Illini comebacks will be needed. We will soon know.
That said, the Illini certainly can prevail, but need to do it by transferring their mental knowledge into physical results. Should be a barnburner and maybe one of those epic Illini comebacks will be needed. We will soon know.
Let's Go!
Just keep turnovers down and we'll be fine.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Just over here tearing up over this intro...
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
The FAU stats on ESPN.com are rather intimidating. They look like a well-oiled offensive machine, playing at a high, high level.
Same here
Bigtex
- DFW
But how many good defensive teams have they played. (I don’t know)
Glad to hear you are OK sir. Enjoy the game tonight. I know I will. I-L-L!!
Really, Bilas and company slobbering over Duke, unc, or anyone playing us? Can't imagine that...
My anxiety is super high
- Status