Illini Basketball 2022-2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
#176      
I decided to look back at the Big Ten/ACC opponents we got when we were ranked (i.e., receiving any hype at all...) at the time of the Challenge:

1999-00: #17 Duke vs. #16 Illinois (Chicago, IL)
2000-01: #9 Illinois vs. #1 Duke (Greensboro, NC)
2001-02: #2 Illinois at #5 Maryland
2002-03: #12 North Carolina at #25 Illinois
2003-04: #11 Illinois vs. #10 North Carolina (Greensboro, NC)
2004-05: #1 Wake Forest at #5 Illinois
2005-06: #12 Illinois at North Carolina
2010-11: North Carolina at #20 Illinois
2012-13: Georgia Tech at #22 Illinois
2020-21: #6 Illinois at #10 Duke

So, pretty much any time we have been ranked at the time of the event, we have been given a very exciting opponent ... hope that trend continues. It's kind of amazing how many times we have played Duke or UNC, lol.
Reading this list and so help me God if we don't beat Maryland this year...
 
#177      
You play how you practice. If you don’t create the reflex in practice you won’t be able to do or it will be significantly delayed when you it in the game.

You also need to get your body used to hitting the deck so you aren’t stunned by the feeling when it happens. Practicing like that allows you to build the mental habit and physical adaptation. Diving on the floor sucks, but like everything else, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it.
I was more of a football player than a basketball player. Played linebacker. I sent several of the opposing team to the hospital in my career - one with broken ribs; one with a dislocated hip. Also ended up there myself once with a cracked vertebrae. I didn't practice like I played the game, and the coach didn't want me to.

If as a coach you are going to encourage TWO guys to dive for a ball in practice that is already out of bounds, you better be prepared for not having a full roster available to play the games.
 
#178      
He reeks of illegal payments to recruits , getting family members jobs and countless other things , to me.....When I think of coach k , class is way down the list.........

JMHO
Just to stir the pot….do you think of class when you think of Wooden and Henson?
 
#180      

DReq

Always Illini
Central Illinois
Just to stir the pot….do you think of class when you think of Wooden and Henson?
Wooden definitely doesn't bring class to mind when it comes to playing by the rules. He was the master of playing around the rules including all sorts of stories of payments made to players and families. Lou got results recruiting that seemed to fit with those who moved in the grey areas at least.I love me some Lou and have no real stories of inappropriate actions in recruiting (I am no insider) so I still hold him in very high regard. I think he was a master of the coaches who use assistants to take care of the dirty work to get the players here. He would have been an even greater coach in this era of NIL and legal payments.
 
#181      
Just to stir the pot….do you think of class when you think of Wooden and Henson?
Coach K was like Bob Knight, holier than thou. Knight was worse because he tried to act like he won with second tier talent and accused others of cheating. Digger was another self righteous one. On the football side, Woody and Bo come to mind as hypocrites. Lou Holtz?

Henson and Wooden were classy gentlemen.
 
Last edited:
#182      
As bad of a dude Knight was, he was definitely a "clean" coach. It was a different era, wouldn't have gotten away with it today... and if you look at his last decade or so, he really fell off even at Indiana. I don't think Indiana players were getting paid and they were definitely going to class, staying on track to graduate and stuff.

Philosophically though, I think when you're a horrible piece of human garbage, that's way worse than someone who treats players and other people with respect and throws a few bucks here or there to help players and their families with their living expenses. The Knight zealots always acted like all the bad stuff was fine because he wasn't "cheating", not something I ever agreed with.

Coach K played the game for sure. Zion was getting crazy offers thrown out. He didn't go to Duke because he loved the College of Arts and Sciences
 
#185      
When your assistant was Dave Bliss and your top 8 were all NBA players; I am not buying the squeaky clean crap.
I'm sure Switzer took him under his wing at Oklahoma, probably the dirtiest college football coach ever all things considered and taking era into account. And then SMU... of course he'd be dirty long before Baylor. Maybe he learned some of it from Knight, who knows for sure.
 
#189      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
Had to look up the matchup history because I couldn't remember playing Syracuse in a long time. Illinois hasn't played against Syracuse since 1995. Also was surprised they've only played each other three times and this will be the first home/away game (1978 - Lexington, 1989 Tournament (Minny), & 1995 - Hawaii).
 
#190      
Loser has to wear blue jerseys instead of orange for the rest of the season.
We should wear our orange just so they can’t.

Syracuse has always been my second favorite team. Big fan of the (traditionally) long, athletic zone. I’m excited for this matchup, hope we whoop them.

If our lineups are as versatile as we’re hoping, we’ll be fine. You can 5 out a 2-3 and cause major problems. And we definitely appear to have some high post playmakers if that’s the route we want to go.
 
#191      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
Get this right Illinois Men's Basketball....

1399Illini__24285.1649689817.1280.1280.jpg


usa_today_17936583.0.jpg
 
#197      
How does syracuse look for next year
Looks like a middle of the pack ACC team. They have a lot of new faces & the zone they run usually comes with a learning curve. That's why they typically play better late in the season.
Judah Mintz is a top 50ish freshman guard, and they have two other fringe top 100 guys coming in. As long as we don't get bogged down by the zone, we should win.
 
#198      
Just to stir the pot….do you think of class when you think of Wooden and Henson?

Way before my time so I can't answer that but I have no problem with coaches doing whatever they have to do. The problem with K is he's propped up as a guy who does it the right way and he is the first to lecture others on what they are doing wrong.

When he lectured Dillon Brooks in the handshake line then lied about it after is exhibit a.
 
#199      

The Sprouting Divot

Invisible and Bulletproof
Miracle Mile
Way before my time so I can't answer that but I have no problem with coaches doing whatever they have to do. The problem with K is he's propped up as a guy who does it the right way and he is the first to lecture others on what they are doing wrong.

When he lectured Dillon Brooks in the handshake line then lied about it after is exhibit YYY.
Fixed it for you.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.