Illini Basketball 2023-2024

The W-L record, tournament performance or banners are not what attracts me to fandom. It is watching the guys grow and find success individually and as a team. With the portal, this is not quite the same but this group has been very enjoyable to watch. Here's to hoping all the guys find a lot more success in the weeks to come, especially as a team.

illinoisgrad1990 said:

Great concept article here, asking 44 basketball notables and Illini greats to sum up Coleman in one word. Kudos to Jeff D'Alessio from the N-G for pulling together this collection (including Bubba Chisholm! ) and a big ole Brad Underwood fart noise to the guy who chose this moment to call Coleman a crybaby. One the whole, the comments are very positive and recognize that although he is a complicated human being with flaws like the rest of us, overall the good far outweighs the bad.

May we have a word about ... Coleman Hawkins?

Baller. Warrior. Rollercoaster. Polarizing. Seems everyone has something to say about Coleman Hawkins. Editor Jeff D'Alessio rounded up a panel of 44 former Illini, fans, media and others to give

www.news-gazette.com

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Not really any negatives except TJ. I got chills seeing the names and pictures of the former players.

Thx for the share

I'm just going to embrace how punishing our offense is, and accept that our defense is just meh. Going forward, first team to 90 is winning the game.

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

Not sure where to put this....so move to an appropriate thread if need be.....but TGL must have really dug himself a hole....he hasn't had the warmup off in the last 3-4 games....must have done something to really get into the doghouse that bad....anyone know the reasoning as to why?

LvilleILL said:

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

Click to expand...

Played around on KP looking for the NCAA tournament fate of teams with a similar profile to ours, and this is what I found.

32 teams since 1999 fit the profile of:
(1) top 10 ranked KP offensive efficiency;
(2) a KP adjusted defensive efficiency greater than 100.0 (all NCAA champions in KP era have been at 94.0 or below); and
(3) a defensive ranking of 175 or better (~top half defense of all teams, but bottom quartile for tournament teams).

2024 Illini satisfy each of these criteria at present.

Of those 32 teams, 65.6% lost in first weekend or were in NIT, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the NIT (second round);

- 14 (43.8%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;

- 6 (18.8%) lost in Round 2;

- 7 (21.9%) lost in the Sweet 16 (2001 Gonzaga -12 seed; 2009 Arizona -12 seed; 2010 Cornell -12 seed; 2016 Duke -4 seed; 2016 Iowa St. -4 seed; 2017 UCLA- 3 seed; and 2018 Nevada – 7 seed);

- 3 (9.4%) lost in the Elite 8 (2014 Michigan – 2 seed; 2015 Notre Dame – 3 seed; 2016 Notre Dame – 6 seed); and

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the Final 4 (2023 Miami – 5 seed)

Doesn't look that different if you further limit the above by looking only at teams that were seeded between 3 and 6 in the NCAAT. There have been 16 teams since 1999 that satisfied all 4 of those criteria.

Of those 16 teams seeded 3-6, 62.5% lost in first weekend, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.
- 6 (37.5%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;
- 4 (25%) lost in Round 2;
- 3 (18.8%) lost in the Sweet 16;
- 2 (12.5%) lost in the Elite 8; and
- 1 (6.3%) lost in the Final 4.

LvilleILL said:

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

Click to expand...

MDchicago said:

Played around on KP looking for the NCAA tournament fate of teams with a similar profile to ours, and this is what I found.

32 teams since 1999 fit the profile of:
(1) top 10 ranked KP offensive efficiency;
(2) a KP adjusted defensive efficiency greater than 100.0 (all NCAA champions in KP era have been at 94.0 or below); and
(3) a defensive ranking of 175 or better (~top half defense of all teams, but bottom quartile for tournament teams).

2024 Illini satisfy each of these criteria at present.

Of those 32 teams, 65.6% lost in first weekend or were in NIT, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the NIT (second round);

- 14 (43.8%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;

- 6 (18.8%) lost in Round 2;

- 7 (21.9%) lost in the Sweet 16 (2001 Gonzaga -12 seed; 2009 Arizona -12 seed; 2010 Cornell -12 seed; 2016 Duke -4 seed; 2016 Iowa St. -4 seed; 2017 UCLA- 3 seed; and 2018 Nevada – 7 seed);

- 3 (9.4%) lost in the Elite 8 (2014 Michigan – 2 seed; 2015 Notre Dame – 3 seed; 2016 Notre Dame – 6 seed); and

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the Final 4 (2023 Miami – 5 seed)

Doesn't look that different if you further limit the above by looking only at teams that were seeded between 3 and 6 in the NCAAT. There have been 16 teams since 1999 that satisfied all 4 of those criteria.

Of those 16 teams seeded 3-6, 62.5% lost in first weekend, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.
- 6 (37.5%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;
- 4 (25%) lost in Round 2;
- 3 (18.8%) lost in the Sweet 16;
- 2 (12.5%) lost in the Elite 8; and
- 1 (6.3%) lost in the Final 4.

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When did the defense get so bad? My hazy memory said we had THE best 2pt % defense in the nation sometime late in the non-conf, and top-25 kenpom overall defense.

MDchicago said:

Played around on KP looking for the NCAA tournament fate of teams with a similar profile to ours, and this is what I found.

32 teams since 1999 fit the profile of:
(1) top 10 ranked KP offensive efficiency;
(2) a KP adjusted defensive efficiency greater than 100.0 (all NCAA champions in KP era have been at 94.0 or below); and
(3) a defensive ranking of 175 or better (~top half defense of all teams, but bottom quartile for tournament teams).

2024 Illini satisfy each of these criteria at present.

Of those 32 teams, 65.6% lost in first weekend or were in NIT, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the NIT (second round);

- 14 (43.8%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;

- 6 (18.8%) lost in Round 2;

- 7 (21.9%) lost in the Sweet 16 (2001 Gonzaga -12 seed; 2009 Arizona -12 seed; 2010 Cornell -12 seed; 2016 Duke -4 seed; 2016 Iowa St. -4 seed; 2017 UCLA- 3 seed; and 2018 Nevada – 7 seed);

- 3 (9.4%) lost in the Elite 8 (2014 Michigan – 2 seed; 2015 Notre Dame – 3 seed; 2016 Notre Dame – 6 seed); and

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the Final 4 (2023 Miami – 5 seed)

Doesn't look that different if you further limit the above by looking only at teams that were seeded between 3 and 6 in the NCAAT. There have been 16 teams since 1999 that satisfied all 4 of those criteria.

Of those 16 teams seeded 3-6, 62.5% lost in first weekend, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.
- 6 (37.5%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;
- 4 (25%) lost in Round 2;
- 3 (18.8%) lost in the Sweet 16;
- 2 (12.5%) lost in the Elite 8; and
- 1 (6.3%) lost in the Final 4.

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Is Fighter of the Nightman using two user names now? (No offense intended to MDChicago)

How many offensive weapons does this team have?

MDchicago said:

Played around on KP looking for the NCAA tournament fate of teams with a similar profile to ours, and this is what I found.

32 teams since 1999 fit the profile of:
(1) top 10 ranked KP offensive efficiency;
(2) a KP adjusted defensive efficiency greater than 100.0 (all NCAA champions in KP era have been at 94.0 or below); and
(3) a defensive ranking of 175 or better (~top half defense of all teams, but bottom quartile for tournament teams).

2024 Illini satisfy each of these criteria at present.

Of those 32 teams, 65.6% lost in first weekend or were in NIT, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the NIT (second round);

- 14 (43.8%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;

- 6 (18.8%) lost in Round 2;

- 7 (21.9%) lost in the Sweet 16 (2001 Gonzaga -12 seed; 2009 Arizona -12 seed; 2010 Cornell -12 seed; 2016 Duke -4 seed; 2016 Iowa St. -4 seed; 2017 UCLA- 3 seed; and 2018 Nevada – 7 seed);

- 3 (9.4%) lost in the Elite 8 (2014 Michigan – 2 seed; 2015 Notre Dame – 3 seed; 2016 Notre Dame – 6 seed); and

- 1 (3.1%) lost in the Final 4 (2023 Miami – 5 seed)

Doesn't look that different if you further limit the above by looking only at teams that were seeded between 3 and 6 in the NCAAT. There have been 16 teams since 1999 that satisfied all 4 of those criteria.

Of those 16 teams seeded 3-6, 62.5% lost in first weekend, 31.3% lost in the second weekend, and 3.1% lost in the Final 4.
- 6 (37.5%) lost in Round 1 of the NCAAT;
- 4 (25%) lost in Round 2;
- 3 (18.8%) lost in the Sweet 16;
- 2 (12.5%) lost in the Elite 8; and
- 1 (6.3%) lost in the Final 4.

Click to expand...

I just did a similar exercise with Torvik except I looked at teams with an offensive ranking of 10 or better and a defensive ranking of 100 or worse.

My takeaways were:
- It's rare for these types of teams to get a top 4 seed which is probably the main reason why so few make it out of the first weekend.

- There have only been 7 teams with this profile to get a top 4 seed. 3 of those teams advanced to the second weekend which is more or less par for the course for all top 4 seeds in general.

- Only once has a team with this profile made it to the Final Four which might indicate a limited upside for this type of team.

So, if we hold onto a top 4 seed, we should still reasonably expect to win 2 games in the tournament. Anything that happens after that is a bonus.

With that win against Minnesota, we extend yet another winning streak. Here are the matchups with our Big Ten foes over the past five seasons (since 2019-20):

INDIANA
ILLINOIS 5-3 VS. INDIANA
Illinois 67, Indiana 66 (Champaign, IL)
#18 Illinois 69, Indiana 60 (Champaign, IL)
#12 Illinois 75, Indiana 71 in OT (Bloomington, IN)
#18 Illinois 74, Indiana 57 (Bloomington, IN)
Indiana 65, #16 Illinois 63 (BTT Quarterfinals - Indianapolis, IN)
Indiana 80, Illinois 65 (Champaign, IL)
#14 Indiana 71, Illinois 68 (Bloomington, IN)
#10 Illinois 70, Indiana 62 (Champaign, IL)

IOWA
ILLINOIS 6-2 VS. IOWA
#18 Iowa 72, #19 Illinois 65 (Iowa City, IA)
#23 Illinois 78, #18 Iowa 76 (Champaign, IL)
#19 Illinois 80, #7 Iowa (Champaign, IL)
#3 Illinois 82, #5 Iowa 71 (BTT Semifinals in Indianapolis, IN)
Illinois 87, Iowa 83 (Iowa City, IA)
#20 Illinois 74, #20 Iowa 72 (Champaign, IL)
Iowa 81, Illinois 79 (Iowa City, IA)
#12 Illinois 95, Iowa 85 (Champaign, IL)

MARYLAND
ILLINOIS 2-6 VS. MARYLAND
#3 Maryland 59, Illinois 58 (College Park, MD)
#9 Maryland 75, #20 Illinois 66 (Champaign, IL) ... attended by Fighter!
Maryland 66, #12 Illinois 63 (Champaign, IL)
Illinois 76, Maryland 64 (Champaign, IL)
Maryland 81, #17 Illinois 65 (College Park, MD)
#22 Maryland 71, #16 Illinois (College Park, MD)
Maryland 76, #10 Illinois 67 (Champaign, IL)
#14 Illinois 85, Maryland 80 (College Park, MD)

MICHIGAN
ILLINOIS 8-0 VS. MICHIGAN
Illinois 71, #5 Michigan 62 (Champaign, IL)
#21 Illinois 64, Michigan 62 (Ann Arbor, MI)
#4 Illinois 76, #2 Michigan 53 (Ann Arbor, MI)
#25 Illinois 68, Michigan 53 (Champaign, IL)
#15 Illinois 93, Michigan 85 (Ann Arbor, MI)
Illinois 91, Michigan 87 in 2OT (Champaign, IL)
#14 Illinois 88, Michigan 73 (Ann Arbor, MI)
#14 Illinois 97, Michigan 68 (Champaign, IL)

MICHIGAN STATE
ILLINOIS 4-4 VS. MICHIGAN STATE
#14 Michigan State 76, Illinois 56 (East Lansing, MI)
Michigan State 70, #22 Illinois 69 (Champaign, IL)
Michigan State 81, #5 Illinois 72 (East Lansing, MI)
#24 Illinois 56, #10 Michigan State 55 (Champaign, IL)
#12 Illinois 79, #19 Michigan State (East Lansing, MI)
Illinois 75, Michigan State 66 (Champaign, IL)
#10 Illinois 71, Michigan State 68 (Champaign, IL)
Michigan State 88, #10 Illinois 80 (East Lansing, MI)

MINNESOTA
ILLINOIS 7-0 VS. MINNESOTA
#19 Illinois 59, Minnesota 51 (Champaign, IL)
#13 Illinois 92, Minnesota 65 (Champaign, IL)
#5 Illinois 94, Minnesota 63 (Minneapolis, MN)
Illinois 76, Minnesota 53 (Minneapolis, MN)
Illinois 78, Minnesota 60 (Minneapolis, MN)
Illinois 78, Minnesota 69 (Champaign, IL)
#13 Illinois 105, Minnesota 97 (Champaign, IL)

NEBRASKA
ILLINOIS 7-0 VS. NEBRASKA
Illinois 71, Nebraska 59 (Champaign, IL)
#6 Illinois 77, Nebraska 72 in OT (Lincoln, NE)
#5 Illinois 86, Nebraska 70 (Champaign, IL)
#25 Illinois 81, Nebraska 71 (Lincoln, NE)
Illinois 76, Nebraska 50 (Lincoln, NE)
Illinois 72, Nebraska (Champaign, IL)
#14 Illinois 87, Nebraska 84 in OT (Champaign, IL)

NORTHWESTERN
ILLINOIS 8-2 VS. NORTHWESTERN
#24 Illinois 75, Northwestern 71 (Champaign, IL)
Illinois 74, Northwestern 66 (Evanston, IL) ... attended by Fighter!
#12 Illinois 81, Northwestern 56 (Evanston, IL)
#5 Illinois 73, Northwestern 66 (Champaign, IL)
#24 Illinois 59, Northwestern 56 (Evanston, IL) ... attended by Fighter!
#13 Illinois 73, Northwestern 66 (Champaign, IL)
Northwestern 73, Illinois 60 (Evanston, IL)
Illinois 66, #21 Northwestern 62 (Champaign, IL)
#9 Illinois 96, Northwestern 66 (Champaign, IL)
Northwestern 96, #10 Illinois 91 in OT (Evanston, IL)

OHIO STATE
ILLINOIS 4-4 VS. OHIO STATE
#19 Ohio State 71, #23 Illinois 63 (Columbus, OH)
#21 Ohio State 87, #14 Illinois 81 (Champaign, IL)
#4 Illinois 73, #7 Ohio State 68 (Columbus, OH)
#3 Illinois 91, #9 Ohio State 88 in OT (BTT Final in Indianapolis, IN)
#22 Ohio State 86, #15 Illinois 83 (Champaign, IL)
Illinois 69, Ohio State 60 (Champaign, IL)
Ohio State 72, Illinois 60 (Columbus, OH)
#14 Illinois 87, Ohio State 75 (Columbus, OH)

PENN STATE
ILLINOIS 4-4 VS. PENN STATE
Illinois 62, #9 Penn State 56 (State College, PA)
#18 Illinois 98, Penn State 81 (State College, PA)
#22 Illinois 79, Penn State 65 (Champaign, IL)
#20 Illinois 60, Penn State 55 (Champaign, IL)
Penn State 74, #17 Illinois 59 (Champaign, IL)
Penn State 93, Illinois 81 (State College, PA)
Penn State 79, Illinois 76 (BTT Second Round - Chicago, IL)
Penn State 90, #12 Illinois 89 (State College, PA)

PURDUE
ILLINOIS 3-4 VS. PURDUE
Illinois 63, Purdue 37 (Champaign, IL)
#21 Illinois 79, Purdue 62 (West Lafayette, IN)
#15 Illinois 66, Purdue 58 (Champaign, IL)
#4 Purdue 96, #17 Illinois 88 in 2OT (Champaign, IL)
#3 Purdue 84, #13 Illinois 68 (West Lafayette, IN)
#5 Purdue 76, Illinois 71 (West Lafayette, IN)
#1 Purdue 83, #9 Illinois 78

RUTGERS
ILLINOIS 6-3 VS. RUTGERS
Illinois 54, Rutgers 51 (Champaign, IL)
Rutgers 72, #22 Illinois 57 (Piscataway, NJ)
#19 Rutgers 91, #13 Illinois 88 (Piscataway, NJ)
#3 Illinois 90, Rutgers 68 (BTT Quarterfinals in Indianapolis, IN)
Illinois 86, Rutgers 51 (Champaign, IL)
Rutgers 70, #12 Illinois 59 (Piscataway, NJ)
Illinois 69, #24 Rutgers 60 (Champaign, IL)
#24 Illinois 76, Rutgers 58 (Piscataway, NJ)
#14 Illinois 86, Rutgers 63 (Champaign, IL)

WISCONSIN
ILLINOIS 6-0 VS. WISCONSIN
Illinois 71, Wisconsin 70 (Madison, WI)
#12 Illinois 75, #19 Wisconsin 60 (Champaign, IL)
#5 Illinois 74, #23 Wisconsin 69 (Madison, WI)
#18 Illinois 80, #11 Wisconsin 67 (Champaign, IL)
Illinois 79, #14 Wisconsin 69 (Champaign, IL)
Illinois 61, Wisconsin 51 (Madison, WI)

And just for some fun, our all-time record vs. each Big Ten opponent (thanks official Fighting Illini website, no research required!!):

Rutgers: 13-4 (.765)
Northwestern: 143-45 (.761)
Nebraska: 22-8 (.733)
Minnesota: 130-68 (.657)
Penn State: 32-23 (.582)
Ohio State: 111-82 (.575)
Wisconsin: 117-88 (.571)
Iowa: 90-77 (.539)
Michigan: 95-85 (.528)
Michigan State: 64-65 (.496)
Indiana: 92-96 (.489)
Purdue: 90-106 (.459)
Maryland: 8-15 (.348)

TOTAL: 1,007-762 (.569)

Pretty, pretty, PRETTY good! What's crazy is we have pretty much just regained our stats we had circa 2009 ... that's how bad our 2010 to 2019 stretch was.

LvilleILL said:

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

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You called it all along. You've been saying how good this team would be before Spain.

LvilleILL said:

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

Click to expand...

Amen. I think a lot of people need to stop and realize that these two things that worry us...

1. Being upset that we lost a random road game and it might cost us the Big Ten championship.
2. Being apprehensive that we might not be able to rise above the #4 seed line and get to the Second Weekend in the NCAA Tournament.

... are the type of "top program problems" that people complained about during the glory years of 1980-1990 and 1998-2006. The big Tournament run has yet to materialize, but the floor of this program has been elevated back to an incredibly high level.

LvilleILL said:

We all want more still: but man where this program is just makes me so happy. The fact that we are going into March with 21 wins already, and a locked up top 6 seed worse case is amazing. 5 straight years of making the tournament. What would you have said six years ago if you were told we were going to win 20+ regular season games 5 years in a row. Amazing turnaround, and we are just getting started. Let's get these next 3 and have this be our year where we go on a deep run

Click to expand...

I agree, and as much as I get mad with Underwood at times, I have to remember that he has helped resurrect our program to legit relevancy every season now. I have to remind myself how apathetic I got late Weber-Groce with not making the tournament. Am I the only one that got depressed filling out brackets and watching the tourney without our team anywhere near it?

agree on your points. Would add a 3rd point that worries me (if not us) winning 2 games (with short rest 1 day in between). There is an art to preparing a team for tournament play.

Henson was below average
Kruger was average
Self was average (at Illinois) above average after he left
Weber was below average once you eliminate 2005
Groce was way below average
Underwood has been below average. At our house we refer to Coach as Fran Underwood.

Fighter of the Nightman said:

Amen. I think a lot of people need to stop and realize that these two things that worry us...

1. Being upset that we lost a random road game and it might cost us the Big Ten championship.
2. Being apprehensive that we might not be able to rise above the #4 seed line and get to the Second Weekend in the NCAA Tournament.

... are the type of "top program problems" that people complained about during the glory years of 1980-1990 and 1998-2006. The big Tournament run has yet to materialize, but the floor of this program has been elevated back to an incredibly high level.

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I'm too young to remember the 80-90 run, but I lived and died with the 98-06 teams. I'd go back as far as 97. I remember when Lon Kruger stepped in and turned Chris Gandy into a force. When Jerry Hester went down, there was nothing but doom and gloom, but they surprised everyone. Nothing was more surprising than the next year's squad. When Bradford had to redshirt due to grades, the seniors stepped up, and Matt Heldman hit shots from Decatur. In 1999, they sucked, but they were so much fun to watch, and you knew the future was bright with Frank Williams sitting on the bench waiting and Marcus Griffin averaging double doubles in Lincoln. That BTT run (and a big FU to Bobby) was outstanding!

I think the big difference between that decade (97-07) and this one is the hope. There weren't a lot of goose eggs like there are now. I was excited for every game and shocked when we lost. Now I kind of sit there with nerves expecting the worst. Is it a learned behavior from 2010-2020? Maybe. I certainly don't blame BU- he's brought in players that have me excited about every season. But I do still expect a letdown instead of sitting on the edge of my seat with hope.

And dog gone it...if that little blurb about 97-99 didn't get me excited for Saturday! Now I'm thinking we can topple anyone.

Monticello said:

I'm too young to remember the 80-90 run, but I lived and died with the 98-06 teams. I'd go back as far as 97. I remember when Lon Kruger stepped in and turned Chris Gandy into a force. When Jerry Hester went down, there was nothing but doom and gloom, but they surprised everyone. Nothing was more surprising than the next year's squad. When Bradford had to redshirt due to grades, the seniors stepped up, and Matt Heldman hit shots from Decatur. In 1999, they sucked, but they were so much fun to watch, and you knew the future was bright with Frank Williams sitting on the bench waiting and Marcus Griffin averaging double doubles in Lincoln. That BTT run (and a big FU to Bobby) was outstanding!

I think the big difference between that decade (97-07) and this one is the hope. There weren't a lot of goose eggs like there are now. I was excited for every game and shocked when we lost. Now I kind of sit there with nerves expecting the worst. Is it a learned behavior from 2010-2020? Maybe. I certainly don't blame BU- he's brought in players that have me excited about every season. But I do still expect a letdown instead of sitting on the edge of my seat with hope.

And dog gone it...if that little blurb about 97-99 didn't get me excited for Saturday! Now I'm thinking we can topple anyone.

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I sadly have to agree with this. I am only 32, so the first real season I remember watching multiple games regularly with my dad is 2003. To me, "Illinois Basketball" was so frickin' elite, and I expected a lot more than I do now. Losing in Champaign? Not happening. Close games vs. the bottom of the league? Not happening. Obviously, there were exceptions and the actual records we sported a lot of years then aren't better than what Brad has accomplished here. Another poster mentioned things like the transfer portal really causing more parity in college hoops, and this has certainly played a factor. And, as you said, the dark years of 2010-2019 quickly stacked up to be a longer period of time than any winning I had witnessed ... by the 2019-20 season when we were really starting to improve, I had a bit of imposter syndrome even as we were winning.

Maybe college hoops (and the fan experience that goes along with it, especially with social media and conference realignment) has just simply changed, but I also think a deep Tournament run (Sweet Sixteen or better) would just go a LONG way in relieving some of the stress and angst our fans have right now. We have built up such a good program from the depths of hell, and yet for one reason or another (2020 being cancelled, choke job vs. Loyola in 2021, bad luck drawing Houston and injuries in 2022, team chemistry issues in 2023, etc.), we have nothing to show for it when the lights are brightest in March and SO many more viewers tune in. We have laid a foundation that is worthy of the type of respect that other top programs get, but we need the Tournament run to legitimize it. It was easier to rest easy in a season like 2003 or 2006 when we'd pick up a head-scratcher loss or win a game by way less than we should, because we all had recent memories of watching the Illini play in the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and beyond multiple times.

The way Domask wipes the sweat off the side of his head and then cleans the bottoms of his shoes can only be described with one word. ELITE

Memo to Mr. Josh Whitman:

Could you organize another Illini Caravan Tour and a stop in Rockford this summer? The last one was great. Met Deon and Chester.

Please.

Thanks.

2X2L said:

Memo to Mr. Josh Whitman:

Could you organize another Illini Caravan Tour and a stop in Rockford this summer? The last one was great. Met Deon and Chester.

Please.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

And Geoff…I second this request to Mr. Whitman…