Illinois #5 in 2/2 AP Poll

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#102      
skyIdub
ChiefGritty said:
There weren't 160 lb 18 year olds running teams back then because you could just bump and scrape and push them wherever you wanted them to go.

And then Wagler somehow breaks loose and slices to the basket for a layup, only its a foul the other way because The Rev has slid in after he left the ground and collapsed in a heap directly under the basket.

The way the game was played in the Big Ten in 2005 barely deserved the name "basketball", but my lord were we good at it.
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Come on now be fair!! He's at least 170 now! :LOL:💪
 
#103      
Thaillini22
aaeismacgychel said:
By the way, those 4 1 seeds in Zona, Michigan, Duke, and UCONN are like a who's who of teams who are owed some payback from us in the tourney.

Zona '01 Elite 8 was infuriating, but we did give them payback in '05 Elite 8. Rubber match?

Michigan is owed for '89 Final Four. They're owed hard for that. Real hard. I want to end their season.

UCONN is owed for the '24 Elite 8. Big Z has been playing defensively like Clingan all year. I have no better team for him to make that impression his own. 40-0 Illini run or bust

Duke is owed for the '04 Sweet 16. Time for Keaton Wagler to show the Crazies what JJ Reddick would look like if he wasn't a whiny little b*tch and a more efficient shooter.

Really, the only teams missing from this list are UNC and Kentucky.
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We sure are a masochistic bunch!
 
#104      
Illini2010-11
Fly Illini Fly! said:
So Purdue doesn’t drop at all after losing to Indiana?
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We are at the time of year where single games don't impact rankings too much, unless it is a really bad loss. They did drop 9 spots over the past two weeks though.

Nebraska lost twice to top 10 teams and only dropped 4 spots.

That makes Illini's rise into top 5 from #11 two weeks ago most impressive.
 
#105      
PasadenaIllini
Illini2010-11 said:
We are at the time of year where single games don't impact rankings too much, unless it is a really bad loss. They did drop 9 spots over the past two weeks though.

Nebraska lost twice to top 10 teams and only dropped 4 spots.

That makes Illini's rise into top 5 from #11 two weeks ago most impressive.
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Two road victories against top 15 teams will do that. We earned it.
 
#107      
OrangeBlue98
RabidDawgClassic said:
Design your own NCAA Revenge Tour (based on reasonable seeding possibilities)

For me it’s:

Austin Peay (87)
Loyola (21)
Villanova (88)
Vanderbilt (93)
Michigan (89)
UConn (24)

giphy.gif
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If we are doing “one for one” by rounds (at least until you get to the final-we all know NC isn’t getting there this year), I’d swap Kansas for Nova in the Sweet 16 and Kentucky for Vandy in the Elite Eight.

Edit-I get the “reasonable seeding” thing now. Maybe Houston in the Elite Eight for the bogus hang on the rim call and to spite Sampson for IDKWTI?

We took care of Arizona in 2005 for what occurred in 2001. :)
 
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#109      
OrangeBlue98
Juju said:
Thank GOD!! I was in an argument with a moronic Iowa State fan on Instagram this morning, who said that Iowa State is a better team and that they should be ranked higher than Illinois even the polls came out. He argued that they were better just because Iowa State beat Purdue by 23 at Mackey, while we "only" beat them by 6 at Mackey. And also that they've beaten pretty much every team by double digits. I countered by informing him that he should look at Iowa State's schedule and who they've beaten and then look at Illinois' schedule and who we've beaten. When you do that, there IS no comparison. We've played and beaten MUCH tougher opponents than Iowa State has. Iowa State is still a great team, but their resume is nowhere near as impressive and Illinois' resume so far.

ISU has an absolutely BRUTAL stretch coming up in a couple weeks. 5 of their 6 games, starting on Valentine's Day, are at home vs Kansas, at home vs Houston, on the road vs BYU, at home vs Texas Tech, and on the road vs Arizona. So far, Illinois has handled their own tough stretch of games - WITHOUT their senior leader - extremely well and have won every game. We'll see if ISU can have a similar stretch of impressive performances. As it stands right now, though, Illinois has had a MUCH more impressive resume.

Glad the pollsters got it right this week! GO ILLINI!!! 🟧🟦
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They got spanked by Cincinnati.

End of discussion.
 
#110      
RabidDawgClassic
OrangeBlue98 said:
If we are doing “one for one” by rounds (at least until you get to the final-we all know NC isn’t getting there this year), I’d swap Kansas for Nova in the Sweet 16 and Kentucky for Vandy in the Elite Eight.

Edit-I get the “reasonable seeding” thing now. Maybe Houston in the Elite Eight for the bogus hang on the rim call and to spite Sampson for IDKWTI?

We took care of Arizona in 2005 for what occurred in 2001. :)
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I thought about Kentucky a couple hours after I posted this. Definitely tops Vandy. Kansas is a tough call since they were the ones who got revenge on us from the previous year. (2001, 2002). But I suppose it could be revenge for the 2011 matchup
 
#111      
aaeismacgychel
ChiefGritty said:
2005 vs 2026 is an easy pick: whichever team gets to play with their era's rule set.

35 second shot clocks, no charge circle and freedom to hand check? Dee would have Wagler in his pocket.

Playing today's rules? The game would end midway through the second half when 2005 ran out of players who hadn't fouled out.
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9 out of 10 times I'd agree with you on the different era making it hard to compare especially due to rules differences. I think that '05 team adapted to this era's rules is probably the type of team that this '26 team would least want to face. 2 lockdown defenders in Dee and Luther, exceptional speed, would have no issues guarding the bigs on the perimeter, and a team filled with snipers. I also think they'd hold up surprisingly well on the boards. The '05 team wasn't susceptible to much, but they could be bullied inside at times and long physical guards could slow them down. This '26 team's strengths I think just don't match up well with that '05 team. Interestingly, the '21 team I think would have a better shot against that '05 team as Kofi would be a major problem for them and the backcourt was good enough defensively to cause some issues.
 
#112      
Tophe
RabidDawgClassic said:
Design your own NCAA Revenge Tour (based on reasonable seeding possibilities)

For me it’s:

Austin Peay (87)
Loyola (21)
Villanova (88)
Vanderbilt (93)
Michigan (89)
UConn (24)

giphy.gif
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Austin Peay leads the ASun and is the favorite to get their conference bid. It would be a great start to the tournament to get revenge on them.

Loyola will have to wait, they won't be in the tourney this year. The others are all possible.
 
#113      
lstewart53x3
aaeismacgychel said:
9 out of 10 times I'd agree with you on the different era making it hard to compare especially due to rules differences. I think that '05 team adapted to this era's rules is probably the type of team that this '26 team would least want to face. 2 lockdown defenders in Dee and Luther, exceptional speed, would have no issues guarding the bigs on the perimeter, and a team filled with snipers. I also think they'd hold up surprisingly well on the boards. The '05 team wasn't susceptible to much, but they could be bullied inside at times and long physical guards could slow them down. This '26 team's strengths I think just don't match up well with that '05 team. Interestingly, the '21 team I think would have a better shot against that '05 team as Kofi would be a major problem for them and the backcourt was good enough defensively to cause some issues.
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Random simulator I found gave the 20-21 team a 2 point win over 04-05. And the 04-05 team a 15 point win over the 23-24 team. Not yet able to do current year.


IMG_0457.png


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#114      
Fighter of the Nightman
ChiefGritty said:
That would be a heck of a matchup to watch.

Could 2021 speed us up? How would the twins handle Kofi? How much would Frazier be able to disrupt Wagler?

At the end of the day, if it comes down to who can get that clutch bucket, I am still keeping my money on Ayo.
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I take everything you wrote, agree with it all … but change your last word from Ayo to Wagler.
 
#115      
Fighter of the Nightman
Combo said:
I agree with you - those teams were better. That said, you never know what will happen in a single-elimination tournament.
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I’m gonna pretty fiercely disagree that 2021 was head and shoulders better up to this point. They were an amazing team that will always be near and dear to my heart, but I’ll put good money toward the (knock on wood) possibility that this team (A) wins the Big Ten or BTT, (B) claws its way toward a #1 seed or (C) gets past the Second Round. They already have joined the 2021 team (or at least come close) in terms of super impressive regular season wins, and it’s barely February. If they achieve (A) or (B) plus (C), it’s not really a conversation.

And just for good measure KNOCK ON WOOD again, but … I’m feeling good about a Sweet Sixteen or better.
 
#118      
Boskydell
PizzaHutParkingLot said:

Brad himself believed the 2020–21 team was the second-best in the country behind Baylor, though he described its ceiling as “low.”

I’m inclined to agree with his view that the 2025–26 team is more versatile, but it’s still too early to draw firm conclusions.
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Yes, but is Grandison healthy?
 
#119      
ChiefGritty
#121      
foby
Deep said:
What if I said that this team, as a whole, is better then the AYO/KOFI #1 seed team?
How many would agree with that?
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If you factor in coaching then vs. coaching now with that, then I 100% agree.
 
#122      
Birdus
ChiefGritty said:
That would be a heck of a matchup to watch.

Could 2021 speed us up? How would the twins handle Kofi? How much would Frazier be able to disrupt Wagler?

At the end of the day, if it comes down to who can get that clutch bucket, I am still keeping my money on Ayo.
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I'll take Keaton.
 
#124      
BalloonsTheElephant
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I’m gonna pretty fiercely disagree that 2021 was head and shoulders better up to this point. They were an amazing team that will always be near and dear to my heart, but I’ll put good money toward the (knock on wood) possibility that this team (A) wins the Big Ten or BTT, (B) claws its way toward a #1 seed or (C) gets past the Second Round. They already have joined the 2021 team (or at least come close) in terms of super impressive regular season wins, and it’s barely February. If they achieve (A) or (B) plus (C), it’s not really a conversation.

And just for good measure KNOCK ON WOOD again, but … I’m feeling good about a Sweet Sixteen or better.
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I feel like those team is just more versatile. We may not be overpowering in a couple specific areas like the 21 team.

Kofi was very one dimensional. They used Krutwig to pull him away from the basket and either hit jumpers or drive him down.

Ayo couldn't break the high hedge and when you know Kofi is not a threat from outside 5', you can be aggressive on the handoff.

I think Brad learned from that and has wanted this type of team since that loss to Loyola. This may sound crazy, but where does Kofi even fit on this team?
 
#125      
Fighter of the Nightman
BalloonsTheElephant said:
I feel like those team is just more versatile. We may not be overpowering in a couple specific areas like the 21 team.

Kofi was very one dimensional. They used Krutwig to pull him away from the basket and either hit jumpers or drive him down.

Ayo couldn't break the high hedge and when you know Kofi is not a threat from outside 5', you can be aggressive on the handoff.

I think Brad learned from that and has wanted this type of team since that loss to Loyola. This may sound crazy, but where does Kofi even fit on this team?
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Yeah, that 2021 team could look dominant (I still think the stretch to end the regular season through the BTT Championship might have been the single best streak of basketball by any Illini team in history ... at least for now!), but they seemed to have a more sever Achilles' Heel compared to this year's team. As crazy as this is in retrospect, I actually initially thought the 2022 team could end up going further in the Tournament due to the simplified game plan of "If you try to double team Kofi, we'll kill you from three ... if you don't, Kofi will terrorize you." You can tell I am no Xs and Os expert, lol, but the point is that the 2021 team looked AMAZING when things were going well, but the Loyola performance is one of the most disappointing in a long time. While you shouldn't judge a team by one game, that loss was sort of a depressing microcosm of what could happen if you game planned them effectively.

This year's team is so versatile. Yes, Wagler is our superstar and carries us in a lot of games, but we have had so many guys step up. Granted this is just looking at offense, but it's interesting to look at the scoring balance for what are pretty clearly our five best teams of this century. To choose a cutoff somewhere, I will do the top 8 scorers.

2001 | 77.9 PPG
14.9 Frank Williams
11.3 Marcus Griffin
11.2 Brian Cook
9.9 Cory Bradford
7.5 Sergio McClain
7.2 Robert Archibald
5.7 Sean Harrington
5.0 Lucas Johnson

2005 | 77.0 PPG
15.9 Luther Head
13.3 Dee Brown
12.5 Deron Williams
12.0 Roger Powell, Jr.
10.1 James Augustine
4.5 Jack Ingram
3.3 Nick Smith
2.6 Rich McBride

2021 | 80.5 PPG
20.1 Ayo Dosunmu
17.1 Kofi Cockburn
10.2 Trent Frazier
9.1 Andre Curbelo
8.3 Adam Miller
5.5 Da'Monte Williams
5.1 Giorgi Bezhanishvili
4.6 Jacob Grandison

2024 | 83.4 PPG
23.0 Terrence Shannon, Jr.
15.9 Marcus Domask
12.1 Coleman Hawkins
9.6 Quincy Guerrier
6.2 Ty Rodgers
6.1 Dain Dainja
5.7 Luke Goode
5.6 Justin Harmon

2026 | 84.6 PPG
18.1 Keaton Wagler
14.3 Kylan Boswell
13.3 Andrej Stojakovic
12.4 David Mirkovic
10.1 Tomislav Ivisic
7.2 Zvonimir Ivisic
5.5 Ben Humrichous
5.1 Jake Davis

2005 and 2026 are the only teams with five players averaging double figures. It is also the case for both teams that the next three players who are not averaging double figures (A) could knock down huge shots and (B) played very well alongside the higher-scorers ... and frankly, the "supporting cast" of the 2026 team is much more dangerous from three and more able to have huge games themselves.
 
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