Illinois 79, UCLA 70 Postgame
Minutes continuity plays a decent role in Pomeroy's early season prediction algorithm. Iowa returns the 37th highest amount of minutes for any college basketball team and Murray was projected to be an absolute stud. Again, I wouldn't take too much from early season Kenpom (and this is from someone who loves Kenpom), and I mean if you think about it realistically, we are a super hard team to project just based on the amount of turnover and new pieces we added this year.
Yes, you could see by arms waving in the air who the Illini were. But, man, if they were all wearing Orange…
Kramerica Industries
- Greenville, SC
The left hand side of your screen is where the Baylor fans had seats. I’m guessing most Illinois fans went after the Virginia seats assuming they’d lose to Baylor and exit the arena (I’m guilty of this). Regardless, Illinois had fans in every section of the arena. It was pretty impressive.
Southernillini
- Mt. Vernon
Just finished the game. Gotta wait until my heart rate slows down and I quit sweating before I can go to bed.
Kramerica Industries
- Greenville, SC
If you click on the ILL you’ll see my video exiting the arena. It’s the best I could come up with at this late hour.
Let’s just hope his back is good from here on out. He definitely looked better tonight
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
He also can't diagram out-of-bounds plays. Just useless generally.
Kramerica Industries
- Greenville, SC
sacraig
- The desert
Honestly I don't know why we keep him around.
Posted at 1:20. Props and thank you for devoting that time to a positive truth bomb!I just got home from watching the game with an Illini brother. It's 12:50 and I doubt I will get to sleep before 2 I am so jacked. I hadn't seen the boys play at all this season until tonight. Observations:
1. When is the last time I stayed up until 2 a.m. and at least one of the following were not involved: (a) overindulgence at Turkish family wedding; (b) emergency surgery; (c) vomit/impacted stool/night terrors in small child?
2. I can't ever recall being so impressed with the talent, athleticism and depth of an Illini team since... the late '80s? Watching this game took 33 years off my life.
3. These freshman boys are Grown !!! Men. I mean, where did they come from? Epps? Are you kidding me? That guy comports himself like an upperclassman in his fourth game.
4. Sencire? Sincerely? When I was in grad school over in the Mech Eng Lab I once got to light solid rocket fuel on fire. It burns very slowly, in a controlled fashion, for long periods at something like 2500 degrees. Tonight was the second time I've seen it.
5. TSJ? Good Lord. Take away his TOs and out-of-control miscues and he drops well over 40 on the Bruins tonight.
6. And it just kept coming. Down 15 early on in the 2nd I was, bizarrely, calm. I kept thinking that we've got the horses. Clean it up, get in the face of Tyger "Sideshow Bob" Campbell and Jacquez Jr., and the deficit is not a problem. Against a Cronin-coached team with that talent I felt calm down 15 points. When is the last time I thought something like that in such circumstances in the absence of heavy sedation? I can't recall.
7. Our program is absolutely transformed by these guys. I have sweated and bled with our team as they've clawed their way to BT titles these past couple years. This time it feels different. If these guys learn to play tenacious D for 40 and curb the turnovers I am terrified for the rest of the conference.
8. Flat out ridiculous fun. In mid-November?!
9. I confess I thought I couldn't weather a 9:30 p.m. ET tip tonight. Am still jet lagged from Asia a week ago. I considered bagging on the game completely and going to bed. Now I'm pi$$ed because I'm so amped up I won't be able to go to sleep until it's evening in Tokyo.
All hail BU. Both Brad and Baylor Univ, the latter for yielding Dain and Meyer.
I am giddy, like a small child on Christmas morn. It's the '80s again. Someone please stitch the ruins of Meyer's mullet onto the back of my head. Man, I am looking forward to this ride. Thank you, boys!
Yeah well, he was the Magna Cum Laude of coaching tonight!!
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Stay safe bro.........................I just got home from watching the game with an Illini brother. It's 12:50 and I doubt I will get to sleep before 2 I am so jacked. I hadn't seen the boys play at all this season until tonight. Observations:
1. When is the last time I stayed up until 2 a.m. and at least one of the following were not involved: (a) overindulgence at Turkish family wedding; (b) emergency surgery; (c) vomit/impacted stool/night terrors in small child?
2. I can't ever recall being so impressed with the talent, athleticism and depth of an Illini team since... the late '80s? Watching this game took 33 years off my life.
3. These freshman boys are Grown !!! Men. I mean, where did they come from? Epps? Are you kidding me? That guy comports himself like an upperclassman in his fourth game.
4. Sencire? Sincerely? When I was in grad school over in the Mech Eng Lab I once got to light solid rocket fuel on fire. It burns very slowly, in a controlled fashion, for long periods at something like 2500 degrees. Tonight was the second time I've seen it.
5. TSJ? Good Lord. Take away his TOs and out-of-control miscues and he drops well over 40 on the Bruins tonight.
6. And it just kept coming. Down 15 early on in the 2nd I was, bizarrely, calm. I kept thinking that we've got the horses. Clean it up, get in the face of Tyger "Sideshow Bob" Campbell and Jacquez Jr., and the deficit is not a problem. Against a Cronin-coached team with that talent I felt calm down 15 points. When is the last time I thought something like that in such circumstances in the absence of heavy sedation? I can't recall.
7. Our program is absolutely transformed by these guys. I have sweated and bled with our team as they've clawed their way to BT titles these past couple years. This time it feels different. If these guys learn to play tenacious D for 40 and curb the turnovers I am terrified for the rest of the conference.
8. Flat out ridiculous fun. In mid-November?!
9. I confess I thought I couldn't weather a 9:30 p.m. ET tip tonight. Am still jet lagged from Asia a week ago. I considered bagging on the game completely and going to bed. Now I'm pi$$ed because I'm so amped up I won't be able to go to sleep until it's evening in Tokyo.
All hail BU. Both Brad and Baylor Univ, the latter for yielding Dain and Meyer.
I am giddy, like a small child on Christmas morn. It's the '80s again. Someone please stitch the ruins of Meyer's mullet onto the back of my head. Man, I am looking forward to this ride. Thank you, boys!
DB11Headband
- Chicago Burbs
I was at that game in ‘97 or ‘98. Kevin turner hit 8 3s but illini lost. Hometown refereeing didn’t help. 5 senior starters that year and big 10 champions though.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Mad props to those who traveled to Vegas for the game. Watching on TV it seemed we had a lot of fans there. Then I watched BU's presser afterward and he said "now it was a home court for us, I will say that." lol
Watching those Twitter vids of the postgame arena concourses teeming with cheering Illini fans made my heart swell. Thank you, all of you fans who made the trip. You repped us well.
Watching those Twitter vids of the postgame arena concourses teeming with cheering Illini fans made my heart swell. Thank you, all of you fans who made the trip. You repped us well.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Between the two of us, he's actually a front for the real head coach pulling strings from behind the scenes: Tim Beckman.
SH--. Now we KNOW you are up too late.
MustangWally
- Mayfield
Cronin was not happy post game, wow.
"They made it a street fight, it was real clear who won that."
(Maybe a parking lot fight, just sayin.)
"They made it a street fight, it was real clear who won that."
(Maybe a parking lot fight, just sayin.)