Pregame: Illinois at Michigan State, Saturday, February 7th, 7:00pm CT, FOX

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#352      
Second place is 1st loser
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
I actually agree with this. Can we win? Absolutely. Is it more likely that we do? No.

And there’s pretty much zero chance that MSU gets off to another bad start. They’ll be very motivated, coming back home, chance to pick up a top5 win.

All in all, I think likeliest scenario is that we have a loss kind of like UConn to St John’s today. Not a terrible performance, but a loss.

Overall, even if we get run out of the gym, I wouldn’t be the slightest of disappointed with a loss. This team hasn’t lost a game in TWO months - including beating two top 5 opponents on the road.

This is a house money game. We’re still firmly in the title race as long as we bounce back against Wisconsin, Indiana.
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Exactly. I'm not sure why people took such a hard stance against what Goodman(or what I agree with to a point) had to say about the game.

There's no question that we're the more talented team, on the whole. All things being equal, I think we're better than them. However, there is no way goes does 13-3, 22-7, etc in the one. Those types of wildly bad starts have been what has lead to three bad outcomes for them. In every one of those games, they made a mad run to get themselves back in the game, pulling the Rutgers game out.

If they don't come out with their hair on their fire, Izzo has a much, much bigger problem on his hands outside of the outcome.

This was a team that was 19-1 and right there for the Big Ten Championship....just a week ago.

Based on the comments by one of the players about Minnesota feeling scared before the game because they're going in to a ticked off MSU squad tells me that they have an attitude issue. They flag out got embarrassed. Was that the ultimate wake up call? It should be or again, they're a lost cause for any huge finishes.

I, personally, think that they are going to be fired up as all heck and we have to somehow survive it.
 
#353      
RollChief
Second place is 1st loser said:
This is the most emotionally charged game that we'll have all year.
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Going to have to disagree with you there boss man

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#354      
bleedorange and blue
You'd think izzo would be kinda pissed at his recruiter. Go watch and recruit a kid and completely miss the guy setting him up? Watch a guy play and not see the person standing right next to him? Bigten freshmen of the year, Bigten player of the year, AA and you couldn't see the forest for the trees.
 
#359      
201154JC
To this day, I am still totally pissed at the Bear players and coaching staff for not charging the field immediately after Martin tried to break #9's neck.
There should have been a riot on the field. Jim could have been paralyzed.
 
#360      
1970 John
RockfordIllini said:
Just watched Izzo’s pregame presser. Some real sociopathy/narcissism in his answers on Fears. Some highlights
1. There’s more to the story/more than meets the eye.
2. What Fears actually did subject to interpretation depending on what angle it’s viewed at.
3. Both sides are doing it.
4. No intent to injure
5. Deflection - he’s a great kid otherwise, goes to class, stays out of trouble etc.
6. Whole situation has taken up too much of his time.
7. He’s not sure what he’s going to do in the situation.
8. But, he doesn’t tolerate dirty play.

He may have told Fears to create more plausible deniability but no way he’s told him to knock off the dirty and dangerous play, and 0% chance he doesn’t start.

Buckle up.
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Plausible deniability: Fears doesn’t start. Goes in at second opportunity.
 
#361      
JoseyWales83
Sedino said:
Ranking the fight names this game has been given in just this thread:

1. Pizza Hut parking lot fight
2. Street fight
3. Bar fight
4. Rock fight
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If He Dies Ivan Drago GIF

Balkans vs Fears
 
#365      
IlliDan
Second place is 1st loser said:
Exactly. I'm not sure why people took such a hard stance against what Goodman(or what I agree with to a point) had to say about the game.

There's no question that we're the more talented team, on the whole. All things being equal, I think we're better than them. However, there is no way goes does 13-3, 22-7, etc in the one. Those types of wildly bad starts have been what has lead to three bad outcomes for them. In every one of those games, they made a mad run to get themselves back in the game, pulling the Rutgers game out.

If they don't come out with their hair on their fire, Izzo has a much, much bigger problem on his hands outside of the outcome.

This was a team that was 19-1 and right there for the Big Ten Championship....just a week ago.

Based on the comments by one of the players about Minnesota feeling scared before the game because they're going in to a ticked off MSU squad tells me that they have an attitude issue. They flag out got embarrassed. Was that the ultimate wake up call? It should be or again, they're a lost cause for any huge finishes.

I, personally, think that they are going to be fired up as all heck and we have to somehow survive it.
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Teams can come out with their hair on fire,play physical,etc.,if the Illini match the Spartans effort we are the superior,more talented team. 82-73 good guys.
 
#366      
skyIdub
We are into February and we defend without fouling. It has been talked about. It’s known. The B1G knows. Izzo knows.
We’ll know by about the 10 min mark how this is going down.
If MSU is in the bonus with 8-10 left in the first half…we have our answer. If Keaton gets whistled for a quick 2 early…we’ll know.

At that point I recommend titanium for your nether regions, and 110 proof for your inner regions.
 
#368      
HereSoIDontGetFined
RockfordIllini said:
Just watched Izzo’s pregame presser. Some real sociopathy/narcissism in his answers on Fears. Some highlights
1. There’s more to the story/more than meets the eye.
2. What Fears actually did subject to interpretation depending on what angle it’s viewed at.
3. Both sides are doing it.
4. No intent to injure
5. Deflection - he’s a great kid otherwise, goes to class, stays out of trouble etc.
6. Whole situation has taken up too much of his time.
7. He’s not sure what he’s going to do in the situation.
8. But, he doesn’t tolerate dirty play.

He may have told Fears to create more plausible deniability but no way he’s told him to knock off the dirty and dangerous play, and 0% chance he doesn’t start.

Buckle up.
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Boy that's a real shame. I thought Izzo was actual thinking about holding someone accountable. Guess that doesn't happen in East Lansing, though.
 
#369      
EmpoweredIllini
Second place is 1st loser said:
Exactly. I'm not sure why people took such a hard stance against what Goodman(or what I agree with to a point) had to say about the game.
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Though, Jeff Goodman talks out both sides of his mouth in the video. At the 2:37 mark, he says "They're going to come out like absolute dawgs. If they don't, I'll be sticking a fork in Michigan State for the rest of the season" but then acts so incredulous to Rob's comments that Illinois is pretty good and may not be the team that they 'right the ship' against (and he literally acted like he was going to fall out of his chair... the head slung back and two hugely animated "WOW"s).

From reading the last few pages, it seems like most people agreed with Goodman that Izzo is getting his players ready. Also saw more than a few comments that Izzo will right the ship at some point, because he has a track record of doing that. Personally, I'm not sure I agree with that he will this time, given that MSU was short on ballhandlers and shooters as it were and now have their 2nd best ballhandler and best outside shooter out for the season with a broken foot.

MSU has:

Led #214 Colgate by 3 at half
Trailed #134 Penn St by 3 at half
Led #129 Oakland by 3 at half
Led #175 Cornell by 2 at half
Trailed #70 Northwestern by 7 at half
Led #106 Oregon by 2 at half
Trailed #158 Rutgers by 9 at half
Trailed #1 Michigan by 16 at half
Trailed #77 Minnesota by 11 at half

Team's being "due" or "bucking a trend" is part of the greater Gambler's Fallacy where there's a misapplication of probability, inability to see individual events as independent of one another, and again that "due" feeling in the gut. And, this is indeed a trend, as has been noted. I don't see them suddenly figuring this against what is clearly one of the top 3 teams in the nation right now, especially after recent developments on the Michigan St side.

My personal feel on the game is that MSU will come out with their hair on fire as you and many others have appropriately said, but it's not going to be enough for a team that has as of late been broken on defense, comes out flat, some swirling national drama with their star player, and losing the starting SG and backup PG for the entire season versus a team that is currently steamrolling toward a 1 seed.
 
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#371      
Illiniguy13
Second place is 1st loser said:
I'm not a big Jeff Goodman fan, but he's right. It's unfathomable to think that an Izzo coached team will come out flat, at home, in a backs totally against the wall, us against the world scenario......laying an egg. Their starts to these last few games are what have killed them.

We're homers. Of course we're going to disagree with him. However, if they were playing literally anybody else, we'd feel the exact same way.

This is the most emotionally charged game that we'll have all year. For us to win, we're going to need an out of this world performance. I'd say the exact same thing if MSU was playing Arizona.

Can we win? Of course! Would I ever bet against an Izzo team in this situation. No way. I totally see where he's coming from.

I would not be shocked to see us winning, I would not be surprised us losing a close one and I wouldn't be surprised if we got run out of the gym.

This is literally one of those we couldn't have picked a worse time to play them games.

I think both guys can be right, thus the -1.5 spread.
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I’m sorry but this is nuts. We’re going to need an out of this world performance to win?
 
#374      
Eisenmerchant
Remembering the cheap shot that broke Ayo's nose and Izzo's attitude, really worried about Waglers safety today.
 
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