Pregame: Illinois at Purdue, Saturday, January 24th, 2:00pm CT, FOX

Status
Not open for further replies.
#26      
blackdog
skyIdub said:
Mackey is the toughest road test in the B1G.

Krush and our fans need to pay attention.
Click to expand...

I know Maryland is not good but the atmosphere last night was.....boring. Last two games haven't even been close to capacity either. We are in serious danger of losing our reputation as a tough place to play. The fact that Illinois athletics has started using an MC on the floor to get people hyped up throughout the game is kind of sad.
 
#27      
bleedorange and blue
blackdog said:
I know Maryland is not good but the atmosphere last night was.....boring. Last two games haven't even been close to capacity either. We are in serious danger of losing our reputation as a tough place to play. The fact that Illinois athletics has started using an MC on the floor to get people hyped up throughout the game is kind of sad.
Click to expand...
Football and basketball, hearing the stadium announcer say ILL, hoping to get a response makes me cringe.
 
#28      
IlliniShelt
skyIdub said:
Mackey is the toughest road test in the B1G.

Krush and our fans need to pay attention.
Click to expand...

I'm sure I'll get dinged on this but our home crowds and Krush are pathetic compared to what they were in the past and compared to other school's home environments now. It's not even close to the atmosphere it once was. I often watch one of Frankie's highlight clips vs Iowa and I'm not only amazed by him specifically but also just how loud assembly hall was. I wish I lived closer and could actually go to games but it's so disappointing to see how mild our home atmosphere is.
 
#29      
Todd99
IlliniShelt said:
I'm sure I'll get dinged on this but our home crowds and Krush are pathetic compared to what they were in the past and compared to other school's home environments now. It's not even close to the atmosphere it once was. I often watch one of Frankie's highlight clips vs Iowa and I'm not only amazed by him specifically but also just how loud assembly hall was. I wish I lived closer and could actually go to games but it's so disappointing to see how mild our home atmosphere is.
Click to expand...
I make it to a half dozen or so games a year and know exactly what you're saying.
 
#32      
I-L-L 1318
Cluff is going to cut down on some of our offense rebounds. Really hope Z can keep his cool with this game likely being physical and fans being on him at Mackey. Also hope this isn't a 'get right' game for Loyer, he's been in a shooting slump.
 
#33      
21ChampaignSt
Man, I was so ready to pick us to win this one and announce our candidacy for a 1 seed.

If you look at the last two weeks, Illinois is 5-0 and ranked 6th on Torvik.

Purdue? 4-1 and ranked 38th.

For context, the 38th ranked team since the start of the year is OSU, who we already beat on the road.

This was a super winnable game. And still is!

But without Kylan the dynamics have changed such that I now feel like this is a game we could win rather than a game we should win.

I'll go with my heart.

We extend our winning streak to a BU era best 9 games.

81 - 80 Illini.
 
#35      
Mistakenj
IlliniShelt said:
I'm sure I'll get dinged on this but our home crowds and Krush are pathetic compared to what they were in the past and compared to other school's home environments now. It's not even close to the atmosphere it once was. I often watch one of Frankie's highlight clips vs Iowa and I'm not only amazed by him specifically but also just how loud assembly hall was. I wish I lived closer and could actually go to games but it's so disappointing to see how mild our home atmosphere is.
Click to expand...
I was in school then, and we were routinely voted a top 5 home atmosphere (in the nation)….what changed?????
 
#36      
RockfordIllini
Obviously one of the toughest places to play in the country, we will need to play our A game to win. Having said that, I really liked the matchup with Bam and, while I don’t like it as much with him out, I still like the matchup.

They play 2 bigs who play a lot of drop coverage, and all of our bigs can stretch the floor. Bilodeau feasted on pick and pop 3’s. I think we can do the same.

Aside from Jacobson, who has his own shortcomings at this point, they have no rim protection. Their 2 point defense this year is bad. Plus they are fairly small on the guard/wing and don’t think they have anyone that can guard Andrej. Think we could see a Texas Tech like feasting, not to mention other potential mismatches (who will guard Keaton, Mirk, Jake etc)

As others have said, Smith doesn’t appear to be 100% at this point, and so they are susceptible to quick penetrating guards. Dent got whatever he wanted on Tuesday. Could be a Mihailo game if we can hide him defensively.

Obviously one of the top offenses in the country and we will sorely miss Bam. But the way Andrej was able to mostly stay in front of Coit and bother him with his length makes me optimistic he can slow down Smith somewhat.

I thought we had a good game plan last year. Hug their 3 point shooters, play drop and essentially make them play 2 on 2. Make their bigs earn everything down low and make Smith shoot over Andrej’s length.

If we can knock down 3’s at 35% or better on decent volume we’ve got a shot.
 
#38      
RockfordIllini
Illinialldayeveryday said:
I think TKR and Smith are hurt.
Click to expand...
Smith for sure. I think TKR is more butt hurt.

They are certainly better this year than last, but Cluff and TKR aren’t a good fit because in a lot of ways they are redundant in relation to playing with Smith. Cluff’s production has come at the expense of TKR and, for as good as TKR was last year, Cluff is more effective in the PnR to the point where TKR’s role is now similar to what it was with Edey: play with energy, rebound the heck out of the ball and opportunistically score. I think that’s been a tough pill for him to swallow an All American, an so I think he’s been a little pouty. I actually think Z, or a fully realized version of Jacobson is a better fit alongside TKR to provide rim protection and stretch the floor to provide spacing for TKR to cook.

All that said, I’m guessing we get the best version of TKR on Saturday. But I think we can survive that if we don’t let them go off from 3.
 
#39      
grue2
Mistakenj said:
I was in school then, and we were routinely voted a top 5 home atmosphere (in the nation)….what changed?????
Click to expand...
My guess as to why is the tickets went from essentially first come, first served, with students getting the first crack to highest bidders first, and significantly more expensive tickets in general. As a result the audience is much older. Yes there is the student section. That fills quickly.
 
#42      
Fighter of the Nightman
hodgesonfire said:
Stadium remodel
Click to expand...
People say this, but I really don’t think it’s a good explanation. The renovation filled in a ton of useless, ugly gray space between the sidelines and the first row of A Section, it maintained the basic shape of Assembly Hall and it kept Krush just as close to the court as the Izzone is at MSU and significantly closer to the court than the Paint Crew is at Purdue. We even solved the problem of not having our TV broadcasts pointed at the back of the Krush and showcasing a smattering of empty gray seats in A Section. Sure, we (barely) reduced capacity … but we still have about the same as Purdue and more than MSU.

I think there are two broader problems, and I’ll admit I neither know why they’re problems nor how to fix them, lol.

1) There’s no way around it, but the Krush literally hasn’t *tried* to be an actual student section in like 15 years. I mean, they cheer loudly when exciting stuff happens, but so does everyone else. Their jobs should be to CREATE our game day atmosphere, not merely be another piece that reacts to the action. When’s the last time the Krush started a “Go, Illini, Go!” chant to keep crowd noise at a respectable minimum? Is it “just kids these days” or something like that? Nope, Purdue and MSU student sections aren’t this way. Is it kids wanting to seem reserved and chill in front of guys/gals they like instead of cheering? Same stuff would have applied to all of the better eras of Krush.

2) Not sure if the 2008-2019 stretch permanently scarred an entire generation, but our non-student fans, especially in Champaign, are SO much more “wine and cheese” than they were in the past. I attended my first Illini home game in 2007, and I was star struck by Assembly Hall. We lost to a top 5 Wisconsin squad in a close game, but that place ROCKED. We sat up in B Section, but people of all ages all around us were standing regularly and loudly cheering all game.

The most bizarre piece of this puzzle for me is that Illini fans in places like Vegas, Braggin’ Rights, the United Center, Boston for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, etc. were SO loud and rowdy and nothing like what we see at our home games. No one is asking a 50-year season ticket holder who’s supported the program financially for decades and just wants to enjoy the game to be some fanatic, haha … but middle aged folks? Three dudes attending as a bros outing? A STUDENT SECTION?! Come on, has to be so much better.
 
#43      
WolfpackIllini
Bring back this guy:
1769099246418.jpeg
 
Last edited:
#44      
IlliniFanTX
Mistakenj said:
I was in school then, and we were routinely voted a top 5 home atmosphere (in the nation)….what changed?????
Click to expand...
I was going to say John Groce turned us into a routine NIT competitor. But I honestly just noticed something crazy ...

Bruce Weber's last 5 years: 98-73 with 2 missed postseason, 1 NIT quarterfinal loss, and 2 ncaa tourney bids (only one win)
John Groce's 5 years: 95-75 with 1 missed postseason, 3 NITs and 1 ncaa tourney bid (with one win as well)

Groce did about as well in his 5 years that Brucey did in his final five years. Thank God Josh W. decided that wasn't acceptable for Illinois b-ball.
 
#45      
blackdog
Fighter of the Nightman said:
People say this, but I really don’t think it’s a good explanation. The renovation filled in a ton of useless, ugly gray space between the sidelines and the first row of A Section, it maintained the basic shape of Assembly Hall and it kept Krush just as close to the court as the Izzone is at MSU and significantly closer to the court than the Paint Crew is at Purdue. We even solved the problem of not having our TV broadcasts pointed at the back of the Krush and showcasing a smattering of empty gray seats in A Section. Sure, we (barely) reduced capacity … but we still have about the same as Purdue and more than MSU.

I think there are two broader problems, and I’ll admit I neither know why they’re problems nor how to fix them, lol.

1) There’s no way around it, but the Krush literally hasn’t *tried* to be an actual student section in like 15 years. I mean, they cheer loudly when exciting stuff happens, but so does everyone else. Their jobs should be to CREATE our game day atmosphere, not merely be another piece that reacts to the action. When’s the last time the Krush started a “Go, Illini, Go!” chant to keep crowd noise at a respectable minimum? Is it “just kids these days” or something like that? Nope, Purdue and MSU student sections aren’t this way. Is it kids wanting to seem reserved and chill in front of guys/gals they like instead of cheering? Same stuff would have applied to all of the better eras of Krush.

2) Not sure if the 2008-2019 stretch permanently scarred an entire generation, but our non-student fans, especially in Champaign, are SO much more “wine and cheese” than they were in the past. I attended my first Illini home game in 2007, and I was star struck by Assembly Hall. We lost to a top 5 Wisconsin squad in a close game, but that place ROCKED. We sat up in B Section, but people of all ages all around us were standing regularly and loudly cheering all game.

The most bizarre piece of this puzzle for me is that Illini fans in places like Vegas, Braggin’ Rights, the United Center, Boston for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, etc. were SO loud and rowdy and nothing like what we see at our home games. No one is asking a 50-year season ticket holder who’s supported the program financially for decades and just wants to enjoy the game to be some fanatic, haha … but middle aged folks? Three dudes attending as a bros outing? A STUDENT SECTION?! Come on, has to be so much better.
Click to expand...

As a nice example of point 3, the couple in front of us are season ticket holders. I haven't seen them clap, cheer, stand up, anything all season long. They mostly sit and text people all game long with their text size so big it can be seen from 3 rows back. They dont even talk to each other! They look like they are in their 50s/early 60s. Why did you spend all that money for the tickets if you aren't even watching the game most of the time?
 
#47      
21ChampaignSt
IlliniFanTX said:
I was going to say John Groce turned us into a routine NIT competitor. But I honestly just noticed something crazy ...

Bruce Weber's last 5 years: 98-73 with 2 missed postseason, 1 NIT quarterfinal loss, and 2 ncaa tourney bids (only one win)
John Groce's 5 years: 95-75 with 1 missed postseason, 3 NITs and 1 ncaa tourney bid (with one win as well)

Groce did about as well in his 5 years that Brucey did in his final five years. Thank God Josh W. decided that wasn't acceptable for Illinois b-ball.
Click to expand...
Yeah, after Dee graduated, Weber was pretty bad. Both he and Groce seem like nice guys. I was glad to see Weber have a good year at KSU before that all fell apart and it's nice to see Groce doing well in the MAC. But neither were really cut out for this level. Honestly, I place more blame on the AD's than the coaches.

On that note, JW and BU have dug us almost completely out of the hole RG, MT, BW, and JG dug. I think the graphic below in which I score each season since 1980 is a good visual for that.

1000009762.png
 
#48      
hodgesonfire
Fighter of the Nightman said:
People say this, but I really don’t think it’s a good explanation. The renovation filled in a ton of useless, ugly gray space between the sidelines and the first row of A Section, it maintained the basic shape of Assembly Hall and it kept Krush just as close to the court as the Izzone is at MSU and significantly closer to the court than the Paint crew.
Click to expand...
I must disagree. The renovation destroyed the Orange crush. The students now wait 3 to 4 hours in line to get Crush seats on a first come basis. Anyone who doesn’t get seats is deposited in the upper sections to accommodate the luxery box set (who are the real problem).

The entire lower area section is 1/4 Crush and 3/4 “silent luxury boxes.” The result is no continuity between the actual fans and the court. If the “silent seats” were in the upper sections the stadium would be really loud. But imo cash is king.
 
#50      
IlliniCub 16
Chief Illiniwek's Family said:
Honestly kids are so distracted by their phones every 2 seconds that they aren’t paying full attention to the game. Cell phones weren’t in everyone’s hands when Flying Illini were playing and not too prevalent in early 2000’s
Click to expand...
That's true, but as others have pointed out, that excuse is a cop out. Cell phones don't prevent Michigan State, Purdue or even Nebraska from having engaged and noisy student sections.

For a long time I thought it was the late Weber/Groce era malaise, but we have been a top 15 program for six years now and it's really baffling why the home game environment has still not gotten close to that elite level again.

The football game atmosphere has improved a lot, but there was really nowhere to go but up from where that was for so long.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back