Pregame: Illinois at Rutgers, Saturday, December 2nd, 3:00pm CT, BTN
- Status
Let's start off the conference season with a W!
Next game is a big one. We never seem to win up at the Racc. Be nice to get one.
Week off before we start the biggest stretch of our season. 2-1 should be the goal... but a 3-0 week really plants our footing as a top 15 team nationally. Let's go boys!!
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I can't recall a post-Thanksgiving week where we didn't have a game. For years, of course, it has been the week of the ACC-BT Challenge. Interesting change this season. On one hand, the boys can gather themselves after the first several games, practice further, and get healthy. On the other hand, I worry, given their penchant for sluggish starts, about what they'll muster at the RAC at tip-off on Saturday. I hope they're focused and aggressive. Am looking forward to seeing them in person for the first time in the Trapezoid of Tribulation. 
In a 3 game stretch our goal is always 3-0. To go 2-1 is settling for less than being GREAT.
sacraig
- The desert
Rutgers has a game prior to playing the Illini. They host Saint Peter's Monday night at 6:00 PM CT. Game will only air on B1G+.
The conference season will provide plenty of opportunities to make our tournament case. We can only win the games on the schedule.
This is definitely a tournament quality team. No one earns a banner for what they did in November.
Which is why this stretch is so important. Mizzou will be a quad 2 (3??) game, Colgate is a good team but will probably be quad 2 at best. FDU is obviously a must win. That leaves us to Tennessee & FAU to get a quad 1 win in the non-conference. The big ten is down this year. We might not have too many quad 1 games left….Do I think we’re a tournament team? 1000%. Will our resume align with that? Maybe not if we don’t split FAU & Tennessee at least…. That’s just how I see it, would love to hear a different point of view.
B1G being a little down doesn't concern me a lot. Still the 3rd rated conference by likely the same set of analytics that have us in the NIT currently. Our conference is top-heavy, much like the other highly rated leagues. We are just outside the top 25 so any computers that have us missing an auto bid right now, let's just say maybe there's not enough data to have a proper model at this point.
Agreed that it's definitely way to early say anything definitive as there is a long way to go in the non-con still. That said, the B10 seems to be the #4 analytic conference right now and that's also propped up at this time based on last season's overall finish as the #2 conference. The B10 definitely needs some quality noncon wins at this point or B10 bubble teams will likely need to be pretty wary come season end. Hopefully we'll be the B10 team to deliver them.
Conference life on the road ain't easy. Would love to start conference play off right instead of having to dig out of another 0-3 hole.
Yeah he will be back this season
- Status