DICKnaggie
- Champaign
Arkansas themselves (or at least Muss per his interview on some YouTube video I watched earlier) sees it as an at least neutral site and maybe the best his team could have gotten. They apparently travel very well.
Pregame: Illinois vs Arkansas, Thursday, March 16th, 3:30pm CT, TBS
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I'll be in Vegas.. Does the help?
We're focused on Illinois and Arkansas fans in Des Moines. The school that travels the best of all is Kansas and there game is right before ours. They'll be neutral. I'll be there and I fully expect 2/3 of the crowd to be KU supporters.
Should be interesting to see how many UI fans attend... I definitely won't be there
But there’s no Arkansas without Kansas.
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CU -> DesM is ~360mi
Chi -> DesM is ~330mi (Depart Chi at ~8am to comfortably make the tipoff at 3:20.)
FYV -> DesM is ~450mi
None of these are an easy drive, so that would seem to be a reasonably neutral site. IL may get a bit of a boost if IA fans decide to root for the big 10 team. (I think Ames is ~30m from Des Moines.)
1m4tr: We already have the Illini Rule from the Miami game. It allows refs to review possession calls in the final 2 minutes. (And my memory vaguely says there was another rule, from another NCAA appearance, too.)
Iowa’s B1G team is in Iowa City (114 mi), not Ames (ISU).
billybaroo
- Pebble Beach, CA
1984. Played Kentucky on their home court in the regional final. The NCAA instituted a rule the following year that no home team can play in the same regional that they are hosting. They later extended it to all games.
Too soon
Nope. Please quit spreading this myth. The rule was enacted after the 1986 tournament where 6th seeded Purdue had to play 11th seeded LSU in Baton Rouge. LSU then beat 3rd seeded Memphis State. THEN the rule was changed.
I drove 24 hours to Tampa and 14 to Vegas in November...Des Moines is a cup of coffee away for most of you.Awesome! Fairly short drive for most "local" fans. It took us 5 and half hours to drive to the Illini/MSU bowl game...and I live in Florida. We should fill that place up with a lot of Orange and Blue.
billybaroo
- Pebble Beach, CA
My bad. Do you have a source? I’ve lived contently with that one for a long time. I tried fact checking it before I posted and came across a Kentucky site with the blurb below and thought I was good. Silly me.
- In 1984, a highly ranked Kentucky squad barely survived an upset bid from #6 ranked Illinois in the NCAA Regional final, which just happened to be hosted in Lexington, KY. The closing moments of the game came down to a disputed play over what Illini Coach Lou Henson thought was a travel by UK guard Dicky Beal. Henson claimed that it was impossible for his team to win under those conditions. The NCAA instituted a rule for the 1985-86 season that no home team can play in the same regional that they are hosting. Later in 1988, the same rule was applied to all games (including first round games) due to perceived favoritism for Syracuse playing in the Carrier Dome.
Illini in Indiana
- Indiana
Glancing at Arkansas boards, and they are saying very similar things that we are saying. Both teams can play with anyone or not, not good shooting teams, and it should be close. They are a little concerned about their freshman play and they would love to see it turn in to a track meet. It sounds like the team that limits turnovers, rebounds, and can shoot ok will win. I like our chances.
Welp, I'll be third row in 120 so look for a blue mohawked idiot wearing a CoHawk or TJ jersey behind one of the baskets.
Not too many "talking heads" giving us much of a shot in this one with 1) Arkansas just having too much talent and 2)the Illinois inconsistency being an issue ......as the rationale.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
KU will have the most, but I don’t know about 65% or more. And people say Arkansas fans “travel well” as if that’s supposed to mean something to Illini fans?? Vegas was practically yesterday in the world of college hoops, and we made it a literal home game.
Looking at the teams playing in Des Moines, I’d guess the percentages like this, NOT counting neutral/casual fans who’d probably be anywhere from 25-30% of the crowd, I’d guess:
50% Kansas
25% Illinois
15% Arkansas
10% Texas/A&M/PSU/Colgate fans chillin’
Well, we're only a 2.5 point underdog, so it sounds like those with money on the line give us more of a shot.
I'll be one of the 25% my friend. We need to make this as close to a home game as humanly possible.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Props, and thank you for supporting us! I had to choose between the BTT or this, and I made the “safe” bet of the BTT in our home city. If we somehow make it to the Second Weekend, I’ll already be in Vegas … might have to break the bank!
I don’t know if there’s a harder path to the Final Four in this tournament, lol. That’s Kenpom #20, #9, #4 and then #8/#2. I’d be happy just to get past Arkansas.
InDaAZ
- Eugene, Oregon
Some random thoughts.
Think Mayer is the kind of guy that likes to have fun playing basketball. Doesn't take things too seriously. But I also think that he is going to be far more focused now. Don't expect he will jack up repeated bad threes unless we are well behind.
TSL talked about treating it as just another game in the presser, but I want him to come out like his hair is on fire.
I am no expert, but I wouldn't mind us starting out with a lineup that has worked for us late in games - have both Ty and Harris (or maybe RJ for his offense as well) in starting lineup, use intense defense to get Arkansas on their heels hopefully, and use CH as point to bring the ball up and start the offense. Then go with Dain (and Epps if he is ready) at the first TO. Might have to worry about the press. Not sure if Arkansas is a pressing team, but it could be a problem regardless of who is on the floor if we are sloppy with passes.
If we can keep it close in the first half, and I think we can, I like our chances.
I am actually hoping for an Illinois - Northwestern E8 game to quiet some of the B1G critics. And I think we could beat NW.
Think Mayer is the kind of guy that likes to have fun playing basketball. Doesn't take things too seriously. But I also think that he is going to be far more focused now. Don't expect he will jack up repeated bad threes unless we are well behind.
TSL talked about treating it as just another game in the presser, but I want him to come out like his hair is on fire.
I am no expert, but I wouldn't mind us starting out with a lineup that has worked for us late in games - have both Ty and Harris (or maybe RJ for his offense as well) in starting lineup, use intense defense to get Arkansas on their heels hopefully, and use CH as point to bring the ball up and start the offense. Then go with Dain (and Epps if he is ready) at the first TO. Might have to worry about the press. Not sure if Arkansas is a pressing team, but it could be a problem regardless of who is on the floor if we are sloppy with passes.
If we can keep it close in the first half, and I think we can, I like our chances.
I am actually hoping for an Illinois - Northwestern E8 game to quiet some of the B1G critics. And I think we could beat NW.
My bad. Do you have a source? I’ve lived contently with that one for a long time. I tried fact checking it before I posted and came across a Kentucky site with the blurb below and thought I was good. Silly me.
Home Court in NCAA
- In 1984, a highly ranked Kentucky squad barely survived an upset bid from #6 ranked Illinois in the NCAA Regional final, which just happened to be hosted in Lexington, KY. The closing moments of the game came down to a disputed play over what Illini Coach Lou Henson thought was a travel by UK guard Dicky Beal. Henson claimed that it was impossible for his team to win under those conditions. The NCAA instituted a rule for the 1985-86 season that no home team can play in the same regional that they are hosting. Later in 1988, the same rule was applied to all games (including first round games) due to perceived favoritism for Syracuse playing in the Carrier Dome.
I wouldn’t use the Big Blue History site as an authoritative source. On the page you linked, the author writes that the following year, the rule was changed for the regionals. On another page which talks in depth about that game, the author writes the change took place “a few years later.
But I’ve found nothing in any NCAA historical rules that indicates a specific change was made for the regionals. This NCAA list of major rules changes (see link below) does specifically list that the first time neutral courts were used for all games was 1989.
This came after Syracuse and DePaul had home court advantages in 1987 and Gene Keady complained loudly about having to play LSU in Baton Rouge in 1986 (See page 24).
For added enjoyment, be sure to read James Naismith’s original rules on the first page.
I realize that this doesn’t specifically debunk the regional rule change story, but it’s notable that it’s not listed in the “First/Last” section as the complete rule change is. I have not been able to find any official listing that alludes to such a change.
But I think we can all agree… Illinois generally gets screwed before any major rule is changed.
I'm not sure why we're an underdog at all. Sure we've struggled but so has Arkansas, and in a worse conference. Plus we've been disrupted by concussions, and now everyone is back.
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