Pregame: Illinois vs Arkansas, Thursday, March 16th, 3:30pm CT, TBS

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#602      
Playing in the first window is high risk high reward, from a fans perspective. If we win, I get to sit back enjoy basketball for a couple days, and laugh at any rivals that fall (looking at you, Hawkeyes and Hoosiers). If we lose, I won't even feel like watching basketball for the rest of the weekend.

Anyone else have the same feeling?
Nbc I Concur GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
 
#604      
I was searching for news update on Black's boot - didnt find anything but did see:
with emphasis on 'appears'
Arkansas doesn't have the size and strength to stop Illinois if the Illini are patient enough to keep working the ball inside. On top of the power and strength, Illinois is really good at securing good positioning for offensive rebounds that result in second and third cracks at lay-ups. Fortunately for the Razorbacks, Illinois does eventually get bored with dropping it down to the big men,
... but then says,
When it comes to guard play, Arkansas has a significant advantage. Overall, Illinois is the least athletic Power Five team Eric Musselman's team will face this year.
if Illinois players get in too big of a hurry, they look like giraffes on roller skates as limbs start heading in all kinds of unnatural direction
The X-factor will be officiating. Anyone who has watched a Big Ten game this year knows that if an SEC officiating crew were to call Thursday's game, all that power in the middle would be fouled five minutes into the second half, and that's after multiple trips to the monitor. Illinois is not a team built for a tightly called contest.

the 'can go inside' comments echos other's analysis, eg, A&M comeback was without a 3
Something I had seen in their box scores - they only go 7 deep: article: there's no one with significant experience or development coming off the bench. If Arkansas has to go more than seven deep for more than a minute or so, it could be lights out for the
This is 6-10 in the SEC. It's not even close in terms of athleticism.
 
#608      
It was never going to be easy coming in as a 9 seed. Arkansas is beatable, we match them well. Kansas is also beatable, we match them well. Who is going to get on the floor and fight and scrap today? I haven't seen enough of that from this Illini team, must have it today to advance.
 
#612      
This is 6-10 in the SEC. It's not even close in terms of athleticism.
This has the story he's talking about. I agree that Arkansas can look unbeatable one minute and suddenly lose interest in what's working and become a jump shooting team. That's not their game at all. The team that takes the longest to fall into bad habits will be the one that probably wins. Won't matter either way with Kansas up next.
 
#613      
Weber would have been a fantastic coach for an Ivy League team. I sort of viewed him as the Mike D’Antoni of college basketball. Great system, but very stubborn and couldn’t always get his players to believe in it.
I'm not a Weber apologist - like most thought he was great for the '05 team, just what they needed obviously, but couldn't recruit well enough to compete year in an year out - but to call him an Ivy league coach is not fair. He won 2 Big 12 titles after he left us (the same conference Kansas is in who has superior talent every year) and led them to the elite 8 one year. He was a very good Big Time college basketball coach, (should have had a National Title, with better officiating) nothing Ivy league about him. But the game likely passed him by and he's where he should be now, in the studio
 
#616      
So for Arkansas, their 2 biggest volume shooters/scorers are freshmen who are prone to inefficiency and turnovers. They’ve got good size but we have 5 guys 6’6 or better we can throw at them, and I also think Sencire is long enough he can bother either despite being only 6’3. I think we can throw enough length at them to make them inefficient and maybe force some bad passes.

So to me it all comes down to the vets. Can we get solid to good games from Shannon and Mayer? And can we keep Ricky Council IV from going off?

If we can get 30+ combined from TJ/Mayer and hold Council to 15 or less I think we’ve got a good shot at advancing.

Let’s go!
 
#621      

Captain 14

The Last Best Place
Nothing personal but I really don’t like this take, Lou built a program from the ground up through hard work and preaching fundamentals. Kruger and Selfish used what Lou built as a stepping stone to “better” jobs. Lou>Self>Kruger is my take.
Note...it's the "Lou Henson Court" and I don't see that changing
 
#622      

chiefini

Rockford, Illinois
You’ve gotta want it, Illini. Play strong defense, play with intensity and effort, and you can do this. Let’s go…
#survivorau GIF by Australian Survivor
 
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