Pregame: Illinois vs Chattanooga, Friday, March 18th, 5:50pm CT, TNT

altgeld88 · Mar 14, 2022

Illini in Italy said:
We’re a #4 seed (second highest seed since 2005) and some posters be like . . .

View attachment 16219

2004-05 #1 Lost in NC game
2005-06 #4 Lost to #5 Washington
2006-07 #12 Lost to #5 Virginia Tech
2007-08 Nothing/zip/nada/niente
2008-09 #5 Lost to #12 Western Kentucky (Last game I saw them play - flew down from AK to Portland, OR)
2009-10 NIT Lost to Dayton
2010-11 #12, Lost to #1 Kansas
2011-12 Nothing/zip/nada/niente
2012-13 #7, Lost to #2 Miami
2013-14 NIT, Lost to Clamson
2014-15 NIT, Lost to Alabama
2015-16 Nothing/zip/nada/niente
2016-17 NIT Lost to Central Florida
2017-18 Nothing/zip/nada/niente
2018-19 Nothing/zip/nada/niente
2019-20 No Tournaments
2020-21 #1, Lost to Loyola. Chicago
2021-22 #4 To be written . . .

I’m happy that we are not playing in the NIT or the slightly worse “Nothing/zip/nada/niente Tournament”. We’re playing Chattanooga for f’s sake, and more importantly, they are playing us! Strap on, it’s gonna be a wild ride, but regardless, the sun will come up the next day, and we’ll still be O&B to the core.

The mere prospect of disappointment is a dog whistle to a particular demographic. Better never to have loved and lost than, er, never to have, er, watched a first-round game of the Illini against whom the NCAA had conspired...?

CentralILLini · Mar 14, 2022

BashCtIllini said:
Chattanooga get 35 points a game from a 6'1" chucker and a 6'4" guard that isn't overly athletic. Their big man is 6'9" won't pull Kofi away from the hoop because he doesn't have much range, and he fouls a lot.

You put Trent on Smith and harass him. You hound Jean Baptiste and make him shoot over people. You pound Kofi at them and see if you can get De Sousa in foul trouble. If any one of those 3 things happen, Chattanooga is in trouble. If we can get good Hawkins, 7'0" and 6'10" in our lineup will pose some trouble for them as well.

Anything can happen in 1 game, anyone can get red hot, but if we're even concerned about this game, we're not a very good team. I believe they've only played 1 team that made the tournament in Murray State and they lost. Their best win of the year is either VCU or Middle Tennessee State. If we don't win this game by 10+, we deserve to go home.

Monte on Malachi. Trent on Baptiste.

GallopingGhost · Mar 14, 2022

Reddit has some interesting stuff. Some VERY interesting stuff.

Categories that are USUALLY met in the Kenpom era for “championship caliber” teams

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

CentralILLini · Mar 14, 2022

We may not have a choice but to put Trent on Malachi but thats 6’ against 6’4”. They have (2) 6’6”/6’7” wings that we need Monte and Grandy for. That leaves Plummer on Baptiste which is also a worrisome matchup for us.

Illini by 10.

sinmyp1 · Mar 14, 2022

So..... I have never gone to a NCAA game. Do you get tickets through the University or NCAA directly or Stub Hub, how does this work?

jrichisamazing · Mar 14, 2022

I would be more concerned about an upset if it weren't for last year. This team has had that bad taste in their mouth all season. There is no way they are going to let that happen again.

I'm also thinking this extra practice time is going to really help Belo and Hawkins. IMO Belo, Trent, Monte, Hawkins, and Kofi needs to be our #1 lineup. Ultimately, these games are going to come down to closing out the last 5 minutes. That needs to be the lineup that pulls away at the end of games. Plummer and Grandi coming off the bench as 3 pt specialists.

jrichisamazing · Mar 14, 2022

Also, we're talking about Chattanooga being tough, but UAB is actually a tougher matchup for Houston. They shoot really well from 3. Don't be surprised to see UAB knock off Houston.

BashCtIllini · Mar 14, 2022

CentralILLini said:
We may not have a choice but to put Trent on Malachi but thats 6’ against 6’4”. They have (2) 6’6”/6’7” wings that we need Monte and Grandy for. That leaves Plummer on Baptiste which is also a worrisome matchup for us.

Illini by 10.

Trent is listed at 6'2". If you're going to say he is listed as taller than he actually is why would you assume the 6'4" is accurately listed then?

chiefini · Mar 14, 2022

sinmyp1 said:
So..... I have never gone to a NCAA game. Do you get tickets through the University or NCAA directly or Stub Hub, how does this work?

Got an email to request tickets yesterday from Fighting Illini Athletics. Check out https://fightingillini.com/sports/2022/3/3/2022-ncaa-basketball-tournament.aspx?path=mbball
U OF I TICKET ALLOTMENT
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament committee allocates a pre-arranged number of game tickets to participating schools, regardless of the school’s geographical location or national ranking. Each school with a team in the tournament receives an equal quantity and quality of game tickets. At the University of Illinois, a percentage of the tickets are designated for sale ONLY to U of I student season ticket holders/Orange Krush, band and cheerleaders. A remaining portion of the non-student tickets are then assigned to player families, coaches and administration. This leaves only a portion of the non-student ticket allotment available for sale. These remaining tickets are then available to sell to I FUND members.

TICKET REQUESTS
Beginning on Monday, March 14 fans can begin requesting tickets for First/Second round games, based on availability. Ticket requests will be accepted until 4:00pm CDT, after which orders will be compiled and confirmed based on each ticket requester’s I FUND membership level and priority points. Fans will be notified via email by 7:00pm to confirm their ticket order, or to let them know that their request cannot be filled. Receipt of a ticket request does not guarantee purchase. Fans should wait until orders are confirmed by the Illinois Ticket Office.

Beginning Monday, March 21, fans also have the opportunity to place their Final Four requests in anticipation of advancing further. The deadline to place Final Four orders is Sunday, March 27 at 4:00pm CDT. Remember: ticket requests are filled based upon I FUND Member priority, not based upon when the request is placed. Receipt of a ticket request does not guarantee purchase. Fans should wait until orders are confirmed by the Illinois Ticket Office. Ticket availability for the Final Four is based on Illinois’ participation in that round.

Poe's Law · Mar 14, 2022

Cook said:
This year should be a good gauge of BU's tourney coaching prowess. He's got all the pieces, experience, and motivation to make a deep run. I'm cautiously optimistic, but believe good things are going to happen.

If y’all are basing coaching prowess on the outcomes of a single elimination tournament (referred to as madness) I don’t know what to tell you other than that’s the kind of thinking that leads to hiring John Groce.

jrichisamazing · Mar 14, 2022

I was worried about Houston because of their final 4 run last year, but then I looked up how they got their...one of the easiest paths ever. Beat the 15, 10, 11, and 12 seeds. Maybe we can get that lucky this year.

I do think the bottom portion of our region is very beatable. Tennessee and Nova both don't have a big that can guard Kofi, and both are upset prone. But obviously, that is looking too far ahead. As others have said...just get to the 2nd weekend!

21ChampaignSt · Mar 14, 2022

GallopingGhost said:
Reddit has some interesting stuff. Some VERY interesting stuff.

Categories that are USUALLY met in the Kenpom era for “championship caliber” teams

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Thanks for sharing. As one person pointed out, had we beaten LUC last year, we would have a perfect national championship profile this year.

This also confirms that of all top 4 seeds, we have the toughest path to a S16. Conversely, AZ also has the toughest path to a S16 of all the 1 seeds.

CentralILLini · Mar 14, 2022

BashCtIllini said:
Trent is listed at 6'2". If you're going to say he is listed as taller than he actually is why would you assume the 6'4" is accurately listed then?

Because I've stood next to both. Malachi may not be a legitimate 6'4'' but there's AT LEAST a 3'' height difference between the two.

Trent is only 6'2'' on tinder.

WizardBill · Mar 14, 2022

skinnytennisguy said:
Just got done watch Todd Fuhrman's Illinois/Chatanooga prediction on the CBS app. No surprise he picks Chatanooga, while saying we're a worse team when Curbelo is on the floor. Clearly he hasn't watched much Illini basketball, or even Big Ten Basketball, as he also says that most of the BIG10 teams in the tournament are overseeded..

I just saw that too. I would have gotten medical problems if my eye rolls had been any harder.

pruman91 · Mar 14, 2022

Illini seeded fourth, will face Chattanooga on Friday in NCAA tourney

Illinois has the No. 4 seed in South Region of NCAA tourney

www.stltoday.com

By PAUL SULLIVAN Chicago Tribune
Trent Frazier and Coleman Hawkins wore sunglasses to their news conference Sunday after getting the word Illinois had earned a No. 4 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, in which they’ll take on 13th-seeded Chattanooga in a first-round game on Friday in Pittsburgh.
It is to begin at at 5:50 p.m. and be televised on TNT.
But they weren’t doing a star turn. Coach Brad Underwood explained the two had pinkeye.
Both should be fine for the start of the tournament, as the Illini hope to rebound from their quick exit in the Big Ten tournament.
Chattanooga (27-7) won the Southern Conference regular-season title and barely got into the NCAA tourney, with a buzzer-beating overtime win over Furman in the title game of the SoCon Tournament.

“I personally don’t care who it is,” center Kofi Cockburn said. “We were the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten, let’s not forget.”

The teams met once before, in the second round of the 1997 tournament, and the Mocs pulled off a 75-63 upset win over coach Lon Kruger’s team.

altgeld88 · Mar 14, 2022

CentralILLini said:
Because I've stood next to both. Malachi may not be a legitimate 6'4'' but there's AT LEAST a 3'' height difference between the two.

Trent is only 6'2'' on tinder.

Trent could list himself as 5'2" on Tinder and pull.

CentralILLini · Mar 14, 2022

altgeld88 said:
Trent could list himself as 5'2" on Tinder and pull.

We've seen Trent play enough to safely say he's pullin' it from anywhere and everywhere.

You know he's our pork guard

altgeld88 · Mar 14, 2022

CentralILLini said:
We've seen Trent play enough to safely say he's pullin' it from anywhere and everywhere.

You know he's our pork guard

Am showing my advanced age by using this 35-year old marketing tagline, but here, all along, I though Brad Davison was the other white meat(head.)

Icy veins · Mar 14, 2022

GallopingGhost said:
Reddit has some interesting stuff. Some VERY interesting stuff.

Categories that are USUALLY met in the Kenpom era for “championship caliber” teams

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Maaan I want to like this but some of the stats seem a little more retrofit-y than actually predictive. Like of course conference champs tend to win the tournament - because conference champs tend to be the best teams.

IllinoisssssssVarsity · Mar 14, 2022

Thaillini22 said:
I like that in the first weekend we aren't (I don't believe) looking at the kinds of annoying, methodical teams with "a thing" we can't figure out how to stop.

Losing to Loyola was so frustrating bc of how they just took us out of rhythm -- every time Krutwig got the ball at the top of the key area, it reminded me of ASU's TE running that drag route about 100 times in 2012. We just couldn't deal with it!

I'm pleased as punch we're not playing Vermont (tons of motion), SD State (crazy three-point shooting), or Princeton (as was projected last week), and are apparently looking at two teams who we can just ball with and not have to spend 28 minutes getting comfortable against (at least that's my hope!).

The 4-13 might be the new 5-12 for upsets, unfortunately.

This is true offensively. Houston’s thing is defense. They are very athletic with B1G level physicality defensively. Their practices are notorious for players getting bloody noses and knocked around. They trap the post regularly and scramble out to force you to make 1v1 plays on the kick outs. They have been very good at winning their 1v1 defensive matchup over the years.

KOTC2 · Mar 14, 2022

So let me get this straight we have a Chattanooga squad who only made it to the tourney by making a buzzer beater in OT to the beat the mighty Furman Paladins and haven't beaten one single quality opponent all year and all of a sudden a so called "expert" thinks they're going to beat a Co-regular season conference champion from one of the toughest conferences in the nation? Ok brah whatever you say.

727ill · Mar 14, 2022

jrichisamazing said:
I was worried about Houston because of their final 4 run last year, but then I looked up how they got their...one of the easiest paths ever. Beat the 15, 10, 11, and 12 seeds. Maybe we can get that lucky this year.

I do think the bottom portion of our region is very beatable. Tennessee and Nova both don't have a big that can guard Kofi, and both are upset prone. But obviously, that is looking too far ahead. As others have said...just get to the 2nd weekend!

Rutgers also had them beat in the round of 32 and then blew it.

Saturdaze · Mar 14, 2022

illiniCA said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1484203315504185348

I stand by my post because I think there are quite a few factors beyond offensive efficiency, but that is good to see. Is there a similar metric for defense?

TonyRu85 · Mar 14, 2022

The Big Ten is getting no love nationally this year because of the performance in last years tourney. The 'experts' drooled all over us and other B10 teams last year and we disappointed. I don't care who picks us to win in their bracket. It doesn't mean a thing. I almost prefer that we aren't the trendy team that everyone picks to make a final four run. If we play well, we will cruise. Chattanooga is a good team and deserve to be in the tournament like most of the other teams (excluding Michigan). But, we are a pretty damn good team too.

KnoxIllini2 · Mar 14, 2022

Icy veins said:
Maaan I want to like this but some of the stats seem a little more retrofit-y than actually predictive. Like of course conference champs tend to win the tournament - because conference champs tend to be the best teams.

And we happened to still make the list of best teams after finishing a regular season in which we had a complete team maybe a handful of games?

It’s really impressive what we accomplished this season. We have a banner to prove it! Even if the team didn’t meet our lofty goals as a fanbase, the team still hit theirs in winning a share of the regular season title. Some could argue that might even be an elite accomplishment.

Now the guys need to add more to their legacies.