Houston then Zona is pretty much as brutal as it can get. Having to go through two teams of F4 quality is so unfortunate. The committee has dealt us a raw hand for the second year in a row. Still, there's no reason they can't win these games with a little luck.
Pregame: Illinois vs Chattanooga, Friday, March 18th, 5:50pm CT, TNT
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chrisRunner7
- Spokane, WA
I am totally nervous about every game, let alone a potential rematch with Arizona, and Arizona is a great team. HOWEVER...
I watched the extended highlights (i.e., MatthewLovesBall) of the Arizona game from December last night on YouTube, and I feel much better about a potential rematch. I recommend you watch it unless you don't feel like "looking past" the first weekend.
#1 - We were actually up by 13 in the first half, which I had totally forgotten about
#2 - Kofi played pretty bad in the first half (looked flustered, throwing up wild shots) but played a little better down the stretch, so I know he can do it against them
#3 - We will have Curbelo this time and they might possibly not have their starting PG
#4 - We gave up at least 10 or 15 points by having really dumb turnovers that they converted into fast break layups
#5 - Mathurin was hitting some ridiculous shots; I guess credit to him if he does it again
What we would need to do differently next time:
#1 - Limit those dumb turnovers
#2 - Kofi more composed for the whole game, and with enough rest that he doesn't look exhausted and fumbling the ball
#3 - On pick and roll defense, Kofi was sagging so far back that Kriisa was getting uncontested jumpers at the free throw line... I think this has to be fixed somehow but I'm not the coach
Easy big fella/gal. I share your excitement of emerging from obscurity to be back into national relevance, but.....I remember in 2005 feeling that "there is no way we are ever not going to feel great about IL basketball." We were undefeated going into the final game of the season, would march to the final game of the year, and came oh so close to winning it all but for some crooked referees who obviously had money on the outcome.
To your point though, I feel like we have spent A LOT of time discussing how exciting it is to be back where we belong in the top tier of the basketball world, especially in the off season leading up to the past couple of years and when a pundit or rival fan comments negatively about our team. But, this is a message board, we all (I think) want to take that next step into the truly elite level of winning the big tournament. I think many are rightfully nervous about our history of too - early exits and rarely playing above our seed. That nervousness manifests itself in posts worrying that tendency repeats itself this year, especially given the team's inconsistent play at times.
Having said that, hopefully the guys enter this tournament with a chip on their shoulder and the realization for many that this is the last chance to make a deep run and cement the comeback that DMW and Trent started with their commitments to the program! Go Illini!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t remember anything about this guy. It’s as if the UI athletic department is gaslighting us to believe that Khalid Lewis was, in fact, a real person who played point guard for the men’s basketball team.
Florida Man, I think the guy who really hurt us in the second half of the AZ game was (Kerr) don't remember his full name. He drove to the basket like crazy. He was the one who went off. We would have stopped him we would have won the game. Let's beat Chat and Houston and then imagine the matchup.
There is no way this is the best draw we could get. If you don't think our defense could handle John Groce's prolific ball-screen-only offense (you know, the one that got us out of the basement when he was head coach here...oh wait), Arizona would not be a relevant problem anyway. I disagree that Houston is overrated -- they are seeded right where they should be and will be a more challenging 5 seed than SMC or Iowa. Arizona is more than a real challenge and should be the overall 1 seed. The other problem with Arizona is that they are peaking and playing fast & smooth consistently. In the last several weeks, I don't see that with us. I hope the rest & refocus this week will benefit us.
danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
- Rochester, MN
Kerr Kriisa. He's the one out injured with an ankle. Check out the end of Robert's latest article if you want to see a photo of how it's recovering (no blood but you'd better not hate to see bruising).
Selection Sunday - Part II
I'm still trying to finalize my travel plans. I'll maybe take a break here and write for a bit and then get back to finalizing. Still have so many thoughts spinning through my head. I know I should probably talk about the matchups, and I will, but first I want to talk about where we stand on the...
And here's a snippet from the ESPN recap of the game. Dark days
!https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400820707
This team can beat anybody in country and unfortunately it can probably lose to anybody in the country.
Andre is slowly rounding into form. The layups are not falling like last year but they will. Team was looking tired at end of season but a week off should give them fresh legs.
I think Chattanooga then Houston is a good matchup.
Chattanooga is 1-2 in quad 1 games with Quad 1 losses to Belmont and Murray St.
Houston was 1-4 in quad 1 games so despite their pretty record they are not a juggernaut.
If we make sweet 16 against Arizona we are playing with house money. We have a good chance. Maybe not as good as last year with Ayo but we are deeper and more experienced. For naysayers remember we are B10 champions with an All American Center and 3 senior starters. We can play with anybody!
Andre is slowly rounding into form. The layups are not falling like last year but they will. Team was looking tired at end of season but a week off should give them fresh legs.
I think Chattanooga then Houston is a good matchup.
Chattanooga is 1-2 in quad 1 games with Quad 1 losses to Belmont and Murray St.
Houston was 1-4 in quad 1 games so despite their pretty record they are not a juggernaut.
If we make sweet 16 against Arizona we are playing with house money. We have a good chance. Maybe not as good as last year with Ayo but we are deeper and more experienced. For naysayers remember we are B10 champions with an All American Center and 3 senior starters. We can play with anybody!
Attachments
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Not to mention Houston is missing 2 players who made up 36.6% of their average ppg this season.
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
According to KenPom this is an excellent comparison. Chattanooga slots in at #72 and Rutgers at #74.
I am having the same experience as you ,it is weird. I guess he was only on the team 1 season so it kinda makes sense but he did start 18 games and averaged 23 minutes per...and I can't place him at all. And I have recollections of every other player on that team.
Lost their top scorer who was getting about 18 ppg.
However, they've still continued to win so they are no slouch, but that is a tough loss.
It boils down to this: Anything short of a sweet 16 will be a failure. I didn’t freak out after the loss to Indiana, but there are no excuses if we lose in the 1st or 2nd rounds. Time for Trent to step up and make them put his jersey in the rafters like a lot of us would like them to do regardless.
I doubt that the players will practice until they are no longer contagious. No sense passing it around the squad.
Just gotta get to the Sweet 16 so RJ can lock down Ben Mathurin.
Yep, we’re an Illini message board haha
Yep, we’re an Illini message board haha
Don’t think it can be understated how important a healthy Jacob Grandison is. Our offense has been shaky without him the last few games, and if Plummer and Frazier go cold, the only other guy that might hit threes is CoHawk (Exhibit: Indiana). Even if we only get him for 5-10 minutes, having him as a 3-point threat in the corner or feeding Kofi high-low really opens up the offense.
The first sentence of your post and the last sentence of your post is what people worry about. It doesn't make anyone a naysayer, just realists. We have been one of the most injured/illness ridden teams in the country and one of the most, if not the most inconsistent GOOD teams in the country. We come out and knock down 16 3s like we did against AZ the first time and I like our chances against anybody. We go 2 for 26 on 3s and it will be a quick exit against any of our opponents. Love this team and I hope the catch lighting in a bottle for 6 more games. Have fun, play loose and leave it all on the court and we should all be happy.
I know its tourney time but i hope we see some multiple minute stretches with a 3/4/5 lineup of Grandy-Hawk-Kofi. I like the size, length, and offensive potential when playing alongside belo/trent.
I watched it on TV and still have mental scars
I'd be surprised if Hawkins is practicing until after his eyes clear up.
Dissociation is a common and natural response to traumatic events.
If this game is in the 70s we win. I get worried when teams slow the pace down and limit our possessions ie PSU
We need to make the easy shots that we normally do and limit the empty possessions. If we hustle dominate the boards and lock in on defense we win
Our last game our team was not focused hope BU can flip that switch and come out hot
We need to make the easy shots that we normally do and limit the empty possessions. If we hustle dominate the boards and lock in on defense we win
Our last game our team was not focused hope BU can flip that switch and come out hot
I think 24 hours of antibiotic eye drops and it is no longer contagious. Could be wrong on that though.
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