KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
Pregame: Illinois vs Duke, Saturday, February 22nd, 7:00pm CT, FOX
- Status
Just a total shame. I think if we were healthy and whole we match up with them pretty good. They are the biggest team in P5 but only slightly bigger than us. They switch 5 ways but we could exploit that with KJ and Tomi. They are really really good but the ACC is complete trash so they haven’t really been tested in a long time.
But without Morez, a hobbled Tomi and other guys still fighting sickness they will likely be too much for us.
But without Morez, a hobbled Tomi and other guys still fighting sickness they will likely be too much for us.
They absolutely shut teams down defensively. We are going to struggle to create any quality shots.
Not to mention the team has to fly back that night and play Iowa Tuesday. Just not much time between games until after Iowa.
Over/Under on dunks for Flagg? 5.5?
This is gunna be tough. KJ is throwing more passes to the opponent than to his teammates. Kylan has no confidence. Tomi has blown a flat. DGL is dejected. Tre can't hit tre's. Jake is chucking up more than 3's. Will can't guard his grandma. Booth cant score on his grandma. Underwood's scheme.... non-existent. It's a BIG stage. Scouts galore.
Illini: 61
Duke: 85
This is gunna be tough. KJ is throwing more passes to the opponent than to his teammates. Kylan has no confidence. Tomi has blown a flat. DGL is dejected. Tre can't hit tre's. Jake is chucking up more than 3's. Will can't guard his grandma. Booth cant score on his grandma. Underwood's scheme.... non-existent. It's a BIG stage. Scouts galore.
Illini: 61
Duke: 85
In 1979, we beat Michigan St. with Magic Johnson, on a Thursday. We we were 15-0, and going to be number 1 in the polls the next Monday, but then lost on Saturday to Ohio St. (that had Kelvin Ransey and Clark Kellogg) in overtime. Additionally our point guard Steve Lanter tore his ACL in that game. We ended the season 19-15 and went to the NIT.
Forfeit due to illness
Great pic! I've never seen these before (at least not this angle) as the early 80s blues are really hard to find online. Peep that old school chief logo on the shorts.
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
Finally, we found the Illini uniform version of Bigfoot!!! 
Fighter of the Nightman , I'm sure you will love seeing this. This is what I'm talking about when I say have the blue Flying Illini uniforms that look like the current orange versions but using this color scheme. It would be a hit.
Fighter of the Nightman , I'm sure you will love seeing this. This is what I'm talking about when I say have the blue Flying Illini uniforms that look like the current orange versions but using this color scheme. It would be a hit.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I’m sure that what I’m about to type has nothing to do with the fact that I have been looking forward to attending this game since it was announced last year and bought tickets in January. The Garden is one of the world’s great sports arenas. We don’t play there often. To all Illini fans heading there Saturday evening, let’s have a good time and back the boys raucously. Irritation and depression isn’t productive, as satisfying as it may feel given our recent trajectory.
Speaking of which… I've got something to share that might explain my optimism and excited anticipation for Saturday evening.
I ride the Metro subway to work in DC every morning. The stations contain large video advertising monitors spaced ~ 10 yards apart along the platforms. Several weeks ago a relentless ad campaign for tourism in a bucolic, isolated Pennsylvania town began. Morning and evening I can't escape seeing these. I inflict them regularly on @Retro62 because I refuse to bear this suffering alone.
Imagine being an old dude like me; working a 14-hour day yesterday; arriving home around 10:45 p.m. to find the postgame Wisconsin thread already three pages deep; making the unwise, thoroughly masochistic choice to read it until midnight; enjoying fitful, insufficient sleep afterward; dragging yourself out of bed; schlepping to the train station to head back to the office; and encountering this, which has several variants including a burly lineman and basketball’s Ace Baldwin. I'm confident that nothing on Saturday will be worse than this intermittent torture:
Speaking of which… I've got something to share that might explain my optimism and excited anticipation for Saturday evening.
I ride the Metro subway to work in DC every morning. The stations contain large video advertising monitors spaced ~ 10 yards apart along the platforms. Several weeks ago a relentless ad campaign for tourism in a bucolic, isolated Pennsylvania town began. Morning and evening I can't escape seeing these. I inflict them regularly on @Retro62 because I refuse to bear this suffering alone.
Imagine being an old dude like me; working a 14-hour day yesterday; arriving home around 10:45 p.m. to find the postgame Wisconsin thread already three pages deep; making the unwise, thoroughly masochistic choice to read it until midnight; enjoying fitful, insufficient sleep afterward; dragging yourself out of bed; schlepping to the train station to head back to the office; and encountering this, which has several variants including a burly lineman and basketball’s Ace Baldwin. I'm confident that nothing on Saturday will be worse than this intermittent torture:
Yeah, that was pretty horrible. That was my first year at school and I was really hyped about being #1 in the country. But alas.....
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
They were awesome. Better than the subsequent version with white lettering. This was Illinois @ Purdue in Feb 1984. We lost by 4 pts and therefore had to share the BT title that season with them. 15-3. Not too shabby. What a team that was, including Efrem Winters in the photo.
We are looking more like one legged man in a a&$ kicking contest.
That's not true, they rewarded it earlier this month. DGL started against Ohio State and Rutgers. He only lost his spot because of the flu. The team won and looked pretty good in the two games DGL was sick with Boswell starting against Minnesota and UCLA so they stuck with it against Michigan State.
And then last night I assume since they had to start Tre and Jake Davis, they wanted at least a veteran little stability in the starting lineup so they kept KB in there.
Clearly DGL has proven once again he deserves more minutes and likely a starting spot once again and hopefully the staff agrees.
So bummed that we've been snakebitten like we have, this was going to be a huge opportunity for us.
Hope the guys heal a little and put up a good fight.
Hope the guys heal a little and put up a good fight.
Hmm...
1) winning, but in lieu of that:
Losing without massive choke job or blowout, no injuries or vomiting, KJ under 4 turnovers, less than 25 3pt attempts, Put us in position to be mad at the refs again and not the players/staff.
Please don't let your children watch this massacre! It will take EVERYONE playing their very best game of their careers to finish this season on a high note. I think the only game they may have a slight chance to win is Iowa [20%] This season and this group of players were way over hyped from day 1. Shame on you Brad! This is the gang that couldn't shoot straight!
I too am eagerly awaiting the line/spread
As a team apologist, I am going to be positive and say that this whole Team wide sickness situation is legit.
IF TRUE, there's not a whole lot you can do, but give everything that you've got to give. Brad not wanting his kids to get in the handshake line was a cool move. If we're THAT BAD.....all they can do is ride it out. You can't practice with the team in that type of shape.
My question is.....how has this been an issue for over a month? Constant illness CAN BE a byproduct of cleanliness or common sense. There should be absolutely no way that these illnesses can be running through the team three times in a winter.
In any event, with how bad we've looked in recent second halves from a conditioning standpoint, it's hard to argue the situation. Conditioning hasn't been an issue under Brad or Fletch.......Ever.
So, that's my positivity shining through.
IF TRUE, there's not a whole lot you can do, but give everything that you've got to give. Brad not wanting his kids to get in the handshake line was a cool move. If we're THAT BAD.....all they can do is ride it out. You can't practice with the team in that type of shape.
My question is.....how has this been an issue for over a month? Constant illness CAN BE a byproduct of cleanliness or common sense. There should be absolutely no way that these illnesses can be running through the team three times in a winter.
In any event, with how bad we've looked in recent second halves from a conditioning standpoint, it's hard to argue the situation. Conditioning hasn't been an issue under Brad or Fletch.......Ever.
So, that's my positivity shining through.
Flagg is gonna get his. No point in gameplanning something to slow him down. Let Ben do his best and focus on everyone else.
Just hoping we can hang around. Duke hasn’t exactly been playing the best competition so maybe we catch them while they’re flat. Not expecting a win but just want to see positives as we get healthy for March.
Just hoping we can hang around. Duke hasn’t exactly been playing the best competition so maybe we catch them while they’re flat. Not expecting a win but just want to see positives as we get healthy for March.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I'm with you. I've been wondering whether other teams are suffering this run of illness and, if not, why we are. The flu has been especially pervasive this winter, but shouldn't all teams in cold-weather belts like ours be struggling with this, too?
Otherwise, it it nutrition, hygiene... excessive use of Red Bull and poppers?!
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