Pregame: Illinois vs Fairleigh Dickinson, Monday, November 2nd, 7:00pm CT, BTN

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#153      
Curbelo Fanboy
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I'm ALWAYS pumped for Illini Basketball to start, even in the down years. With that said, there have been a few seasons in my living memory as a fan where there was undeniable "hype" in every sense of the word, and our *hope* for a deep Tournament run was more of a true *belief*. Working backwards...

2020-2021 - The way we ended the 2020 season by finally beating Iowa and earning the double bye in the BTT really had me believing we were "back." To enter the 2021 season with a preseason top 10 ranking was just something that seemed unimaginable a year prior, and part of me wondered if we'd ever get back to that level of program.

2010-2011 - It's easy to forget now, but we actually did have a lot of hype (IIRC, some analyst picked us to be National Runner-Up preseason!) with everything we returned from a team that (A) got robbed of a Tournament bid and (C) ended the season playing well, knocking off a top 15 Wisconsin team and taking a top 5 OSU team to double OT in the BTT. We were also still BARELY close enough to 2005 that I retained this faith that Weber would eventually get it back together.

2004-2005 - This one needs no explanation, but I was in seventh grade ... I'm not sure I truly appreciated just how hard it was to make the Final Four and beyond OR just how good our team would be.

There have been other years like 2023-24 where I thought we could be pretty good, but it was hopeful speculation if we were being honest. Given my aforementioned younger age in November 2004, this stands alone in my life as a fan as far as excitement and optimism ... even with the injury setbacks. We seem to have some things to figure out, but I think we can get to the point where we are playing our best hoops in April.

TL;DR

I'm so frickin' pumped for Illini Hoops to be back ... more than any other season in my whole life as a fan!
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2001-02 had great hype coming off the 2001 Elite 8 run. SI predicted us #1 in their pre season preview. Frankie on the cover IIRC. 88-89 had some hype but we'd been conditioned to falling flat in the tournament by that point. Tho once we hit #1 in January the hype went to new levels. Media was much different back then of course & I lived in the Quincy area so didn't get near the coverage on a daily basis that I do now.

I'm normally a pessimist but for some reason I have had a weird feeling since the core announced their return that this year is the moment. I hope it's not just blind optimism but we have most key pieces back & what appears to be a burning desire on the part of the coaches & team to settle for nothing less.
 
#154      
CDRUSN
Haven't heard definitively, but I hope Mirk had a simple appendectomy to remove the organ intact, and not a burst appendix (I had one at age 48) that spreads infection and inflammation throughout the abdominal cavity and requires a longer regimen of strong antibiotics to prevent peritonitis or sepsis. The first one has a recovery period of one to three weeks tops, whereas the second one takes about five or six weeks to fully heal if there are no complications. During recovery from either procedure, there are serious limitations on vigorous physical exercise and weight training.
 
#155      
CDRUSN
I am predicting a 3-point loss tonight, unfortunately. The team is super soft, and we are definitely going to underachieve this year. We still don't play defense.
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You sound like a complete "Glass is completely empty" kind of guy.
 
#157      
March2TheArch
Huggies5 said:
Did you mean that we're actually going to lose by three, or that we're going to win by 3 less than the 39.5-point spread we're favored by? You can't be serious.
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Post history is exactly what you would guess.

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Too Good To Be True Disney GIF
 
#158      
March2TheArch
I am predicting a 3-point loss tonight, unfortunately. The team is super soft, and we are definitely going to underachieve this year. We still don't play defense.
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Are you talking about Bears @ Seahawks?
 
#166      
Chuck Nuggets
ChiefGritty said:
Skill issue. Youtube TV baby, break out the double box!
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I have YTTV. I'll watch the basketball game after the Bears game, or after the Seahawks start blowing them out. 🫣

I can't do two games at once.
 
#168      
RollChief
NarrowJ said:
For folks who are located outside of Illinois:

Quentin Coleman REB
5+ (+105)
6+ (+215)
7+ (+425)
8+ (+900)
9+ (+1800)

Also I really wanted to argue with someone but happy to see @illini0440 took care of my light work today.
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If I was a gamblin' man I would be all over 9+
 
#169      
Illiniforlife
illini0440 said:
Yes Jake Davis demanded to play in an exhibition with a black and blue ankle because we’re so soft. But hey you can’t fix stupid.
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Yeah, getting out-rebounded by Baylor is more what I was talking about when I mentioned us looking soft. If we play like that against Texas Tech, Duke, or UConn, we're going to get crushed on the boards.

And honestly, you can't tell me you're not at least a little concerned about the defense. Right now, we look like Swiss cheese. Teams are getting way too many easy looks, and if we don't tighten things up, the better teams on the schedule are going to take advantage of it.
 
#171      
Fly Illini Fly!
Illiniforlife said:
I am predicting a 3-point loss tonight, unfortunately. The team is super soft, and we are definitely going to underachieve this year. We still don't play defense.
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This is such obvious ragebait, haha.

Illinois is ranked #3, while FDU is #338 on KenPom. That would be the worst loss in NCAA history.
 
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