Pregame: Illinois vs Houston, Thursday, March 26th, 9:05pm CT, TBS
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Hypothetically which is worse?
1. Lose to Houston in any way other than a blowout.
2. Beat Houston only to lose to Iowa or Nebraksa with the Final 4 on the line. We have to listen all off season how they had a better year.. we can't even beat the teams we are better than... we havnt made a final 4 in over 20 years... etc etc.
Im not sure which one to pick. Im leaning #2. I think it would just sting more to actually beat Houston only to lose one of those teams.
1. Lose to Houston in any way other than a blowout.
2. Beat Houston only to lose to Iowa or Nebraksa with the Final 4 on the line. We have to listen all off season how they had a better year.. we can't even beat the teams we are better than... we havnt made a final 4 in over 20 years... etc etc.
Im not sure which one to pick. Im leaning #2. I think it would just sting more to actually beat Houston only to lose one of those teams.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
A couple of very soft whistles in the same player matchup changed that game, but Arizona 01 was something else entirely. 56 free throws!!!
The refs established a soft whistle and then just would not budge as the Arizona players threw themselves into traffic knowing the whistle would go their way over and over and over again.
A good crew finds a way to adjust their way out of that equilibrium.
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altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
The bill arrived brutally four years hence.
And, on top of the terrible officiating, we had to endure Bill Walton fawning all over AZ and calling a game his son was playing in
I agree that we've been very poised against the press so far. What HAS given us trouble is teams that defend aggressively in the paint. We seem to be a little prone to turning it over when driving to the basket (but better recently!) and fumbles from the Ivisii.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I guess in this case it’s who would they rather play? Or at least one of them will be thinking like that.
Keaton on NBA today
Is it not about who you would rather play?
I think anyone who wins NEBA/Iowa would rather see us knock Houston, 2 miles away from their campus.
Refs announced.
Who do we want (i.e. known for keeping the game from becoming a rugby match)?
Who we we want to avoid beyond High Knees?
If some other B1G team is gonna get the natty, I would like people to be forced to also talk about the dominant performance of the conference as a whole, not just the team that won it all. So I'll try to pull for the two Michigan teams. But in my heart, I do want them both to lose asap.
I’ve always thought Kimble called a good game. Interesting no Pfeifer or Sciratto
Definitely don’t want Sermons, Green or Dorsey
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Two items in this thread I'd completely forgotten: that we were the higher seed (hence the white unis) and Homer Walton's awfulness.
And friends, I could have done without being reminded of either one.
I do, however have sweet memories of watching our beating of Kansas the preceding Friday night in the downstairs bar at the Grand Hyatt DC with a group of Illini alums. The building I've worked in since 2011 coincidentally sits right across the street from that very hotel. Every time I walk through the lobby I think of that game.
I’m not buying the home court advantage for Houston. I actually think they got screwed when 3 B10 teams ended up in their region. Those fans will be rooting for Illinois. I’m thinking a 50/50 crowd. The fans watching the Neb/Iowa game before us won’t leave, will they? I wouldn’t.
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
A lot of home court advantage is just sleeping in your own bed. But then there's also familiarity with the arena and locker rooms and sight lines which they wouldn't have even if the crowd were 100% screaming UH fans.
It's an advantage for them to some degree, I don't think that can be denied.
I think 9.0 is per game, not % of possessions. It's 10.6% here: https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/men/2026-advanced-school-stats.html
But Torvik has the game at 16.4% and Arkansas' season at 12.2%, though I guess either way it's about 33% above their season avg.
We don’t want High knees, DJ, Brooks, Sirmons, Szelc, Dorsey,Courtney, Kipp or Randy Richardson
AI slop answer:
Short answer: you don’t really want a “whistle-happy” crew—you want a consistent, control-oriented crew that calls hand-checks and bodying on the perimeter early, but doesn’t reward flopping or late help contact. That’s what best protects Illinois’ style.
Looking at that list, here’s how to think about it:
Ref tendencies that help Illinois
You benefit most from refs who:- Call perimeter contact (hand-checks, bumps) tightly
- Emphasize freedom of movement
- Don’t reward offensive players initiating contact on drives
- Keep games controlled vs chaotic
From your list — better fits for Illinois style
These guys (historically, based on fan/coach sentiment and typical reputations) lean more toward structured, control-based officiating:- Pat Adams – tends to call games tighter early, especially on perimeter contact
- Brian O’Connell – generally consistent, not overly “let them play”
- Michael Irving – more technical, less chaos-friendly
- Ron Groover – experienced, usually keeps physicality from escalating
These types are better for Illinois because they’ll:- Penalize Houston’s bumping/cutting defense
- Reduce offensive “bulldoze drives” getting rewarded
Less ideal (favor physical teams like Houston)
These refs are more associated with “let them play” or physical environments:- Doug Shows – notorious for inconsistency; games can get chaotic and physical
- Courtney Green – can allow more body play, especially in big games
- Kipp Kissinger – sometimes lets physical defense ride longer
- Bert Smith – can skew toward advantage-play (benefits aggressive teams)
These crews tend to:- Let Houston’s physical defense go longer
- Reward downhill attacking (which Houston excels at)
The real key (more important than specific names)
Even more than who the refs are, Illinois needs:- Early whistle clarity
- If refs call first 5–10 minutes tight → big advantage Illini
- If they “let them feel it out” → Houston gains edge
- Charge/block consistency
- Houston will try to draw fouls on drives
- If refs reward that → trouble
- If refs call defensive positioning strictly → helps Illinois
- Off-ball enforcement
- Houston thrives on grabbing, bumping cutters
- Crews that call this = major Illinois advantage
Bottom line
- Best-case crew: Adams / O’Connell / Irving type
- Worst-case crew: Shows / Green type
- Game swing factor: not volume of fouls—but what kinds get called
If you want, I can break down how Illinois should adjust tactically depending on the whistle style they get (that’s honestly where games like this are won).
Are the tickets good for both sessions? Will the Iowa/Nebraska fans likely stay for the second game?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Well anyone who has ever played keno while waiting for their meal in Vegas knows that the chances of avoiding all of those are astronomically low.
Also no sleeping in their own bed as still need to stay at a hotel.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Is that true? Do they always do that pregame?
I'd treat it as much like a normal home game as I could if I were the coach.
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