RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I don’t know what the Illinois equivalent of the Gator Chomp would be, but we CANNOT let this happen on Saturday.
Pregame: Illinois vs Iowa, Saturday, March 28th, 5:09pm CT, TBS
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Well, it was due time to dig this out....
I think that hook and hold was on BozI remember Z hitting two 3's in a row that game, to help push us over the edge (probably the last time he made a 3 as a matter of fact).
There was also a Hook and Hold by Wagler at the end that made things dicey. The Hook and Hold craziness seems to have gone away, hasn't it?
My "favorite" brother (a Purdue alum) has FF tickets. The question is, will he sell one to me if AZ beats Purdue and we take out Iowa.
Oh, by favorite, I mean only.
Oh, by favorite, I mean only.
Would not have guessed that, they're shooting under their season averages across the board (FGs, 3s, FTs) in the tournament overall... offensive rebounding was good in 1st two games & turnovers are down a bit so that helps
That’s the thing about this point. Everyone has won three straight times to get here and likely had to beat at least one great team. No easy games. Another big day rebounding and a 100% commitment on defense every single possession are my biggest things.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I gotta be honest, I have a hard time squaring the box scores of their three tourney games with that absurd Torvik 142 offensive efficiency number
But to bring it down to the human level, they are just really feeling themselves and playing with a ton of freedom and confidence right now. They have survived some haymakers in this tourney so far too, they're not going to just go away tomorrow.
The way we turn into the worst team in America every time we get a 15 point lead is worrying, you gotta say.
Also getting to the FT line. Which a lot of that was in the whistle happy Florida game.
Tickets Procured - Wife and I headed on a road trip after work today.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I think that was at the end of the Texas Tech game on Boswell. Wagler's was in the Iowa game.
That is the case. A team already in the E8 generally has a better chance than a team only in the S16. Need a significant difference in perceived strength to overcome that one-game headstart.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I will be REALLY curious to see what the crowd will look like on Saturday. From accounts I read online, the following combos effectively iced out Illini and Iowa fans to being a clearly smaller contingent in the crowd:
(1) Houston being local. This not only allows local UH fans to pay a bit more for tickets due to having air travel and lodging removed from their budgets, but they are also just more likely to be locals who have connections to third parties with corporate tickets or whatever.
(2) Nebraska fans recognizing this as a truly historic and special season for them and moving hell or high water to get there. In a similar fashion to Indiana Football fans taking over every stadium in the CFP, I think they just couldn't believe they were in this spot, and their years of passionate support for their "other sport" amidst constant mediocrity just boiled over into this intense desire to do whatever it took to be there for these postseason games.
Those two factors led to insane ticket prices and a crowd makeup that was probably 90%+ Houston or Nebraska fans ... and now both of those fan bases are heading home. There will literally be 15K+ tickets just being dumped. We will either have a bland, Super-Bowl-esque crowd full of folks with random T-shirts on who don't really care who wins, or Illini / Iowa fans are going to be descending on Houston. I REALLY hope Illini Nation can show up. We have such a good reputation for traveling well, and I do think we will have noticeably more fans in the building than Thursday night. However, there are two things that concern me (I guess I really felt like numbered lists in this post, lol...).
(1) This is objectively more special for Iowa. We like to talk about how we've had some postseason heartbreak and that's true, but this is our second Elite Eight in just three seasons, and we have been to the Elite Eight five times since Iowa's last trip in 1987. They would also be playing for their first Final Four since 1980, and while a Final Four is special to absolutely everyone, we have been to two of them since then. The only Illini fans who have no memory of seeing us in a Final Four are pretty darn young ... you'd have to have been born no later than 1965-1970 to remember Iowa's last trip. That is hardly old or anything, but I am just saying that there have been several generations of Iowa fans who probably just assumed it might never happen again (trust me, I grew up with them!). I could see a similar thing to Nebraska, where Iowa fans who'd previously invested all of that energy into only football now are desperate to descend upon Houston to possibly witness a win vs. hated Illinois to break a 46+ year Final Four drought...
(2) I am worried that some Illini fans are now SO intent on taking over Indy if we are able to win on Saturday that it will subdue the turnout in Houston. Illini fans can get to Indy so much more easily, and those that are not inclined to enjoy some adult beverages can even drive there and back in one day without hotel costs. Getting down to Houston is an entirely different ballgame. I'm not excusing this by any means, but how many Illini fans would be on the fence about going to Houston but are hedging their bets that #9 seed Iowa runs out of Cinderella magic, and they'll just wait to see Illinois play in our neighbor's backyard for the "real main event." I could totally see someone like my dad talk himself into the attitude of, "Well, if we lose to Iowa of all teams to not make the Final Four, I don't want to be there for that anyway!" Lol.
TL;DR
There is now ample opportunity for Illini OR Iowa fans (or maybe both) to take over Houston for a much lower ticket cost ... and I really hope we show up. However, I am a little worried that a lot of Illini fans will "wait for Indy," a lot of Iowa fans will take a Nebraska-like approach of selling the farm to see their team in a game they never thought they'd experience and we will be at a crowd disadvantage on Saturday ... something we would have thought unthinkable vs. Iowa at a neutral site in any other year, considering we regularly bring a few thousand fans to their own home court, haha. I'm confident the guys will bring it regardless of the crowd (hell, we just beat UH in Houston!), but I also really hope Illini Nation surprises me and floods that arena with orange!
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I mean let's be real there are probably going to be a fair few empty seats.
But these are two fanbases that get hyped for a big game, I'm sure there will be a good atmosphere.
Too early to be thinking of Indy. Gotta earn it.
Thurs late night game vs Saturday early evening should also help us. Lots of TX illini fans can now do a comfortable day trip. At least that's my hope!
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I guess this begs the question… how many Illinois alums are in the state of Texas in general and would make the trip on Saturday who couldn’t make it on Thursday for work or monetary reasons? I would have to imagine Illinois fans in Dallas, San Antonio or wherever might make the trek for this very special chance.
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
Man, I just got back to Champaign yesterday afternoon from almost a week of work in Texas and I'm so tempted to head right back this evening. That's what frequently flier miles are for, right?
4th (if Michigan/Duke win tonight). Illinois favored over Iowa, and if they won, there's only 4 teams left at that point, lol
Getting about three steps ahead of myself but curious on what a line between Illlinois and UConn/MSU would be. Illinois lost to both already but is about +5 better in KP than both
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I totally agree, so let's get that out of the way! However, I was telling my wife what a big deal this was last night, and it got me thinking how fundamentally different college hoops is now ... you can TOTALLY remove the "rebuilding year" if you play your cards right and get a little lucky. For example, I think many might think it's a bit harsh to hold 2002 (Sweet Sixteen) to the same standard as 2001 (Elite Eight) because we lost some production and still won the Big Ten and made the Sweet Sixteen. So my perspective of the 2001 to 2005 stretch and why it was so good is that we had a team that could contend to win it all in 2001 (#1 seed and Elite Eight appearance), our "rebuilding years" in between to get back to that level of firepower were still so good (three more Big Ten championships, a BTT championship and two more Sweet Sixteens) and then four years later we were right back to being a true contender in 2005. With the portal and everything, you can reload so much faster, it's just crazy.
Couldn't agree more, and I pray that there are legions of Illini fans who think this same way and the place is painted orange! However, logistics often get in the way. As an example, we got back from San Pedro, Belize late last night ... going to Houston obviously isn't an option. But if we win and make Indy next Saturday? I will literally beg my mother to drive the four hours to Chicago to watch our 2-year old for one night, and my wife and I will find the cheapest Airbnb there is in Indy and sit in the last frickin' row of Lucas Oil to see Illinois in the Final Four this close, haha. With that said, obviously not everyone just got back from a vacation or has a 2-year old, and I am confident Illini Nation will show up!
My sentiments exactly. We must beat the hated Hawkeyes.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Back to the game rather than the crowd, I have been talking back and forth with my Iowa friends ... and I just feel too good about this team right now to be scared. Iowa can obviously beat us, and we need to come bring our A game. However, I just have this weird feeling of confidence in our team without this odd sense of anxiousness that I haven't had with a group since 2005. It's not apples to apples by any means, but I just have this feeling we are going to see a cadence similar to after we beat Arizona in 2005 and then came out like this well-oiled machine on an even bigger stage vs. Louisville and the game will never be in doubt. The only hang-up I ever really had with this team was its ability to be consistently 100% focused (which obviously then leads to other issues, like taking ill-advised threes, etc.), and they have just blown away my expectations this Tournament.
There is literally one thing that gives me pause ... I really do think McCollum is the REAL deal, and he has his guys believing that they're a team of destiny. They could have easily folded when Nebraska punched them in the mouth early, and I would have placed heavy bets on Florida and Nebraska finishing them off in the final minutes of both games before I saw Iowa scrap out two wins. The Hawkeyes will NOT stop scrapping and clawing until that final buzzer sounds, and we cannot afford letting them back into the game if we get a lead of 6-10 points or something like that. We need to have the kind of intensity you saw in Luther Head's eyes when he got that second steal in OT of the 2005 Arizona game (IYKYK!) for 40 minutes and possibly even more. If we do that, we are the better team ... and we'll be going to the Final Four.
I-L-L!
There is literally one thing that gives me pause ... I really do think McCollum is the REAL deal, and he has his guys believing that they're a team of destiny. They could have easily folded when Nebraska punched them in the mouth early, and I would have placed heavy bets on Florida and Nebraska finishing them off in the final minutes of both games before I saw Iowa scrap out two wins. The Hawkeyes will NOT stop scrapping and clawing until that final buzzer sounds, and we cannot afford letting them back into the game if we get a lead of 6-10 points or something like that. We need to have the kind of intensity you saw in Luther Head's eyes when he got that second steal in OT of the 2005 Arizona game (IYKYK!) for 40 minutes and possibly even more. If we do that, we are the better team ... and we'll be going to the Final Four.
I-L-L!
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