Pregame: Illinois vs Rutgers, Thursday, January 8th, 7:30pm CT, BTN
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especially considering what I've seen from him in the games as well. I think it's fair to say the Petro experiment is done... but i don't know for sure
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
It’s crazy how much college football eats into the basketball season when you have a decent team, combined with the new transfer portal rules.
There were seasons where I’d be fully locked in on basketball by mid-november. Now we’re coming in on mid-january, and I’m still checking the football board twice as much as the basketball.
I’m sure that’ll change when the portal closes soon.
There were seasons where I’d be fully locked in on basketball by mid-november. Now we’re coming in on mid-january, and I’m still checking the football board twice as much as the basketball.
I’m sure that’ll change when the portal closes soon.
It’s hard telling if the Petro experiment is done at this point. Impossible to know what our needs will be over the next 17 games. Additionally, sometimes the lightbulb goes off and guys take a leap to the point where we can’t keep them off the floor.
I will say however I think it’s unlikely that Petro cracks the rotation this year. We just don’t need offense from a backup guard which is his primary skill set.
I think it’s far more likely Lee carves out 10ish minutes to spell Keaton/Kylan to provide some defense and physicality.
Still think Petro can be a plus player in the BIG. But arriving late, an injury, and Keaton’s emergence as probably the team’s best player just doesn’t make him a fit for this year’s team.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
A few years back, UCLA brought in several Euro players and they had a tough time adjusting year 1, year 2 was better. 2 summers ago, several people on this board were worried that we would have the same problem. We didn't, we got spoiled. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that Petro may be significantly better in year 2. I wouldn't be playing him in crunch time at the moment, but I would like to keep him engaged when possible, unless he has checked himself out. We lose Bam and KW next year (assuming that KW goes to the League). It would be great to have an experienced PG on the roster.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
While I am definitely fully in basketball mode now, I also think about this and agree it's been a crazy change from past years! It seems like every year in college basketball, the first and second weekends of December have a bunch of cool non-conference matchups, often at neutral sites. I always loved that weekend, and yet many of my friends who were fans of other teams were still thinking about football and bowl games, lol ... it's great to be able to care about both for the whole month of December!!
fair points... let me be clear. the Petro experiment at his current cost (I've heard we are paying 7 figures
) should be done. this year is totally open because it's sunk cost but no way we should be paying him that anything close to that premium dollars next year. many better players out for a better bang for our buck who may even be able to defend even the slightest.altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Such dilemmas are called "high-class problems."
Agree with all of your points, but it seems like it's pretty clear what our team needs, and what the focus has been. Defensive cohesiveness, continuing to rebound on the offensive glass, continuing to not turn the ball over. We're 9th in the nation in offensive rebounding %, 2nd in the nation in Non-steal TO%. Defense is ranked 20th, get it to 10th and we're a top 4 team in the nation, assuming all things remain the same. Whoever can provide that is who is going to be on the floor.
I'm in no way putting words into anyone's mouth. But once a player falls out of favor with 0440, there's usually no going back and that player's future with the team is limited. Just a pattern I've observed over the years.
Tyler loves Petro haha
sacraig
- The desert
Talking in the third person is so strange.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
First world dilemmasSuch dilemmas are called "high-class problems."
This is how a slew of Seinfeld gifs begin
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I'll just address this actually relevant part, as I also really want us to just run them out of the gym. Such a result would be really great for both the players' and fans' confidence going into a huge weekend game against Iowa. I'll be honest, my perception has definitely been that we have had fewer clear-cut, comfortable blowout wins at home in the Underwood Era than in the 2000-2006 stretch of similarly good teams. I'm sure things like NIL and the portal have permanently changed the hierarchy within leagues, and I think part of it is also that the bottom of the league has just been a lot better than it used to be ... but the latter CERTAINLY doesn't apply to Rutgers this year.
FWIW (mostly just an interesting trip down memory lane!), these are our home Big Ten wins by 20 or more points in the 2000-2006 stretch and our current 2020-2026 stretch.
2000
W 78-50 vs. Iowa
W 87-63 vs. #16 Indiana
W 73-44 vs. Northwestern (ILL #25)
2001
W 80-51 vs. Michigan (ILL #7)
W 92-60 vs. Penn State (ILL #11)
W 84-59 vs. Northwestern (ILL #6)
W 89-63 vs. Iowa (ILL #3)
2002
W 76-53 vs. Minnesota (ILL #7)
W 94-70 vs. Michigan (ILL #9)
W 80-48 vs. Wisconsin (ILL #9)
W 83-56 vs. Penn State (ILL #16)
2003
W 70-40 vs. Michigan State (ILL #20)
W 80-54 vs. Indiana (ILL #18)
W 84-60 vs. Minnesota (ILL #14)
2004
W 85-63 vs. Ohio State (ILL #19)
W 80-37 vs. Penn State
W 75-51 vs. Michigan State
2005
W 90-64 vs. Penn State (ILL #1)
W 89-66 vs. Minnesota (ILL #1)
W 84-48 vs. Northwestern (ILL #1)
W 84-50 vs. Purdue (ILL #1)
2006
W 77-53 vs. Minnesota (ILL #8)
...
2020
W 63-37 vs. Purdue
2021
W 92-65 vs. Minnesota (ILL #13)
2022
W 86-51 vs. Rutgers
2023
N/A
2024
W 96-66 vs. Northwestern (ILL #9)
W 86-63 vs. Rutgers (ILL #14)
W 97-68 vs. Michigan (ILL #14)
2025
W 91-52 vs. Penn State (ILL #13)
W 81-61 vs. Iowa
So what is the TL;DR about this, IMO? It's actually pretty simple.
1) We were really, really good from 2000 to 2006, and the stretch from 2007 to 2019 was jarringly awful compared to what our historic standard had been. When we finally got good again circa 2020, I think many fans (myself included) naturally had 2000 to 2006 as our main comparison in the modern era.
2) During the 2000 to 2006 stretch, we regularly blew out the bottom of the league at home, and we even sometimes blew out better teams like MSU and Wisconsin. Combined with some of our insanely great streaks at home during these years (I think at one point we were like 64-4 in our last 68 home games!), fans sort of saw this as "normal" for a healthy/good Illini program.
3) Thus, some fans sort of get apprehensive when we are rarely just absolutely running the bottom of the league out of the gym from the get-go. There could be any number of reasons for this, from the aforementioned forever-changed college hoops landscape or the bottom of the league being much better than in those days ... but the fact remains we have teams right now that seem similar to that era's Illini teams as far as things like ranking, but we seem less dominant at home in many ways.
With all that said? 2026 Rutgers has more in common with the PSU/Northwestern/Minnesota club from the mid-2000s than it does with what the bottom of the Big Ten has been over the last several years ... they are REALLY bad. I personally think it is reasonable to express at least some concern if we don't win comfortably, because it means we didn't come in mentally focused. JMO, of course. However, I'll always take a W, and it would be great to head to Iowa City on a 4-game winning streak of any kind!!
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