Good people can get stuck at bad companies. I always thought ESPN had a natural East Coast bias. In the post cable world where they are competing with Fox and others, I think it would be impossible for ESPN not to be biased toward the conferences they have long term agreements with. From a business perspective, they need to be promoting the content they paid for. They’d be idiots to do otherwise.
The Sweet 16
- Status
Lots of criticism from fans about BU not being the best at “X” I would offer that he very well may be the VERY best at building a culture. He wants hard nosed, hard working, committed to the team individuals. Young men who accept coaching and put in the work to grow - both as players and individuals. It has created a brand that is so fun to watch and support. Next time any of us decide to get critical of BU we should reflect on whether we have ever had a better “product“ in terms of men’s basketball. I for one think this is the best we have ever seen. Sure it’s great to think about a national championship, but in many ways I would argue that it’s even better to have this man at the helm leading an unmatched culture
People find reasons to be critical about everything. This man has been a godsend for our program. It's fair to question substitutions, certain play calls, etc....as fans, this is what we do. At this point, any criticism from 30,000 feet.....I ignore. He's checked the boxes in every single area and took a mediocre program(being kind) and has won multiple Big Ten championships, made us the winningest program in the conference the last five years, we're now a second weekend team and recruiting is fantastic.
To add to your point, the culture that he's built and his willingness to adapt as the season rolls on.... fantastic. His players will run through a wall for him.
Wait however, if we are to lose tonight, the clowns will come out of the woodwork.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
What impresses me most about BU is how adaptable he's been. This program is nothing like what he did at SFA, we don't play the same way, we don't have the same kind of staff, we don't construct our roster in the same way, he changed at OSU, kinda went back to the SFA stuff here and failed, changed again with Ayo and Kofi, and we're on at least version 3.0 of BU's Illinois.
In a moment in college sports where no one, not even the coaches, knows what's coming next, BU's ability to figure out how to adapt and succeed in new paradigms is about the most confidence-inspiring trait you could have.
Tony Bennett and John Calipari are better at the narrow thing they do than Underwood is at anything, but if the winds of change blow their advantages away, what then?
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Print that thing banner-size and hang it in the locker room. Such an obvious snub of TSJ that it must be deliberate (off-court issue).DISLIKE.I hope the Illini use this snub as bulletin board motivation…
Yes. And as someone noted above, I don't think enough is said about him losing his entire assistant coach group a couple years ago and rebuilding to an equal or better level almost right away. Tremendous accomplishment.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yep, I think now that the Sweet Sixteen monkey is off his back, there can be no denying what a smashing success he has been at Illinois. We don't need to recap post-Dee/James Bruce Weber and John Groce, but our program was in the worst shape it's been in like 40 years when Brad Underwood decided to leave Oklahoma State - a program with a great tradition in its own right and that had just made the NCAA Tournament - to come here. I think two things prevented some from TRULY appreciating the turnaround:
1. COVID cutting our 2020 season short just as we were hitting our stride (we had just beat a very good Iowa team at home to get the double bye in the BTT and looked slated for a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament). If we even make the Second Round that year, #2 is POSSIBLY avoided...
2. The Loyola loss. Our meteoric rise from a losing season to a #1 seed and what should have been 2 Big Ten championship banners in one year seemed like a fever dream. Not only that, but our 2021 team was playing some of the best basketball I have ever seen an Illini team play in history as it cruised through the end of the regular season and BTT, beating top 10 teams away from Champaign left and right. Then it came crashing down in one loss.
2022 was what it was ... we lost a generational talent in Ayo, along with Miller and Giorgi. We also dealt with more player absences from games than anyone in the country, IIRC. While our dreams of a long Tournament run were slim by mid-March, we got the Big Ten regular season championship that the previous team deserved ... mission accomplished.
2023 is just a normal rebuilding year that we all give Brad a pass for in a previous era. Instead, he proved that this program can recruit with literally ANYBODY in the Big Ten and reloaded to have a preseason top 25 team after losing all five starters?! It didn't end up working out, but it was a gamble ... and he would have taken slack from people if he didn't hit the portal hard.
Upsets happen in the Tournament, and #1 seeds go down in the Sweet Sixteen quite frequently. So, let's pretend for a second that our Sweet Sixteen appearance (which, don't get me wrong, is hopefully way more than that after a win tonight!) occurs in 2021 with a #1 seed and we don't have the psychological scar of the Loyola game. THIS is an impeccable record the last five seasons:
Record: 116-48 (.707)
B1G Record: 69-31 (.690)
NCAAT Appearances: 5 (counting 2020, as they would have made it)
NCAAT Finishes: 1 Sweet Sixteen (at least), 3 Second Round appearances
Big Ten: 1.5 regular season championships, 2 BTT championships
AP Poll Finishes: #21 - #2 - #19 - NR - #10
Preseason AP: NR - #8 - #11 - #23 - #25
I included that last part to remind everyone that Brad has actually now improved on the preseason ranking his team had in 3 of 5 seasons. Super happy to have him, and we better open up the war chest to pay the man to keep him forever!
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I think you are looking for a reason to be mad at the media. Virtually everywhere I look, including ESPN is touting this matchup tonight. When looking at the "who can make a difference" article in S16 on ESPN, Domask shows up (with a lot of positives about him). Bilas has the Illini as the 6th best team left in the tourney (ahead of Iowa State). There are some pundits through ESPN and CBS, who have the Illini making it to the Final 4. To claim that the entire (or nearly all the media) is ignoring the Illini is simply not true.
Well… I totally agree with the tantrum part… just not sure about your implication of them being adults part.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Was it the lady from the Sun Times that had the tone in yesterday's presser?
The thought that we could only have 40 more minutes with these guys is hard to accept.
I recall how absolutely gutted I was after the Loyola loss… Ayo moving on and the potential for Kofi to do the same, felt like the end of something. I definitely had a mourning period for what I assumed would result in another rebuild for the Illini. I had a hard time believing we would have as good a shot to do something big in the tournament any time soon.
Should this be our final 40 minutes, I know I won’t be as sad. Not only have these guys given us some great memories and highlights to watch over and over again, but BU has given me confidence that next year could be just as much fun. What a gift.
I recall how absolutely gutted I was after the Loyola loss… Ayo moving on and the potential for Kofi to do the same, felt like the end of something. I definitely had a mourning period for what I assumed would result in another rebuild for the Illini. I had a hard time believing we would have as good a shot to do something big in the tournament any time soon.
Should this be our final 40 minutes, I know I won’t be as sad. Not only have these guys given us some great memories and highlights to watch over and over again, but BU has given me confidence that next year could be just as much fun. What a gift.
I'm sure you're right, but there will be a lot of joy mixed in with the disappointment. There's a lot to be proud of, and even great teams/players have an off night. One of the reasons I think I'm happier than most with the BTT title is that even if they didn't make a run in the NCAAs, they still have an important achievement that no one can take from them. I hope they're playing with house money at this point, but I'll bet they have their sights set at surviving the weekend.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
This. Along with breaking the second weekend curse, this team is going to get to hang a banner. This team who brought our culture back to what it should be after a rocky year last year. They deserve all the credit, admiration, and affection we can shower them with when this run ends, no matter how it ends. I'm so thankful I've gotten to watch this team grow and play together.
LGIllini
- La Grange, IL
March Madness: The 16 most intriguing potential Final Four combinations
There are 256 potential Final Four combinations left. Here’s a look at 16 compelling ones.
sports.yahoo.com
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Oh, absolutely.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is on an NCAA Tournament tear but remains absent from the media
The Chicago native has been silent due to advice from his legal counsel, which the Illini basketball player sought after being charged with rape in Kansas.
chicago.suntimes.com
Don't know what the article is about (since I don't have a subscription). But it sounds like she has an axe to grind, and she'll find a way to grind it one way or another.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Didn't need a subscription to read it, just had to sign up for the news letter.Oh, absolutely.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is on an NCAA Tournament tear but remains absent from the media
The Chicago native has been silent due to advice from his legal counsel, which the Illini basketball player sought after being charged with rape in Kansas.
Don't know what the article is about (since I don't have a subscription). But it sounds like she has an axe to grind, and she'll find a way to grind it one way or another.
It was factual and not nearly as judgemental as the USA Today piece that speculated we shouldn't be playing with him on the floor at all, but there's a definite time of annoyance that he's not available to speak to the media. She can be annoyed all she wants. Every American has the right to a fair trial and this is what his legal team has deemed he needs for his. She can die mad about it.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
SURPRISE - She is an Iowa grad! We REALLY need more Illini people in the media. I will be the first to say I actually notice an ever-so-slightly POSITIVE bias toward us on the BTN simply because between Howard Griffith, Bruce Weber, Mike Hall, etc. there are a lot of Illini on the network. Meanwhile, all of the Chicago newspapers are filled with non-Illini folks.Oh, absolutely.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is on an NCAA Tournament tear but remains absent from the media
The Chicago native has been silent due to advice from his legal counsel, which the Illini basketball player sought after being charged with rape in Kansas.
Don't know what the article is about (since I don't have a subscription). But it sounds like she has an axe to grind, and she'll find a way to grind it one way or another.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Yeah, I read it through the page source.
The problem with this approach is that the intended play is so transparent. Before media is given access to TSJ, it is the most innocent thing in the world to bang the "we just want to talk to your best player" drum. But as soon as he is made available, you just know the questions will go way beyond the bounds of basketball and the upcoming game or the game that was just played.
It just takes one person to preface any one of their questions with the phrase "You've been charged with rape" and that will either force us to shut down a press conference or force TSJ to dodge the question (probably by saying "no comment"). And then what happens? Then articles are written about how our team and school are complicit in shielding TSJ and how we have shamefully prioritized winning over everything else. And TSJ is criticized for being anything less than completely forthcoming (i.e., an innocent person wouldn't have anything to hide, blah blah blah).
No, thank you. We don't need that sort of circus while our team is trying to focus on winning basketball games at the end of the season.
If we win tonight, things could get interesting. From the NCAA interview policies document (link):
"Day Before Regional Finals: The head coach and each of the five starters representing the teams advancing to the regional championship games will participate in the scheduled press conferences. The first 20 minutes will be devoted to a group interview of the coach and student-athletes; after which the coach will remain on the dais for 20 additional minutes while the student-athletes go to individual breakout rooms for 15 minutes."
"Day Before Regional Finals: The head coach and each of the five starters representing the teams advancing to the regional championship games will participate in the scheduled press conferences. The first 20 minutes will be devoted to a group interview of the coach and student-athletes; after which the coach will remain on the dais for 20 additional minutes while the student-athletes go to individual breakout rooms for 15 minutes."
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Don't start him. Sub him in at the first opportunity. Problem solved.
In some ways it already could have been contentious if someone had pushed hard for TSJ to interview:
Regarding all games, not just regional finals: "The host media coordinator will have the authority to request any student-athlete to attend any press conference but should work with the participating institution’s head coach and SID, as well as a designated pool reporter representing the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to select postgame press conference participants."
Regarding all games, not just regional finals: "The host media coordinator will have the authority to request any student-athlete to attend any press conference but should work with the participating institution’s head coach and SID, as well as a designated pool reporter representing the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to select postgame press conference participants."
Yep, that could do it. Would be interesting for sure
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
The key word here is "request." Requests can be denied. I'm sure they were made. I'm sure they were denied.
- Status