hitlesswonder Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (fathom @ Jan 28, 2011 -> 08:29 PM) Interesting...a very well-known chicagoland AAU member said there's no way in hell Richmond goes back next season. Also, some buzz that Richardson is struggling in class as well. He struggled to qualify out of high school He's been very accurate in the past besides telling me Shumpert was UNC bound. There are (I should have said "have been" since this is just random stuff from Illini boards from earlier this season, not breaking news) internet rumors (so take it for what you will) that Richmond, Head, and Paul will all leave at the end of the season. If Richardson and Bertrand go as well, I have to think Weber will be gone too, although that will wait till after a disastrous 2011-2012 season. It's funny that they were a ranked team this week but are on the verge of missing the tournament for years to come. I don't think Richmond would do well in Europe for the reason mentioned previously -- his jumper doesn't look good and the area in which he excels (the post and driving) is de-emphasized in the European game.But he could still probably get a contract over there. And there are other leagues besides Europe -- he could play pro ball somewhere. Edited January 29, 2011 by hitlesswonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9347 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Alright guys, educate me. Normally I don't get into college hoops until March Madness... hell, I'm not a college hoops fan. But my gym has like no channels, so it seems like every night I'm watching college basketball on ESPN or Saturday mornings watching GameDay or CBS or whatever, and all the sudden I've gotten into it. Anyway, tell me some teams to watch out for, and some of the best players. I don't start normally looking til closer to the end of February. From what I've gathered over the last two weeks, Jared Sullinger is the f***ing man (and will make a pretty damn solid NBA talent if my eyes do not deceive). Anyway, educate me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 28, 2011 -> 09:41 PM) How old were their great grandparents when an Illinois team won a National Champonship in basketball? They were probably in college at the time. I'm sure they passed down the story of the great 1915 Illinois mens basketball team under Ralph Jones that won it all. Ahhhhh, memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev211 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Well ISU and Illinois are in the same Tournament next year, and I might finally get my wish and see them play. Sadly it wont be when ISU is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 28, 2011 -> 04:53 PM) I think you are confusing elite with good. There are only maybe 5 elite jobs, and UCLA and Indiana are not in that grouping whatsoever. OSU will probably never be an elite bball job, mostly because its an elite football school first and foremost. Usually elite bball jobs are not elite football schools. How in the hell is UCLA not an elite job? Just because they are having a couple bad years? They were just in 3 straight final fours and have as many national titles in the last 20 years as Kansas. Jimmer is at it again. Just nailed a deep NBA 3 off the dribble with a hand in his face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Jared Sullinger has a long way to go if tonight was any indication. 8 rebounds against Northwestern? Embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord chas Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 woulda loved nu to pull if off. woulda been a signature win to finally make the tourney. oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 07:12 PM) Jared Sullinger has a long way to go if tonight was any indication. 8 rebounds against Northwestern? Embarrassing. Being the top scorer and rebounder in the game and only getting 2 under his reb avg is an embarrassment to you? Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasox24 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 09:13 PM) Being the top scorer and rebounder in the game and only getting 2 under his reb avg is an embarrassment to you? Wow. I'd imagine he was kidding, Rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sircaffey Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 When Indiana keeps their in-state talent, they're elite. They haven't done that in years, and that's been the problem. Now, Crean is locking up that talent. You can win championships at Indiana if you keep the in-state talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (dasox24 @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 08:41 PM) I'd imagine he was kidding, Rock. No, Northwestern is that bad inside. He played soft for a guy his size. NU had 8 offensive rebounds in a slowdown game. He's not the best player in the country, that's for sure. NU without Shurna has no business being close to OSU, but that was probably a letdown of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitlesswonder Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 11:15 PM) No, Northwestern is that bad inside. He played soft for a guy his size. NU had 8 offensive rebounds in a slowdown game. He's not the best player in the country, that's for sure. No he's definitely not the best player in the country, he's just the best player in the big ten which is not a good conference. I'm not sure what "has a long way to go" means...so depending on the destination you could be right. But he's very good, and IMO you shouldn't decide his game has huge holes based on a single game. A lot of his performance offensively depends on the refs -- he gets fouled in the post constantly so if the refs get tired of calling that he obviously won't put up as many points. I would agree though that were he in the big 12 or big east or even the sec that he wouldn't have the hype he does -- he's very good player who can look great because he plays in a lousy conference. Edited January 30, 2011 by hitlesswonder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Sullinger is the 2nd best player in the country, and it's not really even close. I've been really impressed by his poise in the paint, and he showed some signs in that Purdue game of what type of range he'll have in a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 11:15 PM) No, Northwestern is that bad inside. He played soft for a guy his size. NU had 8 offensive rebounds in a slowdown game. He's not the best player in the country, that's for sure. NU without Shurna has no business being close to OSU, but that was probably a letdown of sorts. LOL, you are terrible. Lets pick on the best player in the game tonight. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 28, 2011 -> 03:24 PM) Unheard of huh? Check out the recruiting rankings of the top team in the Big Ten to see where the bar currently sits. And do you really think IU has elite history? They haven't won a title since 1987, way before recruits were born and have only had one good team since the mid 90's. The entire claim to fame is the 5 titles they won many years ago. History is good and all, but i don't think it means much to recruits who don't have parents from Indiana that remember the old glory days. UCLA is an elite program. One of the few. Clearly they are in a downturn, but they are elite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 If you're splitting hairs, there are only two elite college basketball teams: Duke and North Carolina Everyone else has been inconsistent. Kentucky is a marginal 3rd team; Kansas 4th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoomSlowik Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) There were a few reasons that game was closer than it should have been, none of which had anything to do with Sullinger... 1) Diebler and Lighty were basically non-factors and Buford had a very quiet 11 points as well. Those guys average 36 a game on the season and finished with 19. 2) The pace was horribly slow. NU ran 25 seconds off the clock before even thinking about shooting most possessions and OSU was extremely patient in pounding it inside as well. In a faster paced game, OSU likely would have blown them out since it looked like Thompson was the only Wildcat trying to create a shot most of the time. 3) That was probably NU's best effort defensively and on the glass the entire season (side note: how sad is it that I said that in a game where OSU shot almost 58% from the floor?). Their matador defense came out on a few occasions, but they double-teamed Sullinger effectively at times and didn't give up as many wide-open 3-pointers. They also attacked the offensive glass much more often than usual, as opposed to their standard "let's not get within 10 feet of an offensive rebound" approach. Part of that was probably Cappocci's aggressiveness, part of it was probably that OSU likes to go small and play Lighty at PF. 4) OSU was still up 12 with about 7 minutes to go before NU had an extremely fluky 7-point possession. They called Lauderdale for an intentional foul right when Thompson was hitting a 3 (Curletti hit 1 of 2 from the line and Cobb hit another 3 on the ensuing play). That had a huge role in making the game closer than it should have been. Sullinger was essentially the only reason they won (though Craft had a pretty solid game too), he scored or got fouled pretty much every time he got the ball in the low post. Edited January 30, 2011 by ZoomSlowik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 11:46 PM) I would agree though that were he in the big 12 or big east or even the sec that he wouldn't have the hype he does -- he's very good player who can look great because he plays in a lousy conference. Ah yes, he has hype because of him playing in the Big Ten. No matter he was the #1 or #2 (depending on the site) HS player in the country. He didnt have any hype till he started playing in the Big Ten. His talents would wilt under the extreme competition of the mighty SEC and Big 12. Its a good thing he's playing in the lowly Big Ten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Jan 29, 2011 -> 11:46 PM) No he's definitely not the best player in the country, he's just the best player in the big ten which is not a good conference. I'm not sure what "has a long way to go" means...so depending on the destination you could be right. But he's very good, and IMO you shouldn't decide his game has huge holes based on a single game. A lot of his performance offensively depends on the refs -- he gets fouled in the post constantly so if the refs get tired of calling that he obviously won't put up as many points. I wasn't judging him on one game, but the destination is the NBA. He's gone after this year so college isn't very important to him in the long run. He has a long way to go to be a top NBA player, which is common for a freshman obviously. I would be worried if I was taking him in the top five though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 01:29 PM) I wasn't judging him on one game, but the destination is the NBA. He's gone after this year so college isn't very important to him in the long run. He has a long way to go to be a top NBA player, which is common for a freshman obviously. I would be worried if I was taking him in the top five though. He's actually said he's staying for 2 years. And not alot of NBA scouts or execs would agree with you that he is a question mark in the top five. He is probably one of the most if not the most polished post player in college basketball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Had an awful nightmare we lost to Evansville twice this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 05:25 PM) Had an awful nightmare we lost to Evansville twice this year Did it feel better when you woke up and realized we lost to them only once? We're a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Onto teams that actually matter now a days: Duke got taken apart today by SJU and the Jimmer mormons lost at the Pit last night which was a pretty easy upset to pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 05:29 PM) Did it feel better when you woke up and realized we lost to them only once? We're a joke. Makes me feel so much better. Coulda sworn we lost at home to them. All the loses run together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 QUOTE (Brian @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 05:42 PM) Makes me feel so much better. Coulda sworn we lost at home to them. All the loses run together. Ya I hear ya. I actually thought that game yesterday was supposed to be played today so I didn't follow it last night. That's just a sad realization to me as SIU basketball used to mean the f***in world to me and now it's to the point where I can't even get the day right when we play. It's bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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