2012-2013 NCAA Basketball thread

[Buehrle>Wood]

2 AP voters didn't vote for Illinois last week. Lowest rank this week for them is 14.

 

 

 

 

 

Multiple voters with Gonzaga in front of them though.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Buehrle>Wood

[bmags]

Very impressed with U of I. As I said, terrified of the game vs. you.

 

The very interesting thing about the Mizzou v. U of I game is the addition of Jabari brown. He will be added into the lineup 1 game prior to U of I. All fans are desperately hoping he proves to be the second ballhandler/outside shooter that we need.

 

But the good news for U of I is our team is very tough defensively in the paint and 2 pt shots in general, but have shown to be horrendous on defensive rotations to defend the 3. Which is perfect for your team unless they are cold from behind the arc.

 

Mizzou has a lot of sparks but only one consistent scorer thus far: Lawrence Bowers. I'm hoping for a consistent game from Flip and Bowers, and a big spark game from one of our freshman: Jankovoc or Webster-Chan.

[RockRaines]

Illinois #10 in both polls. First time in top 10 since 05-06. There was a 0% chance I thought we'd be ranked in the top 10 at any point this season. I would have bet we wouldn't be ranked at all at any point, really.

 

LOL at 3 AP voters not ranking them at all. You should not be allowed to vote if you're that stupid.

Doesnt matter at this point anyway.

[Dick Allen]

Doesnt matter at this point anyway.

Illini were 10-0 last year as well.

[bigruss]

Illini were 10-0 last year as well.

Blah blah blah, completely different team in terms of style and mindset.

 

[danman31]

Ya, that's the best win of the season for anyone so far imo.

 

Impressive, impressive win, congrats Illini fans.

Your bias towards inferior teams (ie mid-majors) is amusing.

 

Doesnt matter at this point anyway.

The polls don't matter at any point. That's the beauty of college basketball.

[IlliniKrush]

Your bias towards inferior teams (ie mid-majors) is amusing.

Your bias against the Illini is amusing?

[Jake]

Everyone acknowledges the main weakness on the Illini is the lack of inside game. I certainly can't argue it.

 

The impressive thing about the Gonzaga game is that they are really good inside and they still couldn't beat us. They proclaimed before the game that the Zags lacked weaknesses. They even managed to get each of our few post players in a big foul trouble but still could not capitalize.

 

This tells me we should be able to compete with Big Ten opponents. I also don't think this team will lay down like last year's did. They're playing much different and better than last season. This means we should definitely beat Mizzou.

 

And LOL at poll voters.

[GoodAsGould]

Everyone acknowledges the main weakness on the Illini is the lack of inside game. I certainly can't argue it.

 

The impressive thing about the Gonzaga game is that they are really good inside and they still couldn't beat us. They proclaimed before the game that the Zags lacked weaknesses. They even managed to get each of our few post players in a big foul trouble but still could not capitalize.

 

This tells me we should be able to compete with Big Ten opponents. I also don't think this team will lay down like last year's did. They're playing much different and better than last season. This means we should definitely beat Mizzou.

 

And LOL at poll voters.

 

Yeah, I really hope this team carries momentum into big ten play... after the disaster of a football season if the basketball team collapses I'd be very sad. Regardless of what happens I still have lot of faith in Groce long term but now there is so much excitement for this season specifically.

[Quin]

Very impressed with U of I. As I said, terrified of the game vs. you.

 

The very interesting thing about the Mizzou v. U of I game is the addition of Jabari brown. He will be added into the lineup 1 game prior to U of I. All fans are desperately hoping he proves to be the second ballhandler/outside shooter that we need.

 

But the good news for U of I is our team is very tough defensively in the paint and 2 pt shots in general, but have shown to be horrendous on defensive rotations to defend the 3. Which is perfect for your team unless they are cold from behind the arc.

 

Mizzou has a lot of sparks but only one consistent scorer thus far: Lawrence Bowers. I'm hoping for a consistent game from Flip and Bowers, and a big spark game from one of our freshman: Jankovoc or Webster-Chan.

 

Jabari has a beautiful shot from outside.

 

Jankovic is fascinating. A legit 6-11 guy with shooting and hops is so odd.

[Rex Hudler]

Yeah, I really hope this team carries momentum into big ten play... after the disaster of a football season if the basketball team collapses I'd be very sad. Regardless of what happens I still have lot of faith in Groce long term but now there is so much excitement for this season specifically.

 

I guess the question becomes, what defines a collapse?

 

I see only 6 guaranteed wins on the Big Ten slate for UI. Of course, they aren't going to lose every other game. But with 6 teams ranked in the top 17 in the country a team could be pretty damned good and finish 9-9 or 10-8. It helps that they get IU and MSU only once each but only once against Penn St costs a win. Not sure what to think about Iowa. I would be very surprised if Illinois finished better than 11-7, but I also wouldn't consider that a collapse. Nor would I 10-8 or 9-9.

 

Unless of course, someone tells the team they aren't supposed to be this good and they start to believe it and go backwards. So far, they've decided not to listen to anyone and have been very impressive.

[cabiness42]

I have thought for a while that the point might come where the Big East's football schools would ditch the non-football schools, but apparently there are discussions of the opposite:

 

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/...ols-sources-say

 

The seven Big East Catholic, non-FBS schools met with Big East commissioner Mike Aresco on Sunday to express their concerns for the direction of the conference, multiple Big East sources confirmed to ESPN.com on Monday.

 

Sources said the New York meeting was the first among the seven schools (Marquette, DePaul, St. John's, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall and Villanova) and ultimately could lead to them splitting from the Big East's football members.

 

 

[Buehrle>Wood]

Grab three A10 teams and they absolutely should.

[illinilaw08]

I guess the question becomes, what defines a collapse?

 

I see only 6 guaranteed wins on the Big Ten slate for UI. Of course, they aren't going to lose every other game. But with 6 teams ranked in the top 17 in the country a team could be pretty damned good and finish 9-9 or 10-8. It helps that they get IU and MSU only once each but only once against Penn St costs a win. Not sure what to think about Iowa. I would be very surprised if Illinois finished better than 11-7, but I also wouldn't consider that a collapse. Nor would I 10-8 or 9-9.

 

Unless of course, someone tells the team they aren't supposed to be this good and they start to believe it and go backwards. So far, they've decided not to listen to anyone and have been very impressive.

 

Last year was a collapse. At this point, I would consider 9-9 or better in the B1G is a success for Illinois this year.

 

My biggest concern for Illinois right now is that the B1G schedule is pretty tough at the start (@Purdue, home Ohio State and Minn, @Wisconsin). This group of Seniors has never handled adversity particularly well...

[cabiness42]

Grab three A10 teams and they absolutely should.

 

No reason they couldn't get 5 teams and have a 12 team league. Xavier, Dayton, and Butler are quality programs plus they give you a presence in Indiana and Ohio. Duquesne isn't nearly as good a program but they bring the Pittsburgh market. Maybe St. Louis if you want to reach that far west.

[LittleHurt05]

I guess the question becomes, what defines a collapse?

 

I see only 6 guaranteed wins on the Big Ten slate for UI. Of course, they aren't going to lose every other game. But with 6 teams ranked in the top 17 in the country a team could be pretty damned good and finish 9-9 or 10-8. It helps that they get IU and MSU only once each but only once against Penn St costs a win. Not sure what to think about Iowa. I would be very surprised if Illinois finished better than 11-7, but I also wouldn't consider that a collapse. Nor would I 10-8 or 9-9.

 

Unless of course, someone tells the team they aren't supposed to be this good and they start to believe it and go backwards. So far, they've decided not to listen to anyone and have been very impressive.

 

At this point, a collapse is not making the tourney IMO. 9-9 might not look pretty after their hot start, but the Big Ten is f***ing tough this year. And since Illinois depends on the 3 point shot so much, there always has to be worries that you go cold in one of those "guaranteed" wins and don't pull it out.

[RockRaines]

The polls don't matter at any point. That's the beauty of college basketball.

Eh, not completely true as it matters at the end of the year for seeding somewhat, but you are right in that getting caught up in the polls is a waste of time. In fact I've had the experience the last several years where the entire awesome regular season meant nothing at the end of the day.

[Jenksismyhero]

At this point, a collapse is not making the tourney IMO. 9-9 might not look pretty after their hot start, but the Big Ten is f***ing tough this year. And since Illinois depends on the 3 point shot so much, there always has to be worries that you go cold in one of those "guaranteed" wins and don't pull it out.

 

 

They've played 10 games in a variety of different environments and still hit those shots. Yes, they might have a night where everyone can't hit a shot, but I think that would be abnormal given the amount of shooters they have. Paul, Abrams and Bertrand can also drive the ball, as they showed against Gonzaga. They didn't do that as much last year.

 

I dunno, i'm less worried about the offense going cold and more concerned with the bigs getting into foul trouble. If Few had a brain in that Gonzaga game he would have thrown the ball inside on every possession in the 2nd half. Illinois couldn't contain their bigs at all and the top 3 big guys should have been on the bench with about 10 minutes to play.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Jenksismybitch

[Rex Hudler]

Last year was a collapse. At this point, I would consider 9-9 or better in the B1G is a success for Illinois this year.

 

My biggest concern for Illinois right now is that the B1G schedule is pretty tough at the start (@Purdue, home Ohio State and Minn, @Wisconsin). This group of Seniors has never handled adversity particularly well...

 

That opening schedule doesn't look as tough now as maybe earlier in the season, with Purdue being horrible and Wisky struggling. Both are on the road so no guarantees. I think the Minnesota game is going to be key. The Gophers are a pretty good team and probably pretty much on par with the Illini so far. Winning that one will go a long way to helping them finish in the top half of the conference. I say go 2-2 in those 4, you take it. Go 1-3, time to start biting the fingernails and go 3-1, take it to bank and jump up and down with joy.

[IlliniKrush]

That opening schedule doesn't look as tough now as maybe earlier in the season, with Purdue being horrible and Wisky struggling. Both are on the road so no guarantees. I think the Minnesota game is going to be key. The Gophers are a pretty good team and probably pretty much on par with the Illini so far. Winning that one will go a long way to helping them finish in the top half of the conference. I say go 2-2 in those 4, you take it. Go 1-3, time to start biting the fingernails and go 3-1, take it to bank and jump up and down with joy.

Well then what do I do when we go 4-0?

[Rex Hudler]

Well then what do I do when we go 4-0?

 

Anything your imagine allows that still keeps you out of jail!

[bmags]

Jabari has a beautiful shot from outside.

 

Jankovic is fascinating. A legit 6-11 guy with shooting and hops is so odd.

 

Jankovic is incredibly inconsistent, but he's a high energy guy. None of our freshman play timid, Rosburg should, but even he isn't. I'm very excited to see Jankovic and Webster-Chan develop.

 

All I know about Jabari is what he should have, I'm excited to see him play.

[Jenksismyhero]

espn3.com announcers are so awful.

[farmteam]

How did Nova get so bad.

[Jenksismyhero]

Wright banging and impregnating all those coeds. Not enough time for basketball!