IlliniHQ 2
General Category => Fighting Illini Basketball Forum => Topic started by: ThePAMan on February 18, 2025, 04:25:00 PM
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Since you fuckers have driven this team off the runway like a Trump run FAA, looks like I need to take over....
All stolen from fightingillini.com (unless otherwise indicated) because I am a lazy fuck....
ILLINOIS (17-9, 9-7 B1G) vs. #11 Wisconsin (20-5, 10-4 B1G)
Date | Time Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. CT
Location Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (Judge Judy should be there by now)
TV FS1 (Brandon Gaudin & LaPhonso Ellis)
Radio Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 209 or 197, SXM App 959
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 269-124 (.684), 12th year
At Illinois: 160-97 (.623), 8th year [Seems longer...]
Big Ten: 89-65 (.578)
Series History vs. Wisconsin
All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 119-89 / Illinois W-9
Last Meeting: Illinois 86, #20 Wisconsin 80 (12/10/2024 in Champaign)
Record in Madison / Streak: Wisconsin leads 58-43 / Illinois W-4
Last Meeting in Madison: #13 Illinois 91, Wisconsin 83 (3/2/2024)
Underwood vs. Wisconsin: 9-4
[These are some good numbers!]
Opening Tips
The contest vs. the Badgers is the second game of a six-game span to close the regular season in which the Illini face five Quad 1 matchups against top-25 ranked foes. {NOT GOING SO WELL, IS IT?}
Illinois will play three of its next four games away from State Farm Center. After Wisconsin, the Illini step out of Big Ten play for a marquee Saturday night matchup vs. #3 Duke in the SentinelOne Classic at Madison Square Garden. Following the Feb. 25 home game vs. Iowa, the team travels to #12 Michigan for the penultimate game of the regular season schedule. {FUCK}
Brad Underwood has led the Illini to nine consecutive wins over Wisconsin, a streak that began on Jan. 8, 2020. The teams met earlier this season in Champaign, an 86-80 Illini victory over the #20 Badgers. {YAY US}
In Illinois' 86-80 home win over Wisconsin on Dec. 10, the Illini were led by a career-high 24 points from Kasparas Jakucionis, while Trey White poured in 23 and Kylan Boswell added 19. Jakucionis' game marked the fourth of his program-record six consecutive 20-point games between Nov. 25 and Dec. 22.
Illinois has won four straight at Kohl Center, the first Big Ten team to accomplish that feat. Illinois has not lost at Wisconsin in six years, since a 64-58 setback on Feb. 18, 2019. {SUCK IT BADGER}
Illinois is aiming to secure double-digit wins in conference play for a sixth straight season, which would be the program's longest streak since doing so for seven years in a row from 2000 through 2006. {REMEMBER THE ROAR?}
Illinois is one of the nation's top rebounding teams, leading the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (30.8 rpg), and ranking second in both total rebounds per game (44.3) and rebound margin (+10.7 rpg). {BECAUSE THE ILLINI BRICK SO MANY 3S}
Illinois is 16-1 this season when scoring 80+ points, including 9-0 in Big Ten play. {NOW THERE IS A STAT}
Illinois is No. 18 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 25.
The Illini are tied for fifth nationally with seven Quad 1 wins. Illinois is slated to play a total of 18 regular-season Quad 1 games, its highest total in the seven-year history of the NET. {WOW!}
The Illini are 7-7 in Quad 1 games and 3-4 vs. top-25 opponents this season. {MEH}
Illinois is coming off a 79-65 home loss to #11 Michigan State on Saturday in which the team was led in scoring by three freshmen. Kasparas Jakucionis and Morez Johnson Jr. each tallied 17 points, and Will Riley added 13 points off the bench while dishing out a game-high six assists and matching Tomislav Ivisic with a team-high seven rebounds.
Illini Team Notables
Illinois leads the Big Ten in six team statistical categories, with the following NCAA rankings: defensive rebounds per game (1st; 30.8), total rebounds per game (2nd in NCAA; 44.3), rebound margin (2nd; 10.7), 3-point attempts per game (6th; 30.3), scoring offense (9th; 84.3), and offensive rebounds per game (23rd; 13.5).
Illinois is 16-1 on the season when scoring at least 80 points. The Illini's 17 games with 80+ points are tied for the Big Ten lead with Iowa (17), and tied for eighth nationally. Among teams with at least 15 80-point games, Illinois' .941 win percentage ranks tied for fourth in the nation behind Arkansas State at 15-0 (1.000), Auburn at 18-1 (.947), and Akron at 17-1 (.944).
Illinois is a combined 6-5 away from State Farm Center this season, with a 4-4 mark in true road contests. The Illini's win at Minnesota (Feb. 8) snapped a three-game road losing streak.
Illinois is 33-25 (.569) in Big Ten road games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the best mark in the league over the last six seasons. The Illini have finished .500 or better on the road in league play in four of the last five seasons.
Illinois is No. 20 in the latest KenPom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin of 24.21. The Fighting Illini are on pace for their fourth top-20 rating in the last five seasons under Brad Underwood.
The Illini rank No. 28 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (97.1), on pace for the program's fourth top-30 defensive ranking in the last five seasons.
Illinois is No. 9 nationally in KenPom's effective field goal percentage defense (.450), including a No. 7 ranking in 2-point defense (.441).
According to KenPom, the Illini rank No. 27 nationally, and seventh among Power Conference programs, with a 3-point attempt rate (3-point attempts/total field goal attempts) of 47.1%. Among major conference teams, Illinois ranks first nationally with five games of 15+ made 3-pointers.
Illinois is averaging 84.3 points, the team's highest output since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini averaged 86.4 ppg.
Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten with a scoring margin of +12.7 points. That is on pace for No. 4 in the Illini record book since 1960 behind 2004-05 (+15.9 ppg), 2022-23 (+13.0) and 1988-89 (+12.8).
Illinois is second nationally in rebounding at 44.3 boards per game, on pace for the program's best average in 53 seasons, since (48.0 rpg in 1971-72). The Orange and Blue have outrebounded their opponent in 22 of 26 games this season.
Illinois is 3-4 against Top-25 ranked teams this season with wins over No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Wisconsin, and at No. 9 Oregon. The Illini's three ranked wins are tied for 17th most in the nation. The Illini's final five regular-season games feature matchups against four top-25 opponents.
Brad Underwood has led the Illini program to Top-25 rankings in seven consecutive seasons. The Illini are currently receiving votes in both the AP and coaches polls. Illinois has been ranked for a total of nine weeks this season, including a streak of seven-consecutive weeks, and has reached as high as 13th. {"CURRENTLY RECEIVING VOTES...."}
Illinois has registered 78 wins in league play since the start of the 2019-20 season, one behind Purdue for the most in the conference over the last six seasons. And when including the conference tournament, the Illini's 83 wins during this time span also rank second in the league behind Boilermakers.
The Illini won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship as the #2 seed, captured the regular season championship in 2022, and led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021, and the team's three total championships during that span are tied with Purdue for the most in the Big Ten. {NO ONE CARES EXCEPT PEOPLE HERE}
Following the 2024 Elite Eight appearance and Big Ten Tournament Championship, Illinois has a dramatically different roster this season. The program returns just one rotation player – last year's ninth-leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – and returns just 2.9% of its minutes, 2.2% of its points, and 2.0% of its rebounds overall.
Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 91.7% of the team's scoring so far (2,009 of 2,192 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 43.9% of those points (882).
Illinois' top three scorers, and top three rebounders are all in their first year of collegiate basketball. Freshman G Kasparas Jakucionis ranks first in scoring (16.0 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Sophomore C Tomislav Ivisic nearly averages a double-double at 12.7 points (second on team) and team-leading 8.5 rebounds. Freshman F Will Riley is the Illini's No. 3 scorer at 11.9 points per game. And Freshman F Morez Johnson Jr. ranks second on the team at 6.6 rebounds per game with a team-leading 70 offensive boards (2.7 per game).
Eight different Illini players have recorded a 20-point game this season, tied for the top mark in the NCAA, and the most by any Big Ten program since at least 2004-05.
Just win, bitches.
Edit - odds are Illini +3.5 per VSiN aggregations. The vig has moved up and down but not the spread. Take Wisconsin. This should be easy money at this point.....
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O/u on 3 point attempts.
29
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Hopefully this is one of those nice surprise games where I expect we're getting bent over but everyone is locked in and we win a close one.
Line is only 3.5/4 which seems low.
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+3.5 without Morez and the season on the brink. Hmmm
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https://x.com/DPiper247/status/1891987596697371098?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet&mx=2 (https://x.com/DPiper247/status/1891987596697371098?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet&mx=2)
Tomislav Ivisic is listed as QUESTIONABLE per Piper.
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I look forward to chucking up a bunch of threes during a scoring draught
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Tre White from doghouse to starting. Jake Davis starting. Ivisic possibly out.
Just...yikes.
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Here comes scoring draught #1
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The guys are trying, White looks like a "whipped" dog though...very hesitant looking imo. Humrichous is at least giving us double figures, Ivisic is sick and still out there. KJ hasn't done anything but turn the ball over and over and over.
We will be lucky if we don't lose by 20 in the end even with the short handed effort in a very tough place to win, although we have done it as of late.
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Ivisic got there today, per Brian Barnhardt on the radio broadcast.
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The kids are battling their tails off. I'll give 'em that.
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Turnovers:
Wisky - 8
KJ - 6
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Maybe when Underachiever said this was a Final Four team, he meant the NIT Final Four?
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This dope keeps talking us up like some dangerous 7 seed that no one wants to see in the tourney. Yeah sorry I'm not seeing it.
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This dope keeps talking us up like some dangerous 7 seed that no one wants to see in the tourney. Yeah sorry I'm not seeing it.
I'm skeptical he can change tactics to reflect what this team is at this point.
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Will they give up 100?
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I'm not sure where I see another win. Maybe xxxx but that might be it.
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Edit - odds are Illini +3.5 per VSiN aggregations. The vig has moved up and down but not the spread. Take Wisconsin. This should be easy money at this point.....
I should have put the tuition money on Wisconsin.
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I said it A LONG time ago...there is absolutely NO reason DGL is not starting every game....the kid is the only one it seems that WANTS to play with an edge.
KJ is digressing due to trying to carry the load, WAY to many T/O's yet again
Boswell just simply tries to make plays that he doesn't need too.
Humrichous is unfortunately our "Go To" player right now??? How did that happen?
Ivisic is slowing down more and more with every illness
White is nearly non existent...WTF?
This team is such a let down, we can't weather the storm of Ivisic and his mono, Rez and his hand, KJ and his wrist, I mean if thats the case how in the hell can anyone with a straight face say we were built for March? We can't even win when 1 of our main guys is down????
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I'm skeptical he can change tactics to reflect what this team is at this point.
Maybe he bought the Brad Underwood Book on Broadcasting...no matter where the game is going, stick to your guns, never waiver from the original preparation for the call. Aye Aye Aye
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On to NY to play Duke!!!!
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It takes buckets to get assists. We shot ok, 43% from the field and 33% from 3. KJ with 7 turnovers anf 0 assists.
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It takes buckets to get assists. We shot ok, 43% from the field and 33% from 3. KJ with 7 turnovers anf 0 assists.
What does it take not to give up over 90 points?
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What does it take not to give up over 90 points?
The team looks broke.
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The team looks broke.
And there is zero way Underachiever and his dumbass kid are going to fix it. They are just going to go "old" next year when the whole roster turns over again.
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This team is 100% broken. There are no answers and no miracles coming. Teams have figured out if you body and bump us and throw help on the ball handler, we will get rattled and happily give them the ball.
We will also happily give them the ball in a variety of other ways, like passes to the stands, passes into four defenders’ legs, passes to the ref, passes to opposing players running towards their basket, passes into traffic, missing step back threes, missing step back twos, etc.
These Euro guys have never played B1G ball where they let people basically mug you every possession. Morez at least gave us some semblance of toughness and grit. DGL has it and brought it tonight, but he can’t carry the team. Seeing Booth out there was a fucking embarrassment. Whoever gave that dipshit a scholarship should be fired on the spot. I wish the broadcast would put a Snapchat filter of a clown face on him every time he enters the game.
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Really should've put a boatload on Wisconsin. Oh well.
DGL has energy and heart. Inexplicable how little he's played in some games.
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Maybe the flu vaccine would have been a good idea.....
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Maybe the flu vaccine would have been a good idea.....
I assume everyone was vaccinated. Vaccine formulations are a guess as to what the predomint flu viruses will be. Some years the formulation is pretty good. Other years not so much so.
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Not sure if anyone else has noticed the inexplicable way that KJ tries that left hand one handed pass, he throws most of his T/O's away in this fashion.
That chit may work in Euro where the teams are not loaded with talent like any P-5 team is, but damn he needs to stop that crap, the NBA will be worse on him if he continues. He has carried us all year, and he is a helluva a talent, I am glad we got him over Demin but man stop the lefty passes looped over your defender.
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By FLU you mean F*ck*ng Lousy Uniforms? Dumpster fire those 1LL1N1 uni's man they suck, and we lose in them the most I think.
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DGL tried like hell. He really did. Humbrickhouse finally hit some shots.
Team is broken. Underwood himself looks burnt out, defeated and out of answers.
I sure as hell don't want to watch this walking dead ass team in any tournament. Maybe we should heavily consider forfeiting our bid. Are COVID opt outs still a thing?
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We are two wins above the bubble per Torvik.
A bid is not a given unless we win a couple games down the stretch.
Honestly if we finish 1-4 with first round BTT loss we will be 18-14.
That wouldn't make it.
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Watched a little of it last night. Not much more to add. That's some bad shit.
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I assume everyone was vaccinated.
I would not make that presumption in 2025.
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I would not make that presumption in 2025.
Of course they are why do you think they're all sick
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We are two wins above the bubble per Torvik.
A bid is not a given unless we win a couple games down the stretch.
Honestly if we finish 1-4 with first round BTT loss we will be 18-14.
That wouldn't make it.
We may finish 1-6. We may finish 0-7.
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We may finish 1-6. We may finish 0-7.
We may finish 2-5. We may finish 3-4. We may finish 4-3. We may finish 5-2. We may finish 6-1. We may finish 7-0.
I think that covers it.
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We may finish 2-5. We may finish 3-4. We may finish 4-3. We may finish 5-2. We may finish 6-1. We may finish 7-0.
I think that covers it.
Well not exactly. We've already lost 2 of those games.
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Oh. Well, fuck then.
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Of course they are why do you think they're all sick
Maybe they will get the measles next. Clown shoes continue to be worn by Guenther Jr.
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We may finish 2-5. We may finish 3-4. We may finish 4-3. We may finish 5-2. We may finish 6-1. We may finish 7-0.
I think that covers it.
Missing that "it wouldn't surprise me" line.
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Oh. Well, fuck then.
For the record, a 5-2 finish sounds great to me. But I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen.
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Maybe they will get the measles next. Clown shoes continue to be worn by Guenther Jr.
I was kinda thinking smallpox. Or polio.
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For the record, a 5-2 finish sounds great to me. But I won't be surprised if it doesn't happen.
Well, I don't think we're gonna finish 5-2. But I wouldn't be surprised if we did.
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I think we are in some trouble.
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I assume everyone was vaccinated. Vaccine formulations are a guess as to what the predomint flu viruses will be. Some years the formulation is pretty good. Other years not so much so.
I talked with an RN from Carle. She told me the flu shot is only 30% effective this year. Better than nothing..
Also, the flu going around starts out mild, then gets real bad. Recovery is like Illinois weather
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I think we are in some trouble.
The highly qualified coaching staff will be sure to fix it.
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Well, I don't think we're gonna finish 5-2. But I wouldn't be surprised if we did.
We aren't going too, so you no reason to feign surprise. We are going to be lucky to close out with one more win imo. DGL gets 15 a game would be a blessing, that won't happen either.
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Iowa at home is must-win and a bad loss in the 1st round of the B1G might sink us. They planted a national story today about our flu bug so the committee will likely factor that, particularly Ivisic, but that can't save us from everything.
If we're in the bubble that bleeping Nebraska game will eat us.
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Relax guys, this is our Golden Era.
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Relax guys, this is our Golden Era.
Football and golf school.
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Apparently a bunch of guys were puking at halftime? Yikes
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Sorry I’ve been absent lately guys. ThePAMan messaged me today. I’m not coming back until we can make this happen. How bad you want the Illini to make the tourney?!…
(https://i.ibb.co/j9fPjwpx/IMG-5852.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7xCd0p9T)
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Sorry I’ve been absent lately guys. ThePAMan messaged me today. I’m not coming back until we can make this happen. How bad you want the Illini to make the tourney?!…
(https://i.ibb.co/j9fPjwpx/IMG-5852.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7xCd0p9T)
Hey, check in more often. Anybody named Judy can change her/they mind whenever she/they damn well pleases.
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Judy comin in with guns a blazin so to speak.
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LFG
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Apparently a bunch of guys were puking at halftime? Yikes
Yet they still tried to play. Credit to everybody.
Underwood tells the sports reporters than we're sicker than dogs, then they ask him why we didn't do a better job of slowing down Tonje. Wtf. Read the room.
https://youtu.be/8mW5slgvGa4
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I think the team has been sharing too many juice boxes
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I think the team has been sharing too many juice boxes
saw Bruce on BTN last night
made me smile