Illini need to lose NOW
For those of us who are Michigan alum or fans from Chicago, or anywhere else in Illinois, you are hearing way too much from your ILLINI relatives and/or friends. Besides watching Terrance Shannon over achieve at what could have been - Brent Underwood is impossible to root for.
I am torn as it would be very sweet for the Illini to make the final four, be reminded of the Flyin-Illini and 1989 yet again only to lose circa 2005 in that round or the FINALS.
However beating UCONN is too great a risk to bear the ultimate NO BUENO possibility of winning the tournament.
As long as the Illini never win a tournament the 1989 win reigns supreme over them. All of us from Illinois need this reminder in perpetuity.
DIE-ILLINI-DIE!
I don't think it's possible for the Illini to lose NOW.
You'll have to wait until Saturday, a little after 8:00 pm.
It's definitely happening AS I TYPE.
That 33–2 run must have had the OP crying tears of joy.
I'm pulling for you.
But you have football and they don't. It's a decent comeback.
Dan Hurley or Mad-Eye Moody is going to get a win. Unfortunately, this is a no-win scenario.
Do people strongly dislike Dan Hurley? I haven't come across much that paints him in a negative light. I worry more about the precedent being set of someone being charged with rape and then suing his way back on to the team. It is extremely wild to me that a coach apparently has no latitude for punishment of personal conduct. That is something I find very easy to cheer against. UCONN winning in the elite 8 (or even the whole thing again) wouldn't bother me in the least. Same with Alabama. I know some folks around here threw out Nate Oats as a potential hire, but the whole Brandon Miller situation/lack of suspension makes Oats very easy to root against.
Pretty sure Dan is fine. His brother, Bobby, is the one that people hate and he’s a shitty college bball coach to boot.
They're like +1,800 to win it all. Also, they're a Big Ten team. I think you're ok.
The Big Ten team means history suggests they'll lose in the championship game. I believe it's 7 straight losses for Big Ten teams in the final?
Can't lose while you're not playing.
The Michigan Advantage!
Much rather Illinois than Michigan state or Ohio state
Definitely the lesser of the two evils but the Illni hate Michigan almost as much as the buckeyes or sparty does. At least they made to the Elite 8 this year.
Let's win them over with kindness!
March 29th, 2024 at 10:14 PM ^
I do not think it’s true that Illinois hates Michigan, “almost as much” as MSU/OSU. Not even close.
As far as I can tell Illinois, like nearly all schools in the Big Ten, hate Michigan to some degree and feel they have some sort of rivalry with Michigan. It’s hard to tell who hates Michigan more amongst Purdue, Penn St., Wisconsin, Illinois, and even Northwestern. I suppose it depends if we are talking fans, coaches, or players, and which sports.
The only thing I can’t entirely understand is why these schools don’t seem to feel the same way about Ohio State. I’m not completely sold that it’s because they see Michigan as a worthy rival both academically and athletically. Maybe it’s as simple as nobody’s dream school was Ohio State and they had to settle for Purdue but I don’t think that’s completely it. Especially in football it feels like Michigan gets more rivalry animosity than Ohio State across the conference.
March 30th, 2024 at 12:56 AM ^
Strange how we sometimes get pleasure seeing rekindled animosity in rivalries, and other times it gets under our skin. Respect and disrespect are fickle things to discern. You’re right, I’m not sure how to feel about the “hate” we get from other Big Ten teams in comparison to Ohio State.
Maybe things have changed in more recent years, but I can assure you that for a very long time in the 1980s and 1990s Illinois fans *did* hate us on approximately the same level as MSU and OSU fans. I attended the 1989 Illinois game in Champagne, which was effectively for the conference championship that year. Jeff George was Illinois' QB. Michael Taylor was ours. Tony Bowls had a big day. Jerrod Bunch sealed it with some tough runs late to kill the clock. Anyway, the vitriol from Illinois fans was unlike anything you've ever seen. Widespread, intense, hatred.
It's obvious why MSU and OSU hate us, but Illinois is perplexing. The only thing I can come up with is that Bo hated Illinois for firing Gary Moeller after three years on a five year contract and replacing him with a cheater named Mike White (if memory serves). Bo knew Moeller was doing things the right way and needed time. Illinois hired White, cheated massively, won quickly and then got hit with well-deserved NCAA penalties. So Bo abused Illinois when he got the chance. He had a 70-21 win and a 69-13 win. I assume he was outspoken about his disdain for them also, but I don't know of anything specific he said.
The other angle is that Illinois has no natural rivals. Northwestern was historically too inept to qualify, and Illinois didn't really have anyone else.
I really want to agree with your statement that Underwood is impossible to root for, I tend to agree, but this team has grown on me. I really like their style, and, honestly, I like all of their good players. (although I am a hypocrite, too. If Shannon was on MSU or OSU, I would be much more upset that the court system reinstated him)
I, too, have been rooting for them lately. My wife is an alum and they have a player named Dumbass. What’s not to like?
I didn't know anyone on their roster and had their game on in the background. All of the sudden the announcer says "dumbass gets the rebound" and I about fell out of my chair! I have been rooting for dumbass ever since... he's my favorite player (kind of reminds me of myself at times). It's so much fun to listen to. Dumbass for three, dumbass with the screen, he's just all over the place!
Especially when he plays "booty ball". No, I'm not making this up.
It's funny how having your team be terrible takes the annoying off of a lot of other teams and players (not so much on the coaches). Maybe it is just a general numbness.
Sooooo... you're telling us we need to root for your bracket?
What gives, man?
I grew up in Chicago suburbs then went to UM (along with 15 other classmates of my from my HS). I've always thought of the Illini as my 2d fave hoops program. Now, I don't live close to Illinois anymore, but... we just won the football Natty, is there really anything that bad about Illinois winning the bball natty? The conference could use a boost.
And we'll always have Higgins's put-back in '89.
Illini hoops can have ALL the natty.
Could be age difference or what I have had to deal with over time. Inner city (North Side Catholic League) experience VS suburb however from 1989 Illini are insufferable. Almost as difficult as ND fan on the HATE list.
Take in game at Champaign either hoops or football and report back if you still have tolerance. Nick Stauskas did this for a reason.
Nik did that at Breslin, dude.
I live in the Chicago burbs, and I can tell you that every ILL fan I have ever met hates Michigan with the fiery passion of a thousands suns. Even more odd, they think they are huge rivals. I'm just fine with them losing.
"The conference could use a boost" - lol
How anyone, especially after what transpired this past Fall, can remotely cheer for the "conference" amazes me. Never forget what these ADs/Programs tried to do, screw 'em all.
Michigan vs Everybody.
Illinois fans hate Michigan about as much as MSU and OSU fans. I didn’t realize that until I saw and experienced interactions with them on social. One guy was so upset about the’22 game that he claimed that my wife was cucking me. It was so removed from reality that I didn’t know how to reply.
You can't assume anything about a fanbase from a few insane people. They're in our fanbase too
https://youtu.be/IqF_A6bsyEw?si=Jv9xQGFAPSywFgkE
The UM/Illinois “rivalry.”
They finally make it past chalk and are starting to get mouthy, huh?
I don't see it lasting long.
I hate pretty much all of the other B1G teams (with the possible exceptions of Northwestern and Nebraska) and I never root for them unless Michigan stands to benefit in some way. This ain't the SEC.
Illinois fans are very excited that you care. I will continue to make the Illinois fans I know apoplectic with my apathy.
Yeah I was gonna say. I frequently forget that Illinois is technically in the conference.
Illinois is some dude you kind of know’s little brother.
Meh, we’re reigning national champions in football no matter what happens on the hardwood. And honestly, they’ve got to feel a little awkward cheering for a guy that got arrested on rape charges. Yes, innocent until proven guilty and all that, but still.
A football is oval. A basketball is round. They have nothing to do with each other.
Are you new to this whole concept of “fandom?”
The only b1g team I want to win is Michigan. Every other team can fail miserably
There are students who were not even born the last time they made the Sweet 16. On the other hand, we have played for multiple national titles and have had a streak of Sweet 16 appearances over the last decade that almost matches their historical appearances.
Now, if they beat Uconn, they can strut around all they want because that'll be pretty damn impressive. Let them enjoy it, I guess. It's not like we are rivals, regardless of what they like to think.
Illinois fans are one of the worst fan base around but I enjoy watching this squad play.
Their defensive efficiency numbers have been terrible all year, and my guess is it finally comes back to bite them against UConn. This is a 2 day prep for a team that runs a complex offensive scheme that requires you to really communicate on defense. That seems like a major problem for a team with defensive efficiency numbers barely inside the Top 100.
On top of that I think Stephon Castle and Tristan Newton are both very good defenders. I dont think they will shut down Shannon and Domask, but I do think they will make things very tough on them.
This looks like a UConn blowout win more than anything. If this is a close game, Illinois is also long overdue for a trademark Coleman Hawkins massive fuck up moment.
Not counting 8-9 games (where the difference between teams is truly marginal: 9 seeds are actually 81-75 all-time against 8s), yesterday was only Illinois' 2nd win as a worse or equivalent seed EVER, since the NCAA started explicitly seeding teams.*
Connecticut is still the better team, but I wouldn't discount Illinois at all tomorrow. It feels like that's a BIG monkey they got off their back yesterday. Less folks (outside of us older folk) remember 1989, but more folks DO remember their struggles this century.
Shannon is playing well and momentum is a thing. I know they don't play a ton of defense, but I'm going to take them on the money line tomorrow as a value bet.
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* I will count a 3 over a 2 and a 5 over a 4 as an underdog winning: only a 1-seed difference but there tends to be more spread among the Top 20 teams. FWIW, Illinois' previous win as a worse seed was as a #5 beating #4 Cincinnati in 2004 (then they lost to #1 Duke in the next round).
UConn will win by 25+
Illinois? Who care about Illinois? Not a rival.
I mean….do you really care what they think? They haven’t won much of anything ever. They consider us a rival because no one better than Northwestern thinks of them as a rival. It’s just misplaced hate because they feel more relevant disliking someone worth disliking. I live in Chicago and hear their silliness all the time but it’s tame. All in all, I find them to be somewhere between harmless and delusional, but more the former than the latter. Most of them aren’t even aware that if it wasn’t for a screwy admissions process, Shannon would be in Ann Arbor. If they can’t read scoreboards from the last 5 decades, that’s on them.
This feels like something Ray Finkle’s Mom would write
Worrying about Illinois fans seems weird.
I get OSU, MSU, even Notre Dame.
Illinois? Really?
it feels OK for them to be good at something.
The state's nice. My kids were born there. I've got friends who attended Illinois, and friends who taught there. Being in Champaign has been a pleasant experience.
But . . .
I just don't care enough about who wins the basketball championship to work up any strong feelings about the Illini.
Of course, it makes sense from their P.o.V to hate Michigan given basketball is all they have and Michigan may stand in their team's way from time to time in spite of it not being the main sport at Michigan.