Rex Hudler

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Dec 11, 2012 -> 08:52 AM) 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.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 11:58 PM) 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.

QUOTE (Real @ Dec 10, 2012 -> 08:36 PM) Sergio beats Floyd even at 154lbs.. Sergio would still come into the ring at 168-170lbs (he's too good of a boxer plus the size disadvantage), Broner sparks Gamboa in 8 or 9 rounds. I want to see Broner vs Matthysse at 140lbs, that is the next big rivalry once floyd retires assuming they give Matthysse a shot at a title (he was robbed against Judah and Alexander) sorry, I'm really high on Lucas Matthysse, dude is a beast with good boxing ability I disagree. I don't think Matthysse is that good. I was looking at your P4P list and I can't argue with any other than him and Chad Dawson. Both good fighters, Dawson certainly more proven. But his fighting style is just boring. He's painfun to watch sometime. The jury is out on Matthysse. I don't think he got robbed, but he certainly could have won either of those fights. I agree that Sergio gives Floyd lots of problems. Personally, I like the IBF rule that you can't be more than 10 lbs over the limit the next day. I don't quite understand how guys can dehydrate themselves so much that they can gain 15-20 lbs overnight and still be strong enough to grind out a tough fight for 12 rounds. I wish they would all adopt that and have the guys fight in more their true weight classes.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 9, 2012 -> 03:49 PM) Have you ever been to Cincinnati? Skyline is better than Texas chili!

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 02:37 PM) Wow. You are going to be a very angry guy during football season the rest of your life. I think you are way off here. I hate it when a coach loses his job and people who aren't closely involved start spouting off stats to make an argument. None of those stats factor in trends. Unfortunately, the events of the past year put Wisconsin football on a downward trend. Could it have been picked back up? Possibly. But I think there is a lot more to the story and I think it goes back to the coaching staff changes. Alvarez left the program in a strong position for Bielema. He left him a good OC. They have great success and the OC gets a HC job and half the coaching staff leaves to go with the assistant? What does that say ab out the guy who is running the program? Then he fires his own hire two games into a season? Add the fact they have no QB and had to take an outside QB again, and that didn't work out, it just indicates to me the leadership was shaky. Add a 4-4 Big Ten season and finishing behind Penn St after what they went through and you have a recipe for things heading in the wrong direction. And if he did indeed look toward the NFL last year, it probably pissed off Alvarez, his biggest supporter. I think Bielema may have gotten out at just the right time.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 11:58 AM) If Wisconsin thinks one 4-4 season in the Big 10 after 2 legit Rose Bowl appearances is grounds for firing, good luck to them. They will be going through more coaches than Al Davis. Reminds me of when Self left Illinois. All of a sudden Illini fans said he wasn't a very good coach, couldn't win big games, slept with cheerleaders, good riddance. I think Self is a better coach than Bielema, but like him or not, his record at Wisconsin speaks for itself. His successor will have his work cut out for him just to match. No one said Wisky was going to fire him. But the inability to develop a QB and lack of cohesion on the coaching staff makes me believe things were trending in the wrong direction. Heard today, and have no clue if there is any merit, that Bielema talked to NFL teams about a job and that didn't make Barry Alvarez very happy. There may have been more going on than has been made public?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 08:46 AM) I'm going to wait until their 10th fight and then catch that one. If they keep selling tickets and stay this exciting, their may be 10. And I will watch them all! These two are incapable of making a boring fight. See my comments in the boxing thread so this one doesn't get hijacked.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 7, 2012 -> 08:24 AM) You prick You know, I always figured I would hear that from you, but thought it would be over some argument about football or basketball!

I've been to many big time college football games, MLB playoff games, an MLB All-Star game, NFL games, NBA games, IU-Kentucky NCAA basketball games as well as NCAA Tournaments, including the Sweet Sixteen and no atmosphere was as charged as the fight Saturday night! It was freakin' awesome! If anyone did not see the fight, watch it on HBO Saturday night. It was a great fight and there is no way HBO can give you a true feel for what it was like in the arena. After being at a big fight live, I wish HBO would do less talking before the fight and show more of what goes on with the intros and arena production. It was spectacular. Top Rank does a helluva job with the event production. I wish others would follow their lead. I've thought for about a year now that the Floyd-Manny fight was overcooked, so to speak. Manny clearly hasn't been the same fighter in his last 3 fights (even though I believe he beat Bradley). The fight should have happened in 2010. I'm not so sure who would have won back then, but since the Moseley fight I've felt in my gut that Mayweather was just too good a boxer and strong enough to handle Manny. Pacquiao just overwhelmed opponents with speed and power. But Marquez has proven if you can make him miss enough to counter him he's vulnerable. I think for the fight to happen now, it would have to be in September next year after Manny has taken a comeback fight and only if he is dominant. Maybe if he dominates Bradley in a rematch, could the fight be sold. I'm not so sure Floyd was ever ducking Manny as much as Floyd is so self-absorbed that he had to have it his way. In his mind Manny didn't deserve equal billing. That said, it had to factor in to some degree with both Floyd and Bob Arum that the fight didn't have to be made and both fighters staying strong would continue the cash flowing. I'm not sure Manny thought like that. But the inability/refusal for Golden Boy and Top Rank to act like adults and get fights made may have had as much to do with the fight not getting made than anything. I don't agree with the automatic assumption that Pacquiao before and Marquez juiced. The size of his legs doesn't make a difference. I've seen people make huge gains with their bodies simply with the right diet, supplements and hard, focused training. It can be done, it just takes work. If you watched 24/7 you could see some of the stuff JMM was doing to get stronger. Could they be juicing? Sure. But I'm not about to discount the work they've done by making assumed claims. Lastly, and sorry, I'm catching up all in one post.... Some of the fights I'd love to see are: Floyd v. Sergio, Floyd v. Canelo (spring 2014), Marquez v. Rios, Gamboa v. Broner, etc. If I can figure out how to upload video or pics on here I will load some stuff I got from the weigh-in. My phone freakin' died during the undercard so I got nothing from the fight itself.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 6, 2012 -> 10:22 PM) Did Wisky fans run Bielema out of town? Seems a bad fit for him at Arkansas. Were 3 straight Rose Bowls not good enough or ? Seems to me he badly wanted a change of scenery. Another ? Do you think you can tell after one year if a coach will make it? As such, do you think Illinois will be canning its current coach in 2 years? What about 1-11 Charlie Weis at Kansas? Do you think he's gonzo after one more season? If I read "three straight Rose Bowls" again, I'm going to throw something!! Wisky was 4-4 in the B1G this year and finished 3rd in their division. They only had a chance to play in the CG this year because of PSU and OSU's f*ck ups. Yes, he beat Nebraska, but let's not compare this season with the last two, please. On that note, I'm off to Vegas for the weekend to catch the Pacquiao - Marquez fight. Hold down the fort.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 5, 2012 -> 02:49 PM) Badger on your posts above, I am hearing his assistants that left and even the ones he has now hate his guts. I am thinking he saw the writing on the wall and wanted to follow the money for both him and a staff he puts together himself. Also with Michigan getting back and OSU coming off sanctions it wasnt a bad time to jump. I agree Rock. I think this was more about him seeing the writing on the wall and getting out while the getting was good. Unless there is a connection I don't know about between Ark AD Jeff Long and Bielema, my guess is it is Bielema's agent that quietly let some schools know he would listen. I just can't get past losing several long time assistants by them following another one. I've been in jobs before where key employees were unhappy and would have all jumped if one they respected left to start his own company or work for a competitor. One it actually happened. That doesn't happen if morale wasn't low. It couldn't have gotten any better for the new assistants he hired to see one of them get fired after opening week. s I just see him as a paper tiger so to speak and one that will fail at Arkansas. He did a lot of good things so I don't want to be completely negative, but I just don't think his situation was headed in the right direction.

Just caught up on the thread... I gotta stop getting 10-15 pages behind! I don't think this was a good hire for Arkansas and could be potentially good for Wisconsin depending on who they hire. I just felt like Bielema was going backwards. Here's my rationale. SoxBadger, tell me if I am off here. Obviously the 5 losses this year plays into it. The fact they haven't seemed to be able to develop a QB and how to go outside to get one two years in a row is a potential concern. I'm not sure what the reasons were for them leaving, but the fact that several assistants followed Chryst to Pitt made me wonder why they didn't stay with BB. I'm not sure what kind of replacements he hired this year and how good they are. They might be fine, but when you fire one of your new hires in the first week of the season, it leads me to wonder if he has the ability to run a program. Coaching football is one thing. But managing an entire program and all that goes with are one of the main reasons many assistants fail as head coaches. Many guys can do the work, not everyone can be the boss. Put that all together with the fact he took over a very stable program and I just wonder if he wasn't on the decline anyway. I'm sure there are lots of positives to offset some of this and maybe their are reasons half his staff bailed last year, but looking from the outside, it makes me go hmmmm. That said, my guess is that unless this job gives him a major boost in how aggressively he runs things and he tackles them better than I think he will, I believe he'll get eaten up. Thin skin will not make it in the SEC.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Dec 4, 2012 -> 09:58 PM) I've always liked Ace Purple. That blob is pretty good as well. Thumbs up on Ace!

Don't look now, but the ACC could win this thing. Seems both Illinois and OSU have to win to provide a win for the Big Ten. Can't see Penn St winning without Tim Frazier.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 08:06 PM) Yes, but what is that compared to what Knight did? 12 of the 19 conference titles, 24 of the 36 tourney appearences, 662 wins. I mean, he IS his own program for alot of schools. Man I need to read Season on the brink again. Choking a player, refusing to even speak to his boss for more than a year, being borish in general, which got much, much worse when he wasn't winning in the tournament toward the end. Knight is a lot of good things and maybe some of the bad things come from what makes him good, but he's a big baby. It's his world or you don't count. You just don't go through life in a position like his where you alienate yourself from anyone around you that doesn't agree with you. Eventually it will catch up to you and it did. No other coach would have gotten away with throwing a chair across the floor, assaulting a Puerto Rican cop, etc, etc. at other schools. IU put up with it when he was winning. If you'd like more, here are just a few... Regardless of this post, I do respect many things about him. I just wish he wasn't such an ass. 1. Knight was shown berating an NCAA volunteer at a March 1995 post-game press conference following a 65–60 loss to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament held in Boise, Idaho. The volunteer, Rance Pugmire, informed the press that Knight would not be attending the press conference, when in reality, Knight was running a few minutes late and had planned on attending per NCAA rules. Knight was shown saying: "You've only got two people that are going to tell you I'm not going to be here. One is our SID [sports Information Director], and the other is me. Who the hell told you I wasn't going to be here? I'd like to know. Do you have any idea who it was?...Who?...They were from Indiana, right?...No, they weren't from Indiana, and you didn't get it from anybody from Indiana, did you?...No, I—I'll handle this the way I want to handle it now that I'm here. You (EXPLETIVE) it up to begin with. Now just sit there or leave. I don't give (EXPLETIVE) what you do. Now back to the game." 2. On February 19, 2000, Clarence Doninger, Knight's boss, alleged to have been physically threatened by the coach during a confrontation after a game. This is the AD Knight refused to speak to at all for over a year. I wish I could completely ignore my boss who works in the same building. 3. An IU investigation inquired about an allegation in which Knight berated and physically intimidated a university secretary, once throwing a potted plant in anger, showering her with glass and debris. The University later asked the coach to issue an apology to the secretary. 4. It was alleged that Knight attacked assistant coach Ron Felling, throwing him out of a chair after overhearing him criticizing the basketball program in a phone conversation 5. It was reported (although years after the incident) that Knight choked and punched IU's longtime sports information director, Kit Klingelhoffer, in the 1970s, over a news release that upset the coach

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 07:30 PM) It's on him, but you have to understand that IU is IU because of Bobby Knight. Look at his accomplishments vs what the school has done overall. He should have never been treated the way he was. I'm sure a man of his temper and arrogance (not trying to be negative on him I LOVE Bobby knight) has a hard time giving up the frustration at IU. It's a lot more gray than that. Bobby brought on much of what came to him. I was Knight's biggest fan, but his actions have taken the shine off his star. We could discuss this ad naseum, but I'll just say that both sides were wrong and at this point, the ball is in Knight's court. If he chooses to be pig-headed, that's on him. He was IU in the 70's and 80's, which is in our era, but he is not bigger than IU.

Things not looking too good for my old neighborhood buddy Brad Brownell at Clemson.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 10:56 AM) Two things: 1) I am not buying this Illinois team yet at all. Last year's team was 10-0 before collapsing down the stretch. This is a team this is going to live and die with the three and doesn't really have an impressive win yet. Bertrand and Paul are the only two guys I expect will be able to create their own offense in the B1G and they will no post offense (part because Egwu isn't there yet and part because the guards are awful at feeding the post). They will win some games they shouldn't and lose some games they shouldn't. I like Groce, I like what I see so far, but I still fully expect this to be a bubble team come March. 2) I raise this observation from an NBA standpoint as to Zeller, not to be critical, but because I think it's an interesting discussion point. If I were an NBA GM, my concerns with Zeller would be (a) can he consistently knock down an 18 footer, and (b) can he beat bigger defenders off the dribble. I don't think he can showcase those skills this year because IU is extremely balanced offensively. With the weak draft class this year, it's irrelevant. Zeller will be a top 3 pick. But if IU had fewer options offensively, Zeller would get 20 shots a night and be able to show just how good he really is offensively. In regards to a, yes. Or at least he will be able to. He won the 3pt shooting contest this year at Hoosier Hysteria (yes, Hulls participated) and reportedly has a nice soft touch, at least from 15' consitently. Part of why we don't see it now is IU's focus is so much on taking the ball to the hole to try and draw fouls on scoring plays, that he's not initially looking for a jump shot. The few times he took one last night, it seemed like he realized it was open and took it, after he was intitially looking to drive or pass. In regards to b, that remains to be seen. How many 7'ers can though? (I don't watch the NBA) He is about as complete a big man as I have seen lately, but he is far from a banger inside. He'll mix it up and get some rebounds, but he's still growing and getting stronger.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 06:47 PM) He didn't go on a rant per se, but he did mention twice they should rename it the Robert Montgomery Knight Center. Glad I missed it! Would diatribe be a better word than rant?

QUOTE (farmteam @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 04:14 PM) Isn't Thomas about the same size as Reggie Bullock, or am I just way off? That's who Oladipo guarded last night. It would be either Oladipo or Sheehey, most certainly. The other thing IU has that most teams do not is Christian Watford. I know he didn't show up offensively last night, but on defense he brings a versatility that many teams can't match. Late last year he was guarding the PG for several teams. He's not as quick as they are, but his length gives them problems. He really gave Kentucky fits at times, guarding Teague. With Sheehey being very versatile, Oladipo being able to guard bigger players and Watford being able to guard smaller players, it just gives Indiana a lot of flexibility.

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 11:18 AM) Kind of ridiculous the lack of respect Indiana showed the basketball titans of north carolina/rimshot +++ Pretty disgusted with Mizzou G Mike Dixon. Not really pining for him to come back any time soon, if ever. Lack of respect? Am I missing sarcasm here?

QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 10:41 AM) Vitale got old for me a few years ago. You don't have to talk over the whole game. Becomes distracting sometimes. And his ACC homerism is just so obvious all the time. I quite liked Vitale last night. But only because he didn't go on his standard rant #31 about the breakup between IU and Robert Montgomery Knight and how they should name the basketball arena after him. He Dick, if Bobby wants to come back, that's on him. Olive branches have been extended and until the other night in Brooklyn, he has refused to even mention IU, let alone talk about them. It's on him at this point. He did however, go back into the scheduling (or lack thereof) with Kentucky and Indiana. I'm tired of hearing about that s***. Simply put, if Calipari wanted to play IU, it would have been done. But he was the one that wanted to change things and made demands about what Kentucky would and wouldn't do. He simply wanted no part of this IU team in Lexington. F*ck him!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 09:41 AM) I think as of now they have to be the most complete team in the country. 3 point shooting, inside/outside, midrange, and some good ballhandling. We havent yet seen how another good team that plays defense will attack them however and there will always be some close calls in conference. Its very hard to get through the season undefeated. Undefeated? I'll admit it's crossed my mind, but I can't see it. It ain't gonna happen, though I'd probably dance naked somewhere if it did. As you said, the Big Ten is way too good. I think the biggest obstacle for IU will be a team with length that has depth inside. Of course, a hot shooting team that is patient can provide problems for any team.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 28, 2012 -> 08:21 AM) That is about as complete of a college basketball team as I have seen in a while. They get out and run when they get the chance. If that doesn't work they have a post up game, slashers, and shooters to take apart a team in the half court, plus the patience to make the right play. The crazy thing is they still have two big guys to get back. Three... Are you forgetting Elston or discounting the minutes for Jurkin? I don't think either will regularly log more than 5-10 minutes. I really think it will be February before we see them hitting on all cylinders, barring any further injuries. It will take time for the three big guys to meld into the lineup. The word that describes IU to me is unselfish. As good as they look, the Big Ten is loaded and it should be a crazy and fun conference season. I'm not sure how good MSU and OSU will be, but I'm pretty sure they can be as good as anyone. And Michigan has looked fantastic. I'd like to forget about Illinois, but while they are 7-0, I can't do it. I don't think they belong with those top 4 teams, but they've been a helluva lot better than I thought they would be.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Nov 27, 2012 -> 10:55 PM) ACC supposedly voting tomorrow on Louisville. Supposedly Cincinnati is trying to squeeze in front of Louisville, sending fact sheets and stuff to the league office. College sports are a mess right now, yet still fun as hell to watch.