IlliniKrush

I went Baylor. This pool is tough, can't repeat teams so you can't use all the guns up front.

For anyone who this missed (incorrect) ridiculousness yesterday http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballn...rug-off-insults

I'm no basketball rules expert but when I saw the lane violation yesterday, I kept thinking there had to be a rule I didn't know about that they just called. You'd think that would dawn on them, and even if they didn't know it, they could talk about how they are looking it up as we speak to get the correct interpretation, etc. But to have that come up YESTERDAY and then again today and you still don't know it...are you paying attention to the rest of the tournament at all? Everyone else on their couch knew what was going on. And yes, Barkley is an idiot.

And Barkley is dumber than the lane violation

Omg seriously nd do you not watch espn

QUOTE (Brian @ Mar 16, 2012 -> 07:59 PM) Ohio will beat Temple Sunday False

Survivor pick tomorrow...Baylor or osu thinking baylor

If only they had a 1, they wouldn't have faced a 15.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Mar 15, 2012 -> 05:00 PM) Quote the one referee sent to prison. That'll help your argument. If you read my posts, I stated that calls change due to the flow of the game. The flow changes constantly. It's a natural progression that happens but is in no way done to "make the game interesting" or try to affect the outcome or final score of a game. You'll either have to trust me or get yourself a striped jersey or a chest protector and live it for yourself. Fans tend to be conspiracy theorists, but my experience is that 90% of the time they are wrong. When I was umpiring, I knew if I blew a call before anyone else did. And it sucked. I hated it. But I guarantee you I wasn't going to make a 2nd wrong call to make up for it. I had too much pride in the job I did to make another bad call. You make one, you move on. Period. I do encourage you to try officiating and take a little pride in it. You'll see the game much differently. Yes, you'll see bad calls because they exist. But you'll still see it differently, I assure you. Right on. Especially about missing a call/not making it up. That is how it works. Until you umpire/referee a lot, and at a high level (HS or above), you just don't understand the mindset.

New puppy coming in a few weeks. It'll be a Shichon. What is on the "must have" list before we get it? Crate (towels or blankets too?) Food (what kind?) Treats Toys Collar Leash Bowls for food/water Bed? Probably a good start, but what am I missing?

If the state of Pennsylvania doesn't win, the fix is in.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 13, 2012 -> 02:12 PM) Have you guys actually watched the ads associated with the slogans? They work pretty well. It's a start. As I said in my other post, I don't think most people will interpret it that way.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Mar 14, 2012 -> 11:00 AM) Last night was my first real time drinking at Kams, I don't remember much. Hopefully it's your last. You probably have a few diseases now too.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Mar 13, 2012 -> 04:44 PM) I cannot believe they are wasting time on NFL Free Agency day for this moronic trash. Seriously? It's freaking epic. Fail on your part. And yeah, they talked NFL for the entire day except for that part.

I don't really put a ton of value on the Forbes thing either. Like you said it's subjective. But wins and losses and those sorts of rankings aren't. My overall point is that Illinois should be around a 15 program semi-consistently (maybe sometimes better, maybe sometimes worse). They have the talent base, fans, resources, etc to do so. They should be making the tournament basically every year and a sweet 16 one of every 3 or so. I don't think that's unreasonable. So, we shouldn't have to settle for mediocrity or a mediocre coach. No reason to. They have to break the f***ing bank with this hire, unless they offer the money and those guys say no. Aka Smart, Stevens. If they say no fine, but you go for broke here in every way possible. Like I said, people didn't say "well IU is mediocre now, that's how it'll be." They knew they'd be back. Now before you all point at your f***ing dusty banners, it's just a comparison on a team being down and coming back to their expected level. It's the first one I came up with. BTW, you said the coach "will fail in Illini fans eyes just like Weber." Are you implying the last 6 years have been successful under him?

I don't think it's going to be interpreted the way they want it to. They want it based on Robin's comments about players appreciating the game, etc. About how this team will work hard, do the little things, etc. I think fans will just hear that THEY should appreciate the game. Aka, we suck, but come watch it because it's still baseball, and you like baseball, right? So come to a game, baseball is a great game. And we have good food and free tshirts and s***. I just don't think it will get as deep with the fans as they are envisioning. I see where they are going, I just think 95% won't see it that way.

You were talking to me. When you say "you", how am I supposed to interpret that? You were the one that nitpicked.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 11:21 PM) I think the point is that Illinois is at best top tier in the Big 10. Any coach that comes into Illinois is going to have a challenge because right now the Big 10 is one of the deepest leagues with some of the best coaches. If you want to believe Illinois is a top 5 program nationally, that really is your choice. But those type of expectations are why the next coach will fail in Illini fans eyes just like Weber. This coming from the guy that hates when other people put words in HIS mouth. Nice.

QUOTE (danman31 @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 11:07 PM) I blame Illinois for sucking so much. We're probably one of the only teams the committee even recognized on there. Good thing we didn't pull that out, would have pushed you into the 4 range.

It was from a few weeks ago, Forbes could have updated since then. Didn't really prove anything though.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 10:54 PM) Agreed, of course we're not a UNC or Duke, but this program is right up there in the top 10-15 in the nation. Well yeah but the point is they should expect to be on the level where they are at historically, and expect a coach of that caliber. People saying "well that's what Illinois is now" have it wrong. There is no reason to say they can't be/shouldn't be that caliber. A few years of a different level doesn't change that. Did people say the same thing about IU when they were down, or did they say well IU should be back, this isn't who they are?

QUOTE (danman31 @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 01:09 AM) I'm big on Long Beach in the first round, but I haven't filled out a bracket to list all of them yet. LBSU just struck me as obvious when the bracket came out. Alford sure doesn't want to play them.

Apparently Mizzou needed to play someone in non-conference. They were one spot from a 3.

Alright, I've had enough with the Illinois isn't a top/elite/very good/whatever the hell you want to call it program. BTW Jason don't ever put Iowa basketball and Illinois basketball, historically, in the same sentence again. You're better than that. From http://alioneye.com/ - #13 all time in the NCAA in wins (#12 in winning percentage). - #11 (tied) all time in NCAA Tourney appearances (2nd in the Big Ten). - #18 in NCAA Tournament wins (famously most wins for a team without a title) - #14 (tied) all time in Final Four appearances (tied for the 8th highest total number of appearances) - #9 all time in collective AP poll appearances (including: #13 in weeks in the top 5, #9 in weeks in the top 10, #8 in seasons in the top 5, #9 in seasons in the top 10, #8 in seasons in the top 25) - 1st all-time in Big Ten conference wins (3rd in winning percentage) - 4th highest number of Big Ten titles in the conference - 6 more Big Ten Tournament wins than any other school, highest number (tied) of championship game appearances, 2nd in Tourney titles - We own winning records against every Big Ten program except two. Indiana has us beat by 1 game. Purdue is up by 11 games. - Tied for #18 all-time in number of McDonald’s All-Americans (I only mention this as a point that it’s also folly to suggest it’s unreasonable to expect consistent high-level recruiting, either). - Sagarin/ESPN has us at #6 all time. - NBC Sports puts us at #14. - Basketball Reference has us as the 5th best program in the last 30 years. - Forbes has us as the 5th most valuable program. Just take the first five. 13th in all-time wins, 11th in all-time tournament appearances, 18th in all-time tournament wins (with the top-17 all owning at least one NCAA title), 14th in all-time Final Four appearances, and 9th in all-time AP Poll appearances. Add that all together, and you get “at worst 14th, and possibly 12th best college basketball program.”

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Mar 10, 2012 -> 10:56 PM) Izzo? I agree. Sure, he's your "friend" and he's a great guy and he's a "soldier" but his teams were chronic underperformers. It was time. Basically, Izzo said "Well, I'm the best in the Big Ten. And he's my friend. And they beat us a lot, so he must be a good coach." Shut up, Izzo. You missed Izzo's point, whether you agree with it or not. It wasn't as much that he was fired, it was what happened earlier in the season with Thomas.