If the game stays at this pace, Illinois will win.

If the game stays at this pace, Illinois will win.

It will stay at this pace, from what I've seen in past games Wisconsin likes to set things up generally.

bah, wisky comes out firing. this is over. oh well, at least Illinois made the tournament worth watching. I can't wait until next year.

Either way I don't see you winning with only 8 sec left and down 4. But after the Indiana game, who knows. If i'm a gopher fan, i'm excited for what Tubby should/will be able to do. Minny basketball is def on the rise.

Exactly. We wouldn't have won anyway, but it would have been nice to have the chance. I'm definitely excited about future years, when we'll finally have some real talent on this team.

Way to show up Badgers!

Normally the play ends, then the officials call their timeout. This happened in the Wisconsin game yesterday too, when Hughes went down. He was on the ground, right in front of the ref, but play continued until the play was over. After it was, the whistle was blown and Hughes was dealt with.

 

After the foul wasn't called, I don't see how it wasn't called a travel. Apparently you just get a do over if you get hit in the face and no foul is called, but whatever, we wouldn't have won anyway. It just would have been nice to get the chance, especially after that Indiana game.

The officials blew that one, definitely. It's either a foul or a travel. Minnesota didn't deserve a win yesterday, but that crew should be reprimanded by the league office.

 

A friend who has worked the NCAA tourney the last couple of years was suspended by the Big Sky for a game because of a non-call he didn't make (if that makes any sense), and he's not assigned to do any NCAA games this year. He certainly deserved to be suspended, BTW. It would be nice if the Big Ten would discipline their officials when they make errors like this, but I won't be holding my breath.

 

On a tangent, I remember a game many years ago where two officials (I'm pretty sure one was London Bradley, but I can't remember the other one) blew their whistles simultaneously. One saw a charge, the other saw a block. Incredibly enough, they called a double foul! That was an amazing display of egos and stubbornness.

bah, wisky comes out firing. this is over. oh well, at least Illinois made the tournament worth watching. I can't wait until next year.

 

agreed. i didn't expect a win today (hoped for one for sure) but all-in-all i am not too disappointed with the way things came out. as people pointed out, illinois did not deserve to be in the ncaa tournament, and at the end of the day it worked out as it rightfully should have.

 

i'm also excited for the future at illinois, too. i'll be happy to put this season in the rearview mirror.

Congrats to Wisconsin. Not much you can do when you can't make shots as Illinois has shown all year. Looking forward to next year and hell maybe these last 3 wins can get us in the CBI and we can be the first ever CBI champions...haha.

 

Good luck to Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, and Ohio State (if they make it) in the tournament. Represent the Big Ten well.

agreed. i didn't expect a win today (hoped for one for sure) but all-in-all i am not too disappointed with the way things came out. as people pointed out, illinois did not deserve to be in the ncaa tournament, and at the end of the day it worked out as it rightfully should have.

 

i'm also excited for the future at illinois, too. i'll be happy to put this season in the rearview mirror.

Maybe the NIT will select Illinois to extend the misery.

Maybe the NIT will select Illinois to extend the misery.

 

Gotta be over .500 to make NIT.

Good luck to Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, and Ohio State (if they make it) in the tournament. Represent the Big Ten well.

 

Indiana's not allowed to, then?

Gotta be over .500 to make NIT.

No you don't...

Indiana's not allowed to, then?

 

Absolutely not!

Gotta be over .500 to make NIT.

Nope.

Maybe the NIT will select Illinois to extend the misery.

 

i have mixed feelings about this. i do think this team hit its stride a bit over the past few weeks so in that regard it would be good to see it build on those strides. i also think more practice and game time for the freshmen is important (hey bruce, play semrau!).

 

but i also recognize that this particular group of players is always going to be painful to watch on the offensive end. not having guys who can shoot consistently, break a guy down off the dribble, or just get to the rack and convert is maddening. it's also frustrating in the sense that our best offensive player is a center, but we don't have anyone who can get him the ball on a consistent basis.

 

but the future will be bright, i think. pruitt and randle will be hard to replace, but when it comes to motion offense guards>bigs. next year we'll go five deep with good guards. that in and of itself should make the team better.

I think replacing the attitude/work ethic of Pruitt and Randle will benefit the team.

Ah well, not a surprising result today, at least they showed some heart at the end and got close. I agree with fathom on replacing Pruitt and Randle. As for an NIT or CBI bid, I wouldn't mind it because guys like Tisdale and Davis and McCamey need all the practice/game time they can get.

 

On a side note, congrats to Wisconsin. They have solid fans and a solid team along with their solid coach, so much that even an often bitter guy like myself can't hate.

Bo Ryan is a great coach, and a shockingly hysterical interview whenever he's on sports radio.

On a side note, congrats to Wisconsin. They have solid fans and a solid team along with their solid coach, so much that even an often bitter guy like myself can't hate.

 

That's true, I've found it very hard to hate Wisconsin. If watching Brian Butch bank in a 3 pointer can't do it, I'm not sure anything can.

Bo Ryan is a great coach, and a shockingly hysterical interview whenever he's on sports radio.

He and Steve Lavin are money anytime Boers and Bernsie have them on.

NIT bracket through March 15th, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

OHIO ST. Region ARIZONA ST. Region VILLANOVA Region FLORIDA Region 1 Ohio St. 1 Arizona St. 1 Villanova 1 Florida 8 UNC Asheville 8 Alabama St. 8 Robert Morris 8 Morgan St.

 

 

 

4 Oklahoma St. 4 Texas Tech 4 UAB 4 Florida St. 5 California 5 Southern Illinois 5 Charlotte 5 Cleveland St.

 

 

 

2 Syracuse 2 Mississippi 2 Massachusetts 2 Maryland 7 Akron 7 IUPUI 7 Utah St. 7 Santa Barbara

 

 

 

3 Dayton 3 VCU 3 Creighton 3 New Mexico 6 Nebraska 6 Wake Forest 6 Minnesota 6 Stephen F. Austin

 

CBI Tournament Games

 

 

 

 

 

SOUTH Region EAST Region MIDWEST Region WEST Region 1 Alabama 1 Seton Hall 1 Houston 1 Washington 4 Ohio 4 Valparaiso 4 Tulsa 4 Sam Houston St.

 

 

 

2 Virginia 2 Rhode Island 2 Bradley 2 Nevada 3 Miami (OH) 3 Wright St. 3 Utah 3 San Diego St.

Edited March 16, 200818 yr by Buehrle>Wood

Well Wisconsin took care of Illinois and won the Big 10 tournament.

 

Im already getting ready to get disappointed about Wisconsin's seed in the tournament, so its always pretty sucky on selection day.

Well Wisconsin took care of Illinois and won the Big 10 tournament.

 

Im already getting ready to get disappointed about Wisconsin's seed in the tournament, so its always pretty sucky on selection day.

 

 

You should. No way they shouldn't of been a 2 seed

I think replacing the attitude/work ethic of Pruitt and Randle will benefit the team.

 

Agreed. Funny how Pruitt decides the last few games of his college career to actually give a damn. Pruitt could easily have pwned the league. Instead he and Randle leave the program as probably the worst group of seniors since '99.

 

Next year is going to be an entirely different team. We'll have shooters and slashers. It'll be run and gun like in 05. Hopefully Weber can keep them focused on defense. I expect them to finish in the top 3-4 of the big ten with an at large bid to the tourney. Anything else is a failure.

 

 

Props to the Illini for a strong showing in the conference tourney. Good Riddens to Pruit and Randle.