This UNLV/Illini game is so ugly. UNLV's shooting on these tight rims is comical.

Classic trap game unfolding for IU. Notre Dame has something to prove after a dreadful start to the season and IU is coming off its biggest win in years.

 

Good to see the local kid Dragicevich doing well.

Having that full week off to refocus probably helps.

Whelp, this Illini game is over. Glad they showed up to play in Chicago for the 4th year in a row.

This IU-ND game hasn't been ugly so much as boring.

Take that NIU!

 

 

Take that NIU!

 

WWWYKI, KBS

This UNLV/Illini game is so ugly. UNLV's shooting on these tight rims is comical.

UNLV has been that type of team for yrs but it works.

UNLV has been that type of team for yrs but it works.

 

I can't believe how awful Illinois' freshmen have played this year. I thought Egwu was going to be pretty solid out of the gates (he has a great future, IMO), but he can't catch a thing. Abrams is not a true pg either.

Good to see the local kid Dragicevich doing well.

 

Is he crying to the refs as much as he did in high school?

Is he crying to the refs as much as he did in high school?

Not a big fan of that family.

Not a big fan of that family.

 

Alex was one of the biggest babies I ever saw play high school basketball. But he did go to Glenbrook North afterall.

Ilinois really showing how to get it done in Chi-Town again.

NW had a close game with Central Conn. St. I'd love for them to finally make the tourney, but I'm thinking that 9-1 record is a mirage. What's their best win, G-Tech? Seton Hall? They played one good team and got run out of their own gym.

 

When they're hitting shots, they're a decent team. When they're not, things get dicey. They have to shoot well because their inside game is highly suspect.

 

Baylor was just WAY too big and athletic for them. That's a terrible matchup for NU and they're not going to play another team like that until the post-season (Yes, even OSU. The Buckeyes are better, but don't have the same kind of length and explosiveness). I'd say the game at Creighton should be a better barometer for success. They seem closer to the caliber of the middle tier of the Big Ten, which is the kind of games they're going to have to win.

Creighton could possibly be the 2nd best team in the Big 10 if they played in the conference this year. They're fantastic.

Creighton could possibly be the 2nd best team in the Big 10 if they played in the conference this year. They're fantastic.

I still believe they're the best Valley team since the 07 Salukis. The MVC should be back to being a 3-4 bid league this year and Creighton, WSU and InSU could all make some noise in the tourny, the league is definitely back after a few year hiatus, if only SIU didn't fall off the map.

Creighton could possibly be the 2nd best team in the Big 10 if they played in the conference this year. They're fantastic.

 

I wouldn't go THAT far. Offensively they can hang, but they're 182nd in defensive efficiency so far (through Friday) and lost to a fairly middling St. Joe's team.

 

However, they are a near lock tournament team and will probably win the MVC. If NU could win there, I'd feel a lot better about their chances against the middle tier of the Big Ten.

I wouldn't go THAT far. Offensively they can hang, but they're 182nd in defensive efficiency so far (through Friday) and lost to a fairly middling St. Joe's team.

 

However, they are a near lock tournament team and will probably win the MVC. If NU could win there, I'd feel a lot better about their chances against the middle tier of the Big Ten.

Watch them play before you decide that, they're really f'n good. Besides OSU there isn't a team in the B10 that they wouldn't be able to compete with over the course of a full season. Doug McDermott is a flat out baller.

Watch them play before you decide that, they're really f'n good. Besides OSU there isn't a team in the B10 that they wouldn't be able to compete with over the course of a full season. Doug McDermott is a flat out baller.

 

McDermott was the best player on the court when Ames beat Waukegan a few years ago (Richmond and Barnes were the highlighted stars).

Watch them play before you decide that, they're really f'n good. Besides OSU there isn't a team in the B10 that they wouldn't be able to compete with over the course of a full season. Doug McDermott is a flat out baller.

 

I saw them last year in Evanston where they had several of these guys and really only McDermott was particularly impressive. Obviously they have Echinique and Gibbs now and some of them have gotten better so I realize it's not the exact game. I'm not counting this as a win in the bag by any stretch.

 

There's a difference between saying they can "compete" with them and saying they'd finish second in a deep, strong conference. They smoked Iowa and beat Nebraska by 10, but neither of those teams is exactly the cream of the Big Ten crop.

 

They're 55th in Pomeroy right now because they're giving up a ton of points per possession. Even Northwestern has a higher defensive efficiency so far, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

I'd take my chances with Wisconsin and Indiana since they're about as efficient offensively so far and are giving up a lot fewer points. After that everyone has been a little more hit or miss, which is why I said if NU can win this game I'd feel a lot better about them against teams like Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State.

 

 

I saw them last year in Evanston where they had several of these guys and really only McDermott was particularly impressive. Obviously they have Echinique and Gibbs now and some of them have gotten better so I realize it's not the exact game. I'm not counting this as a win in the bag by any stretch.

 

There's a difference between saying they can "compete" with them and saying they'd finish second in a deep, strong conference. They smoked Iowa and beat Nebraska by 10, but neither of those teams is exactly the cream of the Big Ten crop.

 

They're 55th in Pomeroy right now because they're giving up a ton of points per possession. Even Northwestern has a higher defensive efficiency so far, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement.

 

I'd take my chances with Wisconsin and Indiana since they're about as efficient offensively so far and are giving up a lot fewer points. After that everyone has been a little more hit or miss, which is why I said if NU can win this game I'd feel a lot better about them against teams like Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State.

That's why I said compete over a full season and not just one game. I'm not sure if I'd take them over Wiscy or IU BUT I certainly think it'd be a possibility that they would finish 2nd.

BTW, I was cleaning out my room at my dads house the other day because he's moving in a few months and I happened to find scouting reports that I had written on like the top 30 teams from the 2009-2010 season, I had forgot that I did that and remembered how big of a nerd I was.

BTW, I was cleaning out my room at my dads house the other day because he's moving in a few months and I happened to find scouting reports that I had written on like the top 30 teams from the 2009-2010 season, I had forgot that I did that and remembered how big of a nerd I was.

 

Was?

I think it's a lock that Illinois again scores under 40 points in a game this season. Maybe the coaching has something to do with this lack of offensive consistency? The Fire Weber bandwagon is looking enticing.

 

Crandall Head may be very athletic and explosive, but that kid is an awful basketball player. He has zero awareness whatsoever as there where he is on the court.

McDermott was the best player on the court when Ames beat Waukegan a few years ago (Richmond and Barnes were the highlighted stars).

 

 

f*** them.

 

 

Did McDermott even start that game? He didn't start games in Iowa.

 

 

Again, f*** Greg McDermott for trying to kill our program.

(Yes, even OSU. The Buckeyes are better, but don't have the same kind of length and explosiveness).

Ah see, you are stuck thinking about the OSU of previous years. This years team is athletic and long as hell with really no outside shooting or organization. They are ridiculously young and have beaten teams based on length and running the ball.