Beat Maryland and we're definitely in. That requires playing a hell of a lot better, though.

 

Sigh.

It's ridiculous the way Nebraska is getting shafted by refs. Hammered play after play and nothing. Someone's going to get tossed.

Did John Groce sleep with Lunardi's wife or something? Every time he's been on tv today he has decided to try and destroy Illinois' resume to the point of making up stats. Why Illinois is his whipping boy I don't know. A simple "don't have them in" would have sufficed.

Did John Groce sleep with Lunardi's wife or something? Every time he's been on tv today he has decided to try and destroy Illinois' resume to the point of making up stats. Why Illinois is his whipping boy I don't know. A simple "don't have them in" would have sufficed.

 

I didn't see the segments but is it possible he's just telling it like it is?

I didn't see the segments but is it possible he's just telling it like it is?

No. He was literally lying about their resume.

No. He was literally lying about their resume.

 

I didn't see the segments, either. What was he lying about?

 

 

Someone needs to send a cease and desist letter to Adidas to stop making uniforms.

I didn't see the segments, either. What was he lying about?

He said they were 2-8 "away from home". Then he said combined with Indiana they were 6-12 in their last 18. Neither of these true. And neither are even relevant stats, particularly that last one. He was trying to have Illinois take the fall for IU's collapse.

Edited March 12, 201511 yr by Buehrle>Wood

So I'm pretty sure the Illini are -19 with Starks on the floor so far.

Just terrible. I'm not even sure I want them to win this game. I'm ready for the season to be over with.

Lol a technical for that? Christ

Blow out city. They don't deserve a bid.

Just terrible. I'm not even sure I want them to win this game. I'm ready for the season to be over with.

 

I feel bad for Rice. He shouldn't have to end his career on the road in the NIT.

 

 

So I'm pretty sure the Illini are -19 with Starks on the floor so far.

 

I'm not watching the game but I'll say again that Groce should have been open to playing a lineup with no PG. Starks has some value as a guy off the bench who can get hot but he isn't a guy you want running the show for 30 minutes as a PG and Tate is f***ing terrible.

This is awful.

I feel bad for Rice. He shouldn't have to end his career on the road in the NIT.

They lost to Nebraska, Indiana, and Minnesota when he was suspended. The NIT is what he deserves. Feel sorry for his teammates.

Well this is embarrassing. Groce went from the savior to a warm seat real quick.

Well this is embarrassing. Groce went from the savior to a warm seat real quick.

 

Next year it's the tourney and a win or two or he has to be on the hot seat. Inexcusable to miss the dance 3 out of 4 years.

They lost to Nebraska, Indiana, and Minnesota when he was suspended. The NIT is what he deserves. Feel sorry for his teammates.

They went 3-0 during his suspension.

Thankfully I can't watch but way to have the worst performance of the year in a must win game against a mediocre team. I like Groce and players clearly like him as well but he isn't recruiting well enough right now to make up for average at best in game coaching. I don't love his offensive scheme because it is so dependent on talent and having multiple ball handlers and playmakers to run that stuff and he hasn't recruited enough talent yet at the guard positions. Defensively we have been pretty good under Groce since he gets guys to play so hard but I also don't love his defensive schemes.

They lost to Nebraska, Indiana, and Minnesota when he was suspended. The NIT is what he deserves. Feel sorry for his teammates.

 

That they're bad?

 

 

10 years ago Illinois was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tourney. Now they are about to miss the tourney for the 5th time in 8 years. Bruce Weber did more damage to the Illinois basketball program than sanctions in the 90s and looking more and more like Groce is not the guy to right the ship. Depressing.

Doesn't Illinois have one of the best recruiting classes in the B10?

 

I would think that HAS to count for something, although it's a trap in a way...when you hesitate to pull the trigger on firing a coach because you're afraid to lose his "prized recruiting class." (also, like IND with Crean).

 

http://globegazette.com/sports/local_sport...1cc4c002e0.html

 

When they canned Lickliter, Iowa nearly instantaneously lost Ben Brust to WI and Cody Larson to the Univ of Florida, as well as F Aaron Fuller. They were both pretty highly touted, but neither of them ended up being star players and Lickliter would just have postponed the rebuild process for another 2-3 years had they stuck with him.

 

 

Brust averaged 24.6 points as a senior at Mundelein High School, earning one of five spots on the Class 4A second-team all-state team selected by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.

 

The 6-foot-2 guard topped 50 points in games against Evanston and Buckeye (Ariz.) as a senior and scored more than 30 points five times this season. He also averaged 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.1 steals.

 

He committed to the Hawkeyes last summer and was part of a November signing class that ranked in the top 25 nationally at that time.

Edited March 12, 201511 yr by caulfield12

Illinois often has among the best classes in the B1G. When you're the flagship school in a great basketball state, it's not hard. I have no few worries about the next coach being able to recruit at Groce's level.

10 years ago Illinois was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tourney. Now they are about to miss the tourney for the 5th time in 8 years. Bruce Weber did more damage to the Illinois basketball program than sanctions in the 90s and looking more and more like Groce is not the guy to right the ship. Depressing.

 

 

Try missing 10/15 tourneys when your school had made something like 18/23 prior to that, and the main reason was because the coach had the temerity to never lose a first round NCAA game but consistently had a hard time getting to the Sweet 16 since 1986-87. And some would argue it's 11/15 since the Hawkeyes were relegated to the play-in game after losing 6 of their final 7 and collapsing down the stretch.

 

That said, Iowa is not Illinois (because of Chicago alone). I suppose for the Illini, it's almost ludicrous to miss anything approaching 50% or more.

Edited March 12, 201511 yr by caulfield12