Re: 2009 NCAA Tournament thread

[Andy]

Double post Edited March 20, 2009 by Andy

[Andy]

I have Michigan State in the title game, but I'm starting to think Louisville will have to lose before the Elite Eight to make that happen.

[Hosak8]

Any other Chicago people have their Comcast cable go out tonight? I had to watch the second half of the Michigan game at a bar because mine went completely out. Great comeback by Illinois at the end there, but Western Kentucky was the better team.

 

Hahahha, they absolutely were not the better team. If you want me to, I'll pull out every metric ever invented that shows Illinois was the better basketball team. Western Kentucky played the better game, yeah, of course genius, that's what the final score proves. Illinois was absolutely the better basketball team.

 

And people wonder why Michigan is hated universally, and their fans are treated as loudmouth [expletive] buffoons.

 

Surely I'm not the only one who gets the irony in this post? Cannot be.

 

Oh, look who shows up now that things are nice and safe. Your team sucks too you stupid [expletive].

 

That may be true, and if they do lose, I will handle it with class. You might want to look into that. It would be new for you, but it just might work.

[Sosa21MVP]

I totally fell asleep last night. Did Illinois win? :P

[cubweiser03]

What was Michigan like this season? All I know about them is that they are a Beilein coached team, so they take a ton of 3s and play a 1-3-1 zone. He gave Sampson's team fits in 2006 when he was with West Virginia.

 

That pretty much describes them to a T. They're a very hot and cold team, imo.

 

As long as Blake Griffin doesn't somehow get decapitated with piano wire, I think Oklahoma should handle them.

 

Yeah, and I wouldnt be suprised if Griffin grabs like 25 boards. Michigan isnt a very good rebounding team underneath.

Manny Harris and Sims both need to go off for UM to win this one.

[UMFan83]

Wow, SSR really went off last night. I missed out.

[snoodmonger]

My bracket is still good, but all I want today is a Missouri win and a kU loss. Oh, and Marquette losing would be nice.

 

 

the lowercase k in "KU" is one of the lamest things Mizzou fans do, and that's saying something.

[Guest]

My former college roommate served this up last night to sum up the season for Illinois. I think it is a pretty good summary of the game, the season and the future.

 

I do hearby declare Seth Davis to be the fountian of all basketball knowledge. I promise never to doubt him again and next year when it is time to fill out my bracket I will simply copy his and wait for the money to come flying at me.

 

For a good 32 minutes tonight Illinois looked lost. They didn't defend very well. They didn't rebound very well. They looked for all the world like the 12-19 team everyone thought they would be going into the year. Demetri McCamey couldn't shoot. Mike Tisdale couldn't make a post move against short post players. They couldn't get Mike Davis the ball. It was only a solid shooting night from Trent Meacham and some flashes from Calvin Brock that kept Illinois somewhat close. It didn't help that Western Kentucky was making more than their fair share of shots. WKU lead by as much as 14 in the first half and everytime they seemed close to making a run WKU had the answer. And nothing Weber said or did at halftime made a difference as the Illini slowly fell further and further behind.

 

But if nothing else, Illinois went down fighting. They turned up the pressure with 5 minutes to play and crept back in the game while viewers were busy watching the finish of the UCLA victory over VCU. They made shots. They forced turnovers. They took advantage of several horrible officiating mistakes. Unfortunately Western Kentucky made just enough free throws down the stretch and the one call Illinois had to have, a potential block on the final driving layup by Trent Meacham, they didn't get. It was probably a good no call as although there was contact Meacham was clearly body hunting in a desperate attempt to draw the foul.

 

So the Illini are once again one and done. Several months from now we'll probably look back on this season as a major success. This team was young, not very big or physical, not all that athletic and not exactly loaded with talent yet somehow then managed to finish 24-10. However, something was clearly missing down the stretch. Would Chester Frazier have made a difference? You be he would. He makes this team much better defensively. But the Illini win this game with any kind of output from Mike Tisdale. The Illini win this game with just one or two outside jumpers from McCamey, who was 0-5 from three point land. (I'm not sure what to think of McCamey. I thought he played an awful game but I look in the box score and his numbers weren't that bad.) The Illini win this game if Weber could find guard who was capable of making a post entry pass to get the ball to Mike Davis a couple extra times.

 

So we say goodbye to Chester Frazier. Some will look back and remember the two awful years Frazier had as a no pass no shoot point guard playing 35 minutes a game any be happy he's gone. Some will look back and remember that there has never been a player play any harder than Chester Frazier. Some will look back and remember Frazier as the poster boy for Bruce Webers failure as a recruiter to land any real talent over the previous 4 years. Some will look back and remember the guy that made himself into a decent Big Ten point guard for his senior season and pretty much elevated a mediocre team to a very solid season. Unfortunately, Frazier will look back and think nothing more than "I let my team down by getting hurt".

 

We say goodbye Trent Meacham, who most Illini fans scoffed at when he transferred from Dayton. He's no Nate Mast they said. Turns out they were right as Meacham worked hard to turn himself into a much better player than Mast ever was. (My comparison is Matt Heldman though I wish him no traffic accidents in his future.) His shot was a little too inconsistent and the lack of depth kept him on the court for a few too many minutes but once again that is on Weber (and to a lesser extent Alex Legion). Meacham was prone to good games and bad games but he saved one of his very best for last.

 

And we say goodbye to Calvin Brock after five interesting years. If nothing else Brock was a guy you noticed. For a play here and a play there, he looked like an NBA player, converting baseline drives and skying for offensive rebounds. For a play here and a play there, he would look like Mo, Larry, and Curly, stepping out of bounds, passing the ball to the other team, losing his man on defense. But he showed enough emotion during games that you knew he cared which is more than you can say for...

 

... CJ Jackson. CJ had great seats for some really good games, both on the hardwood as a guy who scored 23 total points during his career, and on the gridiron, where he logged not a single down during the Illini's Rose Bowl season. If Jackson had the dedication of Meacham or the desire of Frazier he'd be the next Karl Malone. Unfortunately CJ was just a really big friendly happy go lucky guy whose motto might as well have been "Just happy to be here". And to give credit where credit is due Jackson deserves recognition for walking away from his courtside seats with a UI diploma in hand.

 

Next year promises to be an interesting year for the Illini. They bring in 4 talented freshmen who will need to occupy a significant portion of the 70 minutes per game of court time left by the departures of Frazier, Meacham and Brock. I expect Mike Davis to be incrementally better but I have a hard time seeing him make another major leap forward anywhere but on defense. Jordan and Keller should make incremental improvements and there is even a chance that Bill Cole and Rich Semrau find their way into the rotation. I realize it is within the realm of possibility for Alex Legion to reinvent himself as the dead-eye shooter volume scorer that he was supposed to be this year but I just don't see it happening. Even if it did his ball handling, decision making, and defense are so off the charts bad that I can't see Weber trusting him with significant minutes. However, I'm convinced that the quality of the 2009-2010 Fighting Illini depends more than anything on Mike Tisdale and Demetri McCamey.

 

Tisdale improved by leaps and bounds between last year and this year and even showed the stamina to log big minutes which most doubted he could. Unfortunately he still gets pushed around in the post and has WAY too many games like he had tonight where his first shot or two doesn't fall and he hangs his head and dissappears. I have no doubt he'll make incremental improvements but what Illinois really needs is another big step forward. It's certainly possible, especially if he can add another 10-20 pounds, but I'm not sure how likely it is.

 

McCamey was the guy that everyone agreed needed to step up and become a star for the Illini to become successful this year. It didn't happen. McCamey was marginally improved from his freshman season but seemed content to let Chester become the face of the team. He also sputtered to the finish with some truly clunker performances down the stretch. With Frazier and Meacham gone McCamey has to step up big time next year. He has to be a leader. He has to play hard all the time. He has to be the primary ball handler. He has to be a more consistent outside shooter. He has to be the star. It has to be his team. That said I don't think he has it in him. I think he's just a more talented version of Calvin Brock. I think it is more frustrating to watch him play than any Illini I can remember with the possible exception of Richard Keene. I've got a call in to Seth Davis to see what he thinks but so far it hasn't been returned. Que se ra se ra.

[UMFan83]

This Cuse/Stephen F. Austin game is worth watching just for that midget guard playing against the much taller Syracuse players. They said he's listed at 5'3'' but is more like 5 foot 1 1/2 inches

[CubbieBum]

SSR might actually get me to the point that I will root against Illinois in future NCAA Tourny's.

 

Oh and Illinois without Frazier may just be a worse team that WKU. Illinois healthy obviously is the better team but without Frazier its very close.

[loukycub]

i would like to say as a victim of western kentucky this season that last night was NOT an upset. western was better regardless of seed.

[Exile on Waveland]

i would like to say as a victim of western kentucky this season that last night was NOT an upset. western was better regardless of seed.

 

False.

[The Voice of Reason]

Any other Chicago people have their Comcast cable go out tonight? I had to watch the second half of the Michigan game at a bar because mine went completely out. Great comeback by Illinois at the end there, but Western Kentucky was the better team.

 

Hahahha, they absolutely were not the better team. If you want me to, I'll pull out every metric ever invented that shows Illinois was the better basketball team. Western Kentucky played the better game, yeah, of course genius, that's what the final score proves. Illinois was absolutely the better basketball team.

 

And people wonder why Michigan is hated universally, and their fans are treated as loudmouth [expletive] buffoons.

 

:-))

[Butterscup1679666578]

I just want to say how much I missed Gus Johnson's voice. You Big Ten wieners are lucky you get to hear him all season long.

[Guest]

Here's hoping for a nailbiter in the Kansas-NDSt game. I really don't care who wins since I have Kansas going out in the second round to WVU anyway, I just want an epic game for Gus to call.

[snoodmonger]

Here's hoping for a nailbiter in the Kansas-NDSt game. I really don't care who wins since I have Kansas going out in the second round to WVU anyway, I just want an epic game for Gus to call.

 

No thanks. KU blowout please. Too bad they're already raining threes

[Exile on Waveland]

Here's hoping for a nailbiter in the Kansas-NDSt game. I really don't care who wins since I have Kansas going out in the second round to WVU anyway, I just want an epic game for Gus to call.

 

Some of us picked North Dakota State and would love to correctly pick a No. 14 again. Sorry snood.

[snoodmonger]

Here's hoping for a nailbiter in the Kansas-NDSt game. I really don't care who wins since I have Kansas going out in the second round to WVU anyway, I just want an epic game for Gus to call.

 

Some of us picked North Dakota State and would love to correctly pick a No. 14 again. Sorry snood.

 

if i had no rooting interest, i'd pull for ndsu too

[mul21]

Illinois was bad. I really dislike when I root for a team that I generally don't, and then they stink. So I'm not happy with your Illini. Minnesota didn't play well, but they weren't supposed to win. The Michigan-Clemson game may have been sloppy, but the Wolverines controlled the game and beat a higher-seeded, more talented team. Purdue controlled most the entire game. Two teams were supposed to win, and two teams won. Overall, the day was less than even because a 5-seed losing outweighs a 10-seed winning. That's not sufficient for stinking in my book though. I would also say tonight offers a good chance at redemption in a 5-12 game.

 

Is the Big Ten visually pleasing? Not exactly. Is it effective? Generally.

 

And you have to take into account that a 5 seeded UI without Frazier is not a legit 5 seed. It was obvious that they were sorely lacking intensity and leadership on the court with as many wide open looks as WKU got. Plus, they were unconscious from three for about a 15 minute stretch of the game. I think Illinois would have won the game by ~10 with Frazier available.

 

And yes, the B10 is awful. It's obvious. Just ask Digger. He'll tell you that nobody in the conference can score points. Granted yesterday the only team to shoot better than 42% was UI, but the only opponents to shoot better than that against a B10 team were Texas and WKU. I really hope somebody kicks him in the face, he deserves it.

[illiniguy]

Oh well, good year. Wasn't a lot of talent, but we did pretty well. Wanted one more win, but this was nice. Brandon, D.J., Tyler, and Joe should start restocking the talent.

 

That's how I view this year. I really can't be disappointed about this loss too much because we definitely weren't supposed to be here this year.

 

The next few years will be better.

If they aren't Weber will be gone. He better get Richmonds name on the dotted line. That's the key for me. We get Jereme on campus and we will be special again.

 

I might agree with you on that, he can't afford to have that happen. I don't think it will but I didn't think it would happen that last time either.

If it happens this time he has to go. Has to.

 

It wouldn't be a college basketball thread, if illiniguy didn't have a schizophrenic nervous breakdown.

 

I'm sure Jereme is dying to go to the sinking ship that is UK basketball. Settle your ass down your nervous [expletive] [expletive].

Awesome. Thanks for the personal attack.

[17 Seconds]

The tourney has been really boring so far

[illiniguy]

The tourney has been really boring so far

two years in a row really. besides davidson last year sucked too, unless you were snood.

[Outshined_One]

Well, at least two of the games on now are interesting in terms of upset potential. Yeah, 9/8 is not really an upset, but whatever.

 

In terms of game quality, Marquette/Utah State has been decidedly eh.

[Guest]

The only bad game right now is Syracuse.

[B]

The only bad game right now is Syracuse.

and that's the one they are showing here.