illiniguy

They are kicking our ass.

I wish we would do one, but I don't think Self will ever come back to Champaign.

Big Ten is owning the Big 12 this year. meh, 7-4 by my count, but aside from the two texas victories, the rest was amassed against bottom dwellers. (2 vs Mizzou, 1 vs OSU, 1 vs CU, 1 vs ISU) If only KU would do a home and home with some of the Big Ten schools. I really wish we would get a Big Ten Big Twelve thing going too.

nah just you and about 30-40 guys who were way better shooters in college. In particular Salim Stoudamire who was in college at the same time and was a much better shooter.

Big Ten is owning the Big 12 this year.

That's hilarious. The bolded is the most ridiculous, however. The way the guy rolled it into the Coach K being the best ever is awesome though. It needed to be done to get that authentic Dickie V feel to it.

Got a real good chuckle out of this. It was from the Illinois scout board. Props to vster. Hey hoops fans, it’s me, Dickie V! Can you believe we’re moving into conference play already? I’m still getting over these Knee-Knocker non-conference games, and here we are turning it up another notch! It’s awesome, baby, with a Capital A! I really look for some of the best action to come from the Big Ten. Kelvin Sampson has the Hoosiers of Indiana looking strong, with D. J. White providing the senior leadership. The Hoosiers are also seeing incredible play by a big-time Diaper Dandy by the name of Eric Gordon. This kid can really shoot the rock. The way he dials up those area code jumpers brings back memories of the Great One, Mr. JJ Redick of Duke University ! Ah, what memories JJ left us with. Even last year, as JJ rode the pine in Orlando , we just couldn’t forget this ultimate collegiate player. We were all so touched – in my case literally – as we watched the Dukies retire JJ’s jersey in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was so great to see JJ’s victorious return to Cameron a year after a freshman oriented LSU team took him on a guided tour of Brick City during Duke’s annual upset loss in the NCAA tournament. Indiana will get their toughest conference competition from Michigan State . Everyone knows about Drew Neitzel, the gritty guard of the Greg Paulus-Bobby Hurley mode. But Mr. Neitzel is having to share the spotlight in East Lansing with Super Sophomore Forward Raymar Morgan, whose leading my All-Alcatraz team with his breakout season. Neitzel and Morgan should provide a great one-two punch. Nothing like what we saw when the aforementioned JJ Redick teamed with the low-post wonder, the defensive enforcer, the Landlord himself, Mr. Shelden Williams, but a quality high low game nonetheless. And, hey, let's not overlook the Illini either, my friends. I'm really impressed with the way Trent Meacham has stepped things up big-time for Bruce Weber's team. The hometown kid is shooting 48% from the floor and an incredible 43% on trifectas! It's another up and coming Big 10 star with shades of JJ Redick! How can it now be a great year in the Big 10 with so many of their players modeling their skills after the ultimate Rolls-Roycer? We will also be treated to some quality coaching performances as conference play unfolds. Look for Tom Izzo, Bruce Weber, and Kelvin Sampson to lead their teams to great heights with their X’s and O’s. Yes, my friends, with Coach Sampson restoring order in Bloomington , Hoosier fans will soon forget about Robert Montgomery Knight and his three national titles. And speaking of Coach Knight, a lot of people forget this, but his greatest accomplishment of all was giving a start to the greatest Coach who ever walked on Planet Earth: one Michael Krzyzewski. What an ultimate winner this man is, with his three national championships. And just when you think he can attain no greater heights, he coaches a team of NBA All-Stars to a prestigious Bronze Medal performance in the 2006 World Games! How incredible was that? And he’s such a classy guy, too! The way he stands behind his players, even thugs who split open opposing player’s heads when they can’t beat them on the scoreboard. Ah, why can’t I be more like Coach K? It’s just not fair, baby! But, anyway, those are my predictions for what should be an awesome season of Big Ten action.

Will you guys win 6 in the SEC? I think so, but I'm not certain. We won 8 last year against better competition and with a lesser team, so I'm gonna say that it's likely. Eh the few SEC previews I've read don't have your talent as any better this season, but the 12-0 start likely says otherwise. The SEC is definitely down compared to last year. 10-6 will lock you into the field, and 9-7 should have you pretty safe too. Looking like a pretty safe bet for a tourney spot right now. You'll be 13-0 entering SEC season, and it's really tough to keep a team out with 22 wins. Short of an SEC collapse, Ole Miss is a tourney team. I'm not so sure that is true anymore. Syracuse had over 20 wins and were 10-6 in the BE and didn't get in. I think a lot depends on the midmajors and how much weight they get. IMO, they are getting and deserving more and more and are making it tougher for the bigger conference teams with 20W's to get in, especially those who don't play a tough non conference schedule. You guys got screwed though. Vitale was busy blasting you at every turn for not playing any road games in the preconference. Then he would turn around and applaud Coach K for his caoching job last year. Yet they never left the state of Carolina till there conference started.

I for one, will miss Mark Prior. I wish him good luck. I hope he wins a couple Cy Young awards.

This is exactly my point. Being "good", at least to me, is relative. Are we good in the sense that UNC, Kansas, or Memphis is? Hell no. But considering that we have three starting freshman and a head coach in just his second year, I think we are "good" relative to our conference. Being good relative to the rest of the SEC is starting to look like being good relative to the rest of the Big 10. So we aren't very good in the same way that Illinois isn't very good? Good one, you got us there. Have you read any of the Illinois fans' posts on the board here this year claiming we are any good? Didn't think so.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/7593740 Just don't make him practice too hard or he will cry. :P Is that really why he's transferring from UK? Who really knows. I hope this kid is as good as advertised, because some of his stuff is hillarious. His mother is a self-proclaimed prophet who predicted he would en up at Notre Dame. Me thinks she likes rock, as in crack rock.

How very sportsman like of Shipp there at the end of that game.

Weber couldn't beat Alford on the road without that stud backcourt and even struggled against him at home with superior talent. I wouldn't be so sure about him handling Lickliter's squad in two years. Hell even this year at home. I'm not saying we're going to be serious contenders but we're not on the level of Northwestern and Penn State and I don't see reason to think we'll be bottom feeders. You guys are terrible. Take off the Gold and Black glasses. Now if you guys still had the talent you did three years ago we would be getting beat by you. The only guy you have that belongs starting on a DI team is Freeman. I still think he will handle you guys. I don't disagree with any of that this year. I'm talking about the next two years which is what you said in your post. In two years time we will have brought in Brandon Paul, Joe Bertrand, D.J. Richardson, Stan Simpson, and Alex Legion. Plus we will return Jamar Smith. I don't see where, besides Gatens, that you have any real talent coming in to improve your team.

Weber couldn't beat Alford on the road without that stud backcourt and even struggled against him at home with superior talent. I wouldn't be so sure about him handling Lickliter's squad in two years. Hell even this year at home. I'm not saying we're going to be serious contenders but we're not on the level of Northwestern and Penn State and I don't see reason to think we'll be bottom feeders. You guys are terrible. Take off the Gold and Black glasses. Now if you guys still had the talent you did three years ago we would be getting beat by you. The only guy you have that belongs starting on a DI team is Freeman. I still think he will handle you guys.

I'm really not that worried about decommitts. Everyone keeps freaking out about this because of IDKWTI, but that was a unique situation. Again without the 3 wings, I might be worried about Richmond seeing a sinking ship, but with their committs, I think we're pretty safe they'll all be on campus barring a Watkins-like academic performance. Re: Bruce's coaching, I don't understand how you can have it both ways. Either you think the recruits he's bringing in are good enough, or you think he's doing a good job coaching the weak talent he's brought in. It can't possibly be both, or this team would be looking at an 8th place finish in the Big 10, and wouldn't have been an epic choke away from winning a tourney game last year. Bruce has his coaching faults, and he has his recruiting faults. I think he's learning on the recruiting trail, and I think his coaching faults can be covered by having the talent on board.(as is the case with just about everyone) Awesome so we have a guy who has really messed up recruiting and is a so-so game coach. Wait on that 8th in the Big Ten thing might happen this year, will happen next year. I'd lay just about everything I had against that. Well I hope you are right, but IU, MSU, and tOSU are lapping us. PU and Wiscy are bettering us in recruiting. Michigan and Minnesota seriously upgraded with their coaches. I am afraid in two years, before the studs get on campus we will be beating only NW, Iowa, and Penn State.

I'm really not that worried about decommitts. Everyone keeps freaking out about this because of IDKWTI, but that was a unique situation. Again without the 3 wings, I might be worried about Richmond seeing a sinking ship, but with their committs, I think we're pretty safe they'll all be on campus barring a Watkins-like academic performance. Re: Bruce's coaching, I don't understand how you can have it both ways. Either you think the recruits he's bringing in are good enough, or you think he's doing a good job coaching the weak talent he's brought in. It can't possibly be both, or this team would be looking at an 8th place finish in the Big 10, and wouldn't have been an epic choke away from winning a tourney game last year. Bruce has his coaching faults, and he has his recruiting faults. I think he's learning on the recruiting trail, and I think his coaching faults can be covered by having the talent on board.(as is the case with just about everyone) Awesome so we have a guy who has really messed up recruiting and is a so-so game coach. Wait on that 8th in the Big Ten thing might happen this year, will happen next year.

For the record for 4 years with Self's guys Weber lost 16 games. In a year plus since he has had all Self guys he has lost 16 games. Hell bring back Lon Kruger. Do you think we're going to be anything less than a Big 10 contender with McCamey, Bertrand, Paul, Richardson, Richmond, Davis, and Tisdale using up most minutes? I understand the frustration, and this year is going to suck(next year too if we don't get Legion), but happier times are definitely on the horizon. If we didn't get those 3 huge committs(along with Simpson), then I could understand the desire to dump Bruce, but things are turning aroudn on the recruiting front, and Bruce is still a good coach. I am worried they are going to see the product we put on the floor the next two or three years and all of them don't all end up here. That doesn't scare you at all? I actually am not as sold on his coaching ability anymore either. His motion offense was great with 5 guys who have played or play in the NBA. But, since that time we stand around and wait for our point guard to chuck up a shot. Nice coaching. We don't have any set plays. Not one. He has not adjusted to his team at all.

For the record for 4 years with Self's guys Weber lost 16 games. In a year plus since he has had all Self guys he has lost 16 games. Hell bring back Lon Kruger.

You guys will beat them by 20. Self saw what they did to us. Also Bill didn't take 3 years off when it came to recruiting.

Miami's good. Some more good coaching tonight. Chester Frazier shot the big three. That always ends well. Try running the high low Bruce. That way your two best scoring options, Tisdale and Pruitt are in at the same time. Miami of Ohio at home. We are now a football school.

Summit schedules this type of OOC gauntlet every year. She only recently dropped UConn, because of an extreme dislike of Auriemma, or else this schedule would be worse. It's why we win championships. The Tourney is just like the regular season. Well that and you are better than everyone. I mean no one can hold a candle to Candice.

Yeah I agree with that. I really like a lot of what Moore has done. I really like Moustakas a lot better than Vitters. I really think they made the right choice there. I think Gordon has a breakout year here this year. He made huge strides during the year. Butler is gonna be great, I just wonder if he will ever be able to play a position. He is like a younger Braun. I would be selling high on Grienke were I Moore though.

The problem is they can't compete in that division. Detroit goes out this offseason and adds Miguel Cabrera to an already very good lineup. I do like some of the moves they are making, but then they go and pay Jose Guillen this offseason, why? Just because you cleared Sweeney's money off of the books it doesn't mean you have to spend it. Plus the rumor around town was they were hard after Andruw Jones before he signed with LA. That's brilliant. Tie up a bunch of money so you can't afford to keep Bulter and Gordon.

DeJesus is pretty popular around here though. I think that coupled with the fact he is a much better player than Gathright will cause him to stay over Joey. Kansas City has to deside what they are going to do with Butler first. If they are going to play him at first and DH Guillen then they don't have to move an outfielder at all.

I don't really know what to say about a lot of this but how exactly was Marshall supposed to be up earlier? The year before he was up he got hurt. The year before that our staff was Wood, Prior, Z, Maddux, and Clement. I am thinking a lot of 22 year olds or younger would have had a hard time cracking that rotation.