After two unimpressive showings by the Illini, the ballers go into the Big 10 season with 3 losses and a two game losing streak. The Illini seemed to be sleepwalking in Chicago, and ended up with a bad loss. In St. Louis, they did put on a decent effort, particularly on the boards, but weak defense, cold shooting spells and untimely fouls put the game out of reach at the end. So we have dropped the past two border wars to the Missouri Tigers.
What is likely to happen at the Big 10 opener at Iowa? Hard to say which team shows up, but if the Illini can't get it going again soon, they run the risk of another disappointing season missing the NCAA tourney. On the other hand, if they can shore up their defense and rebounding, and retain the scoring they have had in the early non-conference season, they could be a contender in the Big 10 this year.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Entitled to an NCAA At-Large Berth, or NIT Bound?
The regular season is now over for the Illini basketball team, and fans await the post-season verdict for the Illini, a trip to the NCAA or NIT.
It seems unlikely the Illini will make the NCAA tourney this year, with their not so stellar record of 19-14. The Illini had some really bad losses along the way, against Utah, Bradley and Georgia in the non-conference season. They also lost big to Missouri, as the numbers caught up with them after owning Mizzou for many years. Once Big 10 conference season started, the Illini lost at Northwestern in front of a huge Illini fan base, and lost home games to Minnesota and Wisconsin. NCAA Tourney teams should do a better job defending their home court.
This season's Illini team did have some quality wins, particularly against Clemson in the Big 10/ACC Challenge game, as well as winning at the Kohl Center (Wisconsin) and beating Michigan State. But with all of the games with a sub-par effort, it seems the Illini are headed to the NIT. I guess we can hope for some luck with the committee, but it seems like a long shot right now.
It seems unlikely the Illini will make the NCAA tourney this year, with their not so stellar record of 19-14. The Illini had some really bad losses along the way, against Utah, Bradley and Georgia in the non-conference season. They also lost big to Missouri, as the numbers caught up with them after owning Mizzou for many years. Once Big 10 conference season started, the Illini lost at Northwestern in front of a huge Illini fan base, and lost home games to Minnesota and Wisconsin. NCAA Tourney teams should do a better job defending their home court.
This season's Illini team did have some quality wins, particularly against Clemson in the Big 10/ACC Challenge game, as well as winning at the Kohl Center (Wisconsin) and beating Michigan State. But with all of the games with a sub-par effort, it seems the Illini are headed to the NIT. I guess we can hope for some luck with the committee, but it seems like a long shot right now.
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