Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A Letter to Illinois Basketball team from the NIT

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • A Letter to Illinois Basketball team from the NIT

    Dear Illinois Basketball Program,

    We noticed your recent collapse against Wisconsin. We also noticed it seems to be a bit of a pattern.

    In order to have a good chance at making the NCAA tournament we reckon a winning conference tourney would look great on your resume. Not to say that is an impossible task, but it certainly looks to be an uphill battle from here. There is a distinct possibility that your squad might miss the BIG DANCE. More is the pity.

    However, we are here with some good news. The proverbial silver lining, as it were. Should you find yourselves unable to qualify for MARCH MADNESS, there is another option. US! Us being the NIT. We would love to have you. It might not be as fancy as the other event, or have all the games televised. The winner might not be held in very high esteem, or have a yearly video game about it. Still, it isn't like kissing your sister, as some have opined. (Maybe like a second cousin? Is that something you would be okay with?)

    In any case, we will be like the girl at the DANCE who isn't really pretty, but is better with a nice dress on and has a fantastic personality. While all the real jocks go with the pretty girls who go all the way, we will wait for the guys who don't want it quite as much. Don't get us wrong. We are wishing you luck. But like that girl, we are secretly hoping you don't get too lucky.

    The NIT Selection Committee
    Last edited by Carpet; 02-04-2013, 07:44 PM.

  • #2
    Next up for Illinois is # 1 ranked Indiana Thursday

    Illinois 15-8 (2-7 conf) at home vs Indiana 20-2 (8-1)

    It does not get any easier for Illinois as they host a solid basketball team that wears stripped pants. Hell those boys could dress in pink dresses and beat Illinois this year.

    Illinois is not a good defensive team, they are soft and lazy to the ball and Cody ZELLER will have a field day down low in this game maybe a triple double night.

    Last game I was all over Illinois to beat Wisconsin, little did I know that Illinois coach Grce benched the best player Brandon Paul from starting and played him very sparingly. The reason for the benching was his horrible defensive play vs Michigan State and in practice. Paul not playing basically took a 20 point scoring average and reduced it to 6 points for Illinois.

    The coach of Illinois hates the way this team plays defense, he says words like soft, not hungry, unfocused to describe his team effort on defense. Remember John Groce inherited this team and these players do not fit his mold. He would have never recruited 75% of these players because they do not fit his tough style of desired play.

    Playing in such a Loaded Big 10 conference where the play is very physical takes it's toll on players. Lacking the inside presence on defense is also killing Illinois every game in the BIG 10.

    We all remember last year when Illinois started 15-2 and was ranked and proceeded to lose the next 12 of 13 games missing the NIT and Weber was fired.

    Now this year Illinois starts 14-1 ranked # 10 and now stand 15-8 outside looking in.

    So just what is wrong with this team? I have spent countless hours drilling down on that exact question. "What is wrong?" I think I have the answer. It is the seniors fault. It is if they are trained to quit half way through a season last year and this year are almost identical in record at this time.

    When John Groce starts filling the pipeline to Illinois with the exact kind of player he wants then and only then will you see a change.

    Has Illinois quit for the season? Coach Groce will not allow that to happen and this team has one small flicker of hope to make the dance and that is to beat # 1 Indiana at home. Stranger things have happened but I do not expect that to happen this year.

    Comment

    Working...
    X