They did. They are so much better when they just let an open 3 come to them instead of forcing the ball around the perimeter looking to launch one.

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I couldn't agree more, and you could really see a difference, particularly in Humrichous' game. He used his sized advantage throughout the game backing people down, but even more importantly found himself bouncing out and getting wide-open looks from three when Riley was driving or when they dumped it low to Ivisic. This team is absolutely at its best working inside out. Will Riley was unconscious there for about ten minutes in the the second half, everything he did turned to gold, this kid is a gifted scorer. I want to give KJ so credit too, i've been talking a lot of shit about him recently but he did a great job protecting the ball and making sure Riley got the ball instead of trying to do everything himself. He had a really nice game and looked like a great teammate out there.

Illini welcome a hot UCLA team tonight, winners of their last 7 in a row. Illinois should have a few advantages including on the boards and some size advantages. Very interested to see if Underwood learned anything in the game against Minnesota about trying to push the ball into the painted area a bit more to loosen up the more open 3's. Truly think that inside-outside game is where this team needs to move towards. Ivisic, Johnson and even Humrichous can play that back down Domask game a few times a quarter.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I feel like Underwood has finally figured that out. A win tonight could get things back on track. Its been a minute since they have had what would be considered a truly quality win. They need to really smash the boards and take control early.

The game is on that damn Peacock.

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It makes me wonder why I am paying for the BTN.

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"Julian's thinking is clearer than Ricky's thinking."

This was an important win for the Illini to start off a run of quality opponents. Mixed bag from KJ last night but on this night the good (several really clutch shots down the stretch) outweighed the bad (many terrible turnovers). They relied quite a bit on the outside shot (more than I care for), but thankfully they were hot and were hitting a lot of them when they needed them most. They dominated the boards once again and put up 83 points on a good defensive team, so there was a lot to like about this one. That big dude from UCLA whose name I cant remember was legitimately on fucking fire from three, he just couldn't miss, and the Illini were still able to pull off the win. And our big man Ivisic was money last night.

I forgot my gf has Peacock, so I was able to watch. Got a little closer than I would like at the end, but still a good win.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

big stretch coming up for the Illini, starting tomorrow when they host Michigan St. they go to Wisconsin Tuesday and then Duke next saturday. 5 of their last 6 games are against ranked opponents. Michigan St. has been knocked off a couple times since they narrowly beat the Illini in East Lansing last month. Beating them tomorrow would give them 3 in a row and a return to some of that early-season momentum they have been lacking lately. I sure hope they let Ivisic do his thing and work the offense inside-out. KJ, take care of the fucking ball already, enough with the low-probability highlight reel bullshit, just take care of the fucking ball.

Should be a seriously interesting next 3 weeks for the Illini. Need 3 wins to get to 20 against solid competition throughout. Definitely seen some improvement of late. Three home games, two on the road and one on a neutral court. I'd like to see them go 4-2. Although they are capable, I don't really think they have a real high chance of beating a team like Duke on a neutral court but I may be singing a different tune a week from today.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

if they go 4-2 there will be a legitimate reason to feel excited going into the tournament (pending what happens in the Big 10 tourney). Especially if the at very minimum give Duke a scare or somehow pull out a win.

It's a fun game, but why are they playing Duke at the end of February? I thought everyone was grinding out conference games at this point.

It is odd timing and I don't remember them doing this in the past but maybe it is because I don't remember any teams I care about playing in it. Should be a great test for the Illini. If you can't get up for that game then I don't know what to say. That Flagg kid from Duke looks like a BEAST

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Looks like Wisconsin plays Purdue at noon today. I may try to tune in for a half or something since the Illini have both teams coming up soon.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

That was a tough one to watch. Great opportunities but they completely folded. Not sure what was more disappointing, letting them back in the game by half or completely tanking at the end. For a team that doesn’t consistently shoot well from beyond the arc I’ve just never seen a team just continue to chuck them up like this. Huge game for them Tuesday in Madison.

Most disappointing player has been Humrichous of late, Johnson has really turned it on,I thought he was kind of soft but he’s proving me wrong.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

[tweet] https://twitter.com/jacobmaurer55/statu ... Ul_sDJcphQ[/tweet]

I posted it in the wrong thread, but yeah get up 16 and start chucking up 3's and let them back in. I just don't get it.

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I've been frustrated with Illini teams before but it was always because they were just not quite as good as I wanted them to be. I'm frustrated with this team because they're so fucking good but it so often is so difficult for them to put a game together.

It's just weird. I honestly don't think they've played a team that is better than they are. It seems dumb to say that when Michigan State has beaten them twice, but I truly believe it. Maybe I'll feel differently after the Duke game.

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Freedom is our Strength.

How can a team with that many talented players go 8 mins without scoring a single basket? Unbelievable.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Did they really have the Shannon jersey upside down?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Perfect treatment for a rapist.

Perfect school for Bobby Knights all time Big 10 wins record to be broken against. Only thing better would have been if Henson could have been there!

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

17-9, 9-7 in the Big 10

Remaining games:
Tue, Feb 18 @ 16 Wisconsin L
Sat, Feb 22 vs 3 Duke L
Tue, Feb 25 vs Iowa W
Sun, Mar 2 @ 20 Michigan L
Fri, Mar 7 vs 7 Purdue L

18-13, 10-10 in the Big 10

It’s because they have been consistently beating themselves. Gotta look at the coaching. The players need to make baskets but I hang a lot of these on Underwood.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Anybody know how Morez broke his wrist? Fuck. That hurts this squad. Not sure they have anyone that can step into that role.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

None of the articles about it say how that I've seen. Out indefinitely.

Edit. I got behind a paywall. I remember the play and it didn't look good.

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I’d say at this point an NCAA birth is not certain. Having a difficult time seeing a path to 20 wins.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

The "bubble" is awful. Even with all the losses, Illinois is a 6 or 7 seed on most of the bracketology pages. On the bracketology matrix site, Arkansas (15-10, 4-8 in conference) is the lowest at-large team.

With the bad bubble, they still want to expand the tournament. There will be teams like a 17-14 Indiana getting at-large spots with expansion.