Here you go, dolphin.

Through 2 exhibition games and what I saw of last night, they've been a bit underwhelming so far. Of course, either they were playing in a strobe light or my internet connection was choppy so I didn't get a clear view of the game.

I'm not sure what happened in the second half of that game but a 42-18 halftime lead became a 14-point victory somehow. It was good to see Paul come off the bench and light it up with three 3s in a row.

That's a talented bunch of players. Should be a fun year.

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You know me like that.

Heard Les mention early this morning that Illinois plays UNC in the
Big Ten / ACC Challenge this year. That should be an interesting
game in Champaign. Looks like they play @ Texas next week as
well which could be tough. I just looked at the box score from
last night and they look to have a pretty deep team. No superstar
but a lot of really good players. Gonna have to have the underclassmen
step up to take this team to the next level.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

This will be the type of team that gets better as the year progresses.

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

True, they have 4 Freshmen that will contribute more as time goes on, Richmond in particular.

But, they also have 4 starting Seniors and the top 7 guys from last year's team returning. So, they ought to be pretty damn good from the get-go also.

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You know me like that.

Just read this morning that Illinois had four top 100 players from the
Chicago area sign with the Illini yesterday. Nice work.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Now last night was what you are supposed to do to an inferior team....beat their ass and keep your foot on their throat.

9th best recruiting class in the country and the 3rd consecutive top 15 class.

It's all on Bruce Weber now. He's made due with subpar talent for the past few years but the next 3-5 years should be top of the conference / Top 10 teams, year-in and year-out, making serious runs in the Tourney.

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You know me like that.

I'm excited about Illinois as I think, talent-wise, they have about as much as any Illinois team I've ever seen.

But, then you watch Ohio State dismantle a good Florida team in the second half and it just reemphasizes how much talent is in the Big Ten.

Sullinger is a beast on the offensive side down low. I don't think Illinois has anybody who could guard him but I doubt most teams do.

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You know me like that.

Ohio State looked scary good but I think Florida is overrated. They didn't look very good to me.

Ohio State's biggest problem is that they have no depth. It almost seems intentional that Matta tells all these recruits that they will play a ton and immediately.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I guess you missed Iowa dismantling Sun Belt contender UL Monroe.

I am disappointed that the Illini play at the same time as the Bears tomorrow
evening. I'll likely flip to the game during commercials and halftime but I am
anxious to see how they play against a better program like Texas. I also
noticed that Gonzaga lost last night so maybe they aren't as good as
advertised. The Illini hook up with them in the near future.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Caught a good portion of the 2nd half last night after the Bears. Didn't seem to me
that the Illini could get into a good rhythmn on offense. A lot of turnovers and missed
a lot of shots. Texas did a good job on the offensive boards as well which didn't help.
Hopefully they can pull it together and play better tonight against Maryland. I can
see that they have talent but it was obvious they aren't in sync yet this early in
the season. Richmond played some nice minutes for them and I was impressed that
he could bring the ball up court for them with relative ease. Haven't reviewed the
box score yet but Paul couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and wasn't too impressive
on defense either. Texas did a nice job bottling up McCamey in the 2nd half. It's a
long season and they weren't going undefeated, hopefully they can learn something
from the loss. I'll be tuning in tonight to see how they bounce back.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

The 1976 Indiana team just lit their victory cigars.

Paul hit some shots in the first half. Texas did a nice job of keeping the ball away from McCamey late in the game.

That was a good game for Illinois to play because it exposed many of their weaknesses. Soft inside. No low-post offense. Foul prone. Although some of those fouls, especially Tisdale's fifth were suspect.

As long as they can bounce back today and beat a Maryland team that they should beat, I won't feel too badly about that loss. They've had people blowing smoke up their ass, myself included, since last March about how great they are going to be. That said, they didn't hit many shots but Texas missed 20 free throws also, so that cancels each other out a bit.

They need to be tougher down low. That's really all it is. They don't have a back-to-the-basket guy or somebody who can really muscle up down there and it's going to cause them problems. Richmond looked better than he had the first couple games. Cole hit some huge shots down the stretch.

They're going to be fun to watch as they are going to run and try to kill people with their depth.

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You know me like that.

Agree with the presence down low. I believe that is the exact problem that
plagued them last year. This and their rebounding are going to need to
improve but I have confidence it will happen. Maryland played solid against
Pitt by the look of things so the Illini are going to have to play well to get
the win. I am a firm believer in playing the tough schedule early before
conference play starts even if you rack up a few losses. Playing multiple
ranked teams and then going through the Big Ten is going to be a meat
grinder but I anticipate seeing a much different team by mid January then
we saw last night.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

They need someone to step up and be able to score at crunchtime besides McCamey. Based on some of what he did last night, including driving in for the last basket in regulation, it looks like that guy is Richmond. You can't count on Richardson and Paul trying hit jumpers in close games late. Paul can take it to the hoop and he should do it more.

But, if Richmond develops into a guy that can take it to the hoop and finish, they are going to be very, very good. It will offset their lack of low-post offense.

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You know me like that.

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

I think you are right about needing a threat down low and also agree that
guy may be Richmond. At 6'8 through he has to be a little more aggressive
offensively and eventually bulk up some. He fouled out after only 21 minutes
on the floor. Didn't realize until looking at the roster that the Illini have 4
seniors and the rest of the group are sophs and freshmen.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Split it New York with the loss going to overtime. Not a great trip, but good enough. Take two of three from NC, Gonzaga, and Mizzou, and it'll be a pretty good OOC showing, assuming you don't drop one you shouldn't.

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Fire Phil Emery

That was a very shaky win. They have to step up and be more clutch, play with urgency, momentum, all that stuff you love IB.

But, really, they have to have guys to step up late in games. Can't have missed FTs and shot clock violations late in games playing for loss prevention rather than wins.

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You know me like that.

Yeah, I agree. That's a nine point win or so if you just make your shots. Then again, it's a loss if Maryland hits a couple of late open looks.

The rotation is still way deeper than I thought it would be this far into the season. I think they played 10 tonight.

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Fire Phil Emery

Nice road test for the Illini on Saturday as they travel to Seattle to take on
Gonzaga. I know the Bulldogs aren't as good a team as they have been in
the past but will still be a tough one against a well coached squad.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Nice road win over the weekend. They take the court tonight against Oakland.
I noticed they are ranked 146th for Division I in rebounding. Weber has got to
find a way to get his guys to hit the boards before the Big Ten season kicks off.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Oakland plays a crazy-hard out-of-conference schedule so they aren't going to come out scared. Tonight starts a stretch where they play Illinois, Michigan State, and Tennessee in a row. Also, they've got a fairly skilled low-post guy, Keith Benson.

However, Benson isn't bulky and bulk is what gives the Illini problems. And, even though Oakland plays a good schedule (5 ranked teams out of conference), they haven't been particularly competitive in the games. So, Illinois should take care of business tonight.

I'll say Illinois by 19.

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You know me like that.

Does Illinois play NIU this year? I want to end the debate of the best Illinois based basketball team early.

They don't. But, if they did, it wouldn't matter anyway.

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You know me like that.

What does Accuscore say?

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I'd have to pay for that one. I'm just picking the freebies from the WSJ.

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You know me like that.

I'm thinking Hawkeye fans should stay out of basketball discussions for a few more years.

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Iowa is over 500 for the first time since 2008-9. Yeehaw! And yes, it will be a few years.