Illinois basketball fans

[TheGame414]

I misheard then. I still like their energy throughout the game. They don't quit.

Maybe they should quit, because they're really, really bad at basketball.

[statman32]

Dee Brown signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Suns. Kerr said it wasnt likely that whoever they signed will get minutes so it looks like he will only play if Nash or Barbosa miss a game.

[TheGame414]

Dee Brown signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Suns. Kerr said it wasnt likely that whoever they signed will get minutes so it looks like he will only play if Nash or Barbosa miss a game.

Playing Dee Brown wouldn't fit with that organization's steadfast refusal to play defense, so this makes sense.

[ballinhun8]

I liked the way we played tonight. Trent was hot, McCamey was doing what he wanted and we seemed to play well against the press whenever Mizzou used it. Chester looked good tonight and our bigs were cutting and always around the loose balls.

Hopefully we get into the top 25 by next week. And now, we gotta root for Mizzou to look good so it looks like a quality win.



Btw, anyone else see this Vontae Davis thing happening? I'm not surprised but I'm disappointed we won't have his senior leadership on the defense next season.

[IlliniFan]

I liked the way we played tonight. Trent was hot, McCamey was doing what he wanted and we seemed to play well against the press whenever Mizzou used it. Chester looked good tonight and our bigs were cutting and always around the loose balls.

Hopefully we get into the top 25 by next week. And now, we gotta root for Mizzou to look good so it looks like a quality win.



Btw, anyone else see this Vontae Davis thing happening? I'm not surprised but I'm disappointed we won't have his senior leadership on the defense next season.

Yeah, good win, the team played very well. Weber had them prepared for this one.

Vontae leaving was expected. Especially with the new deal for rookies coming up. If he wanted big money, this was the year to go. Hes got a top 10 grade and really shouldnt go past the 15th pick. .

[TheGame414]

You're going to see a lot of marginal juniors come out in this NFL draft, and Vontae is far from marginal. It was a no-brainer and hopefully with Dere Hicks back and Miami Thomas hopefully back healthy, we should be OK at corner.

I said most of what I had to say about Braggin' Rights in the separate thread I made, so I'll just say this: it was very impressive the way we controlled the tempo tonight. Mizzou obviously wants to play at a breakneck pace, which isn't what we do. But we ran when it was there, handled their pressure with little problems and moved the ball crisply in the halfcourt whether they were in zone or man. It was an impressive performance.

Terrific game for Trent, and Demetri- with a 20.5 scoring average against Vandy/Clemson/Georgia/Mizzou, and dating back to his big games against Purdue in the BTT and Indiana last year- continues to build a resume as one of our best big-game players in recent memory.

[Roy Munson]

I went to the game last night and I'm still hungover. Being from St. Louis, I love beating the hell out of Mizzou. Anyway, no real need to reiterate what was already said (Meachum, McCamey shooting great, etc.), so I'll just talk about a few little things I noticed.

-I'm starting to really like Semrau. He plays hard and understands what he needs to do. He made a very nice move on the baseline where he pumped faked with conviction, got his man in the air, took a dribble and pulled up. The shot rimmed out, but he had nice form and took it with confidence. He will knock shots like that down in due time.

-I really like how our bigs attack the basket when they're in close. Davis, Keller, and even Tisdale take it up strong with two hands and flush it whenever they get the chance. I may sound like a ten year old kid, but I like getting dunks when we're controlling the game.

-I DVR'd the game and watched it earlier today. To those who watched it on TV, did Lavin seem drunk to you too? I love the guy. "Merrrrrry Christmas".

-Oh yeah, and the Mizzou girl sitting in front of me who's thong was sticking out the majority of the game made it even better.

[IlliniFan]

Yeah, Lavin did seem drunk. He made the Meachem comparison to someone like 5 times and kept on saying that "Merrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas." He probably had a few before the game. Agreed about Semrau. He's more mobile, and a much better ball handler than Tisdale. I think he's going to be an even more important part of this team next year.

[FaiT_AccomplicE]

Agreed about Semrau. He's more mobile, and a much better ball handler than Tisdale. I think he's going to be an even more important part of this team next year.

Tisdale is a clear cut starter. To be that big and have such a smooth shooting stroke is a huge upside. If he were any more mobile he'd be another Kosta Koufos. The Illini desperately need a PF/C junior-college transfer in either 2009 or 2010. The guard and wing play is going to be amazing.... but Tisdale and Davis will need better backups than Semrau and Bill Cole IMO. Once the 2007 class leaves, the Illini ought to be championship contenders for 3-4 straight years, at least!

2007 class: Legion, McCamey, Davis, Cole, Tisdale, Semrau (Jordan as walk-on) That's 6 scholarships becoming available.... and with the Illini's recruits in 2009, 10..... they should be able to pull some late-signing top talent at need positions (PF and C) in 2011 and 2012.

2009 will be fun to watch, but Illini may still be a year away from winning it all. Should easily be ranked all year though. top 4 seed in the ncaa tourney.

2010: We should see the Illini become one of the favorites to at least make the Final Four.

2011: Favorites to make the final four again.

2012: We'll most likely have seen one or two players leave early for the NBA. Should still have one of the 10 best teams in the country tho. Head, Richmond, and Richardson probably won't see their senior years. Richmond and Head probably don't see their Junior years. Head and Richmond may be good enough to leave after their Freshman year. I see Head sticking around a lot longer than Richmond though.


Even if the Illini didn't add anyone else to their 2011 team, they would still have championship caliber team. If the Illini are smart, they'll redshirt Abrams in '11. That is, if Richardson, Paul, Bertrand, and Head are all still there.

[FaiT_AccomplicE]

Illini have a good enough team to finish as a top 4 team in the Big Ten. Tons of competition though.
My bottom 4 teams are:

8 Northwestern
9 Penn State
10 Iowa
11. Indiana

That leaves 7 teams vying for 5 or 6 spots.
Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State need to sort out their pecking order. Michigan State and Purdue have enough talent to be locks for the NCAA tourney. Here's how I see things shaking out:

1. Michigan State
2. Purdue
3. Wisconsin
4. Illinois
5. Minnesota
6. Ohio State
7. Michigan
8. Northwestern
9. Penn State
10. Iowa
11. Indiana

Ohio State and Michigan will be bubble teams. Illinois and Minnesota should have good enough big ten seasons to end up with about 21-23 wins heading into the big ten tourney. Add on one, two, or more wins onto that, and they both should be around 24 or 25 wins. That equals an NCAA tourney bid.

Michigan could be the most inconsistent team in the Big Ten this year. I could see them coming out and beating Wisonsin, Michigan State, and/or Purdue, only to lose to Northwestern or an Iowa, Penn State, or Indiana.
They could be a 20 win team that doesnt make the tourney when it comes down to it.

[TheGame414]

The Illini desperately need a PF/C junior-college transfer in either 2009 or 2010. The guard and wing play is going to be amazing.... but Tisdale and Davis will need better backups than Semrau and Bill Cole IMO.

Semrau is a fine backup center, and we're also going to have Tyler Griffey and Stan Simpson. It ain't exactly UConn, but that's a pretty good- and deep- frontcourt situation.

Also consider that with all of the guards we have, Jereme Richmond is likely to play a lot of minutes at the 4; he's already 6'7" and has an inside-out game, so like most prototypical NBA-type small forwards, he'll see a lot of minutes at the 4 in college.

2009 will be fun to watch, but Illini may still be a year away from winning it all. Should easily be ranked all year though. top 4 seed in the ncaa tourney.

I'll go on record right now as saying there is absolutely no way we're a No. 4 seed. Would love to be wrong, but we still don't quite know how good we are. Right now, be happy if we make the tournament because we're a bubble team. If we prove to be better than that over the next few weeks, great.

2010: We should see the Illini become one of the favorites to at least make the Final Four.

2011: Favorites to make the final four again.

Sit a few plays out, champ. The future is very bright and we're going to be very, very good, quite possibly Final Four-caliber. But favorites?

2012: We'll most likely have seen one or two players leave early for the NBA. Should still have one of the 10 best teams in the country tho. Head, Richmond, and Richardson probably won't see their senior years. Richmond and Head probably don't see their Junior years. Head and Richmond may be good enough to leave after their Freshman year. I see Head sticking around a lot longer than Richmond though.

I think Head and Richmond each have one-and-done potential, but I'd be surprised if either is. Neither is likely to put up huge numbers as a freshman.

Even if the Illini didn't add anyone else to their 2011 team, they would still have championship caliber team. If the Illini are smart, they'll redshirt Abrams in '11. That is, if Richardson, Paul, Bertrand, and Head are all still there.

Players like Tracy Abrams don't redshirt.

[IlliniFan]

Tisdale is a clear cut starter. To be that big and have such a smooth shooting stroke is a huge upside. If he were any more mobile he'd be another Kosta Koufos. The Illini desperately need a PF/C junior-college transfer in either 2009 or 2010. The guard and wing play is going to be amazing.... but Tisdale and Davis will need better backups than Semrau and Bill Cole IMO. Once the 2007 class leaves, the Illini ought to be championship contenders for 3-4 straight years, at least!

Nowhere in that post did I say that Semrau should start over Tisdale. I was just pointing out some advantages Semrau had over him. As for the backups, I really disagree about the transfer. We already have Keller and Cole on the squad, and have Griffey coming in next year to back up the 4 spot. And Tisdale and Semrau are sufficient at the 5, along with Stan Simpson.

[FaiT_AccomplicE]

Semrau is a fine backup center, and we're also going to have Tyler Griffey and Stan Simpson. It ain't exactly UConn, but that's a pretty good- and deep- frontcourt situation.

Semrau gets about 11 minutes of mop-up duty, but the Illini tend to give-up leads with him on the court. However, that is beside the point. I don't mean for this year or for 2009-10. I mean for the 2011 season. Right now they have 5 guards, one PF (Griffey), two C's (Meyers Leonard and Stan Simpson - whom has yet to really show himself), and G/F(2/3/4) Jereme Richmond.
That's not exactly a deep frontcourt. Again, I am referring to the 2011 season. It would be nice to get a JC transfer or a late signee for 2011.

Also consider that with all of the guards we have, Jereme Richmond is likely to play a lot of minutes at the 4; he's already 6'7" and has an inside-out game, so like most prototypical NBA-type small forwards, he'll see a lot of minutes at the 4 in college.

Wouldn't it be better to cause a mis-match and play him at the 3? And how would we do that? By getting a solid 4 and 5, with a couple of guys to back them up. Right now the Illini have signed one PF and one C in the 2009-2011 recruiting classes. Meyers Leonard and Tyler Griffey. Wouldn't it be advantageous to play those guys side-by-side? Put Richmond at the 3. Then we have 4 guards to play two spots. And sure, Richmond can slide over to the 4, but I would hope most of his minutes come at the 3, not the 4.
The thing is, we only have one back-up for 2011 yet. So I suggested either the Illlini get a late signee or a JC transfer. It's no secret that the Illini are very guard heavy right now for 2011.

I'll go on record right now as saying there is absolutely no way we're a No. 4 seed. Would love to be wrong, but we still don't quite know how good we are. Right now, be happy if we make the tournament because we're a bubble team. If we prove to be better than that over the next few weeks, great.

The Illini will likely be ranked in the top 25 after man-handling Mizzou. If not, they should be 26 or 27 based on votes. A top 4 seed would mean the Illini would have to be ranked in the top 16 by the end of the 09-10 Big Ten Tourney. If this team here can break the top 25, then why can't the additions of D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand, and Tyler Griffey cause the Illini to move up 9-10 spots in the rankings? Do you not think those guys can contribute right away next year? Do you really think this team is so great that 2 four star recruits can't come in and make our team better? Honestly, there's no reason why the Illini can't be a top 16 ranked team by the end of the 09-10 regular season.

Sit a few plays out, champ. The future is very bright and we're going to be very, very good, quite possibly Final Four-caliber. But favorites?

And I'll go on record as saying that the Illini have a very good chance of being one of the top 4 teams in the nation in the 2010-11 season. Any time you add two 4-star recruits and two really good 3-star recruits and then follow that up with two 5 stars and a really good 4 star, you have a VERY GOOD chance to be one of the top 4 teams in the nation. To think otherwise is just being pessimistic and unrealistic. You even go on to admit that Head and Richmond each have one-and-done potential. Pick two freshman who went in the first round from last year's college teams and put them on the same team for the whole year. They wouldn't be one of the top 4 teams in the nation???? Seriously, man, get real!

I think Head and Richmond each have one-and-done potential, but I'd be surprised if either is. Neither is likely to put up huge numbers as a freshman.

Players like Tracy Abrams don't redshirt.

I suppose he's going to take playing time away from Junior guards - D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand, and Sophomore guard Crandall Head? If the Illini have all of those guys still, it would be beneficial for Abrams to redshirt. He's not going to see major minutes in his Freshman year IF those guys are all still there. AND if they are all still there, there's a GOOD CHANCE that one or more of them leave for the NBA after that season. 3 junior guards who should all be very good players by then and one superstar sophomore guard. I think there's a good shot Richardson and Head are gone by the end of the 2011 season. If they win it all, you could see 3, 4 or 5 players jump ship.

Players like Abrams don't come along that often. It would be stupid to waste his Freshman year by getting him 6-10 minutes of mop-up duty. And why force the issue when you have the luxury of having so many great guards?

2010, the Illini will be favorites to make the Final Four. I'm not saying at the start of the season they are favorites. But simply by the end of the Big Ten Tourney/season. They should however, be ranked as a pre-season top 10 team.

Seniors:
Alex Legion, Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, Bill Cole, Mike Tisdale, Richard Semrau (walk-on Jeff Jordan, although he's probably gone by then)

Junior:
Stan Simpson

Sophomores:
D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand, Tyler Griffey

Freshmen:
Head, Richmond, Leonard

The combination of solid senior players and stellar freshman and sophomores should make them clear cut favorites to make the final four.

[FaiT_AccomplicE]

But the Illini do need a better backup than Cole, Semrau, and Simpson...
Either way, the Illini need better froncourt players than backups they have now.

[TheGame414]

Semrau gets about 11 minutes of mop-up duty, but the Illini tend to give-up leads with him on the court.

Where is the statistical evidence of this?

However, that is beside the point. I don't mean for this year or for 2009-10. I mean for the 2011 season. Right now they have 5 guards, one PF (Griffey), two C's (Meyers Leonard and Stan Simpson - whom has yet to really show himself),

Richard Semrau will be a 5th-year senior that season. If you're telling me he won't be at least as good as Jack Ingram in two years, I disagree.

That's not exactly a deep frontcourt.

You're saying, in 2010-11, that Richmond/Griffey/Tisdale/Davis/Leonard/Semrau/Simpson isn't a deep frontcourt?

Are you serious?

Wouldn't it be better to cause a mis-match and play him at the 3? And how would we do that?

Not necessarily. The best small forwards in college basketball often- if not usually- play the 4. Look at how Purdue uses Robbie Hummel at the 4. Richmond's the same type of player, except way more athletic and thus better.

He creates his own mismatches just by being on the floor. He can post up smaller guys at 6'7"- if not taller within two years- and blow by bigger PFs.

By getting a solid 4 and 5, with a couple of guys to back them up.

Great. If there's a big-time prospect out there that we can get, terrific. Even so, do you think we're going to get someone that's better at basketball than D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, or Crandall Head?

And that's the point: you put your five best guys on the floor even if it's not a traditional lineup. Obviously you can't put five centers or five point guards on the floor, but you get the idea (I hope). Look at the two best teams in school history: the '89 team essentially started five small forwards, and the '05 team started three guards 6'3" or under, a 6'6" small forward and a 6'10" power forward.

Right now the Illini have signed one PF and one C in the 2009-2011 recruiting classes. Meyers Leonard and Tyler Griffey. Wouldn't it be advantageous to play those guys side-by-side? Put Richmond at the 3.

And that lineup certainly will see the floor at the time. But you're now talking about the 2012 season, whereas before you were talking about 2011.

Then we have 4 guards to play two spots. And sure, Richmond can slide over to the 4, but I would hope most of his minutes come at the 3

They probably won't.

The thing is, we only have one back-up for 2011 yet. So I suggested either the Illlini get a late signee or a JC transfer. It's no secret that the Illini are very guard heavy right now for 2011.

Not unless Tisdale and Davis leave early.