Wow....we're huge underdogs

[avid1010]

It's an enormous spread for a home power conf team.  Especially with Illinois" injuries.  I mean seriously does this mean UCLA will be favored by 25 in Milwaukee?  Axe the nonsense and defeatist attitude.  Our team has been disrespected and should have something to prove.  We're not playing worldbeaters, the opportunity is there.  Now obviously if we win it would be an upset with our brand new roster and youth, but I refuse to believe we should be heavy underdogs tonight.  We're due to hit some shots and again we have absolutely nothing to lose.  Punch them early and often and let's see how this pans out later.

I get that you like to get emotional...but if this is undeserved disrespect...put your $$$ where your mouth is.  There is nothing remotely out of line with this spread. 

[Mr. Nielsen]

Illini favored by 8.5.  We should have a huge chip on our shoulders.

I was shocked to see the spread that high last night with the their best player not even playing yet.

[MuggsyB]

You don't bet much do you

Nope.

[Scoop Snoop]

It's an enormous spread for a home power conf team.  Especially with Illinois" injuries.  I mean seriously does this mean UCLA will be favored by 25 in Milwaukee?  Axe the nonsense and defeatist attitude.  Our team has been disrespected and should have something to prove.  We're not playing worldbeaters, the opportunity is there.  Now obviously if we win it would be an upset with our brand new roster and youth, but I refuse to believe we should be heavy underdogs tonight.  We're due to hit some shots and again we have absolutely nothing to lose.  Punch them early and often and let's see how this pans out later.

Muggsy, love your dedication to our team, but the spread and your perception of "disrespect", and "nonsense, defeatist attitude" (from some scoopers)  will have absolutely nothing to do with the outcome of tonight's game unless, of course, our team has a defeatist attitude, which I doubt very seriously. I do not think those here who disagree with you deserve to be called defeatist. What we all have in common today is the hope of an upset.

[5DollarPitcher]

Take Illinois.  Give the points.

Easy cover for the good guys. Value bet is MU ML. I wish you played at my poker table.

[MuggsyB]

I mean, it's a message board.  If people think we are going to lose big, there is no translation to what happens on court.

The "disrespected" stuff is kind of a tired motivational tool.  Just play hard, limit mistakes and try not to do too much.  This is an awesome opportunity - top 10 opponent at home on national television.

The energy of the crowd can matter.  Those of you lucky enough to go to the game you can't be mimes or catatonic.  All I'm saying is use any motivation that is out there. 

[DoctorV]

The "disrespected" stuff is kind of a tired motivational tool.  Just play hard, limit mistakes and try not to do too much.  This is an awesome opportunity - top 10 opponent at home on national television.

Millennial speak, and I'm a millennial.

I tend to agree with Muggsy that the spread should be closer to 5, but that's just instinct based.

Regardless of the spread he's onto something- never too early for Shaka to develop that chip on the shoulder mentality, especially when playing on your own court as a fairly big underdog in the first big time game for most of those kids.

It's college basketball, it's much more emotional than cerebral. It's easy to just say limit mistakes and don't try to hard but that doesn't get across as well as work your a** off and show them this is our house. See Buzz Williams (more of the latter) versus Steve Wojo (more of the former).

Imo wojos biggest flaw as MU coach was the inability of his squads to protect their home court. Buzzes teams were amazing at this.
Something tells me if Shaka has a successful run it starts with being able to protect home court.

Not saying he needs to win this one, but showing up and being competitive could go a long way towards establishing a difficult home court going forward

[5DollarPitcher]

This is a spot where a Wojo team gets completely dismantled (i.e. Iowa 2015). We no longer have a Wojo team. Everyone can shake that stink off now.

[PGsHeroes32]

Kenpom means nothing after two games.  You seriously think Illinois is the 4th best team in America?  Without two starters?  Think again.

Who is the other starter aside from the Big Fella?

[JTJ3]

Illinois best player is playing.  Hopefully the press can force him to give up the ball early but in the halfcourt Curbelo probably shreds us like he does to everyone else.

[zcg2013]

Illinois best player is playing.  Hopefully the press can force him to give up the ball early but in the halfcourt Curbelo probably shreds us like he does to everyone else.

Curbelo is good, but he's their second best player. Their best player is still suspended one more game for a very dumb reason.

[JamilJaeJamailJrJuan]

It's an enormous spread for a home power conf team.  Especially with Illinois" injuries.  I mean seriously does this mean UCLA will be favored by 25 in Milwaukee?  Axe the nonsense and defeatist attitude.  Our team has been disrespected and should have something to prove.  We're not playing worldbeaters, the opportunity is there.  Now obviously if we win it would be an upset with our brand new roster and youth, but I refuse to believe we should be heavy underdogs tonight.  We're due to hit some shots and again we have absolutely nothing to lose.  Punch them early and often and let's see how this pans out later.

lol you should go give this cute pep talk to the boys.

[Uncle Rico]

I can state with incredible confidence nothing said on this message board will influence tonight's game

[The Sultan]

Millennial speak, and I'm a millennial.

I tend to agree with Muggsy that the spread should be closer to 5, but that's just instinct based.

Regardless of the spread he's onto something- never too early for Shaka to develop that chip on the shoulder mentality, especially when playing on your own court as a fairly big underdog in the first big time game for most of those kids.

It's college basketball, it's much more emotional than cerebral. It's easy to just say limit mistakes and don't try to hard but that doesn't get across as well as work your a** off and show them this is our house. See Buzz Williams (more of the latter) versus Steve Wojo (more of the former).

Imo wojos biggest flaw as MU coach was the inability of his squads to protect their home court. Buzzes teams were amazing at this.
Something tells me if Shaka has a successful run it starts with being able to protect home court.

Not saying he needs to win this one, but showing up and being competitive could go a long way towards establishing a difficult home court going forward

Buzz Williams won because his teams played hard, recruited to a type of player and he was devoted to advanced metrics (eg, "paint touches") that best showed how to win in modern college basketball.  Sure he was a motivator, and emotion was no doubt part of that, but I think you are way discounting the objective reasons why Buzz won and Wojo didn't.  In fact, I would suggest that Wojo coached more on emotional than he did on tactics, and that was a big reason why his teams faltered down the stretch.

And the home court thing is a little nonsense.  Buzz won at home consistently when his teams were good.  But even then, and most definitely early at at MU, he lost more than his fair share of clunkers in the BC.  Remember his likely best team?  The one with Jae who got to the S16?  They lost by almost 20 at home to a decent, but not great, Vanderbilt team.

[Lennys Tap]

The subject is accurate.  Road team as an 8.5 point favorite between two high major programs is a huge spread.

This is true. Even when a high major plays at a mid major 8.5 is a pretty big spread.

[BCHoopster]

Illinois best player is playing.  Hopefully the press can force him to give up the ball early but in the halfcourt Curbelo probably shreds us like he does to everyone else.

Morsell can not guard him? Really

[CountryRoads]

This is true. Even when a high major plays at a mid major 8.5 is a pretty big spread.

Especially since Cockburn is out and possibly another player or two.

[PGsHeroes32]

Especially since Cockburn is out and possibly another player or two.

Who are the other players? People keep saying this

[zcg2013]

Who are the other players? People keep saying this

Frazier and Curbelo missed their first game with injuries. But then they both played the last game.

[MarquetteFan94]

IL basketball fans resemble ND football fans in some respects. There's a smugness and universal delusion across the fan base on how elite their program is, how storied their histories are (ND does have that), how much better of a head coaching job IL is, etc.

I recall they just assumed they could pluck Crean and/or Buzz away at their choosing, etc.

Having grown up in the northern suburbs of Chicago with several friends having gone to U of I, I would love nothing more than to beat these guys tonight.

Unlikely as it may be, I think we can make them cough it up and keep them out of sync.  I think Shaka's going to have the team pretty amped up tonight.  Would love to see it!

[genious expert]

Who are the other players? People keep saying this

There aren't any. Cockburn is the only one not playing as of right now.

[PGsHeroes32]

Frazier and Curbelo missed their first game with injuries. But then they both played the last game.

Yeah knew that.

Considering they both played full workloads and finished healthy.

They are just as likely to be out as any other player in this game.

Heck, I'd be more worried Kolek plays than either of them.

[TallTitan34]

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1460255773808902153?s=20

Illinois' Austin Hutcherson (tailbone) is a game-time decision, but doubtful for tonight's game against Marquette, per Brad Underwood.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Illinois played a team better than SIUE in their first game without 3 starters and a possible bench player and dismantled them by 24. We played at full strength minus Greg and struggled to beat sub-300 SIUE.

Illinois then played a team better than UNH in their second game without their best player and a possible bench player and blew them out by 39. We struggled to beat UNH by 5 (again without Greg).

There is no reason on paper to say that this line is uncalled for. We may very well lose by less than 8.5 or even win but every bit of objective data out there says that this line is fair. Honestly, I'd say it's closer to generous than unfair.

[JTJ3]

Morsell can not guard him? Really

Curbelo will be in the NBA a year from now.  His ballhandling and ability to manipulate a defense is filthy.