At a Glance: The Illinois Fighting Illini

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Quick Facts

-Established in 1867

-32,281 undergraduate students

-Located in Urbana & Champaign

-Main colors-Illinois blue/Illinois orange

-2012/2013 results: 23-12

-Steve Stricker (PGA pro) attended 

-Men's basketball introduced in 1905-06

-National runner up in 2005 

-2 BIG titles in 2003, 2005

-82-83 against Indiana all time

-29-50 at Assembly Hall

Results Thus Far (13-7/2-5)

Notable Wins
@ UNLV 61-59
@ Mizzou (St. Louis) 65-64

Meet John Groce…shouldn't be a new face to anyone

Indiana 83-80                                                    

Notable Losses
@ Northwestern 49-43
Purdue 66-58
@ Ohio State 62-55

Kenpom Rating-84th

PPG-68.6 (229) 

Avg. Scoring Margin- +5 (89) 

APG-10.3 (310)

RPG-36.1 (119)

Pts. Against-63.6 (30)

Fouls per game-17.1 (32) 

Category Leaders

The transfer from Drake leads the Illini in scoring this season

Points

G #24 Rayvonte Rice-16.6

G #13 Tracy Abrams 12.6 

Rebounds

F #33 Jon Ekey-6.9

G #24 Rayvonte Rice-5.7

Assists

G #13 Tracy Abrams-3.4

G #1 Jaylon Tate-2.3

Ah, yet another defensively-minded team…not to mention that John Groce practically plays defense for them as one of the most animated coaches in NCAA ball. As I was writing, I noticed how similar a style Northwestern plays, except Illinois has much better players and a seemingly bigger talent pool to choose from. IU currently sits at #67 in the KenPom ratings (higher than Illinois) but our RPI is at #67 in the nation. Needless to say, the season is definitely at a crossroads and we need a win at home more than ever. A scary stat for us is the assist/turnover ratio-->0.752…which, by the way, is 317th in the nation. Our offense is too stagnant at times and we MUST move the ball against Illinois on Sunday. If we fail to set up a good half court offense and penetrate a patient defense then we could see shades of Northwestern. However, I see us playing a much better came this time around, not to mention there will be NO hangover effect from a huge win. I know that's a SORRY excuse but with young guys it can't be overlooked. I'm begging you Tom…go to Youtube or something and draw up any sort of offense because that would be much better and more efficient than what we run right now against these types of teams. Get the ball to Noah and push back out if necessary. If Yogi starts to shoot well again that could give us some cushion for inevitable tough spells throughout games. So, let's rally around the guys and try to make a push into the tournament. Not getting there after being #1 in the nation last year is unacceptable in my eyes. Hangover effect doesn't apply that scenario…

Score prediction: IU-70 UI-62

Most Valuable Player prediction- Stanford Robinson

"Knight gave IU the rings. IU gave him the finger." -Don Pence

Drink of choice

Could it possibly get any colder…?

We need a Shooter

  By now you have probably noticed that our Hoosiers occasionally struggle from the field. Gone are the days of Jordan Hulls having the green light to let it go from where ever he is on the floor.
  Before, during and after every game I hear and read comments like "wait until next year," "this will change when so & so gets to Bloomington." It is apparent that many believe that the Hoosiers are going to get a shooter next year, better yet most believe the Hoosiers are going to get a scorer/playmaker.
  Now it's up to you to pick one. Which of one of these players do you want to see in the world famous candy stripes?
  Player A is a shooting guard that averages 37 points per game. This athlete is a 5 star recruit, ranked nationally among the top 25 high school players in America. With over 2,000 career points this young gun has been called by a few "the best pure shooter in the class of 2014".
  Player B is a combo guard that can play both sides of the ball. This ball player averages 45 points per game and has totaled over 4,000 career points while in high school. This athlete can shoot from long range or off the dribble. If you need points this player can deliver them by the boat load.
  Now you decide, player A or player B? You would like to use the over sign rule, like Coach Crean does, and get them both right? What if I said the Hoosiers can and will land both of these high prized prospects.
  Introducing player A: James Blackmon Jr., a 6'3" guard from Marion High School. He is signed and committed to play for Coach Crean next season and has high expectations from Hoosier fans everywhere.
  Introducing player B: Tyra Buss, a 5'7" guard out of Mt. Carmel High School in Illinois. She will be playing for Coach Curt Miller and the lady Hoosiers.
  There you go Hoosier fans, both the men's and women's team get a shooter/scorer next season to add to their squad. I have no doubt that both will receive a warm welcome from Hoosier Nation and neither will dissapoint. This is what I would call, the best of both worlds.

We want loyal fans, not bandwagon fans

Let me start by saying, yes it's been a more than disappointing season as an IU fan. The thing that is more disappointing to me than our season, is all the wanna be fans that love coach Crean when we win, but want his head on a pole when we lose. Now, I'm not saying don't criticize, or don't be upset with some of his decisions, I'm saying as IU fans, we have a certain code to live by, it's called loyalty. As long as he is our coach, we should support him in whatever he does. A lot of people have forgotten what he has done for us, and do not take in consideration how inexperienced this team is. I'm not using the "they're young" excuse, I'm sayin they're like fish out of water right now. I fully expected to have a bad season before it ever started. How can you not? We lost every good & experienced player to the pros. It's kinda like rebuilding all over again. I think us Hoosiers did get spoiled having a #1 ranked team after emerging from the pits of hell, but be realistic, we are not going to be a power house every season. There will be good days as well as bad days. What happens if we happen to beat MSU tonight? All the haters will love coach and praise him and talk about how great he is, then we lose the next game, those same people who were praising him, will turn on him like a rabid zombie pit bull, get over it, move on. Anyway...that's the end of my rant....for now. I just hope Hoosier Nation will realize we all need to stick together on this, it's gonna be a rough path till next year, be optimistic and supportive, and if you think you know more than coach, then go apply for the job. GO HOOSIERS 

At a Glance: The Northwestern Wildcats

Quick Facts

-Established in 1851
-8,425 undergraduate students
-Located in Evanston, Illinois
-Main color-purple
-2012/2013 results: 13-19
-Luke Donald (PGA pro) attended NW
-Men's basketball introduced in 1901
-Won national championship in 1931
-Last BIG title in 1933 (other in '31)

Results Thus Far (8-10)

Wins
Eastern Illinois 72-55
Illinois-Chicago 93-58
IUPUI 63-61                                                   

Gardner-Webb 72-59

Northwestern coach Chris Collins will lead his team Saturday in the Hall

W. Michigan 51-35
Miss. Valley St. 86-64
Brown 58-52

Illinois 49-43

Losses
Stanford 71-58
Illinois State 68-64
Missouri 78-67
UCLA 95-79
N.C. State 69-48
Depaul 57-56
Wisconsin 76-49
Michigan 74-51
Iowa 93-67
Michigan State 54-40

Kenpom Rating-169th

PPG-62.4 (324) 

Avg. Scoring Margin- -2.2 (211) 

APG-12 (214)

RPG-34.5 (192)

Pts. Against-64.6 (37)

Fouls per game-18.8 (127) 

Category Leaders

Northwestern G Drew Crawford provides the spark 

Points

G-F #1 Drew Crawford-15.0

G #23 JerShon Cobb-11.7 

Rebounds

G #1 Drew Crawford-6.9

G-F #34 Sanjay Lumpkin-5.3

Assists

G #3 Dave Sobolewski-3.2

G #23 JerShon Cobb-2.9

To begin, this team is extremely defensive-minded. They rank in the top 40 in pts. against on the season and that is concerning on a couple of fronts for me as a fan (just trying to look past their sub par record and evaluate what may pose a threat). Granted, they beat Illinois at home, but that is a team we already lost to this season. Thus, beating Northwestern is critical for IU to continue to have a chance at making the post season dance and proving many fans wrong. Heck, many jumped right back on the wagon after the big W against 'the big W.' Finally…we are over that hump and we can stop hearing about that awful win streak against us. Anyways, back to Northwestern and the concern points: 

1) We generally play poorly against teams who run solid half-court sets and play a slow, methodical game that draws you in to their strengths.

2) We are coming off a huge win and it is sometimes difficult to maintain the same level of confidence going into a game of this type. Yes, it's another BIG game, but can the guys bring the same energy? Can we as fans back them up as much? 

In all honesty folks, this game is vital to our season. We need to put away teams like this at home when we have the opportunity. No more let-downs. Go for the jugular. We just showed everyone that we can play with this season's top teams and are now in the NCAA's rear view mirror. Let them not lose sight of the Hoosiers. 

Score prediction: IU-64 NW-52

Most Valuable Player prediction- Noah Vonleh

"There are a lot of people who follow our every move and give us a lot of support. They give us pride. We are playing for those fans every time we run out on the court." -Jarrad Odle

Indiana/Wisconsin "The Story Behind the Story"

  By now you probably know that the unranked Indiana Hoosiers took down previously unbeaten and 3rd ranked Wisconsin last night at Assembly Hall. Most of today's headlines are about the students in the stands and not of the accomplishments of the student athletes that played in the game. That does not seem right to me.
 I understand what the so called traditionalist are saying about the court storming. This is Indiana, we have tradition, we have banners, we do things the right way and that is how it is supposed to be. This opinion will never change.
 What has changed is college basketball. Even the team we call "ours", has changed tremendously in recent years. A lot of things have happened since "The General" or even "The denim shirt" led our Hoosiers to victory.
 After the fallout from the actions of "The denim shirt", Crean took over and led the Hoosier to 6 victories in his first season as the Head Coach. Fast forward a few games and Coach Crean, Verdell Jones' pass and Christian Watford's "Wat Shot" takes down #1 Kentucky which leads to the worlds greatest "Court Stormin" in the history of EVER.
 Where were all the critics that night? I don't remember anyone but "Crybaby Cal" complaining. Because it was Indiana basketball being brought back and taking down "Big Blue Nation" everything was fine. In fact everything was how it was supposed to be.
 Since Crean has been at Indiana, until last night, he has never beaten Bo Ryan. Which means those students in the stands, who rushed the court, had never seen us beat the Badgers. So after 12 consecutive losses, ten under Coach Crean against Wisconsin, you can only imagine the feeling in those 19 year old kids chests. Unless of course you are one of them. The unbeaten Badgers took their first loss of the season to the Hoosiers. The third ranked team in America goes down in the "Mecca of College Basketball", the real Assembly Hall.
 If Assembly Hall is the best arena/stadium to watch a game in and if IU truly has the greatest student section in all of college basketball, just think. Just think what it is/was like in college to be a part of what happened last night. In the moment, the student section was in the moment. When your in the moment, you don't think, you react. You react with excitement, you do what feels right. I am glad to see the excitement of Indiana Basketball, back in the hall.
 With that said, I have no problem at all with the students, rushing the floor. No problem at all. It's kids being kids and I like when kids are being kids.
 The problem is all the headlines and stories should be about the team, not the kids in the bleachers. The real story is Yogi leading the troops into battle and taking down the undeafeted Badgers.

Michigan State at Indiana Preview: Tom Crean

IU vs Michigan State-2:00 CBS MSU -1.5

After an extremely close loss in Champaign on Tuesday, Indiana turns right back around to play one of the best teams in the country in Michigan State (IMO). On paper we look outmatched and many have accepted a 2-loss start in the BIG and written us off. Clearly, however, our friends in Vegas (along with myself) think otherwise. Even though beating Illinois away from home would have been a huge win and boost of confidence, MSU travels to one of the toughest venues in college ball against a team hungry for a statement victory. For me, this season is at a crossroads and there would be nothing better than winning a game on national television to show everyone we aren't done just yet. At first, 9-9 in BIG play looked like a good possibility. Now, below .500 doesn't seem that unrealistic, but a win tomorrow gets us over the MENTAL hump, the most important factor for a young and inexperienced team. No…i'm not using the young excuse…just pointing out the facts.

Hanner Mosquera-Perea must step up tomorrow in the wake of Luke's transferring

Both teams are strong in the rebounding category, with MSU 13th in the nation and IU 4th. Don't think this will come down to rebounding unless I'm proven wrong tomorrow. However, there exists a large gap in the assists/game statistic, with MSU at 19.2 (2nd) and IU at 12.2 (196). We really struggle to take care of the ball and subsequently move it around in the half court. Simply put, if we are not in transition we look dazed and confuse at times during match ups. Also, sorry to 'beat a dead horse' as they say, but our turnover statistic is appalling…so I'm not going into it. 

Stopping Gary Harris will be key to success tomorrow

Keys to the game:

-Stop Gary Harris. Ah, the one that got away. At 17.4 ppg, he is the motor for MSU and sets the tone

-Improve on turnovers. I would like to see us have between 8-10 tomorrow…we shall see.

-Get out and run in transition. Clearly, we haven't established a solid half-court offense. 

-Big game for HMP. With Luke being gone, he MUST step up and use athleticism and length. 

-A GREAT atmosphere. Get the hall rocking and have it play to our advantage. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the season is not over yet. Tough tests ahead? No doubt. Let's get back on the right foot tomorrow with a huge win for the 'hurryin' Hoosiers' as McCracken would say. 

Beer of choice for the game- This one may require liquor…

"Ya can't get into Heaven unless you're a Hoosier fan"- Larry Hawkins, Nashville, Indiana