IL - NostraCatus prediction - you heard it here first

[GatoLouco]

I really don't like the way we match up against IL. Strong, fast, athletic backcourts/4 are a nightmare for us.

To me, IL is harder for us to beat than Purdue.

So, naturally, I hope I am dead wrong, as I was last week against Nebraska.

 

[TheC]

This is one of those games that we should definitely lose, which means it is also one of those games that we'll find some incredible way to pull off.

 

[Hungry Jack]

That team is pretty stocked. They should be the best team in the conference. But you gotta play the games.

 

[eastbaycat99]

I will dispute the “first” in your thread title:

”Even without Shannon, Illinois is a terrible matchup for the Cats. Their perimeter quickness will be a nightmare for the Cats’ defense. Throw in the home court advantage, and I think it would be close to a miracle for the Cats to cover….Purdue’s reliance on Edey made them more one dimensional and gave NU a chance, and so I don’t think the home win against them is much of a comparable.”

Me, on 1/2, before the first Illinois game.

 

[GatoLouco]

I will dispute the “first” in your thread title:

Well... yeah... sure... but were you first today to share such wise thoughts? Were you also wrong about the last game? No, that was this guy!

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I will dispute the “first” in your thread title:

”Even without Shannon, Illinois is a terrible matchup for the Cats. Their perimeter quickness will be a nightmare for the Cats’ defense. Throw in the home court advantage, and I think it would be close to a miracle for the Cats to cover….Purdue’s reliance on Edey made them more one dimensional and gave NU a chance, and so I don’t think the home win against them is much of a comparable.”

Me, on 1/2, before the first Illinois game.

I never gave you credit for that prediction (which was spot on) because it pissed me off!
I thought Buie would be able to beat his man off the dribble, but he really wasn't able to do that.
And Nicholson was put into the worst defensive situation, chasing Pete Nance, I mean Coleman Hawkins, all over the floor.
Yours was probably the best pre-game prediction of the year.

Further, Collins was willing to be notably smaller than Illinois at 4 positions for much of the game.
We got torched no matter what he tried... but he could have tried Hunger at the 4 (and should have) because when you're down 30 midway thru the 2nd half, you have to try something new to match the other teams physicality. Literally nothing to lose at that point.

 

[jensberg]

Agree that this is a horrible matchup for us despite the home court. Of course there will probably be many Illinois fans there as well. Don't see how we win this one unless they can't shoot and we make threes from all over the court.

 

[ricko654321]

I never gave you credit for that prediction (which was spot on) because it pissed me off!
I thought Buie would be able to beat his man off the dribble, but he really wasn't able to do that.
And Nicholson was put into the worst defensive situation, chasing Pete Nance, I mean Coleman Hawkins, all over the floor.
Yours was probably the best pre-game prediction of the year.

Further, Collins was willing to be notably smaller than Illinois at 4 positions for much of the game.
We got torched no matter what he tried... but he could have tried Hunger at the 4 (and should have) because when you're down 30 midway thru the 2nd half, you have to try something new to match the other teams physicality. Literally nothing to lose at that point.

I do not think putting Hunger and Nicholson on the floor at the same time is a good idea at all. First of all it creates defensive mismatches on the perimeter, whereas neither Hunger nor Nicholson is really the type to create points by themselves on offense to potentially take advantage of a mismatch there. Plus just from a high level you are putting 2 of our 6-8th best players on the floor at the same time at the expense of one of our top 5 players (Buie, Barnhizer, Berry, Langborg, Martinelli). Barring extreme foul trouble or other issues we should have 4 of those 5 on the floor at a given time. And I don't mind going to all 5 in certain situations (e.g. late in games with a lead when teams are pressing us).

 

[Figrating]

These Ill mofos will not play the game they dream a second time against NU.

Maybe NU will take a team-wide shot of espresso and start the game at tip off rather than at the half. NU must keep it close.

NU is due for one of its surprisingly good games, a little homecourt payback.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I do not think putting Hunger and Nicholson on the floor at the same time is a good idea at all. First of all it creates defensive mismatches on the perimeter, whereas neither Hunger nor Nicholson is really the type to create points by themselves on offense to potentially take advantage of a mismatch there. Plus just from a high level you are putting 2 of our 6-8th best players on the floor at the same time at the expense of one of our top 5 players (Buie, Barnhizer, Berry, Langborg, Martinelli). Barring extreme foul trouble or other issues we should have 4 of those 5 on the floor at a given time. And I don't mind going to all 5 in certain situations (e.g. late in games with a lead when teams are pressing us).

Hunger and Preston.
Nicholson and Martinelli.
Anytime we are getting outrebounded or just need to get bigger.

 

[phatcat]

Poor match up for us. I feel like we are hoping for them to go cold from the field and Boo and Brooks to combine for 50

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

My feeling is that the game could get ugly really quickly.
And I'm not talking about the score.
NU students are going to be all over Shannon, expecting the chants to be pretty "bad."
Illinois fans are typically confrontational jerks, so they will confront the students, defending the indefensible.
Will probably affect the game as well - I expect it to be very rough.

Preston needs to sharpen his elbows and use them.

 

[CappyNU]

My feeling is that the game could get ugly really quickly.
And I'm not talking about the score.
NU students are going to be all over Shannon, expecting the chants to be pretty "bad."
Illinois fans are typically confrontational jerks, so they will confront the students, defending the indefensible.
Will probably affect the game as well - I expect it to be very rough.

Preston needs to sharpen his elbows and use them.

No Illinois fans are going to confront the students, let's not be dramatic here. If we want a home court advantage, then yeah, the students should be all over Shannon. I certainly had no such qualms when I was a student with the likes of Iowa's Pierre Pierce and others who had run-ins with the law.

 

[TheC]

No Illinois fans are going to confront the students, let's not be dramatic here. If we want a home court advantage, then yeah, the students should be all over Shannon. I certainly had no such qualms when I was a student with the likes of Iowa's Pierre Pierce and others who had run-ins with the law.

I don't really have any sympathy for Shannon, but I also don't feel that a young woman's sexual assault should be grounds for trying to create a competitive advantage in a basketball game. It seems a little too serious to make light of.

 

[NJCat]

I don't really have any sympathy for Shannon, but I also don't feel that a young woman's sexual assault should be grounds for trying to create a competitive advantage in a basketball game. It seems a little too serious to make light of.

There's also that pesky "innocent until proven guilty" thing........

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I don't really have any sympathy for Shannon, but I also don't feel that a young woman's sexual assault should be grounds for trying to create a competitive advantage in a basketball game. It seems a little too serious to make light of.

I believe that many of the students will be (legitimately) angry that Shannon is playing. I still see that racist "fan" from Wisconsin confronting the Asian students a couple years ago. I am confident that the Illini will have at least as many idiots at Welsh Ryan as the Badgers did.

People can believe whatever they want, but it is going to be heated in there.

 

[EagerFan]

I expect there will be at least a few chants on the order of 'no means no', especially if Shannon gets blocked or called for a foul or similar.

 

[1830sherman]

Agree that this is a horrible matchup for us despite the home court. Of course there will probably be many Illinois fans there as well. Don't see how we win this one unless they can't shoot and we make threes from all over the court.

Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is!

 

[KittyLover24]

No Illinois fans are going to confront the students, let's not be dramatic here. If we want a home court advantage, then yeah, the students should be all over Shannon. I certainly had no such qualms when I was a student with the likes of Iowa's Pierre Pierce and others who had run-ins with the law.

I found the Illinois fans in the upper section where I was last year to be exponentially egregious in their aggressiveness compared to other annoying fans we have encountered. (Purdue fans usually match up well with Illinois’ aggressiveness though.) Would they confront student section? Meh. Will they be awful and act victimized on Shannon’s behalf? 🧐 Probably.

 

[Just Gary]

I’m waiting to hear the “Shannon is a rapist” chant. I think anything to unnerve the opposing team is fair game. We were brutal when I was a student to opposing players and coaches. If it throws the Illini off their game then we should use it.

 

[GatoLouco]

IL favored by 3.5pts. Vegas expects a close one

 

[SmellyCat]

This might be the most important game of the season, including Purdue games. At stake -

1) Cats move into tie for third place with Illinois
2) Illini loses its head-to-head tiebreaker over NU
3) Cats get a much-needed victory over strong team after coming up short against Wisconsin and Nebraska
4) Cats continue to defend home court
5) Schedule is hard for next couple weeks
6) Cats get (momentarily at least) off bubble with win, despite poor computer rankings
7) Revenge for last game
8) Wiping the smirk off Coleman Hawkins' face.

If NU loses, the season isn't over, but they just have so much to gain with a win.

 

[PURPLECAT88]

There's also that pesky "innocent until proven guilty" thing........

It wouldn't be the internet if I didn't make the obligatory "That is only a thing in a court of law. It is not a thing in the court of public opinion" post in response to this.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

It wouldn't be the internet if I didn't make the obligatory "That is only a thing in a court of law. It is not a thing in the court of public opinion" post in response to this.

At Northwestern, the Student Handbook states that the University reserves the right to discipline a student while criminal actions are pending. Pretty simple. Someone like Shannon, awaiting trial for a felony charge, would be suspended.

At Illinois they have a written policy regarding how "Student conflicts" are resolved. The judge ruled that until Illinois completes its investigation, Shannon is not subject to university discipline.

Its pretty ludicrous.

 

[Mister G]

I’m waiting to hear the “Shannon is a rapist” chant. I think anything to unnerve the opposing team is fair game. We were brutal when I was a student to opposing players and coaches. If it throws the Illini off their game then we should use it.

"Purple Haze Hypocrites"

 

[Hungry Jack]

At Northwestern, the Student Handbook states that the University reserves the right to discipline a student while criminal actions are pending. Pretty simple. Someone like Shannon, awaiting trial for a felony charge, would be suspended.

At Illinois they have a written policy regarding how "Student conflicts" are resolved. The judge ruled that until Illinois completes its investigation, Shannon is not subject to university discipline.

Its pretty ludicrous.

Apparently Illini fans gave the kid a standing O in his first game back.

 

[eastbaycat99]

While I was completely pessimistic about the first Illinois game downstate, I have some hope for the Cats in tonight’s game. The coaches have helped them cleanup some of the breakdowns Illinois exploited the first time out. Barnhizer has recovered from injury and Nicholson, whether due to physical or psychological change, has been playing much better. Collins has varied his rotations more in response to opponents’ lineups.
To me, the real wildcard is the return of Shannon to the Illinois lineup. He is an excellent player. In the long run, he may very well change a top 10 team into a top 4 team. All that doesn’t address the variability he injects into tonight’s game. Illinois played a near perfect, balanced, almost flawless team game the last time the Cats saw them. I think it is possible it will take a game or 2 for the team and him to get in synch. I expect to see a handful of miscommunications on both ends of the court in the minutes he gets tonight. The last month also must have been emotionally difficult for him. He may try to makeup for his problems by playing hero ball, either taking the game over and destroying the Cats or throwing the game away trying to redeem himself. Illinois is a good enough team that he could come out, mesh perfectly, and laugh his way past the student section to the locker room, triumphant. I tend to think he will cost the Illini a few points tonight compared to the lineup they would have fielded, but who knows.

Regardless of the Shannon factor, I think this will be a much closer game. My guess is Illinois wins, but the spread is very close to the 4.5 points I last saw.

 

[Baz=Heisman]

At Northwestern, the Student Handbook states that the University reserves the right to discipline a student while criminal actions are pending. Pretty simple. Someone like Shannon, awaiting trial for a felony charge, would be suspended.

At Illinois they have a written policy regarding how "Student conflicts" are resolved. The judge ruled that until Illinois completes its investigation, Shannon is not subject to university discipline.

Its pretty ludicrous.

It’s because they don’t care. They have a win at all costs mentality. Let’s beat their asses.

 

[Booty Maximus]

It’s because they don’t care. They have a win at all costs mentality. Let’s beat their asses.

No wonder the NU football facility has so much glass:

You're the guy in there throwing rocks, right?

 

[Baz=Heisman]

No wonder the NU football facility has so much glass:

You're the guy in there throwing rocks, right?

Why do you come on other teams message boards? It’s kinda weird tbh. Go defend your alleged rapist elsewhere.

 

[mesacat]

Gr

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

No wonder the NU football facility has so much glass:

You're the guy in there throwing rocks, right?

Are you telling us that Illinois should fire the basketball coach because one of the players is charged with a felony? NU fired the football head coach for misbehavior by players and nobody was charged with a crime.

Michigan suspended their star guard from playing in road games because he wasn't getting good enough grades.

Illinois has a guy charged with felony sexual assault awaiting trial and playing basketball for them at the same time.

I think you don't understand how "glass houses" work.

 

[Hungry Jack]

No wonder the NU football facility has so much glass:

You're the guy in there throwing rocks, right?

LOL. Maybe Fitz was into voyeurism.

 

[CappyNU]

I prefer when Steve Alford personally tried to have security kick me and my friends out instead of having the university threaten technical fouls ahead of time, but it's also been 20 years.

 

[EagerFan]

The Fighting Snowflakes has a certain ring of truth to it.

 

[Just Gary]

Not sure what the point of these Illini trolls are trying to make. As far as I know, none of us have been accused of rape, so I hope the students are vocal, especially if it throws the opposing team off their game. So hopefully the students will loudly tell the Illini basketball team how they feel about the rapist, without using foul language.

 

[Jaycg15]

At Northwestern, the Student Handbook states that the University reserves the right to discipline a student while criminal actions are pending. Pretty simple. Someone like Shannon, awaiting trial for a felony charge, would be suspended.

At Illinois they have a written policy regarding how "Student conflicts" are resolved. The judge ruled that until Illinois completes its investigation, Shannon is not subject to university discipline.

Its pretty ludicrous.

There was more to it than just that. The court expressed that Shannon would suffer undue harm ($) due to the suspension without receiving due process.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

It’s going to be ugly. The Chicago uniforms add intrigue. Curious to see how this game unfolds.

 

[Booty Maximus]

Why do you come on other teams message boards? It’s kinda weird tbh. Go defend your alleged rapist elsewhere.

To feel better about myself. It's working.

Are you telling us that Illinois should fire the basketball coach because one of the players is charged with a felony? NU fired the football head coach for misbehavior by players and nobody was charged with a crime.

Michigan suspended their star guard from playing in road games because he wasn't getting good enough grades.

Illinois has a guy charged with felony sexual assault awaiting trial and playing basketball for them at the same time.

I think you don't understand how "glass houses" work.

No, I'm baffled that morons like Baz throw stones at other programs. Nobody is without skeletons in their closets.

Illinois suspended Shannon and then a federal judge told them they couldn't.

 

[Baz=Heisman]

To feel better about myself. It's working.

No, I'm baffled that morons like Baz throw stones at other programs. Nobody is without skeletons in their closets.

We have one of the top 5 cleanest athletic departments in the country and it isn’t even debatable.

Doesn’t mean we’re perfect… but yeah we are pretty close to it in this scummy world of modern college athletics.

Also, we hold actual academic standards for our athletes (in all sports) unlike Illinois and every other program in the B1G. Very few programs do that. Really just us, Stanford, Rice and Vandy in FBS that I can think of off hand. Notre Dame used to and then Lou Holtz came and they gave up trying to win “the right way…”