Question for Clarkmeister and Illini Fans

[pc in NM]

On one of the Arizona boards where I participate, a poster has wondered who the Chicago/Illini fans might be inclined to support in the Arizona/OSU game on Thursday. (I know you are confident that the Illini will trounce either one /images/graemlins/laugh.gif)

Do you see either team being favored by your fellow fans? Arizona, as a prospect to gain a measure of revenge for 2001?

Just curious....

I'm hoping for an Elite Eight rematch of 2001 - and a similar outcome.... /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Clarkmeister]

I don't know who they will root for. The perception is that OSU is a better team than Arizona and a tougher matchup so many may root for Arizona. But as you indicated there are some who will want revenge and will root for OSU. (Our biggest revenge game is against UWM, where lucifer resides as head coach.) Personally, we have to beat whoever we play so I'll root for whoever I bet on, likely OSU. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

That said, the only way you get a similar result as in 2001 is if you get the same rigged officiating crew on the game to foul out 3 of our starters and 6 total Illinois players to Arizona's zero. Somehow I doubt that'll happen in Chicago.

[Clarkmeister]

BTW, the spread is a pickem and both AZ and OSU have the same odds to win the regional. So apparently the bookies don't think that either team is preferable from the Illini's perspective.

[pc in NM]

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That said, the only way you get a similar result as in 2001 is if you get the same rigged officiating crew on the game to foul out 3 of our starters and 6 total Illinois players to Arizona's zero. Somehow I doubt that'll happen in Chicago.

[/ QUOTE ]

Do a lot of Illini fans share this memory? The injustice of it all, that is? My own recall is that Self deliberately used a strategy of attrition with the big clumsy fellas trying to wear down the more skilled, but "fragile" Cats.

Some Arizona fans still "recall" the first game that season, when "the deranged madman", Luke Johnson, ran amok, to the horror of civilized basketball fans everywhere!!! /images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/shocked.gif /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I guess "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", eh?

Actually, I personally "guaranteed" that Arizona victory in advance, offering to absent myself from the Arizona sports boards for six months if I was wrong - won a nice chunk o' change, too!! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Clarkmeister]

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Do a lot of Illini fans share this memory? The injustice of it all, that is?

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If by "a lot" you mean "all" then the answer is yes.

In all seriousness, what coach uses a strategy that fouls out 3 of his 5 starters and his 3 best bench players?? If it had been 2 of the big bench guys, you might have a case, but 3 of the 5 starters while no one on the other team fouls out? C'mon.

[pc in NM]

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In all seriousness, what coach uses a strategy that fouls out 3 of his 5 starters and his 3 best bench players?? If it had been 2 of the big bench guys, you might have a case, but 3 of the 5 starters while no one on the other team fouls out? C'mon.

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What ya gonna do with a bunch of big clumsy guys against superior, quicker athletes? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Really, what were the average number of fouls per game for the Illini that post-season? Maybe fouls, per se, weren't the intention, but Self had them to waste, and was willng to do so, if need be. Illinois really took Arizona out of its game early that season with a rough and tumble style of play - and I think he thought that would still carry the day. Arizona knew they couldn't beat the Illini at that game. But Arizona did have several quick, athletic player (four ar still in the league - Jefferson and Arenas are big stars), and Illinois played into Lute's plan in that last game....

On a side note, do you think Self could have gotten the same success out of these players (He recruited most of them, didn't he?) as has Weber? The style of play is different than Self's, and Self even seemed to struggle with the KU talent this year, forcing Williams' players into a more structured mode that they seemed to struggle against....

[Clarkmeister]

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On a side note, do you think Self could have gotten the same success out of these players (He recruited most of them, didn't he?) as has Weber?

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No way. Not close IMO. Though in fairness, if Self had stayed, this team would have had Charlie Villanueva on the roster too, so maybe the extra quality player would've been enough to get the same record. But Weber has them playing a far more exciting, productive offensive style, and even more importantly, he convinced them to play defense which Self had a tough time doing.

All crappy officiating aside, I always thought that he underachieved all season with the 2001 team as well. It was really bad luck that Lon Kruger got such a huge offer from the Atlanta Hawks because I think he would've gotten that team to win the whole thing.

[7ontheline]

Uh. . .did I just read this for real? Lon Kruger? Clarknasty, I applaud your Illini zeal but you're on crack. Lon Kruger was a coach who was good enough to get your team on the right track, but win the whole thing?

And yes, the pain of that Arizona game still gnaws. That's the one where Frank Williams misses the jumper at the end, right? He never lived up to his potential. He never seemed to get better. Grr.

Finally, I don't care who we play. Both teams are good. We can beat either, but both are certainly capable of beating us. I would say that Illinois will have the hardest Elite Eight game of any #1 seed that makes it to that round. Washington is getting their hard game now, against Louisville, and UNC has a cakewalk into the Final Four if they take care of business against 'Nova. I don't believe in Kentucky, so Duke is set also. At least the game against UWM should be easy. Hopefully.

[Clarkmeister]

Well, I find it hard to believe that Kruger could have taken the preseason #1 team in the country and #1 seed in the tourney to *worse* than an E8 finish. So whether or not the 2001 team would have won it all that year, they certainly would have had a better chance had they been with a better game coach and hadn't had to learn a new system.

He took Florida to the FF with a team that had a fraction of the talent that Illinois team had. I don't see any reason he couldn't have gone further with that team.

[GrooveNougat]

What's up guys. Yeah, I have a hard time thinking Lon or anyone could have taken that 2001 team any further. If you remember, Frankie was having a great tourney, but Richard Jefferson just locked him up in that AZ game. And Robert Archibald played out of his mind (and beyond his talent level) that game. Go ILLINI.

[7ontheline]

I think the biggest problem was Frankie WIlliams - I rooted for him since he was on my beloved Illini, but I always thought he was overrated. Put someone athletic on him (like Jefferson) and he would have real trouble. His nondescript pro career bore out all my worst fears. Marcus Griffin was pretty unathletic too - he was just big.

[bugstud]

in case anyone missed the other thread, I can get you reasonable tickets, PM me.

I would much rather face arizona right now, stoudamire could get shut down imo. OSU actually plays defense, which is scary.