# Forget Wake and UNC...



## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

Illiniois and Kansas on longest 1-2 run in six years.


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## W1Z0C0Z (Jun 18, 2002)

Yeah, and they both last their last game, so.. that can't help. But UNC's still going to be a beast in the tourny.

My Dukies gonna be pushed up to 3 now?


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

Updated Top 10

1. Illinois
2. Kansas
3. Duke
4. Boston College
5. UNC
6. Wake Forest
7. Syracuse
8. Washington
9. Oklahoma St
10. Kentucky
11. Oklahoma


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

The sad part about this whole ordeal is the talking heads arent giving credit to an 18-0 team. I'm not saying my Illini are the best team in the country at all but give us some love.. Of course ESPN, Fox, any channel you name it, wont.. It doesnt matter Illinois turned down "The Season" offer it recieved.. They werent talking about them before so why would they now? Ok so they have talked a little more lately but it gets frustrating knowing how good this 18-0 team is. Hell these were the same morons that were on that St. Joes bandwagon as Jameer Nelson and Delonte west took off, that talked about them, but they cant talk good about Illinois? You gotta be kidding me. 

They may aswell say Duke is the true #1 now.. Even they would have a hard time proving that one..


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian34Cook</b>!
> The sad part about this whole ordeal is the talking heads arent giving credit to an 18-0 team. I'm not saying my Illini are the best team in the country at all but give us some love.. Of course ESPN, Fox, any channel you name it, wont.. It doesnt matter Illinois turned down "The Season" offer it recieved.. They werent talking about them before so why would they now? Ok so they have talked a little more lately but it gets frustrating knowing how good this 18-0 team is. Hell these were the same morons that were on that St. Joes bandwagon as Jameer Nelson and Delonte west took off, that talked about them, but they cant talk good about Illinois? You gotta be kidding me.
> 
> They may aswell say Duke is the true #1 now.. Even they would have a hard time proving that one..


The media polls that have Illinois #1, and they aren't giving them credit  

It's not like Illinois is so much better then everyone else - no doubt they are #1..... but, your acting like this team is of legendary proportions, yet there best road victory is either against Arkansas or Georgetown.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> The media polls that have Illinois #1, and they aren't giving them credit
> 
> It's not like Illinois is so much better then everyone else - no doubt they are #1..... but, your acting like this team is of legendary proportions, yet there best road victory is either against Arkansas or Georgetown.


Who cares about polls? It's freakin January.. That's why I could care less about being #1 right now. Where did I ever say how amazing this team is to other teams? As far as I know nowhere. This team is 18-0 and you can spin that any way you want I dont care.. 18-0 is 18-0 and no other team is 18-0 this year yet. 

The Polls may have Illinois #1 but nobody is really talking about em outside of Illinois.. No reason to I guess when they arent a well known high profile school like Duke, North Carolina, or Kansas. 

Look I am not saying Illinois is a dominant team (Even if they sure have looked like it) compared to other good teams, but they could get talked about just a little more ya think? 

That's fine.. Flying under the radar is fun.. :yes:


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian34Cook</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nope I don't think. They are getting the attention they deserve for a #1 or an 18-0 team in January. It seems to me they are getting plenty of respect and admiration, especially there three guards.. 

It's still too early for people and the media to freak out about someone going undefeated. That usually starts on or about February 1. If Illinois is still undefeated then, expect the national hysteria on there team to increase substantially (a la St. Joes from last year)


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Junior, why isn't Mississippi State still in your top 12???

lol


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## HeinzGuderian (Jun 29, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian34Cook</b>!
> That's fine.. Flying under the radar is fun.. :yes:


being #1 in the polls for several weeks in a row isn't exactly "flying under the radar"


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian34Cook</b>!
> 
> 
> Who cares about polls? It's freakin January.. That's why I could care less about being #1 right now. Where did I ever say how amazing this team is to other teams? As far as I know nowhere. This team is 18-0 and you can spin that any way you want I dont care.. 18-0 is 18-0 and no other team is 18-0 this year yet.
> ...


No I understand what he means. Watch basketball coverage on ESPN, ABC, Fox Sports and all the analysts still state that Wake or UNC is the best team in the nation. They'll say boy they got a good backcourt down there in Illinois, but nothing else about the team. How many packages have been done on Illinois, they've had two nationally televised games I believe. Maybe three. I completely understand what he means by flying under the radar.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>zagsfan20</b>!
> Junior, why isn't Mississippi State still in your top 12???
> 
> lol


They won't be there next time. That's all I can say.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Shelman: Illinois rolling because they are unselfish

It is, admittedly, something of a trick question.

Can you name the University of Illinois' leading scorer? Just who, exactly, leads the nation's top-ranked team in points per game?

It has to be guard Deron Williams, doesn't it? Williams, after all, may have been the biggest beneficiary of Bruce Weber's arrival in Champaign. Comfortable in the offense Weber brought from Southern Illinois, Williams blossomed as a sophomore. He entered this season with high expectations, as the junior was named Big Ten preseason player of the year.

Nope. Not Williams.

OK, well if not Williams, then it has to be guard Dee Brown, right? Brown bounces around the court in non-stop motion. He's the fastest player on one of the fastest teams in college basketball. So he's a natural to score points for Illinois.

Nope. Not Brown either.

Instead, Illinois' leading scorer is the third member of Weber's guard trio: Luther Head. It's probably fitting because Head sort of personifies this Illini team -- he shoots the ball well, he passes and he defends. He's not a superstar, but he's a very good player without a glaring weakness.

[More in URL]

Vitale: Can Illini go undefeated? Road games are key

People have asked me about the chances of Illinois challenging for an unbeaten season. It seems early to consider it, especially in mid-January with so much Big Ten conference play ahead. The Illini are 18-0 (4-0 Big Ten), and their next game is Thursday at home vs. Iowa (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).

The fans in Champaign in Orange Crush country have something to smile about. They should be excited about this edition. But Weber doesn't want to hear about undefeated seasons — he wants to concentrate on one Big Ten game at a time. His team doesn't want to become bulletin-board fodder. The bottom line is that he wants his program to be in position for a national championship.

[More in URL]

2 recently articles posted on ESPN.com .. There hasnt been many talking about this Illini team.. The first one is the best of all articles about Illinois I've seen this year.. Read it!


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## spongyfungy (Oct 22, 2003)

I don't understand how Digger still can say UNC is the no. 1 team in the country.( on PTI today). 

a two loss team. :no: He can say UNC will get to the final four and win the championship but right now he gives no respect to the midwest.


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## HeinzGuderian (Jun 29, 2004)

It doesn't matter their record, it matters how they are playing. Which UNC needs to learn how to win on the road. Digger is an idiot but I agree UNC has a good shot at winning. They need to play alot smarter than they are though if they want to make a serious run. I definitely wouldn't call them the favorites until they learn how to play well (read:smart) on the road.


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## Jonathan Watters (Jul 20, 2002)

Another close one at home for the Jayhawks. They should be commended for still being undefeated, but I have a feeling their day is coming. Kentucky is one of the more overrated teams in the country right now - and trust me, I thought this long before the Kansas game.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

I haved move Duke up to #2 in my rankings.

Duke has just been more impressive in their victories then Kansas.

And there signature victories against Michigan St and Oklahoma, can stand up to Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

As of now, the top 3:

1. Illinois
2. Duke
3. Kansas


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

How can you put Duke ahead of Kansas??? Duke hasn't played nearly the competition that the Jayhawks have...


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>zagsfan20</b>!
> How can you put Duke ahead of Kansas??? Duke hasn't played nearly the competition that the Jayhawks have...


Both teams have played two really good opponentsL
Kansas - at Kentcuky. Georgia Tech
Duke - Michigan St, Oklahoma (neutral)

They are #1 and #2 in the RPI.

Other then that it's pretty equal - you can't separate the top two teams in the country because they have played Vermont and Pacific.

There is not much separating them right now. Duke has had a bit of an easier time as of late against their competition. If they played tomorrow on a neutral court, my money's on Duke.

As they are both undefeated, my #2 ranking goes to who I would put my money on.


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## vadimivich (Mar 29, 2004)

> He can say UNC will get to the final four and win the championship but right now he gives no respect to the midwest.


When was the last midwestern team to win a National Championship? I know it hurts, but the ACC and Big East get a lot of love because they win the damn thing a lot.


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>vadimivich</b>!
> 
> 
> When was the last midwestern team to win a National Championship? I know it hurts, but the ACC and Big East get a lot of love because they win the damn thing a lot.


The thing is were talking about Digger Phelps who happens to be a former coach at Notre Dame which is in the Midwest. But Michigan State in 2000 to be exact.


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## vadimivich (Mar 29, 2004)

Yeah, since 1990 only Arkansas in 1994 and MSU in 2000 have been "midwestern" teams that won it all (and Arkansas is in the SEC ... not really very midwestern).

The east coast has dominated college basketball for quite some time, thus those schools get the most coverage. Hey, I hate Duke too ... but they do seem to win an awful lot.


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

come back to me when Illinois and Kansas plays a ranked team on the road


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>sboydell</b>!
> come back to me when Illinois and Kansas plays a ranked team on the road


Ummmmm ok

Illinois: No victories against a ranked team on the road
Kansas: 1 victory at #8 Kentucky
Duke: No victories
Wake Forest: 1 victory at #25 Virginia
North Carolina: No victories
Boston College: 2 victories at #24 West Virginia and #9 UConn

So your point that Illinois and Kansas need to play ranked teams on the road is pertinent because...


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

*What people are saying about the Illini..*

What coaches/others have to say about Illinois..

Delaware State (5-11) @ Illinois: 87-67
``These kids came out and put forth a great effort, but you can only play on emotion for so long until talent takes over. The difference in this ballgame was talent.'' 
- Delaware State Coach Greg Jackson

Florida A&M (3-10) @ Illinois: 91-60
``I wish we could have come in here and been more competitive.'' 
- Florida A&M Coach Mike Gillespie. 

Oakland (4-10) @ Illinois: 85-54
``For a single night, that's the best team I've ever seen. They pass the ball so well. They're so unselfish. Their guard play is so good, defensively they get after you. I don't see a weakness.'' 
- Oakland Coach Greg Kampe

Gonzaga (13-3) @ Indianapolis: 89-72
``We were thoroughly dominated today, in every phase of the game. There were times it didn't appear we belonged out there on the court. That's a really, really good basketball team. Everybody is back. They're hungry. I don't think they have any weaknesses at all.'' 
- Gonzaga Coach Mark Few

Wake Forest (15-2) @ Illinois: 91-73
``They played infinitely better than we did. I don't know how much more clearly I can say it. They made shots that were open, they made shots that were contested. Their offense was exponentially better than our defense, hence the score of the game. I think coach Weber has a terrific team. This is a great night for them, not a great night for Wake Forest. We'll see where we go from here.'' 
- Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser

Illinois @ Arkansas (13-5): 72-60
``Our goal was to do the best we could in the first half and wear them down early and still have a chance to get in the game in the second half. There were a few possessions where we really hurt ourselves by missing the shot, or getting the foul but not making the free throw. Honestly, though, I'm not disappointed in the way we played overall'' 
- Arkansas Coach Stan Heath

Chicago State (3-11) @ Illinois: 78-59
``You can't run up and down with Illinois. They're too quick at every position so we knew coming in the game we had to spread the floor, try to take advantage of some of our quickness, try to run the clock and try to get a good shot.'' 
- Chicago State Coach Kevin Jones

Illinois @ Georgetown (11-5): 74-59
"That's great that we stayed in the game 10 minutes, but the game's longer than 10 minutes. Our team is young, our team needs to get better, but we're not taking any moral victories." 
- Georgetown Coach John Thompson III

Oregon (11-3) @ Illinois: 83-66
``If you have any type of slippage whatsoever, they really make you pay. Every ranking they've gotten, they deserve. They've got a chance to have a special year. That is a very, very good basketball team. If I compare them to people in our conference, they remind me of some of the great Stanford teams of old. They understand the mentality, how to work you every single possession. Very rarely do they take a play off offensively or defensively.'' 
- Oregon Coach Ernie Kent

Valparaiso (6-10) @ Illinois: 93-56
``We wanted to give a better game than what we did but when you look at five people in double figures and Illinois had only five turnovers -- they're just fun." 
- Valparaiso Coach Homer Drew 

Illinois @ Missouri (9-8 ): 70-64
``We've taken some steps. You look at the scoreboard and we haven't gone far enough. I think the challenge for us is to continue to grind at it.'' 
- Missouri Coach Quin Snyder

Illinois vs Longwood (1-20) @ Las Vegas: 105-79
``We earned their respect. My teammates stepped up. Everybody stepped up, made big plays, played good defense, made some big shots.'' 
- Longwood Player Michael Jefferson

Northwestern State (10-8 ) @ Illinois: 69-51
``I felt like we competed for the whole 40 minutes. We did have more turnovers in the second half than we did in the first, but I think a lot of that was the kids wanted it too bad and made a lot of not very intelligent plays.'' 
- Northwestern State Coach Mike McConathy

Illinois vs Cincinatti (15-2) @ Las Vegas: 67-45
``We didn't help ourselves. We need to rebound better. We need to shoot 46 percent (from the field) or better. There needs to be less turnovers and we didn't do that. We didn't do what we had to do.'' 
- Cincinatti Coach Bob Huggins

Ohio State (12-6) @ Illinois: 84-65
``They made a couple adjustments (at halftime) and I think we probably wore down a little bit. I got indoctrinated into the Big Ten tonight.''
- Ohio State Coach Thad Matta

Illinois @ Purdue (4-11): 68-59
``I think it kind of shocked them the way we played. It was probably a good wakeup call for them, but hey, they got the 'W.'' 
- Purdue Coach Gene Keady

Penn State (6-11) @ Illinois: 90-64
``We're honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Flyin' Illini. To be up there with them is great because that's probably the greatest team we've had in the history of Illinois basketball.'' 
- Illinois Guard Deron Williams on team's 17-0 Start
- Penn State Coach Ed DeChellis left without talking to reporters so his team could beat a line of thunderstorms out of town. 

Illinois @ Northwestern (8-8 ) : 78-66
``They spread you out and the have guys knocking down 3s. Their speed is a factor.'' 
- Northwestern Coach Bill Carmody

Iowa (13-4) @ Illinois: 73-68 OT
``We fought back and we had them and they came through in the end and showed why they are No. 1.''
- Iowa Guard Pierre Pierce


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## krob (Jul 6, 2002)

Illinois did play a ranked Gonzaga and Cinnci team on a nuetral site. Not exactly road, but is Vegas a home game for the Illini?


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## krob (Jul 6, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Brian34Cook</b>!
> People have asked me about the chances of Illinois challenging for an unbeaten season. It seems early to consider it, especially in mid-January with so much Big Ten conference play ahead. The Illini are 18-0 (4-0 Big Ten), and their next game is Thursday at home vs. Iowa (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).
> 
> The fans in Champaign in Orange Crush country have something to smile about. They should be excited about this edition. But Weber doesn't want to hear about undefeated seasons — he wants to concentrate on one Big Ten game at a time. His team doesn't want to become bulletin-board fodder. The bottom line is that he wants his program to be in position for a national championship.
> ...



Frankly, I don't give a **** what Dickie V says... He can go **** himself... Same goes to Digger and Billie Packard...


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## HoosierDaddy (Nov 18, 2003)

Noboa is right. ILL are getting enough credit considering they havnt played anybody decent on the road yet.


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>T.Shock</b>!
> 
> 
> Ummmmm ok
> ...


kansas and illinois will have more losses when they don't play their toughest opponents at home, homefield advantage means alot


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>sboydell</b>!
> kansas and illinois will have more losses when they don't play their toughest opponents at home, homefield advantage means alot


Um ok so when Illinois beats Wisconsin on Tuesday it wont mean anything? Or will everyone shut up? 

Hooser - Btw they havent played anyone decent on the road? Talking about decent teams Cincinatti is 15-2 and they played em in Las Vegas, Illinois played Gonzaga at Indianapolis but that's a home game for most, Illinois played a good young Arkansas team in Arkansas, Played a not bad Georgetown team in Washington.

Whatever though.. Once Illinois wins @ Wisconsin and @ Michigan State then we're talking


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## HoosierDaddy (Nov 18, 2003)

Good joke


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>HoosierDaddy</b>!
> Good joke


Just like the Hoosiers record. Thanks!


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

Anybody who has the ability to talk smack on Illinois' performance and/or schedule is in serious need of high grade sobriety.


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

> Um ok so when Illinois beats Wisconsin on Tuesday it wont mean anything? Or will everyone shut up?


your a illinois fan too(you must be some kind of good luck charm with almost all your teams making the playoffs in the pros 

but seeing what happened to the Lakers and Cardinals I know who I'm taking if Illinois makes it to the championship


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

I was wrong about Illinois, but right about Kansas 

can't get them all right


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>sboydell</b>!
> I was wrong about Illinois, but right about Kansas
> 
> can't get them all right


FYI, Kansas beat a top 10 Kentucky team a couple of weeks ago. In Rupp Arena. Without Wayne Simien. So I'm not sure you're exactly "right" about Kansas.


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## Ron Mexico (Feb 14, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>VincentVega</b>!
> 
> 
> FYI, Kansas beat a top 10 Kentucky team a couple of weeks ago. In Rupp Arena. Without Wayne Simien. So I'm not sure you're exactly "right" about Kansas.


I forgot about that game oops


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

And maybe now is not the time to forget UNC. DAMN they got things goin'.


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