B1G Tourney Open Thread: #8 Illinois vs. #9 Minnesota

By 11W Staff - 14 March 2013
44 Comments
- Hoops

TIPOFF	TELEVISION	Venue	FAVORITE
12:00 PM ET	BTN / BTN2GO	United Center	Minnesota (-3)

Follow @11W

Comments

VHX7 on 14 Mar 2013 - 12:19pm #

Not a bad matchup for an 8-9 game.

AngryWoody on 14 Mar 2013 - 12:29pm #

Y BTN no work?

Our honor Defend!

awwwwwwop on 14 Mar 2013 - 12:46pm #

I was having issues with BTN2go for Firefox originally and had to switch to slow ass internet explorer. AND IT FEELS LIKE I AM JUST TOO SLOW TO FUNCTION

"Who cares? Go Bucks." - Aaron Untch

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 12:50pm #

Do you guys really think Minny and Ill are NCAA tourney teams?

awwwwwwop on 14 Mar 2013 - 12:54pm #

All I know is that I would not want to see Illinois in my bracket, Minnesota not so much, they were only ever really good at home. Groce is a good tourney coach and any team that can rain threes from all 5 spots on the floor is terrifying. Illinois has enough good wins to make the tourney. I think we get a little bit of tunnel vision when looking at the B1G. It's so much better than the other conferences that it goes 9 deep with potential tourney teams. Losses to those other 3 are as bad as a loss to a team ranked like 4th in the ACC or 5th in the Big 12 or 2nd in the Pac 12.

"Who cares? Go Bucks." - Aaron Untch

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:02pm #

I just don't know if a team should be in that wasn't better than .500 in their conference, which Minny and Iowa are both sitting with Purdue @ 8-10. If Minny and Illinois are in, does that mean Iowa is in too? They're 9-9 in conference play. Right now Lunardi has 7 B1G teams in, including IU, OSU, MSU, UM, Wisky, Ill, and Minny.

AngryWoody on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:12pm #

I really do. Go watch the ACC or SEC tourneys and look at those teams. If Minny and Illinois are bad, those teams are unwatchable. It's all relative.

Illinois is 5-5 vs top 50 RPI including wins over Indiana, OSU, and Gonzaga on the road. Most teams don't have any wins like that much less three.

Minny has lost 11 but six of those are to top fifty RPI and of those 5 twenty RPI teams. Those RPI losses include number 1, 5, 12, 7 and 14. Their SOS was 2 in the country and they still have a better record than a lot of teams. They only lost one game OOC and that was to Duke (no shame in that). If these guys played in the SEC they'd be a 25-28 win team and we'd be saying they were a top five seed no question.

Our honor Defend!

tdible2132 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:03pm #

The B1G tourney is going to be very exciting this year. I love it that Big Ten basketball is so entertaining. I think there are 6 or 7 teams that could get hot and win the conference tournament this year (OSU, IU, MSU, SCUM, WISC, ILL, MINN). Adds a lot of excitement for many fans

Chris Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:07pm #

Man, Tubby's program seems to made up of a bunch of quitters. They come in 8-10 in the league, fighting for a Dance bid, and they shoot 6/22 and score 16 points in the first half?!

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:13pm #

Do I smell a Minny comeback?

AngryWoody on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:16pm #

Anyone else here the crowd cheering "Here we go Buckeyes! Here we go!"

Our honor Defend!

dubjayfootball90 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:38pm #

from all these comments, i though minny would be down and out, especially Chris's comments above, but I checked on ESPN and they are up by five.... is this just a very sloppy game or what?

xFactor11 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:41pm #

I did the exact same thing.. I actually wish I could be watching this game now.

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:45pm #

This game is sloppy and it's a 3 point chuck fest.

dubjayfootball90 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:51pm #

haha, nice description. got a good laugh out of that.

AngryWoody on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:49pm #

Man, Mbakwe is a monster down low.

Our honor Defend!

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:56pm #

Almost 3 minutes without a score from either team...The loser of this game might wanna burn the tape...Heck maybe the winner should too...

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:57pm #

Congrats to Minnesota for more than doubling their 1st half scoring.

Chris Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:57pm #

Man, I diss Minny at halftime and they're now shooting like 10/18 in the 2nd half.

Jason Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:58pm #

This is fun. Tied at 49 with 19.3 left?

dubjayfootball90 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:58pm #

19 seconds left and tied at 49?!?! (per espn game tracker)

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 1:59pm #

Tie ballgame...I think I smell OT

dubjayfootball90 on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:03pm #

TO and Illinois drains a bucket with one left, up by two, wow!!

Jason Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:02pm #

What a shot.

Final: Illinois 51-49.

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:04pm #

NM. I didn't smell OT, it was my BO. Man, congrats to Illinois.

Earle on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:19pm #

I was going to ask what OT smelled like. Now I know, and wish I didn't.

ColdBuckeye on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:06pm #

I would've liked to have heard Gus for that last 15 seconds.

Unky Buck on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:07pm #

I think Illinois was getting into the tourny anyway, but this at least puts a stamp on that. I guess the question now is: does Minnesota get in? I don't know if a loss to Illinois puts them out of it, but do they have enough to still get in?

Chris Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:11pm #

At 20-12 overall and 8-10 in regular season league play, Lunardi still has them in. Their RPI of 24 is a huge help. Wins over Sparty and Indiana will go a long way.

Chris Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:07pm #

Brandon Paul was a beast today. Had 25 of Illy's 51 points on 10/16 shooting.

Optimistic Buck... on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:20pm #

In my opinion, he should have beat out Hardaway for the 1st team spot.

Chris Staff on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:38pm #

No doubt Paul can be a beast but he's also pretty streaky. I couldn't slot him above Hardaway Jr mostly because TH Jr. shoots it better from the floor (45% to 40%) and from distance (38% to 33%) while averaging close to the same points per game.

(I didn't have Paul on my 1st or 2nd team. Would've had him 3rd team)

Optimistic Buck... on 14 Mar 2013 - 4:19pm #

Hardaway has a supporting cast that are shooting threats (Burke, Robinson, Stauskas) as well as distribute the ball. Just from watching the games that I have, it seemed to me that he was a support player that succeeded because his teammates made him better. I don't think Paul had that luxury, at least not to the same extent.

CALPOPPY on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:10pm #

That was a great start to the tourney. crowd went nuts. that was awesome.

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:12pm #

Anybody else pulling for a 1st round exit in this tourney from UM? Penn State's already beat them once...

BrewstersMillions on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:13pm #

That would mean the weirdos at Penn State would have something to be happy about....I'll have to pass.

4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off

tennbuckeye19 on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:16pm #

I'd like it if the weirdos @ UM were unhappy as well. That settles it, I'm rooting for a tie ballgame.

BrewstersMillions on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:18pm #

Ugh. Michigan Weird or Penn State Weird. That's like choosing between black licorice and turkey bacon....

4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off

dancorona5 on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:24pm #

hey! turkey bacon is...yeah it sucks...

kareemabduljacobb on 14 Mar 2013 - 2:13pm #

In other news it's my Bday today as well as national steak and blowjob day for men, a holiday celebrated a month after Vday... I knew there was some sort of correlation for my love of those 2 things and my bday. Excellllllllllllent.

Umm, Go Illini.