***OFFICIAL MINNESOTA AT ILLINOIS IN-GAME THREAD!!!***

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Maybe I'm wrong and it will take reaching the Big Ten final (like 2010) if we don't win tonight.
 



WriterGoph said:
I just have a hard time believing we would be left out if we finished 23-12 (11-9) with 4 potential Quad 1 wins.
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Finishing with 23 wins, in this scenario, would be us making the Finals. Which is different than getting just 2 wins in the BTT. This would mean beating Purdue and the 4/5 seed, or beating both the #2 and #3 seeds. 23-12 might get us there. But we'd have a lot of things against us. 4 Q1 wins isn't all that great, bad OOC schedule, and a Q3(might be Q4 by the end of the year) loss.
 

WriterGoph said:
So your contention is that if the Gophers win their last three games including a Quad 1 at Northwestern and finish 11-9, they still won't be on the bubble?
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No. I'd say they need four more wins to be on the bubble (not counting Wednesday/Thursday B1G Tournament games.)
 


Right when everybody says MN will have little chance to upset ILL, we may just do it for no particular reason! Weird things happen. Maybe someone will pull a fire alarm.:rolleyes: (Only in a game between my two least favorite teams -Wisc and IND...)

When the defensive matchups are as difficult as tonight, I have to feel that CBJ will throw in a few different looks--matchup zone D periodically. MN may be able to hide undersized E Hawkins and enable him to get under reaching for dribble drivers. Illinois plays faster than MN, attacks the basket, and consequently gets to the FT line almost as much as MN, but making a higher % of their FTs.

The Illini are very good at forcing opposing offenses into iso ball, as they are #1 in conf. with teams only assisting on 40% of FGs. MN currently #1 in conf. with assist rate of 63.5%. This is further evidenced by ILL #1 rated 3PTFG perimeter defensive rate. Teams are only shooting 24.4% of FG attempts from 3 vs ILL. (MN shoots 39% of FGs from behind the arc).

The battle of the glass will be crucial, as ILL has a statistical advantage on both ends. Need big efforts from all hands on deck, looking at you Wilson. Expect a lot of fouls between runs from both teams.
 

I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
 

Just have to win tonight period. Can't/won't have any NCAA tourney talk without it. Go get it. They are not that great.
 




SplitDecision said:
Right when everybody says MN will have little chance to upset ILL, we may just do it for no particular reason! Weird things happen. Maybe someone will pull a fire alarm.:rolleyes: (Only in a game between my two least favorite teams -Wisc and IND...)

When the defensive matchups are as difficult as tonight, I have to feel that CBJ will throw in a few different looks--matchup zone D periodically. MN may be able to hide undersized E Hawkins and enable him to get under reaching for dribble drivers. Illinois plays faster than MN, attacks the basket, and consequently gets to the FT line almost as much as MN, but making a higher % of their FTs.

The Illini are very good at forcing opposing offenses into iso ball, as they are #1 in conf. with teams only assisting on 40% of FGs. MN currently #1 in conf. with assist rate of 63.5%. This is further evidenced by ILL #1 rated 3PTFG perimeter defensive rate. Teams are only shooting 24.4% of FG attempts from 3 vs ILL. (MN shoots 39% of FGs from behind the arc).

The battle of the glass will be crucial, as ILL has a statistical advantage on both ends. Need big efforts from all hands on deck, looking at you Wilson. Expect a lot of fouls between runs from both teams.
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So Something’s Got To Give 💪
 

In this era of metrics, I just read that MN is #1 nationally in "points per play cutting to the basket", and #11 in "pts per play finishing at the rim" according to ShotQuality.
They will need some of that tonight!! Go Gophs!
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
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He’s a massive whiner too. Never met a call he doesn’t agree with.

He’s gonna do it countless times tonight

Insufferable
 




WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
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To diminish a player based on his appearance and/or his name is bush league. Whether or not you like him or the Illini, he is a tenacious competitor and an all B1G player. Having said that, if we can defend him well, and make his contributions unimportant in this game, that’d be great, and would give us to chance to win.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
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Say what you will about him; the guy could blow a mean tenor sax!
 

Go4POV said:
To diminish a player based on his appearance and/or his name is bush league. Whether or not you like him or the Illini, he is a tenacious competitor and an all B1G player. Having said that, if we can defend him well, and make his contributions unimportant in this game, that’d be great, and would give us to chance to win.
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Its sports. Thar's what we do. I'm sure he's heard way worse from student sections everywhere. He can handle it.

And I can't stand him. He's in the league of Settles and Brian Cardinal and Evan Eschmeyer, or annoyances that just wouldn't go away.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
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Well now wait a minute. When you mention the "ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten", What about Granville Waiters?
LOL
 

Guarding Shannon and Hawkins will be key!!! Big night for Garcia and BC on defense tonight.

Go Gophers!!!!
 

RockChalk said:
Well now wait a minute. When you mention the "ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten", What about Granville Waiters?
LOL
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One of my all time favorites and I hope he’s still looping around and hooping somewhere, he had an old man game as a toddler.

He was Grandpa Waiters on my 8th grade team.
 

RockChalk said:
Well now wait a minute. When you mention the "ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten", What about Granville Waiters?
LOL
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Let’s make a list. Might need to add Battle as well. Tarver for one of our own.
 


If the shots are falling we can probably make it interesting......if they aren't, it could get ugly in a hurry.
 

MUgopher32 said:
We just have no way to full match them in anyway with their size and athleticism combo.

Sleeper media did a preview and tried to give gophs props but break down match ups and it’s tough.

Who guards shannon? How do you hide Hawkins and Mitchell? It’ll be booty ball all game. Gophs play big? Illinois throws guerrier and Hawkins as athletes. They pound glass.

Illinois can’t defend/doesn’t try to. So maybe we pull what Iowa did and keep it close and unlike Iowa win it late.

But they are a match up nightmare on us o when they have the ball.
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Perfect game for the re-emergence of JOJ...one can hope
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I want to see one thing tonight. I want them to make Coleman Hawkins miserable and unimportant. This guy is the ugliest human to ever play in the Big Ten and also has one of the stupidest names I’ve ever heard of for a basketball player. He sounds like an annoying yuppie from the movie Trading Places. I cannot stand that guy. He is an all-time Big Ten villain to me.
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Bump him a few times and he'll be too busy crying to the refs....that's how you take him out of the game.
 

have to imagine we have to score near the 80s to win this one. Hopefully Christie and Mitchell have their shots falling tonight.
 

MNVCGUY said:
If the shots are falling we can probably make it interesting......if they aren't, it could get ugly in a hurry.
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Or you can make it interesting like NW and Maryland tonight. With seven minutes to play they are combined 3-30 from three.
 

How much of the game will we miss since the networks think all games only take 2 hours?
 

What a wonderful opportunity to play our first complete game of the year and snag the signature W of CBJ’s tenure. That double byline is still visible.

Go toe to toe with them like we did at Purdue.
 



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