I think the Michigan game was great preparation for IL. I think we get some revenge.
Next Up IL
- Thread starter Chicagoherky71
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Illinois did NOT look good tonight. They are definitely beatable.
Oddly enough, Illinois hasn't looked great lately. Close wins against teams we crushed. Let's hope momentum stays on our side.
Illinois is not a good matchup for the Hawks. With that said, as mentioned above...they are not playing their best now and we are. Always a tough game in Champaign. It will be a good game with us coming up a little short.
Spread out our guys as much as possible and get the ball to Keegan/Kris (whoever is being guarded by Cockburn) at the top of the key. No way Cockburn can handle those two in open space.
Use same double down strategy as used against Michigan. I don't think Cockburn is as good of a passer as Dickinson is.
Use same double down strategy as used against Michigan. I don't think Cockburn is as good of a passer as Dickinson is.
Would like to see Fran throw Ogundule at Kofi a few minutes and wear him down. His stamina is not great. I think Hawks have a 50/50 shot of winning this, they are playing for seed and Illinois isn’t playing for squat. Senior night can be a distraction sometime.
Rivalry game. Hawks come in with piss and vinegar and I like their chances
You guys have definitely been playing really good as of late. I'm still confident Illinois will get the win in Champaign though. It'll be Senior Night with a loud as hell hyped up sold out crowd and a see of orange. Our players, coaches and fans will be all dialed in to get our seniors Trent Frazier & Damonte Williams their final victory at home.
Should be one hell of a game. Can't wait!
Should be one hell of a game. Can't wait!
Should be a good game. Both teams are still playing for seeding, and Iowa typically plays hard at Illinois. Back and forth game, with the Illini prevailing at the end.
lol so many bad takes in one short post. 🤣 First off, thinking Kofi's "stamina is not great" is so laughably ignorant and untrue . He's a freak of nature (7 ft tall, 285 pounds of muscle ) runs the floor really well, gets hacked a ton of times every game he's played in this season alone and his stats are insanely impressive as well.
Kofi Cockburn - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball - University of Illinois Athletics
Kofi Cockburn (21) C - Cockburn for Player of the Year | Cockburn's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF) 2021-22 Junior NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American Only NCAA
fightingillini.com
and lol at thinking Illinois "isn't playing for squat". jfc you couldn't be more wrong on that one as well. Illinois is also playing for a good seed for the tourney and it'll be Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams' final home game in front of a sold out crowd for Senior Night.
Sorry not sorry but I can't help but be hyped and confident for this home game vs you guys(not cocky though cause you guys are playing lights out as of late, more so cautiously optimistic since we're playing at home )
May the best team win and here's to ZERO injuries!
lol so many bad takes in one short post. 🤣 First off, thinking Kofi's "stamina is not great" is so laughably ignorant and untrue . He's a freak of nature (7 ft tall, 285 pounds of muscle ) runs the floor really well, gets hacked a ton of times every game he's played in this season alone and his stats are insanely impressive as well.
Kofi Cockburn - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball - University of Illinois Athletics
Kofi Cockburn (21) C - Cockburn for Player of the Year | Cockburn's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF) 2021-22 Junior NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American Only NCAA
and lol at thinking Illinois "isn't playing for squat". jfc you couldn't be more wrong on that one as well. Illinois is also playing for a good seed for the tourney and it'll be Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams' final home game in front of a sold out crowd for Senior Night.
Sorry not sorry but I can't help but be hyped and confident for this home game vs you guys(not cocky though cause you guys are playing lights out as of late, more so cautiously optimistic since we're playing at home )
May the best team win and here's to ZERO injuries!
What is up with that Cuerbelo kid? He was an absolute killer last season and I thought primed for an All-American year. Sounds like a concusssion has derailed his entire year and he hasn't gotten his rhythm back. Pretty scary.
This is not going to be an easy game but I definitely think the Hawks have a good shot the way they've been playing. Seems to usually be a good hard-fought game in Champaign. Should be a barn burner.
Don't expect another Illini letdown. Senior night, a packed Assembly Hall, and mutual dislike between both teams. Iowa will have to bring their own intensity and throw an early punch like they just did in Ann Arbor.
Just a couple weeks ago I was hoping hawks could end season 1-1. But the way we are rolling....I think hawks take care of business and get that 4 seed
That's what Michigan thought last night. Hopefully Illinois is just expecting a win and we catch them off guard.
This is the same thing people were saying about Michigan. Also about Ohio State. I am in no way overconfident, but the way this team is playing, the defense, the passing, tenacious rebounding, gorgeous shooting, running, penetrating, etc etc and participation top to bottom and never depending on any one player, I honestly think that this team could beat anyone.
We don’t need a big bruising center to beat anyone in the country. We are seeing how fun and dangerous positionless basketball can be
I am not worried about Illinois.
because of Fran, Because of the family culture in the team, and also because of Kenyon Murray and the way that he raised his sons to act and play, calm and collected and within themselves, this is by far the best team and the most tournament ready Iowa team I’ve seen in over two decades.
Iowa wins by about the same margin on Sunday as they did last night.
And I think Iowa beats Wisconsin next week. Hope we get to play them. Think we will.
I watched Harrar beat Cockburn down the floor several times last night. Anyone is capable of being gassed. I admit Cockburn is a freak of nature, but the hawks are capable of shutting him down. Look at the first half of our first match up, kept him to a season low 3 pts. (still his lowest half of the year.) He did have an outstanding second half, though.lol so many bad takes in one short post. 🤣 First off, thinking Kofi's "stamina is not great" is so laughably ignorant and untrue . He's a freak of nature (7 ft tall, 285 pounds of muscle ) runs the floor really well, gets hacked a ton of times every game he's played in this season alone and his stats are insanely impressive as well.
Kofi Cockburn - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball - University of Illinois Athletics
Kofi Cockburn (21) C - Cockburn for Player of the Year | Cockburn's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF) 2021-22 Junior NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American Only NCAA
and lol at thinking Illinois "isn't playing for squat". jfc you couldn't be more wrong on that one as well. Illinois is also playing for a good seed for the tourney and it'll be Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams' final home game in front of a sold out crowd for Senior Night.
Sorry not sorry but I can't help but be hyped and confident for this home game vs you guys(not cocky though cause you guys are playing lights out as of late, more so cautiously optimistic since we're playing at home )
May the best team win and here's to ZERO injuries!
"The hawks are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."
I think if the stars align the hawks can win, but I'm not holding my breath. Last night seemed like Keegan and Kris' best performance of the year together, can they repeat it? If they play like they did last night my money would be on Iowa.
As mentioned, Iowa needs to throw Josh O at Cockburn for a good 5 to 8 minutes in each half to beat and bang on him so Keegan, Kris, and Filip don’t get into foul trouble if Iowa is to have a chance to win. And…..
Yeah, well Michigan wanted to send Brooks off with a win.
What you want isn't always what you get.
Agree same strategy as Michigan. If they hit their 3's they win but let's not let Cockburn beat us.
Damonte Williams had his right shoulder injured last night in a collision with a Penn St. player. I highly doubt he'll be available or play much in Sunday's game against Iowa...lol so many bad takes in one short post. 🤣 First off, thinking Kofi's "stamina is not great" is so laughably ignorant and untrue . He's a freak of nature (7 ft tall, 285 pounds of muscle ) runs the floor really well, gets hacked a ton of times every game he's played in this season alone and his stats are insanely impressive as well.
Kofi Cockburn - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball - University of Illinois Athletics
Kofi Cockburn (21) C - Cockburn for Player of the Year | Cockburn's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF) 2021-22 Junior NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American Only NCAA
and lol at thinking Illinois "isn't playing for squat". jfc you couldn't be more wrong on that one as well. Illinois is also playing for a good seed for the tourney and it'll be Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams' final home game in front of a sold out crowd for Senior Night.
Sorry not sorry but I can't help but be hyped and confident for this home game vs you guys(not cocky though cause you guys are playing lights out as of late, more so cautiously optimistic since we're playing at home )
May the best team win and here's to ZERO injuries!
If I was an Iowa fan, I would feel like I had a good chance to win this game. Illinois hasn't been playing great lately and Iowa is on a roll. I would agree with one Iowa fan who indicated Iowa doesn't match up great with Illinois, but that doesn't mean Iowa can't win. Illinois seems a little tired right now and some players are hurting, but I expect Illinois to be up for the game as it's senior night.
While I expect Illinois to win at home, I wouldn't put money on it. I just hope no one gets hurt and both teams keep their emotions in check.
While I expect Illinois to win at home, I wouldn't put money on it. I just hope no one gets hurt and both teams keep their emotions in check.
I thought MI was a poor matchup, too. I was wrong.
With IL, Iowa just needs to watch out for the pick and rolls. And if they help on Kofi like they did Dickinson in the last game, I like Iowa's chances.
Illinois is a well team. I guess we'll just sea how the game goes.
Yes, I'd take some Josh for a few minutes each half and make Cockburn work to move him.
I think PSU sagged on Cockburn and didn't guard some Illini players and dared them to make 3pt shots. I only caught the postgame but I thought Underwood said something about Junk defense and Da'monte Williams..
Guard Plummer and Grandison 40%+ from 3 on season, Frazier at 35% is wildcard, and Curbelo and Damonte are not great shooters.
Regardless of the outcome, I’m more excited for this game than I’ve been for an Iowa basketball game since last March. Iowa/Illinois has turned into quite the rivalry, ultra-competitive, and a lot of really tight games. Expecting a “down to the wire” type of game and hope the Hawks can end up on the right side
Me too. It would be fun to watch. Painful if Josh was the one needing the spell. 😆
Last time we played, we were down by just 3 at halftime and ended up losing by 4 points.
The Illini, in that game:
* Had 19 offensive rebounds (Iowa had just 9).
* Had a +28 overall Rebounding margin (52-24).
* Had 24 (!!!) SECOND CHANCE points.
Those are just crazy numbers; yet we still almost pulled out a win.
Iowa is playing so much better now, especially on the glass. Don't be surprised when Iowa comes away with the win to secure the #4 seed in the B1G Tournament.
He has absolutely not been the same since the head injuries, really unfortunate and scary. With that said, there have been flashes and the kid ALWAYS brings 110% effort. He was lights out vs. Purdue in the double OT game, but he got hurt AND sick again shortly after. Cautiously optimistic he’s on the right path.
As for the game, I expect an intense battle. We have no answer for Murray, and you have no answer for Kofi. You’ve been playing better defense lately, and we probably have a small shooting advantage. Both teams will be desperate to disrupt the other’s game plan, and I think it will be very fun to watch if you aren’t a fan of one of our teams, because I’m predicting a stressful one!
And I’m a fan! I “grew up” as a fan during the early and mid-2000s, so Iowa was kind of down while Illinois was REALLY up. I always knew our historical rivals were Missouri and Indiana and that it was always Illinois/MSU/Wisconsin battling for the conference title, but older fans always talked about how Iowa used to be a great rivalry. Right as Fran got you guys competitive, we experienced the mess that was the Groce years, so it was really cool to see this blossom into such a great rivalry in 2019-20!The rivalry has definitely picked up a bit over the last few years.
Other than MAYBE Mizzou, I’d say the vast majority of Illini fans would answer that Iowa is our best rivalry right now! Hope that continues, because it’s been fun.
i just hope we don't beat the hell out of each other on Sunday and then in the B1G tournament we don't all beat the hell out of each other some more. Sometimes I wonder if the grind takes a toll, resulting in bad NCAA Tournament outcomes.
Certainly did for Illinois last year, IMO … ended the season with three straight road wins at #23 Wisconsin, #2 Michigan and #7 Ohio State, followed by Rutgers, #5 Iowa and #9 Ohio State in the BTT, with the latter being an emotional OT game for a championship. Not an excuse, but by the time we were laying an egg vs. Loyola, you could honestly tell we were just exhausted.
Hoping the Big Ten can make some runs this year!
The weird thing is that even Connor McCaffrey, while hustling, isn’t losing his shit lately. Some thing about this teams demeanor and character and focus has changed entirely. No anger. No frustration. Never any quit. They are playing within themselves, and so I don’t expect to see anything like the above picture. I think Iowa will with great effort, though somehow calmly, comfortably earn a victoryThe rivalry has definitely picked up a bit over the last few years.
I still can’t believe how Iowa and Illinois and the entire conference did so poorly in the tournament last year. It’s like everybody beat each other up so much that they forgot that there was actually a tournament after the Big Ten tournament.
Both teams need to be good to be hated rivals. You guys may hate Northwestern, but you’re not rivals.
The twins are going to do a lot of running Sunday night.
They can't stop Kofi but he can't keep up with them.
The kid with the orange hair scares me, he's a long jumping jack. The rebound dunk he had off his own miss recently was impressive as hell.
This should be a great game. At worst we are 8-2 in last 10 and avenged one of those L's.
They can't stop Kofi but he can't keep up with them.
The kid with the orange hair scares me, he's a long jumping jack. The rebound dunk he had off his own miss recently was impressive as hell.
This should be a great game. At worst we are 8-2 in last 10 and avenged one of those L's.
He's projected late 2nd round in most mock drafts. His game is a dinosaur for the current NBA.lol so many bad takes in one short post. 🤣 First off, thinking Kofi's "stamina is not great" is so laughably ignorant and untrue . He's a freak of nature (7 ft tall, 285 pounds of muscle ) runs the floor really well, gets hacked a ton of times every game he's played in this season alone and his stats are insanely impressive as well.
Kofi Cockburn - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball - University of Illinois Athletics
Kofi Cockburn (21) C - Cockburn for Player of the Year | Cockburn's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF) 2021-22 Junior NCAA Consensus First-Team All-American Only NCAA
and lol at thinking Illinois "isn't playing for squat". jfc you couldn't be more wrong on that one as well. Illinois is also playing for a good seed for the tourney and it'll be Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams' final home game in front of a sold out crowd for Senior Night.
Sorry not sorry but I can't help but be hyped and confident for this home game vs you guys(not cocky though cause you guys are playing lights out as of late, more so cautiously optimistic since we're playing at home )
May the best team win and here's to ZERO injuries!
Get your degree young man.
