Illinois Basketball: Reasons Why They Won't Win It All
13 REASONS WHY ILLINOIS WILL NOT WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
1. I am very good when it comes to basketball knowledge, you just have to trust a pro.
2. Illinois has no big men to shut down other big men (ex: Channing Frye - Arizona, Sean May - UNC, Paul Davis - MSU, Jawad Williams - UNC, Marvin Williams - UNC, Shelden Williams - Duke, Wake Forest, the list goes on).
3. You get any of Illinois “big men” in foul trouble early on and Illinois is definitely screwed.
4. Illinois lives and thrives on three pointers. They make them now, but eventually they won’t and when they stop making them, they will break down and panic.
5. Illinois has solid defense and loves to run. Throw their own medicine (game) back in their face and they won’t know what to do. Fast break on them and when you’re not fast breaking, get the ball into the post - Illinois will never be able to stop that.
6. Defense, defense, defense. Guard the outside/wing because that is all Illinois knows how to do - play from the outside. Illinois will eventually face a great defensive team, maybe a team that is even better than theirs. When they do, they will panic because they have no inside game.
7. Boston College, Arizona, or North Carolina will win it all. Why will I guarantee this? They are all underrated teams that run the ball, play great “d”, they have an inside game, and can kill you from the outside. They each have multiple players that can take charge of the game as well as players that will surprise you and step up when others aren’t doing as well.
8. Forward to # 7: Illinois has all the pressure in the world on them to win because they look like God’s dream team. They are the “chosen team” to everyone else who doesn’t see what I see. It’s their game to lose (which they will). Illinois will also get too cocky.
9. All it takes is for a team to control their own game, not Illinois control their opponent’s game. Once a team can control their own game and tempo against Illinois, they shouldn’t have a problem controlling Illinois. A team with a big man will win the championship and it won’t be Illinois. I can really see Arizona (Channing Frye) or UNC (Sean May). Heck, even Duke (Shelden Williams).
10. Coaching experience. Bruce Weber is a newbie. There will be some point in time where he will play a very experienced coach in the tourney (ex: Lute Olson Arizona, Roy Williams UNC, Mike Krzyzewski Duke, Tom Izzo Michigan State) and that coaching experience will be a deciding factor.
11. Almost every big team chokes. Look at Duke when they had Jay Williams. Best FT shooter, at the FT line to tie the game but instead chokes and misses the FT and they lose… to a nobody. So many big teams choke. That goes back to the pressure riding all on them. Why do you think so many underdogs win and it’s called March MADNESS?
12. They continue to have close games. Not all close games will go in their favor, and the one that will go against them will be one in the tournament.
13. They are bound to get jinxed by every Illinois bandwagon fan. Nuff said.
I can go on and on with reasons, but I will only give you 13 because it is SUCH a LUCKY number. ; P You may laugh at me now, but I’ll have the last laugh in March.
~Lindsay~