Sun Tzu said:As for the turnaround, they werent a 500 team last year. They were an NCAA team seeded int he top half that many had penciled into the regional final if not final four.
agree here. north carolina was the chic pick for the final four by a lot of people last season.
johnny -- good post man. really cant truly 'disagree' with what you said. im just of the belief that it will be beneficial for them to lose in the big 10 tourney. to your point, i know what you mean when you say that a loss could plant the seed of doubt, but i think it would still help immensely. its not that they couldnt handle the pressure (any team that goes undefeated this deep into the season can handle pressure) but the streak takes on a life of its own and the media will really run with that. i guess its hard to explain why i believe that -- guess its just from personal experience. that said, like sun said, it all comes down to the tourney draws. can you imagine illinois having to face a team like georgia tech in the 2nd round if the jackets get in as an 8/9 seed? thats an elite 8-caliber game that illinois could realistically lose on the first weekend. that goes for any team that draws tech (if they get in of course). every tourney is wacky and unique in its own way, but there are a lot of good teams that will be seeded much lower than their talent level and that will make for interesting pairings. illinois is very very good. but just not invincible by any stretch. while i agree with sun that the big 10 is obviously garbage this year, what the illini did to msu in east lansing was very very impressive and thats enough for me to legitimize anything theyve done. really looking forward to the rematch in the big 10 tourney