That list of coaches to never win a NC was a good perspective giver.*
 Previous Message where I find myself being pissed off at dropping to #13 in KenPom but then on the other hand am trying to remind myself how much I would have killed to be ranked #13 in KenPom for basically the entirety of the 2007-2020 time period. So that’s the dynamic I’m describing when it comes to the confusing mental state that a lot of people are in. Where I diverge from some of our internet fan base is in the reaction to that frustration. Brad Underwood not being as good as Dan Hurley or Matt Painter doesn’t mean he sucks or that we should move on from him. Doing so would be viewed as one of the most insane/dumbest coaching decisions ever made by most neutral observers. Building and maintaining a top 15 program is incredibly hard to do and we are just coming off a 15 year stretch where we learned that the hard way. It’s very likely that Underwood never wins a title here, but hardly anyone wins a title. Sampson hasn’t. Barnes hasn’t. Painter hasn’t. Pearl never did. Izzo only did it once and that was 25 years ago. So as much as it pains me that we may never get over the hump, I don’t think that continuing to stack successful seasons is a sign of progress stalling out just because we maybe haven’t had the one true breakthrough yet. There is something to be said for continuing to give yourself bites at the apple. Previous Message You’re historically 15, so be happy staying at 15 in perpetuity. That’s not really human nature. You strive for more. You try to grow and achieve and break through. 15 is amazing as a floor. It’s not as amazing as a ceiling. Which is probably the glass half full/glass half empty paradox of our situation. Previous Message We are achieving. Not underachieving not overachieving. We are historically about #15 in wins, and that's about where we are in the polls. We are very safely and comfortable in that range without much danger of moving. Besides one very notable game, all of our tournament results have been fairly chalky We are very good... but there are a handful of programs that either catch fire for a year or two or structurally remain above us Previous Message We’ve reached the stage that happens with college football programs that leads to the prevailing sentiment that all fanbases are miserable, it just manifests itself in different ways. We’re now at the Penn State football stage where a lot of people are only viewing a season as a success if we are as good as the likes of UConn and Duke. So when we make a totally irrelevant move but it happens right after a frustrating loss, people are looking for reasons to be upset. All that being said, I do have a slight fear that going the Euro route even to just get a practice body could start to push this thing a little too far when it comes to the degree to which we are fully making it our program’s entire identity. It’s a great resource to be able to tap into, but we’re trending towards it being the only resource we can tap into for blue chip prospects. We’re mostly operating outside the top 100 for high school recruiting now, and the only transfer portal big fish we’ve reeled in across the last 3 offseasons (Stojakovic) was also due to the Euro connections. Previous Message and play. Previous Message
NEWS: Croatian forward Toni Bilić has committed to Illinois, his agent Misko Ražnatović told DraftExpress. The 6'9", 20-year-old will arrive at semester break and be eligible to play immediately. pic.twitter.com/jJBtE0GV8z — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) December 15, 2025 .
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Message Thread | This response ↓
 Big news on the hoops board - jdl December 15, 2025, 15:15:51
- sidejack: anyone been following the Bardo saga? - Blazer December 19, 2025, 13:34:48
- It seems every year about this time my subconscious reminds of that piece of shit DA in Lawrence, KS - opossum jenkins December 18, 2025, 19:43:28
- defense bad - biclops December 18, 2025, 19:12:42
- Interesting projection site I hadn’t seen previously. 1% chance of a 1 seed. - DocWalk20 December 18, 2025, 9:57:26
- ooo - jdl December 17, 2025, 19:20:42
- If you needed more evidence how much ESPN sucks - jdl December 16, 2025, 22:47:22
- Yikes* - OB25 December 16, 2025, 22:48:59
- New guy will not participate in games, just practice and strength training.* - OB25 December 16, 2025, 19:50:22
- ESPN 100 has Wagler at 25… - LeatherneckIllini December 16, 2025, 13:39:31
- Can’t imagine the takes in the 24 minute Sleepers video about us signing a practice body. - OB25 December 16, 2025, 13:21:07
- Does anybody have any recent highlights of Bilic? All I see are videos from 2 years ago. - JFG December 16, 2025, 12:57:05
- Miznoz often seemed to get a guy "eligible" right after Fall Semester. Just in time 4 Braggin' Right - osklister December 16, 2025, 12:01:31
- The internet seems very mad that we just signed a pro who can get off the plane - gvibes December 16, 2025, 9:27:55
- Our fanbase is in a weird and fairly toxic place right now. - OB25 December 16, 2025, 10:53:47
- I mean, that's kind of where we've always been - jdl December 16, 2025, 12:51:17
- I'd say Kylan was a pretty big get in the portal last year, but your point stands* - Blazer December 16, 2025, 12:02:23
- I think that's all very fair. - ijustkrushalot December 16, 2025, 11:08:58
- I think a big source of frustration with Illinois is that they never overachieve - Sounder December 16, 2025, 11:54:55
- Yeah I don’t get the stay in your lane attitude - snipes824 December 16, 2025, 11:35:07
- i didn't express any preferences - ijustkrushalot December 16, 2025, 11:54:01
- As long as we're still at or near the top of the "best programs to have never won a title" list - IlliniOllie December 16, 2025, 11:51:23
- That’s definitely not what I’m trying to say. I count myself as part of the group I’m describing… - OB25 December 16, 2025, 11:50:36
- agree* - OWWDig December 16, 2025, 12:30:28
- Well said* - Blazer December 16, 2025, 12:08:23
- 100% aligned. I feel the exact same way - snipes824 December 16, 2025, 11:59:15
- That list of coaches to never win a NC was a good perspective giver.* - JFG December 16, 2025, 11:53:47
- We've also seen the "Be careful what you wish for" side though...and no one wants - OWWDig December 16, 2025, 11:41:59
- Don't believe he is a pro * - jdl December 16, 2025, 10:31:49
- the new wild west is a bit of a culture shock*
 - Sammich December 16, 2025, 9:46:24
- All good by me. I just want somebody that can (and will) play defense. - JFG December 16, 2025, 9:35:43
- I wonder what good ole Matic Vesel is doing these days-* - Ron McDon December 15, 2025, 18:44:34
- If he can’t play defense, I don’t care - snipes824 December 15, 2025, 15:36:12
- One of the insiders floated this weekend that a lack of practice bodies has been causing issues. - OB25 December 15, 2025, 15:26:47
- I would tap the breaks here. I'm hearing he looks a bit "clunky" on film. - OWWDig December 15, 2025, 15:26:44
- I don't know the full story here, but this feels a little like flailing. - tvillini December 15, 2025, 15:26:23
- Can he dunk?* - voiceofreason December 15, 2025, 15:21:00
- I haven't stopped stewing since we lost to Nebrasketball. This is big news. - Warrin'_Illini December 15, 2025, 15:20:55
- can he play defense?* - assassin December 15, 2025, 15:20:13
- I'm intrigued* - reggiedunlop December 15, 2025, 15:19:02
- I assume we have a roster spot for him or did Petrovic really leave (kidding) - Tbag December 15, 2025, 15:17:42
- All the IC's!* - UofIL6 December 15, 2025, 15:16:57
- WAT?* - ATL December 15, 2025, 15:16:07
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on December 16, 2025, 11:53:47, in reply to "That’s definitely not what I’m trying to say. I count myself as part of the group I’m describing…"