Someone asked about the TV commentators for the Illinois-Michigan State game. It’s Brent Musburger on the call with Steve Lavin as analyst and Erin Andrews as the sideline reporter. Game’s ESPN2. Musburger, who worked for years as a Chicago newspaper man, has always been very good to the Illini. Lavin was on the Purdue staff when Bruce Weber was there.
Michigan State gets 6-6 forward Matt Trannon back. He’s the big, strong football wide receiver who has missed the last two games with a bad ankle. He’s a good defensive player and gives them more depth.
Believe me: Michigan State, Indiana and Illinois all think they’re going to win the Big Ten and make it to the Final Four. That just rachets up the intensity because nobody wants to lose early, especially when going head-to-head with another of the top three contenders. Paul Davis, the Spartans’ center, said he’s certain the Big Ten title will go through Champaign, East Lansing or Bloomington and I’d have to think he’s right. No one can afford to lose at home, that’s for sure. Road wins will be precious.
Foul calls could be crucial. These are two teams that will get down and dirty to defend. Easy baskets will be few and far between. Contact in the post will not be for the meek. How fouls are called on Augustine and Davis will be a key, I would think. And Illniois simply has to shoot free throws better than its season percentage of 61.5. Augustine is shooting 68.2 from the free throw line and he’s better than that. Dee Brown is shooting 73.3 and he’s better than that. Brian Randle is shooting 51.5 and he needs to be WAY better than that. And Shaun Pruitt’s percentage of 48.5 is embarrassing. Those are a lot of missed points and in a conference race that figures to be air-tight, those missed points could be the difference between first and third or fourth. Really.
Have fun watching, kids, whether it’s on TV or at the Hall. I’ll make it Illinois 71, Michigan State 67.
1:30 p.m. correction: The game is Thursday, not tonight.
January 4th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Hope you’re right about the score, Tupps!
Anyhow, game is tomorrow night
GO ILLINI!!
January 4th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Oskee wow wow!
I like your prediction, unless it’s even lower scoring.
January 4th, 2006 at 1:11 pm
Mark
You reference the game tonight a few times in the blog. Unless I missed something the game is tomorrow night. Tonight I believe is some silly football game or something
My pick: Illini 77 MSU 64
January 4th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
Coach Weber all by himself, with two busted legs, both eyes poked out, carrying a thousand pounds of sausages in one hand, the udder hand tied behind his back, and John Madden riding piggy-back on his shoulders, versus everyone dat ever played varsity basketball at Michigan State all on da court at da same time:
Weber - a hunnert terty nine
All dem Michigan State guys - twelve
Former Vice President,
Bill Schweerski’s Super Fans Club
RPIC Editor Boy
January 4th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Great blog Mark, but Weber owns Izzo…Illini 82 MSU 68
January 4th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Mark, I think your end score is pretty reasonable and possibly too high. I think with the tension surrounding the game I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns into an ugly, grind it out game where it could be lower with both teams in the 60’s.
No matter though it should be an entertaining one. It’s too bad that ESPN had no idea in expecting Illinois to have this sorta record as ratingswise it might have topped the Wisconsin game from last year. With it on ESPN2 I kinda doubt it’ll pull it off.
I hope I’m wrong but I’m going with Mich St taking it due to them wanting it more. I’m looking for Randle and likely either Arnold or Pruitt to foul out in this one as they struggle playing with a team just as athletic if not moreso as they are.
January 4th, 2006 at 5:56 pm
I am the kiss of death on predictions so I shall refrain. I do expect to see the two best teams in the B10 battle it out. The atmosphere will be electric but will not have effect most expect on MSU due to their experience in big games last year.
Just the beginning of a long and tough B10 season gentlemen. I hope we wont hang our hat on this game win or lose. It’s only a start.
The next one actually scares me just as much because of our young guns going into hostile territory. That is where Dee, Rich and Augie will need to lead.
If we start this season 2-0, (BIG IF) we will be in the drivers seat. If not, Katie bar the door.
January 4th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
Jim-
Unless you are blindly loyal to the Orange and Blue, you aren’t welcome here.
Alright, since you’re here and you threw in that “I hope I’m wrong” statement, we’ll cut you some slack, but I have to question whether ANYBODY wants to win more than Dee Brown and Bruce Weber–and that attitude is infectious.
I hope you’re wrong too.
January 4th, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Tupps
You’re right on the money with the free throw issue.. I predict this shortcoming will directly cost Illini at least two games this year… others know it and if game is close, they’re gonna foul.. tomorrow night might just be the first one.. it will be that close!!
January 4th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
RPIC Editor Boy - You crack me up man!
I can hardly wait until tomorrow night. Even the Rose Bowl can’t subside my anxiousness (if thats a word). I guess if the Illini were playing in the Rose Bowl I could handle it better. Oh well, In guess we’ll have to wait for next year for that one
Anyway, I’m thinking Illini - 68 Mich. St. 58
They haven’t seen a defense like ours yet!
Go ILLINI and Hail to the Chief!!!!!
Anybody seen the orange koolaid?
Todd
January 4th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
Give Illinois ten fast break points every time out of the gate. Then give them five points for being at home, and four more points for being the better team. Final: Illini 80 MSU 61
Enjoy another laugher for the ILLINI !
January 5th, 2006 at 12:11 am
dream on girls…msu 76 ill 60..it will be a miracle for you to win..we only have 2-3 matchups you have no answer for, hahahaha, good luck and when we crush you maybe you wont be so full of it…dee and a bunch of fruitloops goes down…party over when dee leaves after this year too….go back to middle of the pack
January 5th, 2006 at 6:32 am
Spartyrules…….the Illini faithful in here have more class than that, your comments are duly noted. Lets cut the head of the monster (Davis) off. Illini 77, MSU 59. GO ILLINI !!
January 5th, 2006 at 7:44 am
spartyrules - Take a reality pill and wash it down with some of my orange coolaid and a reality pill….
January 5th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Sparty-boy:
We here in Illini-land have a lot of respect for what Tom Izzo has done at MSU. He seems like a class guy, and runs a good program. His runs in the NCAA tourney have also helped tremendously in regaining national credibility for the Big Ten. We are certainly looking forward to a great game tonight, and to a very interesting Big Ten season
All that makes your low rent BS that much more disappointing. If you want to check your Big Ten history, you’ll find some helpful information in regaining your perspective. That information might include:
MSU Illinois
Big Ten Titles 10 17
NCAA Tourneys 19 25
Final Fours 6 5
Maybe you’re just so chapped because you haven’t won a Big Title in at least 4 years, and we’ve beaten you like the Little Sisters of the Poor that last 3 times we’ve played. As for next year, it appears to me at least that its you that needs to worry - we’re both losing our top 2 scorers, but our scoring is pretty balanced, while you are losing 2 heads of a 3 headed team. Other than Shannon Brown, you’ll have no one returning who has much experience in putting the old ball in the basket. So if someone is going back to the middle of the pack (where you were, at best, between about Magic Johnson and Tom Izzo), I wouldn’t be so sure its not going to be MSU.
January 5th, 2006 at 8:01 am
Ah! Methinks that this blog has been paid a visit by yet another unbeliever! One from the otherworldly East Lansing no less! Could it be that Sparty’s dread of coming to the hallowed halls of their Orange nightmare has got them feeling that spreading the seeds of ill will may somehow impact tonight’s game? Oh, how misguided, not to mention simplistic!
I’ll be extremely surprised if this is anything other than a very exciting game - a barn burner to be sure. As a fan that bleeds orange and blue however, there’s only one outlook to take! Go Illini!
Brian
January 5th, 2006 at 8:05 am
Sparty,
Go take your middle tier degree and has-been Big Ten Champs and pray for dreams that aren’t drenched in orange tonight!
I have a feeling this will be a rough and tough game… but I really hope we blow MSU out by 30. Izzo needs to become comfortable with his role as 2nd best Big 10 coach.
Go Illini!!! Oskee wow wow!!!
January 5th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Who left the door open and let the sparty boy in?
January 5th, 2006 at 8:27 am
Crack me up!!! We are still a few hours away from our FIRST Big Ten game of the season and people are already starting to talk about NEXT year. Can we please enjoy THIS year first? Sports fans seem to be so worried about the future that they forget to enjoy the present. I, for one, plan to enjoy tonight, win or lose. It should be a great game, with TWO great programs. One thing is for sure…there is going to be a very good team start out the BT season 0-1, but I wouldn’t focus on that too much, which ever team it is will still be a favorite to win it all!!!
January 5th, 2006 at 9:22 am
How did I get to be “Anonymous”? (See 15 above).
And Doug, thanks for picking up my slack - I’m usually the one who gets to trash the academics of the interloper’s school. Maybe it was just more obvious when the guy was from Kansas a/k/a on par with your local community college.
January 5th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Regarding post #12: did somebody fart?
(whew~!!!)
Okay blog buddies . . . nobody step on the burning brown paper bag on the front porch, okay?
Might have dog poopy in it, you know.
Sometimes it makes me wonder if the KU and MSU trolls that stumble in here from time to time aren’t actually Mark Tupper or Tim Cain trying to spice things up for us.
But just in case . . .
You don’t frighten us, Spartan pig-dog!!! Go and boil your bottom, son of a silly person!!!
I blow my nose at you, so-called spartypants, you and your silly Michigan State niggets!!!
I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper!!!
I fart in your general direction!!! Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!!!
Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!!! Hah!!!
January 5th, 2006 at 10:41 am
Check out George Will’s column today on NCAA taking on the CHIEF. GREAT column.
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/will1.asp
January 5th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
Great comments as usual, boys. Not much more that I can say, except I am surprised that someone like Sparty Boy, with his 2nd class education, can find his way onto a blog in the first place, and then, once there, be able to type complete sentences with one finger….the other finger planted firmly in his nostril, trying to keep his brains from leaking out.
I very much agree with Anonymous (or was it Paul)…#15: M S U has simply been spanked so hard the last 3 meetings that they have lost all sensibility and perspective. Bottom line: Dee Brown will not less the beloved give anything less than 100%, and he’ll WILL them to victory. He has a little Michael Jordan in him in that regard.
Final Score: Future 2006 Big Ten Champs….the beloved Orange & Blue…82, Envious 2006 runners up, the little green men from MSU…64!!!
January 5th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
Doug
Thanks for the link. That’s the kind of thing I keep in my Chief folder. Having info at the fingertips makes it easy to write letters to the trustees, to the papers, etc.
I’m looking forward to a great, tense, grind-it-out game tonight. I’m confident the Illini (at least we can keep the name) will defend the house.
Oskee wow wow! Hail to the Chief!
January 5th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
I’m starting to tingle in anticipation of tonights game: 4 hours 56 minutes 10 seconds and counting down……
Pass the orange koolaid!!!!!!!
Go Illini
January 5th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
Coach Weber all by himself, with two busted legs, both eyes poked out, carrying a thousand pounds of sausages in one hand, the udder hand tied behind his back, with John Madden, Rick Majerus, Ted Kennedy and the entire Budweiser Clydesdale team riding piggy-back on his shoulders, against the entire populations of Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio and Wisconsin all on da court at da same time:
Coach Weber: one hunnert twenty-tree
All dem udder guys: nineteen
Former Vice President,
Bill Schweerski’s Super Fans Club
January 5th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
So far, no one has put a big enough margin of victory out there.
January 5th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
RPIC Eitor Boy - That’s funny stuff…Just don’t have a heart attack when dem dar Illini win da game by 150 points!
January 5th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
I agree whole-heartedly with Editor’s predictions.
January 5th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Okay, so I was off by 8 points…but I’ll take a 10 point win over the runner ups any day.
Did you see how ticked Izzy was with his boys, expecially Ager?!?
Rock on, Beloved Illini!!!!!!
January 5th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Sparty boy - How about them apples!
Great, Great, Great defensive effort by the Illini! What a game by Dee, what a defensive game by Randle and the whole team.
Areas that need improving? I was a little disappointed in the offensive output of the bigs. Dee can’t carry us through the B10. But thats what so nice about this team, one night it’s Augie, one night it’s Jamar, one night it’s Rich, one night it’s Dee. Who do you stop to beat this team? McBride had a big 3 at the end that really put the last nail in the coffin.
You have to give Michigan State some credit, they played tremendous defense too. They just didn’t have the Dee factor!
Watch Iowa, HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!
Would somebody make another batch of that orange coolaid for Saturday?
Go ILLINI