Midnight Madness (10/12/07).......

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

OK, so it's not actually held at midnight at most institutions anymore due to a chance in NCAA rules. But the official start of practice for NCAA basketball teams is tonight! I know Mizzou and KU are having their usual open practices. Anyone else going to watch their team scrimmage tonight?

[Butter]

No, but I am fired up for this season. Dayton Flyers fever... catch it!

[finketr]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

No, but I am fired up for this season. Dayton Flyers fever... catch it!

UD Flyers.. ahh, those were the days.

CJ - co90

[hoopsguy]

The Big Ten Network will be showing five of the teams over 90 minutes, including my Illini. I expect the fans will be pretty excited after the signing of three 2009 recruits over the last 24 hours.

Of course, if I watch this then I have to see Indiana and Eric Gordon - not a name that anyone in Illini nation wants to hear after his reversal last year.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'd love to watch my team scrimmage, but it's a bit of a long trip.

[GoldenEagle]

I am not going to the Memphis scrimmage tonight, nor do I have ESPNU. I will just have to read reports about it.

[LloydLungs]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I'd love to watch my team scrimmage, but it's a bit of a long trip.

UNO's Midnight Madness is being held on Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT?!?!?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

The Big Ten Network will be showing five of the teams over 90 minutes, including my Illini. I expect the fans will be pretty excited after the signing of three 2009 recruits over the last 24 hours.

Of course, if I watch this then I have to see Indiana and Eric Gordon - not a name that anyone in Illini nation wants to hear after his reversal last year.

I thought those recruits were for next year, not 2009. Also, they have not signed, they have only verbally committed. You should know better after the Eric Gordon situation.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by LloydLungs

UNO's Midnight Madness is being held on Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT?!?!?

Yes yes yes!

I never did see them scrimmage when I lived down there, even when I attended the school. Now I'm sitting here in Pennsylvania with a bunch of UNO gear on, and people keep asking me why I love the damn "UNO" card game so much. They just don't get it.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I thought those recruits were for next year, not 2009. Also, they have not signed, they have only verbally committed. You should know better after the Eric Gordon situation.

All 2009. 2008 was an giant dud, as there were six guys Illinois targeted and they didn't land any of them or a couple of "Plan G-J" type guys. I think there is still one big man on the horizon for 2008, but by and large I think the staff has moved on to better 2009 guys than waiting around for fringe 2008 players. The 2007 class has five players and there may be a redshirt or two among those guys that become our 2008 class.

Point well taken on "signed".

[TargetPractice6]

I didn't feel like camping out for a week in front of the ticket office so I could go to Kentucky's Madness. People are nuts here. I think all 24,000 tickets sold out in less than 20 minutes.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by TargetPractice6

I didn't feel like camping out for a week in front of the ticket office so I could go to Kentucky's Madness. People are nuts here. I think all 24,000 tickets sold out in less than 20 minutes.

So basically UK basketball is roughly half as popular as Hannah Montana?

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

All 2009. 2008 was an giant dud, as there were six guys Illinois targeted and they didn't land any of them or a couple of "Plan G-J" type guys. I think there is still one big man on the horizon for 2008, but by and large I think the staff has moved on to better 2009 guys than waiting around for fringe 2008 players. The 2007 class has five players and there may be a redshirt or two among those guys that become our 2008 class.

Point well taken on "signed".

How bad are we going to be this year? I don't think we've had a good recruiting class since Self left.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

How bad are we going to be this year? I don't think we've had a good recruiting class since Self left.

Might be a rough year for the Illini this year and next. They've lost two SG's before the season even started off an already thin roster.

One was due to legal issues.......

http://illinois.scout.com/2/646495.html

And the other due to academics.........

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/loc...nois_this_fall

As hoops mentioned, their 2008 recruiting class is not shaping up well, though the 2009 does have some players now with the recent verbal commitments.

[hoopsguy]

Illini for this year: how good do you think Randle will be? That is a big part of this season, and his last three years of injuries + inconsistent play make this an uneasy proposition.

Pruitt will be a force inside, and there seem like a number of young bodies that will be able to provide depth at PF/C. But SF is up for grabs, there isn't much depth at guard, and overall the three point shooting is a concern.

The guys they run out there, assuming good health, should be pretty athletic, but not much star power. I'm expecting more games like the ones they played last year - scoring in the 60s. Probably somewhere in the 4th-6th range in the BigTen and fighting near the end of the season for an NCAA bid. Not contender material, barring major contributions from the freshmen.