Pantagraph article explains why Illinois lost to Bradley

[MacabreMob]

MM said there should be an investigation ifthe Illin don't win by 25....

Wow I'm surprised that MM has not reacted to this yet??? I'd have to bet that there was a bit of sarcasm from MM and taking this out of content. We were better period and until they play us again we have bragging rights. To belittle it is just pure nonsense.

Sorry SFP, Lefty got me right. I did say if UIUC couldn't beat Utah by 25 there should be an investigation. I still don't know how they lost that one.

[ER3]

I relish the effect I appear to have that causes people to display such a reaction to a few simple words and opinions...
but when I see or greet the coaches and players, they know who their biggest fan is.....

Yes, their parents.

[MacabreMob]

how come half the posts in this thread are about me?? I haven't done anything!

You Sir, are a lightning rod.

Wow! You just called T a rod! I know... a lightning rod.

[bert notorius]

Wow! You just called T a rod! I know... a lightning rod.

Yes, it's an odd familiarity.

[georgethedog]

I relish the effect I appear to have that causes people to display such a reaction to a few simple words and opinions...
but when I see or greet the coaches and players, they know who their biggest fan is.....

...

[Bravesfan]

So you don't think that writers for the Big schools don't have a bit of a bias and a dismissive attitude toward "midmajor"? I do, and IMO, it's apparent with those comments.

Come on- statements like the Illini "fell asleep and let Utah win the game" is downright insulting and comical! It suggests that Utah did nothing to deserve to win the game, and it was a gift from the more potent Illini because they simply "fell asleep"! The same is true with the dismissive comments about Bradley winning as- "Illinois let another one slip away".

I don't think it's just me having a thin skin.
If it's perfectly OK to dismiss a loss to a "lesser team" as easily as Tupper does, then I don't want to hear the minions of fans here complain (like I am sure they will endlessly) when and if Bradley loses a game to a team they should beat.

I would agree with you except isn't the Pantagraph a Bloomington, IL newspaper? Is this guy a writer for the Illini? If so, then definately agreed unless he meant that they had a lead but did not do a good enough job to protect it, which may not necessarily be dismissing Bradley as a "lesser" team.

[Bravesfan]

I see nothing wrong with these comments at all. Illinois probably is a better team and if these two teams played 100 times, I could see the illini taking 70 of them. Don't get so defensive when people have an opinion and dont believe that Bradley isnt a top 25 team like some people on this board probably think...

But 70 out of a 100 would probably not be good enough for the BCS crowd who think it's their God-given right to win 100 out of 100!

[lefty]

The Illini should be thanking Arizona for letting that one slip away in 2005. IMO

The Illini should be thanking Clemson for letting that one slip away the other night.

LOL!

Actually I kind of agree on both counts....although Williams outplayed everyone those last 3 minutes of the AZ game...

But still both AZ and Clemson let those games slip away

[Da Coach]

But Lefty, that's not how Mark Tupper described the Illinois win over Clemson. No where in his articles does he lay the blame on Clamson for "letting the game slip away", or that Clemson "fell asleep" and "let Illinois win the game".
Instead, he uses highly complimentary terms for the Illini comeback like-

the greatest comeback in Illini basketball history....

Illinois came from 23 down to fight past 18th-ranked Clemson 76-74....

I can’t tell you in strong enough terms how thoroughly Illinois underwent a personality transplant in the second half....

Instead of meek, they were confident....

Instead of slow, they were quick....

Instead of passive, they were aggressive....

Instead of freshmen, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson looked like experienced upperclassmen....

It was a stunning victory that came after consecutive losses to Utah and Bradley....

I felt like we were watching this team grow up....

it was a whale of a game....

http://www.herald-review.com/app/blogs/marktupper/?p=717

So it is not just the way Mark Tupper likes to describe a game. He is clearly one sided in his descriptions of these 2 games. If any writer is unfairly biased, inconsistent, or hypocritical, why shouldn't people here have the right to point it out. Goodness knows there are enough people who jump on a few Bradley fans here every time they think they perceive a slight bias or inconsistency.

[tornado]

Tupper is about as objective on Illini games as Vitale is on Dookie games

[Bravesfan]

Tupper is about as objective on Illini games as Vitale is on Dookie games

Oh yeah! I like Vitale but he thinks every Duke game should be on tv because they are Duke! So what? There are other good teams that don't get half the exposure Duke does. And besides, what championship has Duke won lately? And please don't say the Olympic gold medal that Coach K won! That's a great accomplishment, but he wasn't coaching Duke at that time.

[lefty]

Tupper is about as objective on Illini games as Vitale is on Dookie games

exactly....I'm guessing the AZ writers and Clemson folks said the game slipped away.....

[lefty]

But Lefty, that's not how Mark Tupper described the Illinois win over Clemson. No where in his articles does he lay the blame on Clamson for "letting the game slip away", or that Clemson "fell asleep" and "let Illinois win the game".
Instead, he uses highly complimentary terms for the Illini comeback like-

the greatest comeback in Illini basketball history....

Illinois came from 23 down to fight past 18th-ranked Clemson 76-74....

I can??™t tell you in strong enough terms how thoroughly Illinois underwent a personality transplant in the second half....

Instead of meek, they were confident....

Instead of slow, they were quick....

Instead of passive, they were aggressive....

Instead of freshmen, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson looked like experienced upperclassmen....

It was a stunning victory that came after consecutive losses to Utah and Bradley....

I felt like we were watching this team grow up....

it was a whale of a game....

http://www.herald-review.com/app/blogs/marktupper/?p=717

So it is not just the way Mark Tupper likes to describe a game. He is clearly one sided in his descriptions of these 2 games. If any writer is unfairly biased, inconsistent, or hypocritical, why shouldn't people here have the right to point it out. Goodness knows there are enough people who jump on a few Bradley fans here every time they think they perceive a slight bias or inconsistency.

but the Clemson writere would write how they let one get away from them.

And they did. Clemson let one get away don't you think?

Like I said before if Illinois wins the game against BU it wouldn't surprise me

if DR would have said BU let one slip away since they led most of the way.

[MacabreMob]

Like I said before if Illinois wins the game against BU it wouldn't surprise me if DR would have said BU let one slip away since they led most of the way.

I'm just curious and wondering if anyone recalls.... what did DR say when Bradley let the game slip away against UIUC in 06-07 season?

[lefty]

I'm just curious and wondering if anyone recalls.... what did DR say when Bradley let the game slip away against UIUC in 06-07 season?

Yeah...I don't know but it seems like games have been described that way for years. I doubt Tupper is the first one to use the phrase.

I'm guessing we will let a game or two slip away this year....we'll see how it's written up.