Snow fallout

[BUSongwriter]

There were many more seats empty than filled last night. (OK, snow had something to do with it....)

The team lost again, at home, to a middle-of-the-conference foe.

The frustrated coach is starting to hear it from the fans. ???We??™re trying everything. I??™m open to anything and everything,??? he says after last night's loss.

Other major sports at the university are struggling as well.

Such is the fallout.....from the Bruce Weber firing at the University of Illinois.

Every year Lake Superior University nominates words that should be banished. Leading the nomination list for 2014 are selfie, twerking and hashtag. On this board, I nominate "fallout." Let's move on. Let's move up. Let's get a road win tomorrow night against Loyola. Let's finish strong and make the Top 5 of our conference. Let's recruit some shooters. Let's welcome the gargoyle. (My friend nominated a great name....Spirit....I'll be disappointed if it doesn't win.)

Go BU!

[bradleyfan124]

I heard that the Athletic Director at Illinois is a problem

[tornado]

you don't think at least a few Illini fans are a bit frustrated and see the fallout -- as bad as some portrayed the team under Bruce Weber.....the Illini fans I know are confused about how they could have gotten this bad and more than a bit worried even about next year...
Meanwhile Bruce Webe was the COACH OF THE YEAR IN THE BIG 12 in his first season there.

The crowd of only about 4000 last night had more to do with mediocrity than with the weather....
(16,618 tickets were sold - the count of 4185 was an actual turnstile count)
and one avid Illini fan who works with me is really angry that even Northwestern is clearly a better team with nothing more than what Carmody left behind while the Illini are seemingly headed further down as time goes on restocking again with more midmajor players and transfers.

[Da Coach]

2-8 in the Big Ten, and now in last place with 2 more losses than any other team. That is a total embarrassment and Illini fans should be upset.

Groce took over a winning program, though not a championship program. They had excellent talent in the cupboard, and they were a team that made the NCAA tournament 6 out of the 9 years under Weber (plus last year for Groce with almost exclusively Weber's players), and now they are a dead last place team with poor outside shooters, no point guard, no significant inside game, and relying too much on 1 and 2-year transfers.
And I don't see that their recruits for 2014 (Leron Black & Michael Finke) are going to be "impact players" that will make them "light years" better next year. Unfortunately, they do not appear to be a "team seemingly on the verge of vastly changing its fortunes".

[BUSongwriter]

even Northwestern is clearly a better team with nothing more than what Carmody left behind while the Illini are seemingly headed further down as time goes on restocking again with more midmajor players and transfers.

T, you've hit one something rare -- something that everyone on this board can agree upon! Chris Collins has done an outstanding job at Northwestern. It's hard not to root for them/him.

I don't follow them enough to know, but what do you think is the secret there? Did he bring Coach K's system? What other intangibles? I know they have a big 7-foot center, and my guess is they are playing as a unit a bit better than, er, some other teams.
Example: Drew Crawford was named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week. His reaction? "It's a great honor and something I'm thankful for," he said, "but it's more about what we're doing as a team."

[tornado]

true - he did "luck into" getting two fine starters - Drew Crawford & Jershon Cobb - back from injury -
something that few make mention of - that Carmody lost two starters including his MVP last year....
Collins' real test is next year then beyond - not many of his own players yet are logging any minutes...

[Buesch N Chips]

The crowd of only about 4000 last night had more to do with mediocrity than with the weather....

How do you know this?

[tornado]

it is my opinion and I talk on a daily basis with Illini fans who own and display more Illini memorabilia than I own BU stuff...
Anyone else is free to draw their own conclusions but if it were ten below zero or 14 inches of snow on the ground, maybe the weather was the primary factor...but between 8-10PM last night in Champaign it was 21 degrees & only light snow

[Buesch N Chips]

it is my opinion and I talk on a daily basis with Illini fans who own and display more Illini memorabilia than I own BU stuff...
Anyone else is free to draw their own conclusions but if it were ten below zero or 14 inches of snow on the ground, maybe the weather was the primary factor...but between 8-10PM last night in Champaign it was 21 degrees & only light snow

Well it snowed moderately to heavily from 1-5, with no break in the snow forecasted from 8-10. But, if you are right and it is apathy, the next home game should have less than 4000.