2015 Arch Madness seeding probabilities

[ilstubirds250]

I still think out of these 3 teams the Birds are still the most dangerous. When we played...

@Wichita: Lynch was playing hurt, no DAP or Hawkins
vs UNI: We did not play well other than Hunter or Lee, no Hawkins
@UNI: Didn't do that bad offensively but didn't get off the bus defensively
vs Wichita: Once again we didn't play well

We've only had 3 complete games this year and that was against Old Dominion, @MSU, and vs UE. I feel that we won't lose again in the regular season, and bring that momentum into the Arch win the first two games and hopefully cut down the nets...

Okay...put down the Kool Aid

[Championz]

I still think out of these 3 teams the Birds are still the most dangerous. When we played...

@Wichita: Lynch was playing hurt, no DAP or Hawkins
vs UNI: We did not play well other than Hunter or Lee, no Hawkins
@UNI: Didn't do that bad offensively but didn't get off the bus defensively
vs Wichita: Once again we didn't play well

We've only had 3 complete games this year and that was against Old Dominion, @MSU, and vs UE. I feel that we won't lose again in the regular season, and bring that momentum into the Arch win the first two games and hopefully cut down the nets...

So what you're saying is if Illinois State just would've had complete games in the other 24 games on the year, we all would have seen the true Redbird team?

lol, ok.

[BirdsEyeView]

Long time reader, first time poster here (Illinois State season ticket holder since 1991).

The true Redbird team is what everyone has seen all year, inconsistent at best. These other posters are just making excuses for our inability to win the close one, but the real problem is our coach (and possibly other coaching staff, who seems to be more of a recruiting staff than an X's and O's staff)

As a Redbird fan, I will be the first to tell you I am not impressed with Dan Muller. He has been the biggest problem for this team's development. Yes, Illinois State has talent and athleticism, but a low basketball IQ, which is a direct reflection of it's coach. This is mind-boggling to me given his history as an intelligent player himself. However, they shoot themselves in the foot by making dumb mistakes in key moments AND I never can understand Dan's substitution patterns within a game.

For these reasons and more, is why Illinois State has lost so many close games and never seem to play to their potential (except on a rare occasion). When your team is not mentally ready to play an SIU, Indy St (when they were still playing awful) and even Utah St. in OOC this is on the coach. Yes, we can win the Conference tournament, but Muller has not shown to this point an ability to make adjustments and get his players to buy-in consistently over the course of this season. Why would that change in the conference tournament? Their seed for the conference tourney and their record against the top 3 teams to date does not matter when we are our own worst enemy. Play like we did against Evansville for three days and we win the tournament, but that won't happen.

I will gladly eat crow if it does.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Long time reader, first time poster here (Illinois State season ticket holder since 1991).

The true Redbird team is what everyone has seen all year, inconsistent at best. These other posters are just making excuses for our inability to win the close one, but the real problem is our coach (and possibly other coaching staff, who seems to be more of a recruiting staff than an X's and O's staff)

As a Redbird fan, I will be the first to tell you I am not impressed with Dan Muller. He has been the biggest problem for this team's development. Yes, Illinois State has talent and athleticism, but a low basketball IQ, which is a direct reflection of it's coach. This is mind-boggling to me given his history as an intelligent player himself. However, they shoot themselves in the foot by making dumb mistakes in key moments AND I never can understand Dan's substitution patterns within a game.

For these reasons and more, is why Illinois State has lost so many close games and never seem to play to their potential (except on a rare occasion). When your team is not mentally ready to play an SIU, Indy St (when they were still playing awful) and even Utah St. in OOC this is on the coach. Yes, we can win the Conference tournament, but Muller has not shown to this point an ability to make adjustments and get his players to buy-in consistently over the course of this season. Why would that change in the conference tournament? Their seed for the conference tourney and their record against the top 3 teams to date does not matter when we are our own worst enemy. Play like we did against Evansville for three days and we win the tournament, but that won't happen.

I will gladly eat crow if it does.

My view of the Red Birds is limited, but I agree with you about IQ.

In the last WSU v. ILS game, the Birds made plenty of dumb plays. Some reminded of church league or YMCA play.

In the WSU game, the Birds only lost by 6. Play a little bit smarter and maybe the L turns into a W.

I doubt, if you will be eating crow.

[rlh04d]

0-6 against the top three teams. There's a reason IlSt hasn't played complete games against any of them.

I really hope you say dumb stuff like this as part of an entertaining game for yourself.

3 losses in last 5 seconds of the game we win those everyone's perception is different. No doubt in my mind we beat Indiana state twice if we weren't down Purcell and Hawkins and a banged up Reggie

Sure, if you rewrite history so that you win all of the games you lost close, and still win all of the games you won close, of course perception would have been different.

I don't care how many doubts are in your mind. They lost those games because they weren't good enough to win them. They won games in the exact same way you're trying to rewrite history for... If you lose those games everyone's perception is different, too.

Your team wasn't good enough to win this year. Deal with it. I don't understand what it is about Illinois State fans specifically where you all have this collective Kool-Aid drinking session at the end of every disappointing year. How many seasons in a row have you guys done this to yourselves now? Accept reality and stop blaming every mediocre result on circumstances outside the team's control. This isn't a "if only there were less injuries this year!" situation. This is "if only there weren't (insert excuse here)!" for years upon years now. No fanbase in the Valley does this "if only (blank) we wouldn't have finished [4th-8th] this year!" like you folks do.

And I don't mean that in an "all Illinois State fans are idiots" kind of way. I mean your fanbase has a bizarrely large contingent of people who make excuses at the end of every. Single. Season. It's never the fault of the players or the coach. If I believed 15% of the excuses I see on here, Illinois State has been the best team in conference for the last decade straight, if only it wasn't for (blank).

That blank never seems to be filled with "playing superior teams," though.

[ilstubirds250]

0-6 against the top three teams. There's a reason IlSt hasn't played complete games against any of them.

I really hope you say dumb stuff like this as part of an entertaining game for yourself.

3 losses in last 5 seconds of the game we win those everyone's perception is different. No doubt in my mind we beat Indiana state twice if we weren't down Purcell and Hawkins and a banged up Reggie

Sure, if you rewrite history so that you win all of the games you lost close, and still win all of the games you won close, of course perception would have been different.

I don't care how many doubts are in your mind. They lost those games because they weren't good enough to win them. They won games in the exact same way you're trying to rewrite history for... If you lose those games everyone's perception is different, too.

Your team wasn't good enough to win this year. Deal with it. I don't understand what it is about Illinois State fans specifically where you all have this collective Kool-Aid drinking session at the end of every disappointing year. How many seasons in a row have you guys done this to yourselves now? Accept reality and stop blaming every mediocre result on circumstances outside the team's control. This isn't a "if only there were less injuries this year!" situation. This is "if only there weren't (insert excuse here)!" for years upon years now. No fanbase in the Valley does this "if only (blank) we wouldn't have finished [4th-8th] this year!" like you folks do.

And I don't mean that in an "all Illinois State fans are idiots" kind of way. I mean your fanbase has a bizarrely large contingent of people who make excuses at the end of every. Single. Season. It's never the fault of the players or the coach. If I believed 15% of the excuses I see on here, Illinois State has been the best team in conference for the last decade straight, if only it wasn't for (blank).

That blank never seems to be filled with "playing superior teams," though.

If you don't think ISU fans are blaming the coach and players for this, you have the wrong impression. Lol.

[Rollbird5]

I don't care how many doubts are in your mind. They lost those games because they weren't good enough to win them. They won games in the exact same way you're trying to rewrite history for... If you lose those games everyone's perception is different, too.

Your team wasn't good enough to win this year. Deal with it. I don't understand what it is about Illinois State fans specifically where you all have this collective Kool-Aid drinking session at the end of every disappointing year. How many seasons in a row have you guys done this to yourselves now? Accept reality and stop blaming every mediocre result on circumstances outside the team's control. This isn't a "if only there were less injuries this year!" situation. This is "if only there weren't (insert excuse here)!" for years upon years now. No fanbase in the Valley does this "if only (blank) we wouldn't have finished [4th-8th] this year!" like you folks do.

And I don't mean that in an "all Illinois State fans are idiots" kind of way. I mean your fanbase has a bizarrely large contingent of people who make excuses at the end of every. Single. Season. It's never the fault of the players or the coach. If I believed 15% of the excuses I see on here, Illinois State has been the best team in conference for the last decade straight, if only it wasn't for (blank).

That blank never seems to be filled with "playing superior teams," though.

I haven't been around for as many years as a lot of posters so I don't know as much about all the year after year excuses people have made. Been an Isu fan since Jackie's Jr year when i started school here.

Mostly I'm just frustrated/disappointed cuz earlier in the season we showed an ability to win some close ones like @UAB/@Depaul (not exactly upper tier teams but winning close games on the road as most people know is tough no matter who u play), vs Youngstown st (shouldn't have been a game but pulled out close win anyway). Then when there is a couple games where the opposing team hits a last second shot to take the lead to beat u it makes u think about what could have been and how the season could be a lot different if u catch a few breaks or don't catch a break (purcell's shooting hand) lol Obviously any team can say that tho.

[UNIFanSince1983]

I haven't been around for as many years as a lot of posters so I don't know as much about all the year after year excuses people have made. Been an Isu fan since Jackie's Jr year when i started school here.

Mostly I'm just frustrated/disappointed cuz earlier in the season we showed an ability to win some close ones like @UAB/@Depaul (not exactly upper tier teams but winning close games on the road as most people know is tough no matter who u play), vs Youngstown st (shouldn't have been a game but pulled out close win anyway). Then when there is a couple games where the opposing team hits a last second shot to take the lead to beat u it makes u think about what could have been and how the season could be a lot different if u catch a few breaks or don't catch a break (purcell's shooting hand) lol Obviously any team can say that tho.

What does your season look like if you lose to UAB, Depaul or Youngstown? See that season would be a lot different too. I can look at the Evansville game, and think what if we had won or even the VCU game since we had a chance in regulation to win the game. So there it is and we are sitting at 26-0. Although that is discounting the game @ISUr, or @SFA, or vs George Mason. This season is also completely different if we lose some of the close ones we pulled out.

Close games could go either way. Good teams find ways to make the majority of close games go their way.

[BirdsEyeView]

I haven't been around for as many years as a lot of posters so I don't know as much about all the year after year excuses people have made. Been an Isu fan since Jackie's Jr year when i started school here.

Mostly I'm just frustrated/disappointed cuz earlier in the season we showed an ability to win some close ones like @UAB/@Depaul (not exactly upper tier teams but winning close games on the road as most people know is tough no matter who u play), vs Youngstown st (shouldn't have been a game but pulled out close win anyway). Then when there is a couple games where the opposing team hits a last second shot to take the lead to beat u it makes u think about what could have been and how the season could be a lot different if u catch a few breaks or don't catch a break (purcell's shooting hand) lol Obviously any team can say that tho.

Again, there is an underlying factor as to why Il St. seems to come out on the losing end of some close games....poor basketball IQ with bad decisions in key moments. Could be the players we are recruiting or it could be the coach (or a combo of both)...

No need to question the "what if's" at this stage of the season. The ultimate goal is to be playing great at the end of the year. Look at what that did to Connecticut last year and Wichita the year before.

[Play Angry]

I get the feeling ISUr and UE both have the personnel to be really good next year if they each had a different coach. Unfortunately, that isn't in the cards for either. Seems unlikely either group will ever play to their ceiling under Simmons or Muller.

Life in the Valley.