Mark Schnake

@SleepersMedia This is hyperbole. The 2024 UConn team was as good if not better.

This Michigan team would go down as a top__ team all time if they end the season on top? - Could they be a top 3 team of all time?

@FanboyCarp Same. I’m eating crow. The 16 and 8 were partially coaching wins even.

I questioned if Brad Underwood was the guy to get you to a Final Four. I was dead wrong. Masterful job. Thank you to Underwood, the players, the staff, ALL of them, for delivering #Illini fans a lifetime memory. Currently Googling "how to eat a hat" to stay true to my word.

@ALionEye I bet some 1 seeds have outpaced that against 16’s. Back in the day, those scores felt like 110-40

1.970 points per possession in the 2nd half is absolute basketball insanity. Scored on 28 of 33 possessions! I’d be willing to bet that’s an NCAA Tournament record.

@ALionEye Mic drop

Curt Cignetti

@loganrwade @illini_hype This is the answer

@illini_hype PG: Keaton ‘26 SG: TSJ ‘24 SF: Will Riley ‘25 PF: Coleman ‘23 C: Kofi ‘22

If you could take one player from each of the past 5 Illini teams to create a starting 5, who are you taking? *No duplicate players My 5: PG: Trent Frazier ‘22 SG: Terrence Shannon ‘24 SF: Matthew Mayer ‘23 PF: David Mirkovic ‘26 C: Morez Johnson ‘25

@roblot31playa I think I have to be one of the biggest Brad haters over the last 5 years. This is perhaps his best coaching job. He is some OT wins away from a 1 seed. He also appears to have handed the reigns over to his assistants and focusing on recruiting/culture.

The frustration I’m seeing from #Illini fans over this late season collapse feels different this time. Josh has to really do some soul searching barring a deep tournament run this year to consider if brads taken is as far as he can

@TheConnorPils He’s running into an issue with the expectations he’s verbally setting. “We are a top 15 team and with the right matchups we can make a huge run” is accurate. This isn’t what he says. FWIW, next to 2021 I think this is his best coaching job.

Genuine question — are there people that actually believe we’d be in a better spot with a different coach? Brad Underwood since 2019: - 7 straight 20+ win seasons (only 2 other coaches in NCAA can say that) - 31 wins over ranked opponents - 101-47 in Big 10 play - 3 Big 10 🏆s

@ALionEye @msu, split the west coast trip, and at home to Michigan doesn’t surprise me. Michigan is better. Wisconsin was unacceptable and it stinks we dint steal one at UCLA. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem, they are somewhere in the middle.

When we walked off the court after beating Northwestern 84-44, never in a million years would I have thought we'd lose four of the next six. I would have bet my house against it. I'm still just sitting here stunned.

@200ColumnsRy I was ready to run BU out of the state after Illinois showed up flat to UCONN and Nebraska. The UCLA game doesn’t bother me. We showed up with great energy and put up 90. UCLA stats corrected in 2H. If any IL player bodied him at the end, it would have been whistled.

Players knew he was getting ball. And thats what they were told to do. Coaching malpractice

@ALionEye You are a #’s guy, wouldn’t OT generally be 50/50? It’d be cool to get that correction over the next few months.

The four conference losses are just insane. Buzzer beater Overtime Overtime Overtime buzzer beater

@IlliniGuy9595 @JWerner247 I am well on record of being anti-underwood, but that drive was on the players.

Illinois rued many late moments in another close OT loss, but the #Illini lost the game because they thought they had won in the first half. "We lost our edge." #illini better learn from it that you can't let off the gas in March. My column from LA ⤵️ 247sports.com/college/illino…

@PodcastIllini Illinois typically doesn’t win the big home game…

They’re going to win on Friday. 100 percent.

@soehnlin_j4134 @DrHoodieMaddog This.

@DrHoodieMaddog He would break his leg in the last minute of practice

Imagine if the Illini got a second year from Will Riley with this current roster, i don’t think we’d have a loss yet

@msucontent @TheSpartanMag There wasn’t a call on that play, Tommy. The trip resulted in a 4 on 5 advantage and an open 3.

Tom Izzo was asked of the unsuccessful appeal of Jeremy Fears’ potential “trip” “If he breathes on somebody now, there’s gonna be a call. Thanks to what happened.” “End of that story, ask me another question.” 🎥 @TheSpartanMag

@itsAntWright None of those guys will go back to MSU…I’m sure they’d prefer a different style of basketball.

Michigan State has a chance to be special next season.. Carr has to take this summer really serious to patch this up Can’t afford to not be guarded, then drive into a fadeaway contested middie

@giveupalready5 @KyleBuhs @colehawk23 Maybe it’s nuanced, but Jase, Akins. Tre and Booker were higher levels of talent than anyone on 25-26. If the fast break didn’t work, the goal wasn’t free throws.

@MarkSchnake @KyleBuhs @colehawk23 izzo has had the same style of play forever lol.

@TheConnorPils It’s frustrating to see that style of play rewarded (and yes, Illinois has played that way before). It’s plays designed to get to the line and then flopping to disrupt any natural flow that could bend it more talented teams. They’ll lose probably half+ of the rest of road games

I apologize for all my ref tweets tonight. I feel like I can usually recognize that bad calls happen and go both ways, but tonight, I honestly can’t say that. I just can’t bring myself to comprehend what we just saw. Illinois commits the least fouls in the Big 10 and was called for 4 in 3 minutes tonight. The guy who has a national reputation for dirty play trips Mirk, it’s reviewed, and isn’t called. Our center “fouls” out in OT on a Fears flop. Wagler gets mauled at the rim and gets no calls whatsoever. I’ve never seen a coach intimidate refs quite like Izzo. It’s a stain on the sport and everyone except for Spartan fans can see it. This will be it, but make no mistake about it — these officials robbed Illinois of not only the win, but a potential 1-seed in March. Absolutely positively despicable.

@GriffDancer11 @colehawk23 Last year’s MSU squad was materially different…

@MarkSchnake @colehawk23 Hmmm last time was MSU…coached by the same guy…whose been playing the same style of basketball for 20 plus years

@WoTDragonDaddy @colehawk23 Re-read my comment. It’s a style of ball issue and 2026 MSU is one of the worst versions.

@MarkSchnake @colehawk23 Lmfao, I think there are things you can say negative about MSU. Saying they hold the BIG 10 back in March might be one of the most hilarious lies I've ever seen.

@giveupalready5 @KyleBuhs @colehawk23 I’m talking about a style of ball issue the big10 has, which is exhibited by MSU this year. Underwood’s teams were guilty of it with Kofi/Ayo (Loyola)

@MarkSchnake @KyleBuhs @colehawk23 buddy what? i’m giving you what the best metrics people know. izzo head and shoulders above in march. argue with a wall lol