Ohio State 77, Illinois 67 POSTGAME

#76      
Offense just won't work with this lineup. Anyone can defend this offense. Defense, guards need to be brought down to 3 pt line,
compact it more. Players just get tired out by the second half, can clearly see it. The energy required for both halves is just too much.
Energy inefficiency.

Still have to remember that we had two freshmen and one sophomores starting the game.

However, the biggest stump to me was that A Wesson had 4 fouls for the last ~13 minutes of the game
and no one fouled him out. I don't get it. Sorry.

keep on truckin

joe
 
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#77      
Underwoods defense does require a lot of energy, which is something to be considered and I'm sure he has. Unfortunately, he considers it a viable defense despite the numbers.
 
#79      

IlliniRon

Illini Basketball Fan Forever
Ft Worth, Texas
Like most games this season, it was fun for awhile in the first half, then it got away in the second half. I liked the defense forcing turnovers, but we did miss a lot of shots up close, and we missed a lot of 3 pointers. We need to be able to score some high numbers to win with Underwood's style of play. It could be a long year for those expecting to see W's in the big ten conference.
 
#80      

Deleted member 8632

D
Guest
Lurch, that's who I was thinking of. Uncle Fester also came to mind.
Looked like this guy.
20181206_000029.jpg
 
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#81      

the national

the Front Range
I can live with this result. The system showed that it could be effective. Putting Kipper in mismatches was something I thought we would see every game. Happy to finally see it.

Sometimes it comes down to simply making a shot. Damonte and Adonis are frustrating because they are so sound fundamentally. Damonte has a perfect looking jumper. Adonis makes some really nice post moves. But neither guy hardly ever gets the ball through the hoop.
Agree +10000
 
#83      
We need to stay out of Chicago until the product on the floor gets better. Amazed they cannot figure that out. Last nights awful crowd hurts Illinois's image in Chicago and nationally. As far as the team nothing to do but continue to work to get better and hope we see some improvement. Wins are going to be hard to come by going forward especially when we truly get into the Big 10 schedule in January talent is not there to compete on a night in night out basis. Hope for some upsets at home, young players develop and we recruit a couple more players. Things are as dark as I have ever seen them in CU but we have to hope some light at the end of the tunnel.
 
#84      

Konnie

Western Suburbs
College games have become a never-ending series of block/charge calls. Leaving way too much up to the referees.
So true! And the calls are so inconsistent that you just hold your breath to see what the call will be.
 
#85      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/col...cle_e391ee3f-676d-5872-a1c5-25dba3af4c62.html

“Forty minutes of basketball, 40 minutes of basketball and focusing in on the details for the duration of the game,” Nichols said. “At certain points in the game, our effort was outstanding. If we do that for 40 minutes and sustain that energy and effort, I think we can give ourselves a chance to win a lot of ballgames and we can play with anybody in the country.”


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I agree with Kip's statement but we get NO respect from refs....none....the fouls called late in the game were bogus at best....the foul called when the osu player was driving the lane showed NO contact by us and the foul called on the right half side of the court beyond the 3 pt arc was called AFTER the osu player fell and travelled....bad officiating all season long hit a new low last nite...DJ Carsten (lurch) is a bad ref...BOrosky called a charge and it got reversed


etc etc ....we need new refs with 20/20 vision...
 
#86      
Frustration is obvious but I really don’t think refs lost us this game. The foul disparity was only 4. Free throw difference was only 5 but both teams made 23. Rebounds we lost by 4, turnovers we won. You can win games with those stats when you make the shots you’re supposed to make, such as layups and rhythm 3s. Missing 12-13 layups is in unacceptable at every level once you have like 2 years of experience.

We had our best offensive possession of the first half that ended in a DMW kickout 3. Had great spread offense movement and passing, with a couple natural drives that come out of the offense that ended in a kickout. The goal is to see more of that, but when you can’t make layups teams literally don’t have to play help side defense so shooters aren’t open.

Kipper finally attacked on an isolation from the pinch post. About time. I screamed “finally!” at my tv when he did it.

We have flashes. We have bursts. We have runs. We just don’t have enough. I also didn’t think we win that game at home. But sure would have been nice to find out.
 
#87      
We rank in the 330’s in fouls per game. It has become, at the very start of Underwood’s 2nd year, a self fulfilling prophecy.
We are known for fouling, it’s not going to get better soon.
 
#88      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
Offense just won't work with this lineup. Anyone can defend this offense. Defense, guards need to be brought down to 3 pt line,
compact it more. Players just get tired out by the second half, can clearly see it. The energy required for both halves is just too much.
Energy inefficiency.

Still have to remember that we had two freshmen and one sophomores starting the game.

However, the biggest stump to me was that A Wesson had 4 fouls for the last ~13 minutes of the game
and no one fouled him out. I don't get it. Sorry.

keep on truckin

joe
O scheme wasn't a problem yesterday - making shots was. It got us to the rim. Missing 13 of them is inexcusable - especially by the elders on the team. Not only do you take away 2 points, you crush spirit when you miss a simple shot when you're trying to close out a game and make a run.

We also got at least 2 fouls called on OSU during the pinch post handoff. Teams have been trying to run over that pick and reach through it for a couple of games now, its about time the refs finally started calling that - AND - our guards are rubbing their man off much tighter. Its all about execution. What we now need to add to that is a better roll to the basket by the pinch post with some lob dunks when the big man hedges that handoff.
 
#89      
The good - 1. We are getting some open shots. 2. We are getting layups. 3. The defense is causing turnovers.
The bad - 1. Fouls 2. Team is too tired.
The Ugly - 1. Underwood not utilizing Ayo. 2. Underwood's timing of when to chew !!! and when to play it cool. 3. Ayo's body language.
 
#90      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
The good - 1. We are getting some open shots. 2. We are getting layups. 3. The defense is causing turnovers.
The bad - 1. Fouls 2. Team is too tired.
The Ugly - 1. Underwood not utilizing Ayo. 2. Underwood's timing of when to chew !!! and when to play it cool. 3. Ayo's body language.
Possibly, but my first thought is Ayo has no one to blame but Ayo... this is big time ball and he can't just coast in the lane and long reach layups. He had open looks and his FT shooting should be much better at this point.
 
#91      
The last 10 minutes of the first half was the best basketball I've seen all year from this team. The offense was finding open guys and the back screens were working. The pressure defense was forcing some TO's, but I thought the on ball defense during that stretch was some of the best they have played all year.
 
#93      
This season is a wash. Just start Frazier and the rest freshmen. Kipper and Jordan just not cutting it as upper classmen.
Kipper just had one of his best games this year. AJ is the only guy out there that can defend without fouling and has added some to his offensive game. Blame Kipper at times, but AJ is part of the solution, it's a shame this year is how his career will end.
 
#94      
The difference in the way tOSU (and Nebraska, and lots of teams frankly) gets their shots and the way we get ours is very noticeable IMO. Not every possession but, many times they are able to dribble into a mid range shot. Or one ball screen opens up a shot. We never seem to get a shot that easily much less a good shot.
This comment reminds me of the discussions from a couple years ago, when people were angry about us taking too many "2-point jumpers". :)
 
#95      
Kipper just had one of his best games this year. AJ is the only guy out there that can defend without fouling and has added some to his offensive game. Blame Kipper at times, but AJ is part of the solution, it's a shame this year is how his career will end.

AJ might end up being an hell of a coach, in which case this year may go very far in helping him pursue that...a lot can be learned. He is exactly the type of person to get positives from this season if you can imo....agreed though from just a playing standpoint and career, it sucks.
 
#96      
I really really want to not blame the officiating. Its unbecoming. But I can't! From my view in the lower 200 section, it has to go down as the worst second half officiating I have seen. Sure, the total called over the entire game was close. But the fouling committed was not close! We got Oakland Raider'd. And oSU played with a 2nd half certainty that the fouls to be called would gravitate towards being evened up.

I can buy that we might not have won a game against them with even keel calling because other dynamics would have been in play. But its undeniable that our shot at winning this game was swiped by the officiating.
 
#97      
I thought we played pretty well for 30 mins. But as good as you can play at periods of time, at the end, you are who you are. You will not be able to sustain just the "good" portions of your game, your gaps will take a toll on your team in the long run.

We need to drastically upgrade the talent on the team with recruiting, and recruiting has to become consistent with no positional gaps. Missing on fall recruiting and ending up with bad fall recruiting classes, then scrambling to find multiple recruits in the Spring to fill gaps is not a sign of progress in a program.

People will always be able to point to some positive signs and players, but most teams can do the same. We will always be able to say "look at player X or Y, they will get better as they grow, they are young." Sure, but Ohio State and multiple others can say the exact same thing, even with more confidence. Don't you think Luther Muhammad (playing despite an injury and without his jersey) and Duane Washington, both freshmen, won't get better? Of course they will, and then they bring EJ Liddell (who IMO will be a stud) and Alonzo Gaffney on top of that.

The gap with some of the better teams in B1G is getting bigger at this point in terms of talent.
 
#98      
Last night I saw D.J. Carton at halftime and he was reppin the Scarlet N' Gray. Surprised though that there were not very many tOSU fans at the UC. Seemed like less than a 100.
 
#99      
I really really want to not blame the officiating. Its unbecoming. But I can't! From my view in the lower 200 section, it has to go down as the worst second half officiating I have seen. Sure, the total called over the entire game was close. But the fouling committed was not close! We got Oakland Raider'd. And oSU played with a 2nd half certainty that the fouls to be called would gravitate towards being evened up.

I can buy that we might not have won a game against them with even keel calling because other dynamics would have been in play. But its undeniable that our shot at winning this game was swiped by the officiating.

The fouls called were even across the board, maybe some were called at the wrong times, maybe some were called at the right times...ILLINI cannot put this game on the officials.

22-26 last night in foul calls. 14-19 turnover comparision, might that have something to do with it? 32% vs 47%fg .....I mean I get the point, but why always is this reason? Just wasn't and usually isn't...we got to be better is all! Simple, why does every game HAVE to come down to we got hosed, we got homered, we got.......more fouls called against us?

Of course we did, we play an ultra aggressive type of defense, we WILL always have more calls against us. We have got to score and be more efficient with our offense to off set what WILL always happen during our defense.

We played great ILLINI ball for a long stretch in 1st half, didn't sustain it as usual, and lost.
 
#100      
9 games in and it looks like we don't have a clue what the coach wants to do on either end of the floor.
I will say it again, I am amazed that THIS offensive system somehow was efficient. Fumbling handoffs and bad alley "whoops".
Trent Fraizer would be so much better in a motion offense were he could play free. It is as if Coach told him to try to get others involved. I would tell him to go get his and back off.
Our offense is pass to the tall guy then run around him for a handoff and hope they don't help or switch. blah.

Kane altered the shot and then got pulled. He is exactly what we need protecting the rim. I 100% realize he isn't that good on either end of the floor, but we need a big in the worst way. Tell him to stand there and try to block shots. Get his 5 fouls. Not Adonis please. He looks to be playing on one leg, constantly gets scored on and in no way protects the rim.

Other than that, solid performance...haha. Sorry, just don't see even a sliver of hope out there.

I thought Underwood was good at working with what he has and not forcing his offense/defense on people. I just don't understand how he can get as mad at his team as he does. They look like they don't have a clue what they are supposed to do. Too many games/practice now for that to still be happening. Another point of frustration is the amount of times we have those "oh crap" moments on defense. Where we have to sprint half way across the court to jump at a wide open shooter. Can we just dump this damn defense? It is horrendous with the players we have right now. Maybe if we had long athletes it would work...who knows.

END RANT. Sorry, positive from now on...moving on.