Illinois 78, Nicholls State 70 OT POSTGAME

#177      
If I recall correctly, when we played Winthrop three years ago we led until the final 29 seconds, went into overtime and tanked. At least last night we showed some fortitude in overtime and did not let an inferior team run us out of the gym.
 
#178      
Great coaches motivate players. Not saying it's 100% on coach, but he needs to push their buttons or get them excited about performing
While Watching last night, I was interested by Underwoodā€™s reaction (or lack of one) to the game slipping away. It was the first game of the season. When it gets to the middle of the season , Iā€™m sure weā€™ll see plenty of ā€œmotivationā€.
 
#179      

I Bomb

Stylin' and Profilin'
After digesting the game for a day - we had this game won easily until our players stopped playing defense with about 6min to go. Nicholls St. knocked down a few schmacks - but more importantly, we didn't evevn close out on those hard (seemed like our guys just took the win for granted) and boom, Nicholls St. was back in it. Never mind our FT%, which by itself could have put it completely out of range for Nicholls St.. I wouldn't give Illinois a big fat F for the game, but definitely would for the stretch where they let NS shoot themselves back into the game. We even took several timeouts during that run, and our guys still didn't ratchet up the D to stop it. That part is concerning...
 
#181      
If BU doesn't understand by now that KN and DW are liabilities when on the court then he never will....AG has a nose for the ball and I'll take his scoring and rebounding with his mistakes over upperclassmen who are timid and not sticking their nose in to get the offensive rebounds that AG does...
If KN and DW keep getting minutes over AG and Tev(when he returns) then kiss the dance bye bye...It is what it is and wishing KN or DW will ever do any better than they have so far is a pipe dream...It's not like this was their first game ..we have seen this before and I doubt they will improve as much as AG with comparable minutes...JMHO
Just listened to an interview with Underwood where he said that he should have gotten more minutes for Da'Monte.
 
#182      

Deleted member 533939

D
Guest
I'm not going to respond/quote every post, 1) I never said anything about firing Underwood, that's a ridiculous thing to even consider, but 2) how are there people who aren't underwhelmed by Underwood? I mean, the team set an Illinois record with 21 losses last season. Now this year they are expected to make the tournament, there is all kinds of preseason hype, and in the first game they were losing to Nicholls freaking State with 30 seconds to play.

If you aren't underwhelmed, then your expectations for Illinois are way too low.
 
#183      
What is it with Giorgi traveling? I donā€™t remember that happening last year and it is not off the dribble but more like happy feet. He was called twice in each of the last two games.
 
#184      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
I'm not going to respond/quote every post, 1) I never said anything about firing Underwood, that's a ridiculous thing to even consider, but 2) how are there people who aren't underwhelmed by Underwood? I mean, the team set an Illinois record with 21 losses last season. Now this year they are expected to make the tournament, there is all kinds of preseason hype, and in the first game they were losing to Nicholls freaking State with 30 seconds to play.

If you aren't underwhelmed, then your expectations for Illinois are way too low.

Are we all underwhelmed by a 21 loss season and some poor performances? Yes. Are we all prepared to say BU is the only reason for this? No.
Saying you are underwhelmed by Underwood leaves a lot to consider. Sometimes I'm underwhelmed by his decisions, sometimes I'm very impressed.
Sometimes I'm underwhelmed by his choice of ties. Sometimes I'm very impressed.

Yes the HC is ultimately responsible for the whole package, but there are so many variables to any given game and season. The expectations are there this year and he and the team have to deliver.
 
#186      

APS iMBA

Urbana, IL
If I recall correctly, when we played Winthrop three years ago we led until the final 29 seconds, went into overtime and tanked. At least last night we showed some fortitude in overtime and did not let an inferior team run us out of the gym.
That was super rough and I remembered it throughout that season.
 
#187      

APS iMBA

Urbana, IL
Now this year they are expected to make the tournament, there is all kinds of preseason hype, and in the first game they were losing to Nicholls freaking State with 30 seconds to play.

If you aren't underwhelmed, then your expectations for Illinois are way too low.

I expected a blowout victory so yeah, I was a little underwhelmed. But I am also willing to go with the "a win is a win" mentality at the beginning of a season, in hopes that we can adjust and gel as the season goes on. Look at football. Never in a million years did I expect we would beat Wisconsin or Purdue. Let alone three in a row. And now I have guarded optimism for us this weekend at Michigan State. From that perspective, we're hand-wringing over a basketball win? Maybe we just need to relax.
 
#190      
I think the most disappointing thing about the loss is the continued immaturity of the team. What I mean is that they play up to the competition, they play down to it. They did this and got burned last year and they pulled off a couple of upsets too, but, really, it's not a sustainable mindset. It's only one game---really only one half of one game--- so I hope they can snap out of it and put a full game together.
 
#191      
While your point is true, it didn't seem to me like there was a lack of excitement about performing. I will put the rotations (too much Kipper, not enough AG, and not a big enough cushion to warrant a TU sighting) on Brad. At some point though it's the players who need to step up and make free throws, get on the floor for loose balls, and hit open shots.

I'm thinking mostly of the lack of effort from 6 minutes to go until they tied it. Kind of an amazing stretch.

One of the things I said in the preseason thread that tempered my expectations is consistency and handling success. A team needs to understand how to put teams away, and the coach needs to know how to keep his guys hungry. Whatever the reason, it was disappointing to see them coast and try for the easiest possible win, rather than use the court time to play like it matters. Hopefully coach is able to get them psyched enough to play a full 40 minutes and not play down to the competition.

It's a win, so I'll take it. Hopefully no one took the line with Illinois at -22 :p
 
#192      
I think the most disappointing thing about the loss is the continued immaturity of the team. What I mean is that they play up to the competition, they play down to it. They did this and got burned last year and they pulled off a couple of upsets too, but, really, it's not a sustainable mindset. It's only one game---really only one half of one game--- so I hope they can snap out of it and put a full game together.

you know we won right?
 
#193      
Watched the game on rewind tonight. We will be fine. Nothing to see here. We will win on Friday. I love all the talent on the court. Kofi with Ayo and all the complementary pieces will be fun to watch.
 
#195      
Yeah that was a lot of fun to see. I know there have been naysayers on this and other boards about his 3-pt shooting. Hopefully he continues to make his shots.
There was no one within ten feet of him on either of those shots. I assume that was by design and that they were coached to bait Giorgi into taking threes. I hope other teams do the same.
 
#196      
i guess until we see them on display more.... D1139412-114C-42C6-8881-D4DAF1392385.jpeg
 
#200      
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/col...cle_1b7dd9fe-6e16-552a-82d9-5f8ee208b881.html

Players seem to have a confidence that a lot of posters here need to have....I still think we are a tourney team and hope we play much better this weekend..

We'll see. I watched the game from 6:00 again, and there was a combination of us letting off the gas, and Nichols making plays. We had some good looks offensively, but were crap on defense. One of the buckets we gave up had only 1 player back (Feliz, no surprise) and everyone else slogging down the court. One player in particular hurt us with awful close-outs, weak D, missed layups, and a lazy foul after a miss (GB). While we looked terrible on screen at the time, when I broke it down, it was fluke-ish. Still, it was pretty obvious we were in trouble with 4 minutes to go and yet no response. With about 2 minutes to go, it was tied. So it's not like it was a miracle comeback --they closed it down pretty methodically with plenty of time left to take the lead. I think the lack of response was what concerns me. Give em credit, they played well in OT. I could write the finish of regulation off to a combination of physical and mental fatigue.

Makes me appreciate Feliz more. He and Trent were the only guys who looked like they were still trying to close out the game.

Anyone concerned about Ayo? 21 points on 11 attempts is quite impressive, as are 7 boards. Still, some of his drives were into heavy traffic, and his A/T opened against Nichols with a staggeringly bad 0.4.