Don't think the Illini go head to head against PSU in recruiting too often. Recruiting thread would likely be blowing up -- and not in a good way -- if Illini recruiting slips that far. But I get your point and agree with it. Chambers seemed to be pretty much just trying to convince his team they could win, while BU was telling the Illini what to do to get the win. Last night the teacher got the victory over the cheerleader.
Illinois 62, Penn State 56 POSTGAME
Totally agree, I am a huge Chambers fan. Look what he has done with this program! However, that dude was all over the place in the huddle where Underwood was chill. Chambers gave like 12 instructions in one timeout where as Brad was like "run this play". I was impressed with Underwood being so cool in the timeouts. I kept thinking based on the coach's demeanor, "We are going to win this game".
I'm not sure if that is the problem. I think he was put into a role that he wasn't suited for and the lack of success in that role might being playing with his head some to the point he's now in a bad funk. Hopefully he can break out of it, but he's likely to see less time than he had been. But being in a funk and losing playing time don't sound like a great way to get back on track. Getting back to a role he has had success in hopefully does the trick.
Deleted member 654622
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I agree. Just remember one coach had his best player back and the other's team went into a huge shooting slump.
I wonder (and this isn't a jab at you) what both coaches would look like if Chambers had his full team and Brad was still missing Ayo. I don't think I would be going on a huge limb if over the course of a season, there were times they both acted both ways.
Great game
TheFameProtector
- Champaign
Well said. I really hope he spends all offseason working on his 3 point shot. He does so many other things well but has to press sometimes when he's inside since his outside game is so limited. If he could get up to just 33-35% from deep it would have an amazing impact on his game and the team's spacing.
haasi
- New York
Giorgi needs to learn his role and develop into it. Last year he was our major low post threat and thrived at scoring offensively, where we had no other options. He was just OK in other aspects, but overall he was of huge value to the team as a low post scoring threat where we had no other options that it didn’t matter. This year his role is very different. To play with Kofi (as opposed to just being our backup 5), he needs to become a threat from the outside, with some ability to create for others, and he needs to be able to defend the wing at a high level. I see one of two routes for Giorgi, and it depends almost entirely on his development. (1) rotation big who gets limited minutes backing up Kofi. Or (2) starter level 4. If he wants to get to number 2, he has a tremendous amount of work to do in the offseason. Shooting, handling, playmaking, agility, wing defense. That said, I think he’s very motivated and talented, so I think it’s in the realm of possibility.
Listening to the coaches turning time-outs and the locker-room was addition, having them on the screen during the game added very little in my opinion.
Where do the networks make up for the lost revenue?
Great team win. Ayo was clutch and it really is nice to see him step up even more at the end of games. Someone mentioned earlier about how they cringe when we feed the ball in down low and I would have to agree. Kofi needs to get better at catching and dunking. A big guy typically doesn't have hands like a guard and when Kofi catches the ball and tries to dribble I feel like he either loses rhythm or loses the ball. When you watch premier big guys in college basketball ( Dok from KU) they get the ball, muscle up and dunk it home, this is what we need from Kofi.
GB is borderline unplayable at this moment.
Griffin needs more PT, I don't care who he is taking minutes from. For me it's the eye test, best 3 point shooter on the team and he brings energy and seems to always be making plays and attacking the offensive board.
Feliz was great, such a warrior.
Ayo was the best player on the court.
DMW is sooo good defensively but at a certain point being non-existent on offense is going to cost this team
BU coached a great game, nice to see.
Go ILLINI
GB is borderline unplayable at this moment.
Griffin needs more PT, I don't care who he is taking minutes from. For me it's the eye test, best 3 point shooter on the team and he brings energy and seems to always be making plays and attacking the offensive board.
Feliz was great, such a warrior.
Ayo was the best player on the court.
DMW is sooo good defensively but at a certain point being non-existent on offense is going to cost this team
BU coached a great game, nice to see.
Go ILLINI
Maybe it was the all access telecast but that 60% sure sounded loud on TV.
I thought it was nice that his comment to Ayo in the handshake line was "I'm glad you're healthy," especially after Ayo had basically singlehandedly buried his team. He's just a coach, and coaches sometimes do coach things like work the refs.
If you guys need your heel fix, Fran comes to town in like three weeks.
I really liked the All Access ... much better than commercials (though I kind of missed Pinnochio and the woodchucks).
ILFaninFL
- Nature Coast in Florida
One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Florida is you no longer see the farming ads. Back in the day it was also State Farm Insurance.
Stupid Fox didn't show the frickin' shot clock....idiots!
Punesguy
- Ft. Collins, CO
What a great win for our program! While it is tough to see Giorgi struggle as much as he is, it was incredible to watch Ayo come back and play as hard as he did! Dre was a warrior, AG's energy was off the chart (again) and DMW's ability to frustrate the crap out of Stevens was amazing.
With respect to the all access programming, while I probably wouldn't want to watch it in that format every game, here are my likes and dislikes:
Likes
- It was really interesting to watch the demeanor between the two teams, especially in the 2nd half when the game was in the balance. There was no question that the energy and supportive nature in our huddle was better than PSU's.
- It was fascinating to see the approach of BU and his staff versus PC and his staff. I felt that the Illini huddle was always in control.
- Chambers does have a little Izzo in him (that didn't sound right) regarding the officiating.
- I think we all got a better feel for BU's in-game coaching abilities and his rapport with his team. Any doubters should feel a bit more at ease.
- I really liked the halftime and end of game access to the locker room. To hear the adjustments, motivational efforts and then the celebration was really cool!
Dislikes
- I didn't need the "sound-o-meter" ... completely worthless!
- Sound quality could have been a bit clearer but from comments of those that were in the building, I'm sure that was a challenge.
- The split screens of the coaches were not necessary all of the time.
This win should not be underestimated. To beat the #9 team who is on an 8 game win streak at their place and holding them to 56 points (26 points below their average) is impressive. It not only puts us well within the field of 64 but I think it also sets us up really well mentally to do what we need to do over the remaining 5 games of the season. It also drives home the mentality that we feast on "roadkill" which is optimal for tournament play. Solid teams like Rutgers do not enjoy this luxury. If you think back to our collective comments at the beginning of the season, a fair amount of us were conceding that we would be ecstatic with an NCAA bid but would be content with at least getting to the NIT. What a fantastic ride this season has been and I can't wait to see how it all plays out!
With respect to the all access programming, while I probably wouldn't want to watch it in that format every game, here are my likes and dislikes:
Likes
- It was really interesting to watch the demeanor between the two teams, especially in the 2nd half when the game was in the balance. There was no question that the energy and supportive nature in our huddle was better than PSU's.
- It was fascinating to see the approach of BU and his staff versus PC and his staff. I felt that the Illini huddle was always in control.
- Chambers does have a little Izzo in him (that didn't sound right) regarding the officiating.
- I think we all got a better feel for BU's in-game coaching abilities and his rapport with his team. Any doubters should feel a bit more at ease.
- I really liked the halftime and end of game access to the locker room. To hear the adjustments, motivational efforts and then the celebration was really cool!
Dislikes
- I didn't need the "sound-o-meter" ... completely worthless!
- Sound quality could have been a bit clearer but from comments of those that were in the building, I'm sure that was a challenge.
- The split screens of the coaches were not necessary all of the time.
This win should not be underestimated. To beat the #9 team who is on an 8 game win streak at their place and holding them to 56 points (26 points below their average) is impressive. It not only puts us well within the field of 64 but I think it also sets us up really well mentally to do what we need to do over the remaining 5 games of the season. It also drives home the mentality that we feast on "roadkill" which is optimal for tournament play. Solid teams like Rutgers do not enjoy this luxury. If you think back to our collective comments at the beginning of the season, a fair amount of us were conceding that we would be ecstatic with an NCAA bid but would be content with at least getting to the NIT. What a fantastic ride this season has been and I can't wait to see how it all plays out!
DaMonte
DaMonte was absolutely huge guarding Stevens. Rebounds, assists, blocks, dude had a huge game for us.
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I believe he had 4 assists, including an incredible bounce pass to Ayo! Not non-existent. Disagree with your comment. A defensive specialist is hardly an issue.
illini80
- Forgottonia
From 5:34 until 0:17 we scored 2 points. That’s not going to win many games. But it does tell you how great our defense was. At this point in the season, our offense is what it is. Where we go from here is about playing all out defense every game. That’s tough to do every time out. But it’s what we‘ve excelled at this year and I think it has the potential to take us to a sweet 16.
And who to thank for the Cat videos.
Does anyone know offhand, was this Myreon's first game missing action, or had he been out previously for a stretch of their 8-game winning?
4th game in a row.
Thanks TC! Good to know - feel even better about our win knowing that 3 others had a shot at ending PSU's streak without their 2nd leading scorer and couldn't get it done.
Some random thoughts:
1) Myreon Jones last played on Feb 4.
2) Near the end of the first half, a jump ball was called (we had the possession arrow) and the refs went to the monitor. We then spent a long time going back and forth between the huddles until the ref came over and told BU that a Flagrant-1 had been called on Watkins. BU immediately asked if that meant Illinois regained the possession arrow to start the second half. That just struck me as an incredibly smart thing to ask, and to ask immediately. He was like a chess player looking three moves ahead. It went over the ref's head. BU had to ask the Q more than one way, and the ref ultimately said he'd have to check. It also went over PSU's head; in their locker room one of Chamber's assistants told Chambers PSU got the ball to start the half. BU just struck me as being smarter than everyone out there.
3) I suspect the sound problem is not an easy one to fix. Proximity mikes like those on cell phones that pick up the holder and not sounds from further away might just have problems when the ambient noise level gets that high. Either that or they would cut out a lot. If there was an easy fix it would have been implemented during the game as you just know the tech crew knew how it sounded.
4) The sound level meter was a waste of screen real estate, even more so than giving the two coaches the right side of the screen.
1) Myreon Jones last played on Feb 4.
2) Near the end of the first half, a jump ball was called (we had the possession arrow) and the refs went to the monitor. We then spent a long time going back and forth between the huddles until the ref came over and told BU that a Flagrant-1 had been called on Watkins. BU immediately asked if that meant Illinois regained the possession arrow to start the second half. That just struck me as an incredibly smart thing to ask, and to ask immediately. He was like a chess player looking three moves ahead. It went over the ref's head. BU had to ask the Q more than one way, and the ref ultimately said he'd have to check. It also went over PSU's head; in their locker room one of Chamber's assistants told Chambers PSU got the ball to start the half. BU just struck me as being smarter than everyone out there.
3) I suspect the sound problem is not an easy one to fix. Proximity mikes like those on cell phones that pick up the holder and not sounds from further away might just have problems when the ambient noise level gets that high. Either that or they would cut out a lot. If there was an easy fix it would have been implemented during the game as you just know the tech crew knew how it sounded.
4) The sound level meter was a waste of screen real estate, even more so than giving the two coaches the right side of the screen.