Illinois 62, Penn State 56 POSTGAME

#179      
Giorgi and Kofi did not play one minute together last night. I think Giorgi's days of a 4 are over. This 4 guard and Kofi thing is really interesting to watch.
There will be moments when you have to go big. But in general I agree. GB is not ready to play away from the hoop and KC is a load down low so the only way they work together on O now is GB with entry passes.
 
#180      

DB11Headband

Chicago Burbs
Giorgi and Kofi did not play one minute together last night. I think Giorgi's days of a 4 are over. This 4 guard and Kofi thing is really interesting to watch.
As they should be. He and Kofi simply cannot play together-Kofi and the 4 guard lineup is the way to go.
 
#181      
There will be moments when you have to go big. But in general I agree. GB is not ready to play away from the hoop and KC is a load down low so the only way they work together on O now is GB with entry passes.

Giorgi is not having a great season. He was stellar coming in as a freshman center when we really needed him, but he plays the 4 like he's still a center, and just doesn't have a feel for the position. I though for sure he'd have enough presence to pass out of the post when he didn't have good position, but he's really stuck at times deciding to take bad post shots. Don't get me wrong, he brings a lot to the team, but he seems to have a hard time adjusting.

Defensively, he's solid in the post, and we need that. I think the only time we'll see him and Kofi on the floor together, is like you mention, when forced to by match-ups. Giorgi can handle guys banging in the paint and you gotta have a guy who can do that in the BIG.

Great game! I thought we were the better team last night, and I think a lot of that goes to game plan. We seemed to have good scouting on PSU and knew how to frustrate them. Ayo got an open look and nailed it at the end, but the fact that they gave him a lane to shoot was a defensive mistake that comes from good movement and having lots of weapons. Just the kind of mistake you need to capitalize on to get a road win.
 
#182      
That foul on Ayo's last shot ticks me off, that center was obviously moving and made contact with Ayo.
 
#183      

BMoreIllini

Baltimore, MD
Capture.JPG

Took our land back from the Nittany Lions with the win as well! (Iowa took it when we lost to them, they lost it to Purdue, and Purdue lost it to PSU). Let's win out!
 
#184      

Tacomallini

Washington State
So pretend you are a recruit and just got to watch the all access feed.

Brad Underwood all day over Chambers.
Agree 100% and no knock on Chambers. Team chemistry on bench and in locker room too seemed to favor the Illini- at PSU. To Chamber’s credit (and Izzo and other coach whiners) they do it cause it gets calls in their favor eventually. Chess move that everyone, including BU does.
Mic’d up I was surprised how much both coaches harped at the refs in transition. Almost every time down the court. Also did anyone catch BU tell Kipper “you’re 0 for dunks in your career, lay it up!” or something along those lines late 2nd half? Seemed more teaching than berating and Kip seemed receptive. Cracked me up for sure
 
#185      
Is it just me or does the over-zoomed camera work make these highlights almost unwatchable? The camera operators appear to be much more interested in showing players faces than showing plays develop by keeping more than one player in the frame. It's just terrible camerawork.
 
#188      
I think Ayo is probably still hurting, but came back because Illinois can't win without him. Ayo's performance was kind of like Jordan's flu game (not comparing Ayo to Jordan). He wasn't 100%, but he was completely dialed in, like the pain sharpened his senses. Sorry, maybe it's just a fanboy reaction.
 
#190      

The Sprouting Divot

Invisible and Bulletproof
Miracle Mile
I absolutely hated the Live All Access. We don't need to see the coaches at all times (especially at the expense of a third of the screen), the audio was a nightmare - like trying to listen to a conversation in a large, crowded restaurant with only hard surfaces - and a little "this is what happens in the huddles" goes a really long way.

If a game between the #1 and #2 teams was broadcast in the Live All Access format, I still wouldn't watch.

I give FS1 (and whoever else) credit for trying something new, but there are some things that are just fine the way they are.
 
#191      
I absolutely hated the Live All Access. We don't need to see the coaches at all times (especially at the expense of a third of the screen), the audio was a nightmare - like trying to listen to a conversation in a large, crowded restaurant with only hard surfaces - and a little "this is what happens in the huddles" goes a really long way.

If a game between the #1 and #2 teams was broadcast in the Live All Access format, I still wouldn't watch.

I give FS1 (and whoever else) credit for trying something new, but there are some things that are just fine the way they are.

I had the opposite reaction. I really liked it. It was way more interesting/less annoying than listening to the usual commentators. The last sequence was especially interesting. Pat Chambers seem to tell his guys to foul to extend the game, but by the end of the time out, said not to foul. On the other end, Underwood was telling his guys that they were going to get fouled and who to get the ball to. Just watching how the coaches were handling the players was interesting. Underwood was joking with his players, loosening the players up and instilling confidence. Underwood said in the huddle, we are going to win this game. Chambers seemed to be doing the opposite, trying to give them a sense of urgency. Seemed like the players were a bit frazzled. Maybe it's not an every game thing, but I really liked it.
 
#192      
I liked the coaches being mic'ed, but did not need to see the coaches on the screen at all times. And as someone pointed out in the game thread (think it was Chocolate Thunder or a name something like that), what the hell was that stupid sound meter thing during team huddles?
 
#193      
Giorgi and Kofi did not play one minute together last night. I think Giorgi's days of a 4 are over. This 4 guard and Kofi thing is really interesting to watch.

At one point (I believe) I saw Giorgi say something to BU to the effect of "put me back in" sometime around the 11-10 min mark in the second half (about a min after he had been benched). BU just said "no" and walked away shaking his head...a decision I was glad to see considering how Giorgi had been playing, but it was also really good to see Giorgi's positive demeanor in the huddle with less than 3 to play and it being obvious that he wasn't getting back in the game. That is so huge and you can see it is imbued in everybody, even our star players -- team first, always.

BU may be a hard-!!!, but as my wife noted, "the players sure seem to like him."
 
#194      
The sound quality was painful, but the insights were fascinating, at least when I was able to hear them!
 
#196      
I had the opposite reaction. I really liked it. It was way more interesting/less annoying than listening to the usual commentators. The last sequence was especially interesting. Pat Chambers seem to tell his guys to foul to extend the game, but by the end of the time out, said not to foul. On the other end, Underwood was telling his guys that they were going to get fouled and who to get the ball to. Just watching how the coaches were handling the players was interesting. Underwood was joking with his players, loosening the players up and instilling confidence. Underwood said in the huddle, we are going to win this game. Chambers seemed to be doing the opposite, trying to give them a sense of urgency. Seemed like the players were a bit frazzled. Maybe it's not an every game thing, but I really liked it.
For the most part I loved it, as did everyone I have talked to about this approach. It wasn't perfect and is a work in process, but it was way better than listening to Dan Dakich or Bill Walton pontificate. The huddles, the half-time, the banter with the officials was GOLD, Jerry, GOLD.
 
#197      
At one point (I believe) I saw Giorgi say something to BU to the effect of "put me back in" sometime around the 11-10 min mark in the second half (about a min after he had been benched). BU just said "no" and walked away shaking his head...a decision I was glad to see considering how Giorgi had been playing, but it was also really good to see Giorgi's positive demeanor in the huddle with less than 3 to play and it being obvious that he wasn't getting back in the game. That is so huge and you can see it is imbued in everybody, even our star players -- team first, always.

BU may be a hard-!!!, but as my wife noted, "the players sure seem to like him."
I feel bad for Giorgi, but I think last year he was a good player on a really young erratic team. This year the talent level has gone up & he may have even more problems next year with the new recruits. I hope I am wrong because I love him to death as a person, & am pulling for him to succeed. He truly is the embodiment of a "great teammate" & team player.
 
#199      

sbillini

st petersburg, fl
Agreed, I enjoyed it as well. But if I were the coaches I'd hate it, and for that reason alone I'm glad it's not more common (let them do their job without us getting even more access to constantly nitpick).


Overall i liked it too. A few thoughts on them being mic'd up:
  • Agree that the sound quality was bad. But that's probably fixable.
  • Also agree that the multi-screen thing was kinda unnecessary. Maybe even something like an icon that appears in the corner that says who's talking when someone is speaking. Don't need to take up a big chunk of the screen with the coaches.
  • But the insights were definitely interesting. I was personally surprised how little BU talked (both during the game and in the huddle). In one of the huddles, I believe he sat there for like a full minute without saying a word. I'm guessing the team was talking to each other (great to see), but I thought that was really interesting. Esp. when compared to Chambers who just talked non-stop - and is my assumption how most coaches are.
  • Earlier in the game, there was a foul called on us...I think Kofi(?) BU argued the call with the ref, and was it just me, or did the ref straight up tell BU that since the PSU guy fell to the ground, he had to call it? Does that not seem a strange precedent to set? I guess it get it somewhat, but still seems like a strange justification.
  • Pat Chambers whined about every call..like every single one. And every 50/50 non-call. It got irritating. BU complained about some, but a minority of them, and one that was called on us (I believe TF), BU actually commended the ref for making the call. Someone mentioned Pat was being very Izzo-esque. I agree!
Overall, I'd take the All Access over the normal stuff any day. Not perfect, but opportunity to improve and very insightful. Doubt the coaches would want it to become a regular thing, though.
 
#200      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Pat Chambers was very respectful and I appreciated how he handled his press conference.
I also had zero problem with how Chambers handled himself during the game. A lot of you people have your orange goggles on. Brad is the exact same way, as well as most coaches. Brad just did a really good job of tempering it down since he was wired up. Even Jeremy Werner tweeted about how that is not the typical Brad. Pat
kept emphasizing "attitude" with his players after something negative happened. He is a good coach
 
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