Illinois 79, Michigan State 74 POSTGAME

#151      
Dude, would it kill you to give Ayo some credit without being underhanded about it, Izzo? Go jump in a lake.

Hopefully Ayo takes it to MSU every f'ing time from now on...replay that backhanded reply over and over....Izzo is a great coach and recruiter, tonight he was greatly disappointed in his team and his presser shows in body language, responses etc...
 
#152      

breadman

Herndon, VA
At this point in the long season, it appears that the game has finally slowed down for our freshman and sophomores to be able to grind it out for 40 minutes.
Just wonderful to watch!! Now bury Rutgers. We have to. We have no choice at this point in the season!
 
#153      

APS iMBA

Urbana, IL
Hopefully Ayo takes it to MSU every f'ing time from now on...replay that backhanded reply over and over....Izzo is a great coach and recruiter, tonight he was greatly disappointed in his team and his presser shows in body language, responses etc...
Yeah, he came off as super bitter to me. If I were his players, I probably wouldn't wanna be around him tonight.
 
#154      
This offense continues to evolve, adding more and more wrinkles. And all this improvement is happening in the middle of the season. Imagine what can happen during the offseason. Especially now that BU knows what the majority of his players are capable of. Next year we will feast on mismatches.
 
#157      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
What a great win by my beloved Illini.....I knew if we contained Winston and limited their bigs that we would have a chance...17 turnovers in the first half led to the big lead and the composure we have learned and earned this year allowed us to take the msu punch and stay the course...Also I prayed the prayer of my life with 4:00 left in the game for an Illini win....I predicted 71-70 Illini win and I know this feels so damn good to stick it to Izzo and his arrogant attitude towards the Illini....

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#158      

Deleted member 746317

D
Guest
I LOVE this presser. It really shows how much the guys bought in, their chemistry, and how much pride they take in locking down defensively. Als when they were talking about how great the Krush is all of them were nodding. These guys love and take pride in Illinois.
I really liked both the players and BU's pressers. Couldn't resist Giorgi just sitting in there grinning; really thought BU comments were right on. Here's a collection of some other thoughts, following a night that I really needed as a fan and am so happy for the players and coach to have had:

THIS GAME:
  • Was truly a team effort. So many important plays by different people. Not taking anything from Ayo, but I didn't see him "taking over the game," even though he made big shots at the end. I felt the team was a team all the way through. The coach and players mentioned a number of key contributions (Ayo 3s, AJ block, Trent and others FTs) but both Feliz and ADLR get credit for really solid contributions tonight - best so far, from ADLR.
  • First half defense was so consistently good and aggressive that it flustered MSU into making the "junior high plays" that Izzo commented on - you can bet that MSU players haven't seen defense like that for an entire half at any point this year; some of our turnovers were really take-aways and some of them were stress-induced brain farts by MSU that our players get more credit for than Izzo wanted to give.
  • A big part of the reason the first half D was so good for 98% of that half was that our offensive energy, diversity and execution were so good for about 90% of the same period - we had a real positive feedback loop going, with offense and defense really feeding off of each other. I thought the decline in our offensive energy (and the increased whistles) in the second half took some of the ferocity out of our defense and defensive rebounding.
  • I was hoping we would see a bit more TJ in the second half, because I thought he had the potential to spark something on offensive that might help recapture the first half energy. I'm okay with AJ and DMW on the floor at the same time when we are both a) working Giorgi in the post and b) at least one of TF or Ayo are clearly feeling it, but when c) we start looking flat on offense, then I think one of Feliz or TJ has to be in the game to take some initiative going to the rim.
AYO
  • I watched Ayo play for the national team last year (on TV) and was thoroughly impressed by his discipline and "headiness." He was not a star on that team; he was a really solid 6th man who played within himself, understood his role (he played D, distributed and didn't shoot much in half court, unless it was obvious that offensive flow required him to shoot) and brought a calm sense of purpose to the floor.
  • Consistent with the above, I have to agree with Izzo in that Ayo (based on his shooting %) isn't yet the guy you would most fear shooting a couple of threes against you at the end of the game. He does, though, seem to be the one guy we have who isn't going to miss due to nerves when he knows the situation demands a shot. [Maybe Trent, too, but I don't know what was going on with Trent's confidence earlier in B1G season; that said, I really liked Trent wanting to take the FTs at game end tonight.]
  • AYO/Trent/Feliz have not yet shown that they are the best backcourt in the B1G, but by this time next year they might be.
COACH
  • I really like his continuing comments about IL being a great historic program and having great fans. I believe BU was a good hire and love the fact that he seems to really want to become our next Lou Henson. In a bit of a reality check, however, the current players have yet to see what IL fans really can bring to the Hall. I was a cheerleader in the late 80's, travelled with the basketball team, etc., and I made it to a couple of games in in 04-05. The current players haven't seen even remotely what IL fans can do to rock the house.
  • I've taken a lot of comfort over the course of the season from comments made by the players about BU. It has seemed to me that the players feel BU truly cares for them and that there's a real relationship context between him/them that people complaining about BU's "angry face" aren't allowing for … Passion is something BU shares with his players - more so than Lou Henson appeared to and more like Izzo (like him or not, Izzo gets buy-in from his players, not just because he knows the game, but also because he has passion and cares for his guys).
I believe AYO will stay another year and, barring injuries to him/TF/Giorgi, we will be in the big dance next year.
 
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#160      

Govoner Vaugn Fan

New Orleans
That picture with Aaron in the middle with pure enjoyment and elation is about as perfect as it can get for this guy who has suffered, anguished, toiled and persevered through it all. Man look at the grit he is playing with, the players he has to defend, the game he has brought this year...all without flinching, without outwardly being frustrated, without leaving, and most importantly always being the beacon of light for our beloved ILLINI....so happy for him and his family with this one picture so deserving. This young man has done it right and will do great things in his life.

Well said. Aaron has been one of my favorite players and he really deserves this. Much of the work he does doesn't show up in the stat sheets, but he is a big reason the ship is turning.
 
#161      

Deleted member 746317

D
Guest
Well said. Aaron has been one of my favorite players and he really deserves this. Much of the work he does doesn't show up in the stat sheets, but he is a big reason the ship is turning.
I think you are right, and I think the relationship between AJ and BU -- demonstrated by AJ's playing time and BU's continuous public support of AJ -- sends a great culture message to the other players. That culture message is much stronger than "players play players."

I think BU is treating DMW much the same as AJ.
 
#162      
What a great game- such energy throughout. Great defense throughout and clutch back to back triples by Ayo to give us some breathing room. So proud of the team after this win.
 
#164      

sacraig

The desert
Apparently the KenPom system is nowhere done recalculating because we are now 68 (up 1 more) and MSU is now 6 (down 2).
Wasn't that way 10 minutes ago

It updates every time a game finishes in a given day. We will move around tomorrow as games finish up as well.
 
#165      

Deleted member 8632

D
Guest
It's so nice to come to a loyalty post-game thread and not see a complete meltdown. It's much nicer to get my meltdown fix on tigerboard!
 
#166      
Man, I love this team! I mean I love the personalities, as well as the skills! Love love love these guys!!!! ORANGE N BLUE !
 
#170      
"This won't end well for Illinois."

Great analysis, Dakich. Top notch.

The only way the evening could have been improved is if Dakich would not do his best to prevent viewers from enjoying the game.
True, his mindless predictions about pivotal moments and turning point is certainly annoying. (He "took back" a "take that back")
But his criticism of what the players should of done each and every time down the court really grates on my sensibilities.
It has always been painfully obvious that in his heart he wants the Illini to lose.
ESPN needs to promote Bardo, and send Dakich back to the Hickory Huskers.
Once a Whosier always a Whosier.
SMH
 
#171      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
The only way the evening could have been improved is if Dakich would not do his best to prevent viewers from enjoying the game.
True, his mindless predictions about pivotal moments and turning point is certainly annoying. (He "took back" a "take that back")
But his criticism of what the players should of done each and every time down the court really grates on my sensibilities.
It has always been painfully obvious that in his heart he wants the Illini to lose.
ESPN needs to promote Bardo, and send Dakich back to the Hickory Huskers.
Once a Whosier always a Whosier.
SMH
While he did complement us in the first half a decent amount, I felt like some/many of those were somewhat token statements so that he could then lavish praise on Izzo and of course his man-crush on Winston (i'm sorry - 9 TOs and you're in the hunt for league MVP?) Winston could not do what he does without constantly pushing off or arm barring the defender - unfortunately last night they didn't call it so he got his points.

DD tries to backseat coach and/or provide BBall Clinic advise WAAAAY too much during his broadcasts for my tastes. Let's face it though, most color guys are front runner fans and they just gush over the hot team. I am guessing if they are too critical of a coach that coach will cut them off from getting interviews, hot takes, etc. So, they pour it on.

And that stupid pivotal moment comment was just delusional (me thinks he thinks too much of himself). There was no run, not turn in the game, nothing for at least 5 minutes past that - so, no Dan, nice try.
 
#173      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/col...cle_52d00f9f-9439-58cc-9760-44c0fd90d7e5.html

Dosunmu finished with a game-high 24 points, three steals and three assists to propel Illinois to the best win of coach Brad Underwood’s tenure. But his six points in 30 seconds to seal the upset were undoubtably his biggest. It’s a moment he’s been preparing for his whole life. The final four minutes of the game are his time, and he knows just how to rise to the occasion.
“I just try to be a closer,” Dosunmu said. “I feel like late game, the last four minutes, that’s really where I have to close out the game. I know my team is fighting and doing everything they can to win. It’s a collective effort, but four minutes and under it’s time for me to close.

I love his attitude.....

Illinois (8-15, 4-8) watched a 14-point lead dwindle away in the span of about 14 minutes. The offense went cold, more than eight minutes without a field goal, in fact. With the shot clock winding down to one second left and the Illini trailing by three points with 4 minutes, 15 seconds remaining, Dosunmu threaded a pass to Andres Feliz, who hit the layup, got fouled and converted from the line to tie the score at 68-all.

That play paved the way for the Illini to have faith in their ability to win the game, IMHO

“This is why you came here,” Underwood told his team during the timeout, “to be in these games, in these situations down the stretch and this is going to be a defining moment. This is when we’re going to establish what we’re about.”

This is coming together for all of us and those words spurred the young colts to victory

“It was shocking. I’m still shocked. Where we’re at right now, this is what we work for — that feeling. The crowd was unbelievable. I’ve never, ever been a part of a gamer, either watching or a part of the game, that had that energy. I had goosebumps in the game.”

That says it all....GO ILLINI
 
#174      

UofIChE06

Pittsburgh
ADLR deserves a ton of credit. My only gripe is why did Kipper play so many minutes over Jones in the second half?

Matchups. MSU played a good bit with two bigs. Kipper has a frame much better suited for defense against them. Tev was getting pushed around a good bit in that matchup.
 
#175      

UofIChE06

Pittsburgh
Hard to believe how much better we are at stopping the drive compared to recent years.
Giorgi is so good. Feliz played a great game and does so many things, always around the ball.

I actually don't think they are that great at stopping the drive. Part of that is by design because they play pressure defense. Being that close to the ball makes it very difficult to stay in front of someone. They have drastically improved even since earlier this year at helping on the drive. They are almost baiting drivers into a bad spot where help is waiting. In addition they are anticipating where the ball is going to go when that driver runs into the help and rotating much better than before.