Illinois 91, Marshall 74 POSTGAME

#102      

illini80

illini80
Forgottonia
illini80
JudsonFTS said:
I am not concerned about Alstork in the least. I think scoring expectations were placed in the Ray Rice category. The biggest difference between he and Ray is the supporting cast and the fact it is Mark's first year. He is doing fine and the good news is that AJ Mark Smith Trent, Damonte, are all contributing a lot.

He will be fine!
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I'm actually impressed with what I've seen because he's not trying to be a R Rice. He's playing D and working hard.
 
#103      

HTT

H
HTT
JudsonFTS said:
I am not concerned about Alstork in the least. I think scoring expectations were placed in the Ray Rice category. The biggest difference between he and Ray is the supporting cast and the fact it is Mark's first year. He is doing fine and the good news is that AJ Mark Smith Trent, Damonte, are all contributing a lot.

He will be fine!
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If we let Alstork attack off the screen every time and everyone else just standing around waiting for 3s, he may have some Rice-ish production. But I don't want to see that and believe this is exactly how Groce will use Alstork.

One bad habit shared by Alstork and Rice is that they don't move much without the ball in offense (sticking around in the corner or the wing position). Fortunately in defence Alstork does not lose trace of the opponent player, which happens too many times for Rice. And Alstork is a way better passer than Rice.
 
#105      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
illini80 said:
I'm actually impressed with what I've seen because he's not trying to be a R Rice. He's playing D and working hard.
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+ 1

if Mark was playing as bad as some posters say then BU wouldn't be heaping praise on him the way he does....By the start of conference play I think mark will be scoring enough to silence the critics along with playing good D and being unselfish with the ball....
 
#106      

BWilson25

B
The A
BWilson25
Just the amount of free throws we are shooting compared to the last decade should project a giant ray of optimism.
 
#107      

Ubermensch

Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
Ubermensch
BWilson25 said:
Just the amount of free throws we are shooting compared to the last decade should project a giant ray of optimism.
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The # of free throws + the shot charts = winning basketball

Either Groce didn't accept the idea that the long two-point shot is the worst shot in basketball, or he didn't know how to fix it. Neither option is complimentary.
 
#108      

mattcoldagelli

mattcoldagelli
The Transfer Portal
mattcoldagelli
Ubermensch said:
The # of free throws + the shot charts = winning basketball

Either Groce didn't accept the idea that the long two-point shot is the worst shot in basketball, or he didn't know how to fix it. Neither option is complimentary.
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amen.gif
 
#109      

Bailey

B
Los Angeles
Bailey
Ubermensch said:
The # of free throws + the shot charts = winning basketball

Either Groce didn't accept the idea that the long two-point shot is the worst shot in basketball, or he didn't know how to fix it. Neither option is complimentary.
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Agree so much. The amount of long 2's we settled for in recent memory were infuriating. Those shots are punishable by an immediate yank.
 
#110      

Ol Dirty Gamer

O
Ol Dirty Gamer
Ubermensch said:
The # of free throws + the shot charts = winning basketball

Either Groce didn't accept the idea that the long two-point shot is the worst shot in basketball, or he didn't know how to fix it. Neither option is complimentary.
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Coaching staff plus slower guards with mediocre handles = less penetration and more long 2 pointers.
 
#111      

Doc Awesome

D
YOU
Doc Awesome
I thought this game would be alot closer. Marshall matches up well against us on paper.

Happy we came away with the win.
 
#115      

OurMottoisOskeeWowWow

OurMottoisOskeeWowWow
Illinois
OurMottoisOskeeWowWow
I think we can all agree that we are glad to be where we are at now with Underwood (and his offensive play) than where we would have been with another year of Groce even if it meant keeping Tilmon.
 
#118      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
One new set vs Marshall. It was the one I thought might be the “Underwood Special” when I saw it from Alstork’s visit. We did run it for him but didn’t get much out of it. Timing and decisiveness seemed a bit off.

I actually thought Marshall did a pretty good job defending basic spread. High post guy was rarely open as a threat and cutters were fairly covered. Really hard to do. We did run a high post entry counter for a postup (same one I talked about after last game). Think we scored or got fouled on all of those. Most have been run for Kipper so far.

Would really like to see us just slice up augustana with basic spread flow so we can get comfortable seeing all the options. It’s getting smoother but still not fluid (unlike recruiting) yet.
 
#122      

Peoria Illini

P
Peoria, IL
Peoria Illini
FiveStar said:
One new set vs Marshall. It was the one I thought might be the “Underwood Special” when I saw it from Alstork’s visit. We did run it for him but didn’t get much out of it. Timing and decisiveness seemed a bit off.

I actually thought Marshall did a pretty good job defending basic spread. High post guy was rarely open as a threat and cutters were fairly covered. Really hard to do. We did run a high post entry counter for a postup (same one I talked about after last game). Think we scored or got fouled on all of those. Most have been run for Kipper so far.

Would really like to see us just slice up augustana with basic spread flow so we can get comfortable seeing all the options. It’s getting smoother but still not fluid (unlike recruiting) yet.
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Underwood spoke about this after the DePaul game, in that the guys are still a bit impatient regarding running the offense. Not letting the options develop. They also aren't immediately cutting when the ball is reversed at times. The trust and anticipation isn't quite there yet, IMO.
 
#123      

Peoria Illini

P
Peoria, IL
Peoria Illini
TALKTOCHUCK said:
The way this team takes the ball to the rim is impressive
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I do like how they attack the rim, but they still seem a bit soft on finishing when we get there. I'd love to see them try the slam once in awhile instead of settling for a soft layup that may or may not go in or get rejected.

The soft finishes remind me too much of the last era... LOL
 
#124      

illinitiger

I
illinitiger
Peoria Illini said:
I do like how they attack the rim, but they still seem a bit soft on finishing when we get there. I'd love to see them try the slam once in awhile instead of settling for a soft layup that may or may not go in or get rejected.

The soft finishes remind me too much of the last era... LOL
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Get ball in the basket or get on the free throw line. no extra points for a jam, but I know it pleases the crowd.
 
#125      

Gunner23

G
Panama City, Florida
Gunner23
Peoria Illini said:
I do like how they attack the rim, but they still seem a bit soft on finishing when we get there. I'd love to see them try the slam once in awhile instead of settling for a soft layup that may or may not go in or get rejected.

The soft finishes remind me too much of the last era... LOL
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The way that this team plays does not remind me of the Weber/Groce eras at all. It seems to me that we have many more finishes at the rim than previous seasons under Weber/Groce. The aforementioned coaches were fine with chucking up a bunch of 3 point shots and a lot of long 2 point shots. We don't have the athletes to go in and hammer everything close right now. That is part of the rebuilding process. At this point in time, I will take some "soft finishes" that result in 2 pts or a trip to the line over chucking shots up because we have no other option at the end of the shot clock. This staff will recruit the players needed to provide you the hard finishes that you desire. In the future, this team will be able to do it all (finish soft, finish hard, hit threes, rebound, and play hard nosed/intense defense, etc.). This is a process and we all just need to sit back, enjoy, and watch it play out. Illini basketball is going to be in a great place...soon. :chief: