Indiana 92, Illinois 74 POSTGAME

#52      
They definitely need to add talent, and keep a couple of key guys.

No system gets a good defensive performance with the effort tonight. It’s absolutely on Underwood to get his guys mentally ready, and they weren’t. But nobody’s making chicken salad out of the chicken **** we saw tonight.
Not sure its an issue of not being entirely mentally prepared at the start. It sort of looked like we broke when we realized that we weren't getting turnovers, that they had a gameplan for beating our system, and that whatever adjustments we were making weren't working.
 
#53      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
It looks pretty simple to me. These guys have no legs. If what the players are saying is true that they go just as hard in practice at this point in the season, then there is no way they can maintain this pace.

Picking up the point guard at 3/4s court and then following his fakes to the half court line also doesn't make any sense at this point. This should have been a pack line / zone D against this team for most of the game. This is the Big 10 - I don't see how you can maintain this type of D for a complete season and our guards have been exposed by a spread court, one on one offense.
 
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#54      
So shocked and disappointed ... the winning streak is all but erased. Boys, PLEASE: prove us all wrong who are doubting and go shock Penn State. :(

If beating the Lions is shocking, we are in a quagmire. Granted it is on the road, they are playing better now, and we lost to them at home. But shocking, in basketball, ouch.

GO ILLINI!
 
#56      

RedRocksIllini

Morrison, CO
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/col...cle_fe34b9d1-7421-5c87-8a58-af2889ebae39.html

“Our defense was atrocious tonight,” Dosunmu said. “We couldn’t guard anyone. We played with no urgency.”
The loss closed out the home season for Illinois (11-19, 7-12).


________________________________________________________

Where to start ?

OK, I'm gonna post like the players played last night....LIKE I DON'T CARE ANYMORE AND I'M GLAD THE SEASON IS GOING TO BE OVER AFTER 2 MORE LOSSES...

That's not how I feel but after that display last night by the Illini then maybe I do or should or...................

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Have to agree with Ayo. I won't use the word "quit" because this team has shown more fight all season long than just about any Illini team I can remember, but last night was just not a good night. Hope they finish the season with some better effort. Rather see them end on an upswing.
 
#58      

Deleted member 4333

D
Guest
If beating the Lions is shocking, we are in a quagmire. Granted it is on the road, they are playing better now, and we lost to them at home. But shocking, in basketball, ouch.

GO ILLINI!

Shocking, but true.
 
#60      

APS iMBA

Urbana, IL
If yesterday's practice was "off teh charts" and today's game lacked energy, then do NOT practice. Walkthrough, slow-mo, the game plan and then play the game.

Did they train too hard yesterday? Sounds like they're saying they didn't taper.
 
#61      
If beating the Lions is shocking, we are in a quagmire. Granted it is on the road, they are playing better now, and we lost to them at home. But shocking, in basketball, ouch.

GO ILLINI!

Not disagreeing with you "big picture" ... I also think, in a vacuum, "Illini basketball should be in the Tournament almost every year."

The current reality, however... :cry:
 
#62      
According to Barttovik, yesterday's ADJD of 134.4 by Illinois was the worst by any BIG team for any game this year.
 
#63      

WiscIllini

Madison, WI
Ever since the loss at Wisconsin this year this team has gone downhill. That was the last decent game we played. Giorgi shooting threes?? I can't believe Brad Underwood didn't rip his head off last night. Horrible effort from the players.
 
#65      
Ever since the loss at Wisconsin this year this team has gone downhill. That was the last decent game we played. Giorgi shooting threes?? I can't believe Brad Underwood didn't rip his head off last night. Horrible effort from the players.
the problem is not the players!
 
#66      

WiscIllini

Madison, WI
the problem is not the players!

The problem isn't 100% the players, sure. But they had zero fire last night outside of some instances with Feliz. Not playing within themselves. Underwood might not have had them prepared, but they didn't even act like they wanted to play the game. So, yes, the players were and are part of the problem.
 
#67      
This team needs a power forward badly who can rebound. I am wondering if this system wares players down by the end of the season.
 
#68      
Guys aren't playing with pride, and that's the only thing that matters IMO. Not sure where they lost the intensity, but unless they get that back, the season's over and they will have very little to build on in the offseason. Gotta have good habits to compete.
 
#69      
I think getting some size will help quite a bit with the defense -- though not sure that would have even made a difference last night. But it has to be disheartening to be pressuring the ball and getting teams out of sync often times, but then they finally get a dump down where the other teams size makes it easy to score. AJ has done a great job all year, but he's just out manned and having to guard guys he shouldn't have to. And it hasn't helped that Kipper has done very little all season long. If Illini can get some explosiveness on the wing and another big beyond Kofi (hopefully that will be January or Higgs, but if not someone else), they will be back in the thick of things next year.
 
#70      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
A not-so-fun fact: Unless we sweep the remainder of our games and win the entire NCAA tournament, this will be the losingest team in the 114-year history of Illinois basketball. The first 20-game loser ever.
 
#71      
I think getting some size will help quite a bit with the defense -- though not sure that would have even made a difference last night. But it has to be disheartening to be pressuring the ball and getting teams out of sync often times, but then they finally get a dump down where the other teams size makes it easy to score. AJ has done a great job all year, but he's just out manned and having to guard guys he shouldn't have to. And it hasn't helped that Kipper has done very little all season long. If Illini can get some explosiveness on the wing and another big beyond Kofi (hopefully that will be January or Higgs, but if not someone else), they will be back in the thick of things next year.

IMO unless the opposing big man can CONSISTENTLY hit the 3 pointer, there is absolutely no reason for whoever is guarding him to go out any further than the free thow line. Seems to open the lane for back door cuts that too often end up in dunks. Again, just my opinion.
 
#73      
A not-so-fun fact: Unless we sweep the remainder of our games and win the entire NCAA tournament, this will be the losingest team in the 114-year history of Illinois basketball. The first 20-game loser ever.

Yeah, that's a fact without background. Should consider it's one of the toughest schedules ever with one of the most inexperienced teams ever.
 
#74      
You are correct, I misread. The ‘we’ was not an Illinois we.
the original poster, Brass Cannon is a Hoosier fan, he has been in the recruiting from time to time, probably when we were both chasing Wilkes...but his we means Indiania
 
#75      
I thought, and maybe I’m wrong, that if we learned nothing else from the Groce-era we were taught that “TNT” aka extraordinary effort isn’t enough on its own to consistently win games. Yet whenever we have lost this year, it’s been largely blamed on effort.

You can play hard, and guys should, every game. But this team needs to play smarter. And that means adjusting game plans to opponents strengths and weaknesses. Rob Phenisee is a 30% three point shooter. You don’t drape on him 30 feet from the basket all game and give him driving lanes. It was PSU all over again. And I’d bet you see the same thing this Sunday.