Miami 81, Illinois 79 POSTGAME

#252      
Issues at Hand: Stats per ESPN

DaMonte and his offense are not one of them, Griffin or whomever off the bench in place of anyone else is not one of them....simply put the stats don't lie! Through 8 games played:

Illinois Steals as a team...tied with such powerhouses as Tennessee Tech, Northern Arizona, South Carolina Upstate @ 6.0 per game- 241 Nationally
Illinois Blocks as a team... tied with such powerhouses as Purdue Ft Wayne, S. Illinois, Clemson, Appl. St. @ 20 total -256 Nationally
Illinois Assists as a team...tied with such powerhouses as Utah St., Iowa St. Richmond, ahead of Gonzaga @ 17 per game - 24 Nationally
Illinois FG% as a team...following right behind Indiana and Louisville @ 512% and 8th Nationally
Illinois PtsGame...Tied with Arizona for 2-4 Nationally

Our issue as discussed @ nauseam....defense is killing us. We over commit trying to pressure and create steals, we just are bad at creating them. Without fouling, the steals are minimal when giving up layups/short jumpers or leaving best opposing players wide open time and again. Blocks are extremely low for us having, what one could argue would be a top notch front court if used effectively?

Offensively, BU has gotten this team to the exact point that he wanted and we wanted...88 Pts per game. Now that said, we may not like the way we get to 88 Pts per game, and that number is inflated against inferior opponents, BUT we are still scoring nearly 88 Pts per game. Someone else HAS to get a defense that works?

Zone I am afraid is the best option for us....hell Syracuse makes it work every single year, one or two years for us should not be an issue until better athletes can start playing for us to play havoc ball the way he wants to do on defense as well?

Man to Man is killing us, quit over committing BU, play sound defense and push offense from there. Kofi and Giorgi stay down low then and our chances for success will go up short term at least.

Statistics significantly influenced by strength of schedule which could mean either a really positive interpretation or a really negative interpretation.

A lot of evidence over the last two season to support the zone argument.
 
#253      
Hoping the Giorgi/Kofi experiment is abandoned, or at the very least put on pause. Giorgi guarding the perimeter is a problem. Kofi & Giorgi could also be a hell of a 1-2 punch subbing for one another.
 
#255      

The Recruit

The Eternal Optimist
Denver, CO
Issues at Hand: Stats per ESPN

DaMonte and his offense are not one of them, Griffin or whomever off the bench in place of anyone else is not one of them....simply put the stats don't lie! Through 8 games played:

Illinois Steals as a team...tied with such powerhouses as Tennessee Tech, Northern Arizona, South Carolina Upstate @ 6.0 per game- 241 Nationally
Illinois Blocks as a team... tied with such powerhouses as Purdue Ft Wayne, S. Illinois, Clemson, Appl. St. @ 20 total -256 Nationally
Illinois Assists as a team...tied with such powerhouses as Utah St., Iowa St. Richmond, ahead of Gonzaga @ 17 per game - 24 Nationally
Illinois FG% as a team...following right behind Indiana and Louisville @ 512% and 8th Nationally
Illinois PtsGame...Tied with Arizona for 2-4 Nationally

Our issue as discussed @ nauseam....defense is killing us. We over commit trying to pressure and create steals, we just are bad at creating them. Without fouling, the steals are minimal when giving up layups/short jumpers or leaving best opposing players wide open time and again. Blocks are extremely low for us having, what one could argue would be a top notch front court if used effectively?

Offensively, BU has gotten this team to the exact point that he wanted and we wanted...88 Pts per game. Now that said, we may not like the way we get to 88 Pts per game, and that number is inflated against inferior opponents, BUT we are still scoring nearly 88 Pts per game. Someone else HAS to get a defense that works?

Zone I am afraid is the best option for us....hell Syracuse makes it work every single year, one or two years for us should not be an issue until better athletes can start playing for us to play havoc ball the way he wants to do on defense as well?

Man to Man is killing us, quit over committing BU, play sound defense and push offense from there. Kofi and Giorgi stay down low then and our chances for success will go up short term at least.

************ Illinois PtsGame... Tied with Arizona for 2-4 Nationally (we have obviously been playing far more superior talent in the likes of Lindenwood, Hampton, GCU, etc...)
 
#256      

illini80

Forgottonia
Hoping the Giorgi/Kofi experiment is abandoned, or at the very least put on pause. Giorgi guarding the perimeter is a problem. Kofi & Giorgi could also be a hell of a 1-2 punch subbing for one another.
Problem is we have no one else who can play the 4 effectively either.
 
#259      

Power

Little Wabash River , Southern IL.
Hoping the Giorgi/Kofi experiment is abandoned, or at the very least put on pause. Giorgi guarding the perimeter is a problem. Kofi & Giorgi could also be a hell of a 1-2 punch subbing for one another.
I think there are situations that we can use them both at the same time... such as the other team has a lot of bigs on the floor... That being said... most teams these days are guard oriented and we need 1 more quicker guy on defense.
Now I think a sub situation would create a problem for most teams.. either they have a stud that can guard the paint against a big. or they have a smaller big guy that can chase 6'8" guys around. but usually not both.
 
#260      
Miami hit several contested threes last night. Illinois missed several layups and foul shots. Illinois would have won this game if Miami was shooting just slightly more toward their average. The best thing you can say about this game is that Illinois didn't go away and, even though they lost, they made the largest comeback in Illini history. That shows toughness and a belief that they can win any game at any time. That bode well for the future.
 
#261      

dish3

Seattle
As a side note, anybody else notice a couple guys (Giorgi and Monte) hanging on the rims for no good reason last night? Giorgi did have a really nice put-back slam after the whistle but other than that it seemed they just thought it was fun to hang and wiggle the rim even when not involved in the play. While I can appreciate how awesome that feels, it seemed weird--I'd rather have them attack the rim ferociously during play but respect it when the play is not active.
 
#263      

ILLINI IN NE

Omaha,Ne.
As a side note, anybody else notice a couple guys (Giorgi and Monte) hanging on the rims for no good reason last night? Giorgi did have a really nice put-back slam after the whistle but other than that it seemed they just thought it was fun to hang and wiggle the rim even when not involved in the play. While I can appreciate how awesome that feels, it seemed weird--I'd rather have them attack the rim ferociously during play but respect it when the play is not active.

I noticed that also. Several times it was after a made basket and they hung on the rim for several seconds. I don't know why they did this and was glad they didn't T'd up.
 
#264      
I noticed that also. Several times it was after a made basket and they hung on the rim for several seconds. I don't know why they did this and was glad they didn't T'd up.
I would've put money on Giorgi getting a tech after one of them, he had no good reason and it was a solid couple seconds.
 
#265      
As of today Ayo will not be drafted in the first round. He would not start on any Euroleague team! This is year 3 if we can't efficiently run this offence, which I think needs too many successful components to be successful, then Brad needs to adjust his philosophy or move on. They looked like they were at a practice that didn't mean anything until about the 12 min mark in the second half. They need to forget about how good on paper they think they are and realize real quick that if they don't play at maximum effort every night they won't make the NIT tournament. There is no excuse for such a lackluster, uninspired performance that was displayed last night.
 
#266      
IMO
Ayo isn’t playing like a draft pick.
AG needs more time
Where is the pressure defense when it is needed
We were out coached, good coaches have a plan to shut down their scorer.
Our defense still sucks
Trent should have had the ball instead of Ayo with secs left.
 
#267      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
I'm definitely not an X's and O's expert so this may be a dumb post, but I wouldn't mind seeing Underwood go with two different units where Ayo and Trent are not on the floor at the same time as well as Kofi and Georgi. Maybe pair up Ayo with Kofi and Trent with GB and fill in the other guys around them. You could go back and forth with different combos but I don't think Kofi and GB are good enough defensively to be on the court together and Ayo and Trent might play better if they weren't playing together too.
 
#268      

CoalCity

St Paul, MN
most games i watch... the commentators don't have time / unction to go over a foul... he's watching griffin for that small bump which you needed a 2nd or 3rd camera angle and it's a judgement call... and his judgement anti-illini. i'm like... shush that man. he can't comment illini games
It happened right in front of him. Anybody paying attention would have seen it, I saw it right on the edge of the screen live as the camera was panning. Probably would have been a no call had lykes not reacted but with replay the instigator can't get away with as much as they used to.
 
#269      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
I'm definitely not an X's and O's expert so this may be a dumb post, but I wouldn't mind seeing Underwood go with two different units where Ayo and Trent are not on the floor at the same time as well as Kofi and Georgi. Maybe pair up Ayo with Kofi and Trent with GB and fill in the other guys around them. You could go back and forth with different combos but I don't think Kofi and GB are good enough defensively to be on the court together and Ayo and Trent might play better if they weren't playing together too.
I think Ayo and Trent play well off each other now. I think Feliz is the new dynamic that causes me concern. He's clearly trying to show his ability this year to make an impression on scouts (over seas of course). I'd really like to see Tev in there instead, but until he is free - lets go with an offensive threat like AG. Trent and AG on the floor at the same time can really cause a problem for the D if we can get a point guard who is focused on creating and not just getting to the rim. With another game or two - I think (am hoping?) AG can get in better flow and settle down.

Also, if GB is not on the floor alot with Kofi - you'll see Kofi's numbers drop dramtically. And we need size for rebounding, etc. Kofi / GB doesn't concern me as much. We just need GB to get a better feel for how to defend the line. HIs problems have been on switchoffs - I don't remember him having as much of a problem in staying on another 4. GB was by far our best defender against Happ last year. Yes, he's not shooting at the 3pt line, but he was a pretty deft backdown, dribbler.
 
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#270      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
It happened right in front of him. Anybody paying attention would have seen it, I saw it right on the edge of the screen live as the camera was panning. Probably would have been a no call had lykes not reacted but with replay the instigator can't get away with as much as they used to.
Does anyone know for sure Lykes got his T after AG brushed by him? I thought I saw the ref T him up prior to that. And then AG just sort of rubbed it in. Kudos to AG for coaxing a T out of him if it happened after the brush.
 
#271      
How

is Trent playing worse? He went 4-7 and had 14 pts? There are other scoring options now on the team (Ayo, Kofi, Giorgi, Feliz) he doesn’t get the volume of shots nor have the ball in his hands as much as his Freshman year!!
He heated up in the second half, which was good. However, Lykes absolutely abused him in that first half....on both ends of the court. So, he had 14, but how many did he give up? There were some live ball turnovers in there that led directly to 2 on 1s.
 
#272      
As a side note, anybody else notice a couple guys (Giorgi and Monte) hanging on the rims for no good reason last night? Giorgi did have a really nice put-back slam after the whistle but other than that it seemed they just thought it was fun to hang and wiggle the rim even when not involved in the play. While I can appreciate how awesome that feels, it seemed weird--I'd rather have them attack the rim ferociously during play but respect it when the play is not active.
I saw both players with putbacks that were waived off for various reasons.
On a related note...I find it interesting that this was one's significant takeaway last night. I really wish I could have zoned in on the rim hanging to take my mind off my frustration from watching Miami draining 45 ft 3 pointers.
 
#273      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
They just haven't figured out how to be a team. Too much hero ball. Ayo has to pass at the end. There were one or two other breaks where he took a contested shot at the rim instead of passing to a wide open teammate under the basket. Dre' has been guilty of the same. We need guys driving the basket, but looking at options not just trying to score. When they moved the ball in the previous two games (albeit lesser foes) they looked like they were getting it.

Maybe some overconfidence along with national TV and new throwback unis was enough to keep their head in the clouds for the first 20 minutes? Who knows...but it's totally on BU to snap them to attention and he owned it post-game.

Ayo still not mature enough to lead a team, and the Alpha Male paradox exists between he and Frazier I think. Frazier is mature enough, and committed enough to the team concept...but maybe there's some undercurrent that prevents it. IMO Trent needs to start exerting himself as the floor leader. Maybe Ayo will be better without the pressure? Spit-balling.
 
#274      
I think Ayo and Trent play well off each other now. I think Feliz is the new dynamic that causes me concern. He's clearly trying to show his ability this year to make an impression on scouts (over seas of course). I'd really like to see Tev in there instead, but until he is free - lets go with an offensive threat like AG. Trent and AG on the floor at the same time can really cause a problem for the D if we can get a point guard who is focused on creating and not just getting to the rim. With another game or two - I think (am hoping?) AG can get in better flow and settle down.

Also, if GB is not on the floor alot with Kofi - you'll see Kofi's numbers drop dramtically. And we need size for rebounding, etc. Kofi / GB doesn't concern me as much. We just need GB to get a better feel for how to defend the line. HIs problems have been on switchoffs - I don't remember him having as much of a problem in staying on another 4. GB was by far our best defender against Happ last year. Yes, he's not shooting at the 3pt line, but he was a pretty deft backdown, dribbler.
Giorgi is our best entry passer to Kofi. Giorgi, AG and trent spreading floor with Ayo installing a new "pass first" mentality and regularly driving to draw a crowd...kick out for a giorgi high -low pass to Kofi...or Ayo drive and pass to a wing for Trent or AG to rain 3s.

We have strengths and weapons not being used....ayo needs to be a "distributor first" which would help greatly.
 
#275      
This is in no way meant to be the only problem with this team as god knows we have many (coaching not being the least of them), but Ayo is a major issue for the team and Underwood. It is clear that he loves the UofI and really is doing his part to try to revitalize a dead program, but he simply is not an NBA guard at this point in his basketball career. He does not have a particularly good shot, nor good handles, nor an ability to set up his teammates, nor a midrange game, nor does he play tremendous defense. He is very good in the open floor no question, but is he in the league of Westbrook, Hardin, Curry or even our own Deron? Not a chance, he could be but not with just 2 years of college.

Here is the real problem, if Underwood puts him on the bench for any amount of time or does not let him have the ball in his hands at the end of the game the Chicago media and coaches kill him. Underwood is completely responsible for not getting him to the NBA. Anyone who is slightly objective can see there are major flaws in Ayo’s game, but that can’t be corrected or pointed out without a huge backlash. Hell, there is a backlash here on this board for even questioning his game. A honest person looking at where Ayo is now versus say a Deron Williams, Frank Williams, or a Bruce Douglass can not honestly feel Ayo is at the same level at a similar point in career. Yet, Underwood must continue with the facade that Ayo is a lottery pick or else the wrath of Chicago falls totally on him.

Really hate this as Ayo is clearly a great kid, super student and is trying to make Illinois relevant again, but boy do I wish he was not pressing to make the NBA yet. He has the ability to get there, but it probably will take another year or maybe two. Without that hanging over him, and the team he could just play I feel.