Or, could Giorgi take the primary defense against Garza if they want to play him away from the basket and let Kofi play a 1 man zone at the rim? Don't hurt me, not my expertise, a thought beyond just a one on one defense. Was Georgi on Garza last year or did he principally defend Cook, or more probably was he trying to defend both?
Pregame: Illinois vs Northwestern, Saturday, January 18th, 4:00pm CT, BTN
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Is it Saturday yet?
Deleted member 746654
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What concerns me is that we do not play well coming off a week long lay off. We usually show up with no intensity
Yep, I'm willing to take the chance that Garza is NOT going to be the difference in the game because of his 2pt shooting from 10+.
Deleted member 29907
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Agree with your concern. I do think we are a different team with Trent running the point more. Much more aggressive and it lets Ayo attack off the rebound/quick break or swing over from the wing. All of that (plus Trent getting rid of the semi-man bun) gives me hope that while we might start off a bit slow due to some rust, we'll get on track quickly.
Is ‘semi-man’ one of those new gender designations?
Steelyunk
- Tobacco Road
Thankfully we're playing the team that permits the greatest/only margin of error in the league. I'm hoping to see Ayo and Griffin continue to have the killer instinct, for Kofi to have another gaudy stat line and for the last yawner of the year... or at least until we play at welsh-ryan.
Agreed. Talking about Big Ten champaionships and Final Four's is an alternative reality.
Granted, about the only way we had to go was up, but the numbers suggest significant improvement.
The Illini are forcing fewer turnovers (from top-25 in defensive turnover rate the last two seasons to No. 224 this season). But Illinois is allowing just 45.2 percent on two-point field goals, an improvement of 8.4 percent from last season (53.6 percent). The Illini defensive rebound rate has improved from 68.1 percent last season (307th in the country last season) to 74.7 percent this season (67th in the country). The Illini have cut their defensive free-throw rate in half, going from 350th and 338th in the country the previous two seasons in the stat to No. 8 this season.
The Illini are forcing fewer turnovers (from top-25 in defensive turnover rate the last two seasons to No. 224 this season). But Illinois is allowing just 45.2 percent on two-point field goals, an improvement of 8.4 percent from last season (53.6 percent). The Illini defensive rebound rate has improved from 68.1 percent last season (307th in the country last season) to 74.7 percent this season (67th in the country). The Illini have cut their defensive free-throw rate in half, going from 350th and 338th in the country the previous two seasons in the stat to No. 8 this season.
+1
Ayo is outstanding in transition, but if we don't get that opportunity, Trent's more reliable. A/Ts:
36 / 14 Trent
54 / 29 Feliz
50 / 45 Ayo
I’ll take slightly under, considering we have been off for a week. I’ll guess a comfy 8pt win
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I think it's important going forward that we win comfortably. Don't get me wrong, I will take any win and be ecstatic with a four-game winning streak in the Big Ten. However, I think this team needs the confidence boost before next week's road test, and I think it would help re-enforce that we have truly formed an identity as a winning team.
Since margin of victory now counts (up to 10 points, right?), I'll be happier if we can get the full ten.
Deleted member 29907
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Hoping for a 15 point win. Rusty for the first 8 minutes, then we get hot and wear them down to pull away in the last 8.
Vegas has it at 12 so i will say a 12pt win and not really that close
2 point defense and rebound improvement....I attribute largely to Kofi.
Giorgi < Kofi < Giorgi & Kofi in rebounding. Defense total team effort and system.
Now, I'm as clueless as it gets when it comes to these NET rankings. Seems stupid. We have three high quality wins in a row and we drop. If we blow NW out by 20, do we drop again because they're a quad 3/4 team? I just don't get it. Maybe I'm an idiot for not understanding this, but that's where I'm currently at right now.
kiwanegarris22
- South Carolina
I'm a big fan of NET and KenPom. It's important to get teams on a level playing field when they play such disparate schedules across the country. We played some very unimpressive games in November and December. They'll always be there to haunt us until/unless we overcome in the Big 10 conference. (And we're off to a great start!)
I expect us to cover the spread and play a very solid game. I understand why people get concerned about the layoff, whether this is a trap game or whatever based on our history but I think this team has turned the corner on perhaps the most important attribute - maturity. We have gutted out some wins that we would previously have lost. We find ways to hang in games when our shooting is off and most importantly our decision making is much improved. While far from perfect, we are handling the mental part of the game better than we have in a very long time.
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