Wisconsin 63, Illinois 55 POSTGAME

#51      

KRSAS

Charleston, IL
Christ, you act like Groce should just be able to put lipstick on a pig and get it voted into homecoming court. 61 games lost to injury. Go find another D1 team with that kind of loss. That doesn't even count DPaul, who I'll concede was a bad idea anyway.


A coach needs to rally these guys to persevere through all the troubles and injuries. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. Everyone in the media is happy to kick Illinois when they are down. So what you do? You adapt, you overcome and persevere. However he just can’t these guys to realize that.
 
#53      
This is not related to this game in particular in any way, but I am shocked at the ignorance or amnesia in regards to Leron Black. Not only was a highly recruited, but he was ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD (for a Freshman) last year. He was probably our best rebounder, and showed good scoring ability at times with a nice face-up jumper. Yeah, he fouled too much then and in limited action this year, playing while clearly still injured mind you, he didn't do a thing, but I am just dumbfounded when people say Leron "hasn't shown much" or something to that effect. Like I said before, its either forgetfulness or just plain stupidity.

Better days ahead. Go Illini:chief:
 
#54      
You act like Groce should just be able to put lipstick on a pig and get it voted into homecoming court. 61 games lost to injury. Go find another D1 team with that kind of loss. That doesn't even count DPaul, who I'll concede was a bad idea anyway.

JG should return next year for sure. The injuries have been unbelievable. But his ineffectual offensive system and his recruiting at the 1 and 5 spots, the most important positions on the floor, have been a major disappointment. Next year is final exam week for him. Pass or fail time on the court and recruiting trail.
 
#55      
Hey, if Thorne gets back and has a few games in a row to get his feet under him, anything is possible. Between that and if we can get some more freshman improvement and maybe find a way to play more lineups without a true pg i think we could be a decent team by that time. I don't think any team has ever won after having to play on the first day, however. Unfortunately, we will likely have to.


Love the optimism. This would be a dream come true for how the seasons gone this season.

Wish Groce would try playing without a PG and make some other adjustments and see what happens
 
#56      

audie

The Great Northwest
KL and JT don't turn over the ball much because they don't do much of anything. They don't create off the dribble, don't drive and dish, don't drive and finish or kick out to shooters. They safely pass the ball around the perimeter, generating no shots for teammates or themselves.

KN and MH are good enough handlers to run the O by committee. Might have 2-3 more TOs per game but also will have more shooters on the floor, which creates more space for drives and pass and cut movement. Trotting out the same lineup with weak PGs and expecting different results will not work.

I like this idea. Wish Groce would at least give it a try. What is there to lose at this point in the season? And, theres so much to gain if it works! Go Illini!
 
#57      

audie

The Great Northwest
This is not related to this game in particular in any way, but I am shocked at the ignorance or amnesia in regards to Leron Black. Not only was a highly recruited, but he was ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD (for a Freshman) last year. He was probably our best rebounder, and showed good scoring ability at times with a nice face-up jumper. Yeah, he fouled too much then and in limited action this year, playing while clearly still injured mind you, he didn't do a thing, but I am just dumbfounded when people say Leron "hasn't shown much" or something to that effect. Like I said before, its either forgetfulness or just plain stupidity.

Better days ahead. Go Illini:chief:

Excellent point. We've also seen plenty of players that were "foul magnets" as freshman--and then improved dramatically as sophomores. Think Meyers Leonard and Nnanna Egwu for starters. Who's to say Leron wouldn't have followed the same path? I'm very excited to see Leron for three more years!
 
#62      

Dan

Admin
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#64      

GallopingGhost

Denver, CO
This season is iced. Do the best we can, finish out the regular season and move on... Love my Illini win or lose.
 
#65      
JG should return next year for sure. The injuries have been unbelievable. But his ineffectual offensive system and his recruiting at the 1 and 5 spots, the most important positions on the floor, have been a major disappointment. Next year is final exam week for him. Pass or fail time on the court and recruiting trail.

That gives me pause because the 2017 class is so important. I'm not sure that he can pull in a good class the way it is, and then if he under-achieves again next year....what do you do? Pull the plug then and the roster will be really depleted. Makes the coaching job a tougher sell.

I think the time to make a move would be at the end of this season with a new AD. Bring in someone that can give hope and secure a solid class in 2017. Because if you keep Groce you may set the program back 3-4 extra years. JMHO.
 
#66      

Ryllini

Lombard
That gives me pause because the 2017 class is so important. I'm not sure that he can pull in a good class the way it is, and then if he under-achieves again next year....what do you do? Pull the plug then and the roster will be really depleted. Makes the coaching job a tougher sell.

I think the time to make a move would be at the end of this season with a new AD. Bring in someone that can give hope and secure a solid class in 2017. Because if you keep Groce you may set the program back 3-4 extra years. JMHO.


Holding out hope, delusional or not, in JFG's recruiting prowess is really all we have for 2017. You pull the plug on him in mid March, you give the new guy about 4 or 5 months until signing day to secure a decent 2017 class. I have more faith in JFG signing a better 2017 than the new guy, that is unless a Billy Donavon type comes in on a white horse. Of course, some recruits wait until the spring signing period, but I really don't think that is the mindset as of now of our targets.
 
#67      

Illini4Reel

Champaign, IL.
Anyone else notice during the press conference that there was a large chunk of time talking about the previous 3 teams of the groce area. What was good, and how they compare. Seems like the press conference should be able the game played, and not looking back at memories.
 
#68      
Dancing in March

Did anyone see the montage on ESPN of Groce's "dancing" up and down the sidelines...and even on the court? It's all starting to make sense now. The team may not be dancing in March but, by golly, our coach will. There's plenty of footage to create an audition tape and having the first NCAA Division I CBB coach on "Dancing with the Stars" is the recruiting silver bullet we need. This is sheer genius on his part.
 
#69      
KL and JT don't turn over the ball much because they don't do much of anything. They don't create off the dribble, don't drive and dish, don't drive and finish or kick out to shooters. They safely pass the ball around the perimeter, generating no shots for teammates or themselves.

KN and MH are good enough handlers to run the O by committee. Might have 2-3 more TOs per game but also will have more shooters on the floor, which creates more space for drives and pass and cut movement. Trotting out the same lineup with weak PGs and expecting different results will not work.

Against better defensive teams, Hill has been ineffective getting the ball up the court let alone running the offense. Nunn may be better , but if Groce considered that an option , I'm sure it would have been done by now.
 
#71      
Nah I'm from Southern Illinois so I'm a cards fan. I'll still watch games when I can, but it takes too much time to get down to Assembly Hall.

Well, then prepare to stop watching sports for the rest of your life, buddy, because you will never again have as much free time as you do now. Just sayin'
 
#72      
One of the most interesting parts of this game was when JCL got benched immediately after taking an atrocious three in transition.

I've never seen Groce display such outright discipline like this before.

Didn't help that he was already in the dog house for ongoing infractions of team rules. Need all hands on deck and accounted for...young guys need to step up , accept responsibility and buy into the program. Decimated roster means you have an opportunity. Bad time to have your own issues and habits. Kudos to coach, maybe it will leave an impression.
 
#73      

whovous

Washington, DC
Any idea what the infractions are about? JCL always struck as being studious.
 
#74      
Losing at home to mediocre teams has become common. Wrong guys taking shots, no offense, few open shots....good effort on defense though.

We came out and started the game with fairly intense defense.

As soon as the shots were not falling the defense intensity seemed to decrease.

Agree with previous posts, Tate and Lewis are just not contributing, and that it may be time to shake things up in this regard.

Hill's jump shot is a thing of beauty, close to textbook. And Finke's is not far behind.
 
#75      
JG should return next year for sure. The injuries have been unbelievable. But his ineffectual offensive system and his recruiting at the 1 and 5 spots, the most important positions on the floor, have been a major disappointment. Next year is final exam week for him. Pass or fail time on the court and recruiting trail.

The problem is, he's already failed three midterms in a row. Can he get a high enough grade on the final to pass?

Short of a huge 2017 class (Tilmon, Williams, and others of that level) and a really good season (not just a bubble team, but a solid seed), I don't see it, and I don't think that either of those are particularly likely to happen at this point. Do we risk it at the expense of sinking the program further for the rebuild?