Illini Basketball 2016-2017

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#426      
Obelix
Calvin said:
Plenty of experienced players to work the ball to mean he can be an opportunistic scorer.
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I actually believe that this statement is one of the key concerns with this team. Other than Hill, we do not have "consistent" scorers. We have a lot of "opportunistic scorers" at many positions.

Is Thorne a consistent scorer? Finke? Black?, Abrams? Mav? DJW? etc. Some of our players have scoring potential and ability to become consistent scorers (especially JCL), but unless some of them really step up this year, just adding one more opportunistic scorer in TJL will not drastically change things.
 
#427      
FeelYourPaign
Obelix said:
I actually believe that this statement is one of the key concerns with this team. Other than Hill, we do not have "consistent" scorers. We have a lot of "opportunistic scorers" at many positions.

Is Thorne a consistent scorer? Finke? Black?, Abrams? Mav? DJW? etc. Some of our players have scoring potential and ability to become consistent scorers (especially JCL), but unless some of them really step up this year, just adding one more opportunistic scorer in TJL will not drastically change things.
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I would say that Thorne was consistent last year for the short period that he played. Finke, no. Black, no. Abrams, no. Mav, actually, yes, imo he has been. DJW, the least consistent of the bunch.

I understand your concern, but MH, JCL, Thorne and Mav would be quite a bit of pretty steady scoring. We could even see more. But, as always with this previously snake bitten team, we have to stay healthy.
 
#429      
DragonIlliniFan
Obelix said:
I actually believe that this statement is one of the key concerns with this team. Other than Hill, we do not have "consistent" scorers. We have a lot of "opportunistic scorers" at many positions.

Is Thorne a consistent scorer? Finke? Black?, Abrams? Mav? DJW? etc. Some of our players have scoring potential and ability to become consistent scorers (especially JCL), but unless some of them really step up this year, just adding one more opportunistic scorer in TJL will not drastically change things.
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After Hill our next go-to scorer is definitely JCL. After that we have a guy like Finke who just has a knack for scoring a la Ryan Kelly. You then have Thorne who is so big in the paint that he will run into 10 points a night just on a combination of size and happenstance. Im not too worried about scoring. We do need that second guy off the bench who can score and make things happen (DJ?).

When you have a lineup of Tracy-JCL-Hill-Finke-Mav you got an extremely capable lineup from an offensive standpoint....But that's also only one side of the ball.
 
#431      
Goldtop
Obelix said:
I actually believe that this statement is one of the key concerns with this team. Other than Hill, we do not have "consistent" scorers. We have a lot of "opportunistic scorers" at many positions.

Is Thorne a consistent scorer? Finke? Black?, Abrams? Mav? DJW? etc. Some of our players have scoring potential and ability to become consistent scorers (especially JCL), but unless some of them really step up this year, just adding one more opportunistic scorer in TJL will not drastically change things.
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I hope that JCL is able to fill the void left behind by the Nunn release. Nunn wasn't a consistent scorer from night to night, but I don't think he will be as easily replaced this year as some want to believe.
 
#432      
combes
Goldtop said:
I hope that JCL is able to fill the void left behind by the Nunn release. Nunn wasn't a consistent scorer from night to night, but I don't think he will be as easily replaced this year as some want to believe.
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I think JCL will replace Nunn's points. The question is who will replace JCL's points from last year. The answer may be several players. Thorne and Morgan inside, for example. Finke and Nichols. Abrams will score more than Tate did last year as a starter. Group effort will be the key, IMO.
 
#434      
Goldtop
combes said:
I think JCL will replace Nunn's points. The question is who will replace JCL's points from last year. The answer may be several players. Thorne and Morgan inside, for example. Finke and Nichols. Abrams will score more than Tate did last year as a starter. Group effort will be the key, IMO.
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I agree with this. This team has potential to be a fairly balanced scoring team. If so, they should be able to make the tournament. I would expect Thorne and Abrams to be a 8 to 10 point a night players.
 
#436      
ntsillinifan
Goldtop said:
I agree with this. This team has potential to be a fairly balanced scoring team. If so, they should be able to make the tournament. I would expect Thorne and Abrams to be a 8 to 10 point a night players.
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The rebounding will most definitely be better, as should the D with Abrams out there this year. So if we can get that balanced scoring, this team has no excuse not to be a Tourney bound team.
 
#437      
Combo
Obelix said:
I actually believe that this statement is one of the key concerns with this team. Other than Hill, we do not have "consistent" scorers. We have a lot of "opportunistic scorers" at many positions.

Is Thorne a consistent scorer? Finke? Black?, Abrams? Mav? DJW? etc. Some of our players have scoring potential and ability to become consistent scorers (especially JCL), but unless some of them really step up this year, just adding one more opportunistic scorer in TJL will not drastically change things.
Click to expand...

IMO defense is a bigger concern than offense. If we stay healthy, we've got a bunch of guys that can put up points. JCL can certainly be a consistent scorer. Abrams, Finke, Mav, and Thorne are also capable offensively.

However, we lack quickness across the board, and it's hard to be good defensively if the other team is quicker than you.
 
#438      
Cubby Blue
illini8507 said:
Queens university of Charlotte? Lol wtf is that? #neverheardofit
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They were in my boy's conference. My boy played baseball at LMU (Lincoln Memorial University) and they were in the South Atlantic Conference. Queens didn't have baseball though. They do have a good basketball team but not as good as LMU who was the runnerup in D2 last year and should be good again this year. Queens is a very small school though.
 
#439      
Obelix
Combo said:
IMO defense is a bigger concern than offense. If we stay healthy, we've got a bunch of guys that can put up points. JCL can certainly be a consistent scorer. Abrams, Finke, Mav, and Thorne are also capable offensively.

However, we lack quickness across the board, and it's hard to be good defensively if the other team is quicker than you.
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Both are important but IMO you need a certain threshold of offense beyond what we have seen the last few years. Once you are above that threshold, defense is a clear differentiator indeed. I agree on your point on limitations of our defense.

There is also a difference between consistent scoring options and potential. We do have players with scoring potential, but in the last few years we have not had many consistent scoring options who could "create" their own offense in critical games and carry the team. First, it was Rice really, then Hill. I think we need 2-3 players this year to emerge as consistent scoring options, players who will be able to create when the going gets tough in the B1G, players who will be able to open up defenses.

We play some "easy" games early in the schedule, but the barometer on whether we make the tournament will be the first 7-8 games in the B1G. We stay above water (.500 or better), we will likely make the tournament. That is a part of the schedule that we have had problems under Groce in previous years, and this year it is particularly tough.
 
#440      
bleedsorangenblue
Obelix said:
We play some "easy" games early in the schedule, but the barometer on whether we make the tournament will be the first 7-8 games in the B1G. We stay above water (.500 or better), we will likely make the tournament. That is a part of the schedule that we have had problems under Groce in previous years, and this year it is particularly tough.
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I think you hit the nail on the head here. This has been our Achilles heel in past years and our seasons squandered as a result. The guys need to be ready to play as a team out of the gate. I don't think Groce's teams have gelled as they should in previous years. Whether due to too many new faces, personality issues, changing rosters, or what, the team has never functioned better than the sum of its parts. Functioning as a cohesive unit is always the key to a successful basketball team as far as I am concerned. I think the talent to compete has always been there with these teams but have fallen short of their ability.
 
#441      
Illini in Indiana
Great recruiting year if no one else commits

Long time reader and 1st time poster.

I love this recruiting class and anyone else is icing on the cake. Biggest thing I want to see now is the current team to gel and play with passion (defense 1st and rebound 2nd). Play well enough to dance and with this recruiting class, our Fighting Illini will be back.
 
#442      
jrichisamazing
bleedsorangenblue said:
I think you hit the nail on the head here. This has been our Achilles heel in past years and our seasons squandered as a result. The guys need to be ready to play as a team out of the gate. I don't think Groce's teams have gelled as they should in previous years. Whether due to too many new faces, personality issues, changing rosters, or what, the team has never functioned better than the sum of its parts. Functioning as a cohesive unit is always the key to a successful basketball team as far as I am concerned. I think the talent to compete has always been there with these teams but have fallen short of their ability.
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We had a bad start to the B1G in Groce's first year, but we still made the tournament. I think most average/bubble teams around the country will go through a rough patch. Either that, or they beat almost all the teams they should beat and lose to all the teams they should lose, too.
 
#443      
rmlsr
Illini in Indiana said:
Long time reader and 1st time poster.

I love this recruiting class and anyone else is icing on the cake. Biggest thing I want to see now is the current team to gel and play with passion (defense 1st and rebound 2nd). Play well enough to dance and with this recruiting class, our Fighting Illini will be back.
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Playing well enough to just make the dance isn't good enough JMO! If we are a bubble team this year it's a failure whether we make the tourn or not. We need a very strong showing this year.
 
#444      
Combo
bleedsorangenblue said:
I think you hit the nail on the head here. This has been our Achilles heel in past years and our seasons squandered as a result. The guys need to be ready to play as a team out of the gate. I don't think Groce's teams have gelled as they should in previous years. Whether due to too many new faces, personality issues, changing rosters, or what, the team has never functioned better than the sum of its parts. Functioning as a cohesive unit is always the key to a successful basketball team as far as I am concerned. I think the talent to compete has always been there with these teams but have fallen short of their ability.
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Ridiculous. The sum of the parts the last two years has been pitifully low. We haven't had even close to the talent to compete.
 
#445      
kuhl84
Combo said:
Ridiculous. The sum of the parts the last two years has been pitifully low. We haven't had even close to the talent to compete.
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+1. Popovich couldn't have won with last years team.
 
#446      
kuhl84
We have enough talent that, barring injury, we should make the Tourney.

I like Groce and want him to succeed, but if he can't win with this team, he is not the right guy. It will bum me out, but it is the truth.
 
#447      
coltjames03
I don't agree with many here. I think if Groce has a good showing this year winning big ten season and ends up in NIT at worst he will keep his job. I think this class gave him alittle leeway and as long as this season points up I believe he sticks around. Which might be a good thing considering he has a relationship with a lot of the key recruits for the '19 class.
 
#450      
Deleted member 51
With 2 six yr players and 4 seniors, yes we better be pretty decent or something is just simply wrong.
 
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