The one thing I do find inexcusable is our inability to block out every single possession, Tate's at the top of the key in a due or die situation the most glaring. TOTALLY inexcusable to stand and be spectator in that situation. Have to learn from that.
Winthrop 84, Illinois 80 OT POSTGAME
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Archie Miller
okay.... well we've only lost one of those games this year. so why don't we wait for like at least 5 of those teams before we give up on the season?
Serious Late
- Peoria via Denver via Ann Arbor via Albuquerque vi
The wave of "we lost to a NCAA tournament team" is making me sea sick...
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Both.
To deliver a necessary point to the people asking for a change now and to get a head start on understanding and appreciating the more reasonable scenario.
This was an upset, the better team didn't win tonight. I felt like Illinois were the Cubs and Winthrop were the Indians. Illinois had much better, deeper, and versatile talent. We blew the game with 2:20 left and an 8 pt lead with the ball. Groce and his coaches should of diagrammed the last 4-5 possessions. Abrams, Hill, Finke and JCL should of been with the ball in there hands at all times. Poor sub pattern and clock management at the end, they should of forced Winthrop to play risky and make mistakes. We did them the favor. Still let the team grow from this. But they do need to pull out some wins from some of their better opponents coming up.
We all know Groce needs to perform this season. But I saw a team up 10 with a few minutes to go not help when tate was getting blown by, missed free throws, and turn over the ball. It doesn't help when your best player is quiet the whole 2nd half and has 7 TOs on the game.
Fire Groce. Hire Travis Ford. So long recruiting class right?
There's nothing magical about November or the State Farm Center. We've lost at the SFC to bad teams in December, January, February, and March. And we've lost in November in Springfield. We've seen this before.
IKR. People are getting mad over over our first loss of the season. Like ive stated again and again. There a ncaa tournament team. Wish people would get that in there thick skull. And why would whitman fire groce with a great recruiting class. Thats just dumb right there. We would lose all our recruits and probably transfers.
Embarrassing loss. No excuses on the coaching staff for not being able to handle a 10-pt lead that late in the game, at home, against Winthrop.
What is disappointing is that we still lose to a team like Winthrop despite Abrams being better than expected. Tate had a terrible turnover in OT, but he was not the reason we lost either.
Many fans overestimate the talent on this team. Still unacceptable to lose to Winthrop at home, but this is not as deep or as talented of a team as many believe. Yet, it is imperative that coaches/players collect themselves and we try to make the tournament.
What I don't understand is the number of dumb plays. Example: 1:30 left in OT, we are down and trying to come back, we roll the ball from out-of-bounds trying to save some seconds, then Abrams proceeds to pick up the ball and just walk it up the court. If you are just going to walk the ball with no urgency, why even bother to roll the ball?
What is disappointing is that we still lose to a team like Winthrop despite Abrams being better than expected. Tate had a terrible turnover in OT, but he was not the reason we lost either.
Many fans overestimate the talent on this team. Still unacceptable to lose to Winthrop at home, but this is not as deep or as talented of a team as many believe. Yet, it is imperative that coaches/players collect themselves and we try to make the tournament.
What I don't understand is the number of dumb plays. Example: 1:30 left in OT, we are down and trying to come back, we roll the ball from out-of-bounds trying to save some seconds, then Abrams proceeds to pick up the ball and just walk it up the court. If you are just going to walk the ball with no urgency, why even bother to roll the ball?
Exactly...not sure the committee will say but that one kid hit a bunch of circus shots so let's not count that as a bad loss
The Groce era is like a movie that the previews look good but the movie stinks.
Apparently you didn't because Tate did a really good job on him. He made some great shots. If u think otherwise then your basketball knowledge is very low
Illini1221
Peru,IL
The point is Big Ten teams don't lose to Big South teams at home. Especially with a 10 point lead with just a few minutes to go. Yes, they are a quality team, but lets not act like we just lost to Duke.
In my years of watching BB, I though Krueger was the best tactician/coach. The negative was he kept tight control of his players and many set plays. I think Groce is a good coach but he has allowed some bad shots over his tenure.
Sure. Well obviously you don't fire a coach in November, and if you do, you don't hire the replacement until the carousel opens up.
In terms of potential hires, there are always good coaches.
Kevin Keatts at UNCW, Ben Jacobson at Northern Iowa, Archie Miller at Dayton, Jeff Capel at Duke, Will Wade at VCU, Dan Hurley at Rhode Island, you could go on.
Put it this way. We will easily hire someone with a more impressive track record than John Groce had when he took this job. That's no guarantee of success, but 34-30 in the MAC was a fifty foot tall red flag on fire. I love the guy as a person and as a face of the program. But he has been everything 34-30 in the MAC suggested he was.
This.
Ding, ding, ding - wakeup call, Illini, make your free throws, hold down the turnovers, play better defense, and you would have won this one. The team will think back on this one game a lot as they continue throughout the season. It actually should help them prep for all the tough upcoming B1G games. Take heart, it's only one game and even though it broke a consecutive string of November wins, the team learned a lot about itself tonight and will move forward with more confidence. Liked the balanced scoring and that Black is back. They'll be ok and will have a good season, go Illini.
TheFameProtector
- Champaign
This could prove difficult.
Tate? The dude he was guarding scored @ 38 points! The (2) best defensive plays on him were by JCL. I hope you were joking.
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I've been a long time lurker on this forum, and I have been an Illini fan for about 20 years now. I often just sit back and read, but I can't help but post today....
Groce is easily the worst X and Os coach I can remember at our school. I really don't understand the unbridled optimism by some on this forum, or the continued excuses that are made for Groce.
He makes NO adjustments. Tate was getting pasted by Johnson. He couldn't stay in front of him and adds nothing on the offensive end, yet he stays in the game.
I agree with some, Malcom really disappeared in this one. Your best player needs to take over when you need it, 7 TO or not. As for Finke and the other big men.... Anyone who says Finke had a good game, is just looking at the box score. Sure he scored a bit, but was not the presence we needed down low with a paltry 5 rebounds.
Year after year, I see the same thing from Groce teams. The inability to close out. Stong performances (or at least we used to) against bad competition and withering in the face of teams with talent. And most importantly, continued miserable showings against the big ten. I am excited about the incoming recruits, but this isn't the first time we've been excited about incoming recruits with Groce only too see continued underperformance. 5 star or not, if he doesn't find a way to right the ship this year, I want him gone.
Groce is easily the worst X and Os coach I can remember at our school. I really don't understand the unbridled optimism by some on this forum, or the continued excuses that are made for Groce.
He makes NO adjustments. Tate was getting pasted by Johnson. He couldn't stay in front of him and adds nothing on the offensive end, yet he stays in the game.
I agree with some, Malcom really disappeared in this one. Your best player needs to take over when you need it, 7 TO or not. As for Finke and the other big men.... Anyone who says Finke had a good game, is just looking at the box score. Sure he scored a bit, but was not the presence we needed down low with a paltry 5 rebounds.
Year after year, I see the same thing from Groce teams. The inability to close out. Stong performances (or at least we used to) against bad competition and withering in the face of teams with talent. And most importantly, continued miserable showings against the big ten. I am excited about the incoming recruits, but this isn't the first time we've been excited about incoming recruits with Groce only too see continued underperformance. 5 star or not, if he doesn't find a way to right the ship this year, I want him gone.
And here we are...5 whole, entire games into the season. We are 4-1. How about letting the entire season play out? If you are done with this season, go away, wait for Groce to be fired AFTER this season, and come back next year in all of your glory telling everyone how right you were about...everything...
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