Illinois 88, NC State 74 POSTGAME

#126      

drew306

D
drew306
Also Jordan got some tick in the first half and I seem to remember him clanging a 3 off the back of the iron. Seems like a mental thing for him. There's a spot in the rotation for a 6-5 wing who can hit an open 3, slash with some effectiveness, and play good defense. While I'm getting temporarily negative here Finke seems to be taking a step back. His passing is atrocious and his shot looks flat. Hopefully he can turn it around.


Second half tonight was the best half of the year. Love that we seem to be settling into a rotation with Leron back in the swing of things for the first time in almost two years and Abrams and Lucas forming an effective combination of guards who can handle and score with ease. Seems like the Lucas-Abrams-JCL roto really frees up Hill to play the game his way. Also helps to have this unprecedented frontcourt depth.

Win out the non-con and I think the team/fans/coaches/athletic directors can all feel pretty damn good about where we are at. Easier said then done of course but not out of the question given how the team played tonight.
 
#127      

Newman

N
Newman
ILCommenter said:
I can. Tracy isn't a 2. He hit a few 3-pointers against cupcakes, and now people seemingly forget how extraordinarily-mediocre of a shooter he is.
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Tracy isn't a 1 either.. he was a mediocre shooter, this season he is not. We should praise him for how he's doing now, not how he played over 2 years ago. He's flawed, but he is shooting damn well right now and it's silly for criticise him for something that he is doing better than anyone else on the team up to this point.
 
#128      

Illini_1979

Illini_1979
Oregon
Illini_1979
Didn't see the first half but it doesn't sound like I missed much. :D

Second half was fun to watch. Seems like Groce is starting to figure out the line-ups that work best together -- that's all I am going to say about that, not singling anyone out.

Go Illini! :clappy: :illinois:
 
#131      

schnaurt

schnaurt
Phoenix, AZ
schnaurt
ILCommenter said:
I can. Tracy isn't a 2. He hit a few 3-pointers against cupcakes, and now people seemingly forget how extraordinarily-mediocre of a shooter he is.
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His stroke looks nothing like it was pre-injuries. He has spent a lot of time in being square a taking the ball up right into the pocket correctly. Much less "elbow-out" than it was before.
 
#132      

IlliniReb

I
Dallas-Fort Worth
IlliniReb
ILCommenter said:
I can. Tracy isn't a 2. He hit a few 3-pointers against cupcakes, and now people seemingly forget how extraordinarily-mediocre of a shooter he was.
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Fify. Clearly he's taken the last 2years and worked on his shot. Not the same shooter he was 3 years ago.
 
#134      

westms77

W
Gilbert, AZ
westms77
ILCommenter said:
The age of the B1G banger down low is all but gone, so really DJW should (given his length and athletic ability) currently share time at the 4 behind Black. But Groce's insistence on playing Tracy at the 2 in some kind of far-fetched 2-pg system shifts the entire lineup.

We can, and should, pull a page from Izzo's book and play a 2-forward (i.e. Hill/DJW, Hill/Black) system.
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Plus Finke or Black is going to be the back up center next year
 
#135      

ILCommenter

I
ILCommenter
Newman said:
it's silly for criticise him for something that he is doing better than anyone else on the team up to this point.
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I'm not criticizing him, more so than I am saying that if he truly has improved his shot, his upside as a 1 is so much higher than at the 2-spot. Improved as he might be, there is no universe in which he should ever get SG minutes over JCL. Stick him where he has 3+ years of experience, and you've suddenly got 2 great, varying looks - one with a spot up PG in Tracy and another with a slashing and dishing TJL.
 
#136      

HoustonIllini

H
Houston, TX
HoustonIllini
Hoppy2105 said:
I'm glad for the win tonight. It cools Groce's seat ever so slightly. He needs to basically win out the non-con to get back on track though. This season is good either way for me. My desire for Groce to succeed is there so if we win, AWESOME. However, if he doesn't and is fired, it will be on to a new adventure.
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I'm on the same page . . . I want JG and the team to succeed so much. But if they don't someone is held accountable, and that's the HC.:shield:
 
#137      

Chipatsj23h

Chipatsj23h
Chipatsj23h
Good win. Enjoyed watching this team tonight. Very glad Groce played TJL in second half over Tate. The offense is so much more effecient with Tejon and Tracy running the 1. Leron played great and Thorne is looking better. I expect Thorne and Mav to play a bigger role come B1G play. Teams will know Leron and play up on him taking away his mid range jumper(which is beautiful). This will allow us to pound the ball inside a little bit more, they just need to convert, they will have more spacing. Please stick with this rotation!!
 
#138      

ILCommenter

I
ILCommenter
westms77 said:
Plus Finke or Black is going to be the back up center next year
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...which means Tilmon can really step up early and often as one of the forwards in a Black/DJW/Kipper rotation. No reason to waste DJW's raw athletic ability by hiding him behind Hill right now.
 
#139      

atrain445

A
atrain445
I get why people love TA, but let's be honest his upside is lacking. He has a great mentality, which is why coming bench wouldn't affect his game..

TJL Is best PG we've had in a long time. Has excellent vision, knows how to get guys going and how to FEED the hot hand. Has SAVVY BEYOND HIS YEARS.

The only reason JCL has been inconsistent is because he hasn't had a real point guard getting him the ball in rhythm. tjl fixes that.
 
#140      

schnaurt

schnaurt
Phoenix, AZ
schnaurt
ILCommenter said:
I'm not criticizing him, more so than I am saying that if he truly has improved his shot, his upside as a 1 is so much higher than at the 2-spot. Improved as he might be, there is no universe in which he should ever get SG minutes over JCL. Stick him where he has 3+ years of experience, and you've suddenly got 2 great, varying looks - one with a spot up PG in Tracy and another with a slashing and dishing TJL.
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I agree with this but do not mind him getting minutes at the two when JCL is getting a rest. This depends on TJL's progression.
 
#141      

ILCommenter

I
ILCommenter
schnaurt said:
I agree with this but do not mind him getting minutes at the two when JCL is getting a rest. This depends on TJL's progression.
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Right, I think we're on the same page here. Would love to see JCL round out his game a bit more to keep that situation from happening (or, in a more hopeful breath, see AJ's shot and defending come together so he can see some minutes there as well)
 
#144      

schnaurt

schnaurt
Phoenix, AZ
schnaurt
ILCommenter said:
Right, I think we're on the same page here. Would love to see JCL round out his game a bit more to keep that situation from happening (or, in a more hopeful breath, see AJ's shot and defending come together so he can see some minutes there as well)
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The game is just a bit much for AJ right now. He is playing rushed and once he slows down the game might as well. At least I hope. :thumb:
 
#145      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
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#148      

Whitman2020

W
Whitman2020
Very impressed and proud of Abrams. He really took the 2 years of unfortunate events and turned it into a plus for his game. He is one of the guys I trust on the court and I wouldn't have said that in 2013.
 
#150      

HeartofaChampion

H
HeartofaChampion
Chipatsj23h said:
Please stick with this rotation!!
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+100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Saw us in person for the first time tonight. Hoping the light bulb went on for the staff permanently at halftime/the second half. Nice thing is MF will play better in future games, and MT will only improve, as will TJL as our new backup 1. When we put more scorers and play-makers on the floor together, our offense is so much better at creating and making open shots.