Illinois 64, VCU 46 POSTGAME

[Rowdypkunk]

VCU 2-19 from deep--gotta like our 3 pt defense.

I don't think it had much to do with your 3 pt defense specifically... Here's what I think caused this...

1. Your defense for the most part in the paint was really good & we couldn't figure out to beat the Zone. Plus the injury to Lewis hurt & Williams clearly wasn't 100% coming back from the virus.... and those 2 are our best players at attacking the zone.

2. There was absolutely no communication on our end on offense.... case & point.... did you see the play where Doughty (#2) tried to throw it up for Tillman (#4 with the Fro) for a dunk (similar to what we did to Princeton).... Tillman & Burgess both tried to go up for it... and while I believe we still got a bucket out of it... they obviously were not communicating... and it showed on many plays.

3. The "offense" we were running after that 11-3 start (even before Lewis' injury).... reminded me of the "Shaka offense" when he was at VCU..... Pass the ball on the perimeter for the first 20-25 secs of the shot clock & then chuck up a 3.


Basically what it boiled down to was... Y'all weathered that early storm, battled back, took the lead... survived the few "rumbles" when we tried to come back & won the game. Similar to what we did to Princeton the other night.

Your guys just wanted it more than we did... plain and simple.

 

[illini8507]

My favorite post on their board is "we got Mayan Kiir, we won in the long run." Uhh, Kiir would've been, what, our 4th best recruit in this class?:crazy:

We were more talented and just flat out brought it today. Fun to watch.

Arguably 3rd, but your point stands

 

[Illini4Reel]

Someone on the VCU board said "Illinois is well coached." That's a huge compliment for us!!

 

[BradleyboundIlliniFan]

This might be a stretch, but has anybody really noticed how good Tracy has been? I mean like NBA second rounder good, especially if his jump shot is not a fluke.

 

[ballislife17]

This might be a stretch, but has anybody really noticed how good Tracy has been? I mean like NBA second rounder good, especially if his jump shot is not a fluke.

Tracy's shooting has been elite, but I don't think he'll get drafted unless he shows some serious playmaking ability. There's also the age factor as well. He would be 25 on draft night.

 

[MadSeason]

This might be a stretch, but has anybody really noticed how good Tracey has been? I mean like NBA second rounder good, especially if his jump shot is not a fluke.

Replace Tracy with Malcolm Hill and maybe. Tracy is having great start to season but he lacks what NBA team need. length, quickness, other worldly athleticism.

 

[Rowdypkunk]

Just curious, what bad calls/no calls did you see that went in Illinois favor? Obviously, we as fans all see things one sided for our team, but when the announcers on a national broadcast are openly declaring calls as bad multiple times during a game (at least 4 by my count) and each time they are benefitting one team, I don't call that bad both ways.

I don't remember specific ones.... but there were a few questionable fouls called on us, the play were Lewis supposedly ran out of bounds on the base line when it was really tough to tell, but it looked like he stayed in.

I'd have to go back & watch the game... and admittedly there were some calls that we got that we shouldn't have.

As far as the announcers on a national broadcast comment.... Most all commentators (unless it's Tourney time) will always be on the side of the Power conference schools.... we heard it last year when we played Duke, Wisconsin, Ga Tech & Florida State (especially when we had to listen to Dick Vitale). Very rarely in a game of a Power 5 school vs a non power 5 school.... do I hear an announcer be on the side of a non power 5 school when it comes to officiating.

But again... the officiating was not what cost us the game.... though there was bad officiating on both sides

 

[ballislife17]

Does anyone know where I can find a video of Malcom's missed dunk? That was almost filthy.

 

[Newman]

Does anyone know where I can find a video of Malcom's missed dunk? That was almost filthy.

It looked good for half a second and then it's like he got Trump hands in mid-flight and completely lost control of it.

 

[westcoastillini]

Now that we have established our starting lineup, we can see what appears to be improved defense. Comparing blacks d vs Finke and Mav is like night and day. Question is can coaches shore this up? Or are they simply too slow?

 

[FeelYourPaign]

Man, I'm so sad. My DVR did not catch this game for some reason.
Looks like I missed a good one.
Thanks for the notes, guys.

 

[dweebs19]

Leron Black is becoming one of my favorite players on the team. This guy can be really good.

 

[Give it to Greene]

This might be a stretch, but has anybody really noticed how good Tracy has been? I mean like NBA second rounder good, especially if his jump shot is not a fluke.

I frankly admit that I was worried about Tracy's comeback. Two years out is a long time.... However, he's doing very, very well in my book.... :thumb:

 

[illini8507]

This might be a stretch, but has anybody really noticed how good Tracy has been? I mean like NBA second rounder good, especially if his jump shot is not a fluke.

No.

Has he been good for us? Yes. I love Tracy, and I expect him to continue to be a big contributor moving forward as well, but he's not sniffing the NBA. On top of the age and injuries he's just not good enough. If heart was enough he'd be a first rounder.

 

[Give it to Greene]

Mav is playing like he's afraid of the ball.... Same as 2 years ago.... I couldn't understand why he didn't just slam it home when he got it inside right under the basket... He is back to being timid...

 

[illini8507]

It looked good for half a second and then it's like he got Trump hands in mid-flight and completely lost control of it.

He was also trying to jump over 2 guys to get to the rim. His athleticism hasn't improved that much in the off season, lol. I was surprised he made it to the rim to be honest.

 

[illini8507]

Also, I wondered over to their board, just to browse, and see what they thought about the game, etc. Holy cow, some of those fans are full of themselves. I know illinois fans can get cocky from time to time, but some of them were on another level. They lost to a D2 team and haven't beaten a tournament caliber team yet, they don't have a player over 6'9" and only have 1 player who could shoot a jumpshot. And they are surprised they lost to a Big Ten team? They play in the A10, gain some perspective.

As for the one fan who's been posting here, you've been a good contributor, I don't lump all of you in together. Obviously fanbases have all types, ours included

 

[CARPET]

GREAT WIN ILLINOIS

 

[CARPET]

Leron Black is becoming one of my favorite players on the team. This guy can be really good.

Leron is a great player- Mr Tennesee Basketball player of the year in High School and we are seeing why now. I love his motor and game

 

[IlliniFan17]

Great win today. Let's make sure we come out and take care of IUPUI Tuesday!

 

[Bailey]

When you come in as an underdog & win by 18. Just maybe our guys should get some credit.

None for the staff though

 

[CARPET]

Someone on the VCU board said "Illinois is well coached." That's a huge compliment for us!!

I would have to agree. Illinois is well coached. Groce is all in 150% and his players are responding well.

 

[illini8507]

Leron is a great player- Mr Tennesee Basketball player of the year in High School and we are seeing why now. I love his motor and game

He was RSCI top 50 out of highschool and he's playing like it. Except for the top tier guys, high motor big men always struggle with fouls as freshman. It should come as no surprise that he's playing well (I'm not saying you're acting surprised, just agreeing with you:thumb

 

[zpfled]

Nice to see that we are getting better as the season goes on. With a sucky Big Ten and the combination of talent and experience we have, we could challenge for top 4 in the conference (IF WE KEEP IMPROVING). That's a big step, considering where we've been for the last decade.

I like Groce. I really like Paris Parham (I got to spend some time talking with him in September, and he's super nice). I would love to see this staff succeed at Illinois. I still think that this year is make or break for Groce, but I am moderately hopeful now.

So glad to see the team getting better. So glad to see Tate making some shots from time to time (he's already doubled his 3PM stats for his career, this season, right?). I want Malcolm and Tracy to get their moment in the NCAA tourney.

 

[Deleted member 342779]

Abrams playing like a 6th year guy, poised and patient, letting game come to him, knocking down open shots, rebounding, etc. Great to have him back. He will not however, be on an NBA roster...doesn't have the athleticism or superior skill level.

Black is playing like the best mid range game player that he was billed coming out of HS. Motor never stops, not making the silly fouls, and jumper is smooth and true.

Tate didn't kill you today, but he's still playing too much. Anything over 8 minutes is hurting the team. He had his usual overmatched Tate moments.

Team defense is making huge strides. Black is so active... Guys are communicating and limiting the open 3's and dribble penetration. Good defense can keep you in a lot of games.

JCL finally gets to the rim and finishes with some crafty ball fakes. It's a must to be able to contribute in other ways when shot isn't falling.

Malcolm still forcing it too much for my liking. Not a fan of him trying to create off dribble at pg position. When he lets game come to him, he's really good. He's playing best defense since he's been here. All around game is very solid right now. He's also not an NBA player....length and quickness really stymie him...and the NBA is full of it.

Thorne still looks like he gets winded easily...but he's improving. If they can start getting him more meaningful touches closer to basket, he can convert. They need some more consistent post presence on both ends, I hope he gets back to that level.

VCU looked terribly overrated. Was not impressed....I thought if we executed better, could have won by 30. Kiir should have joined the best class in Big Ten.

Excited to see Kipper, there's some opportunity to help this team with defense, rebounding and opportunistic garbage buckets. Mav looks disinterested.... maybe a little bench time will motivate him.