Illinois 85, Michigan 69 POSTGAME
Stay with the same intensity and bring on Maryland!
Great performance, a full two halves and all! I don't think we learned anything about our new rotation defensively except Kipper seems to be able to play defense in man, but the offense looked significantly improved. I hope the rotation changes continue to have a major impact, and MD will be the start of figuring that out. It's definitely nice to beat up on a (much worse than I thought) bad/mediocre Michigan team.
Tracy may see himself move towards the bench, another meh showing from him, and TJL was great. TJL isn't an amazing athlete, but his feel for the game is quite possibly the best of anyone on the team. Some really good stuff there.
Kipper exceeded my expectations. I thought we had overhyped him, but he was excellent. Really gave us a lot on both ends, and I think he can play 4 with anyone at 5 and keep us afloat on the glass and defensively. Really offers us some great versatility.
One thing that may go unmentioned is that AJ may be working towards carving a niche as a defensive specialist, because he brings excellent energy and focus on that end. Very active and works hard.
Overall, excellent stuff. I had fun! Go
Great post. Agree, agree, agree.
Kipper doesn't defend anyone ?
haasi
- New York
Maryland has better D and they also get the scout on our new guys, so going to be a much stiffer test. Would be fantastic to get a win after our monumental loss at their place
SuperMetroid
- Evanston
Agreed. The team responded with a quick run out of every timeout. Great to see.:thumb:
IlliniRunIn07
- Tampa, FL
I didn't get to see the game. I know Kipper has been lauded for his defense prior to being eligible. I know he was an offensive force tonight, and snagged some rebounds. How was his defense?
If this is what offense looks like with PGs who can play add Williams and Frazier possibly Smith and this offense could be huge and score a ton of points.
Great Legion posts, but wasn't Dominique Keller the dreamkilla guy?
I take everything back that I said in the pregame 
IlliniRunIn07
- Tampa, FL
I thought it was Keller, Jordan, and Legion who were all involved in that. Semaru too? I could be wrong.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
haasi
- New York
Yes! That was fantastic, and something were not used to seeing. It was like we had a completely different identity for an evening. I think someone mentioned that a lineup with Black Hill and Kipper at 3-5 would be sort of in the model of flying Illini. Mav and Finke were great tonight, but based on our flow w Kipper tonight, could be an experiment worth running with against certain opponents
I posted in the Indiana thread that TJL and Kipper should absolutely be playing more. And TJL should be starting, it is obvious that he is the best guard we have at running the offense and making the other players around him better. Not sure why it has taken Groce this long to see that.
Lucas should be starting over Abrams.
Lucas should be starting over Abrams.
if DJW was watching the game tonight, he might want to start packing his bags.
chief78
- Florida
Yeah, not sure what S&C was watching. Kipper did a decent job on the defensive side and appears more than serviceable. Keep in mind he was mostly guarding long, tall DJ Wilson (who looks like he will be a pain in the future for opposing teams) and doing a good job.
Kipper struggled first half defense but so did everyone. Second half they all seemed to play better and I think Groce played a big role tonight by stopping runs with his timeouts. After time out they seemed to go on their own run and keep game out of reach. It's one game but hopefully this is the real team we are seeing
Illini_1979
- Oregon
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
Yeah, nice to see what everyone had been excited about from practices. I'm sure he'll have some rough moments during Big Ten play, but great energy!
Helps to shoot so well. Good game management and substitutions by Groce, but the players showed up. Makes a huge difference. BUT - you still see the bone head plays (like Abrams with 2 mins left dribbling into a corner instead of making the easy pass).
A great win and a step forward, but just like a loss - it is only one game. We need to build on this - everyone needs to find a role, accept it - and win and lose as a team! We will need Tate and Thorne still - so work hard for your minutes!!!
A great win and a step forward, but just like a loss - it is only one game. We need to build on this - everyone needs to find a role, accept it - and win and lose as a team! We will need Tate and Thorne still - so work hard for your minutes!!!