The callers on the postgame show are killing Groce. I think Whitman has made up his mind but I love seeing our fans express how they feel.
The consensus: We have had enough.
The consensus: We have had enough.
Minnesota 68, Illinois 59 POSTGAME
JCL passed up an open 3 with under 5 seconds left on the shot clocked, and ended up passing to a guarded Malcolm Hill who didn't have enough time to get off a shot. How in the world is that anything but a bad play from JCL? And JCL would be the first to tell you he should've shot that.
Groce has been preaching this same concept since day 1. He won't take players out for missing good shots, but he will take players out for taking bad shots or not taking open shots.
If this was the December version of Illinois, I would disagree. It seems like this team has regressed significantly since December and this is directly proportionate to when Abrams fell off the map. We are missing that 3rd scorer, which is something we have been missing for a long time now.
Fine, JCL made a bad play there but Groce has not been balanced in when he takes players out and when he leaves them in. I'm sorry, he has not been and this is another example of that. Maybe he should've taken JCL out when he made that ridiculous behind the back pass that went for a TO a couple of games ago.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
I don't think that any coach is balanced about how they react to things like that. They all have a very deep history with every player on the team and they have an expectation. A marginal player meets the expectation with one bad play and gets pulled. A better player gets more latitude. It seems pretty natural to me.
Should we assume DJW will not return next year?
Groce has RARELY sat guys for bad shot selection
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
It doesn't even look like he will return this year
How in the world did Illinois lose this game ?
I was talking to a friend of mine today about College Basketball. His cousin Thomas Welsh is the starting center for UCLA. 7-0 Junior center.
I asked him What do you think is wrong with Illinois Basketball this year ? He said I dont know I only follow good teams.
Well I follow Illinois in the Good years and Bad years and this is a really Bad Year was my response.
I was talking to a friend of mine today about College Basketball. His cousin Thomas Welsh is the starting center for UCLA. 7-0 Junior center.
I asked him What do you think is wrong with Illinois Basketball this year ? He said I dont know I only follow good teams.
Well I follow Illinois in the Good years and Bad years and this is a really Bad Year was my response.
A given, as well.
It's been a really bad 3 years.
MrOizo
- Chicago
Agreed, it's simply impossible to win in college basketball with a set of guards that simply cannot score. JCL can score but is incredibly turnover prone and his shot is decent at best (at the moment). TJL, Tate, and Abrams bring next to nothing from a scoring perspective, so when JCL can't score we are simply doomed. It's astounding that two of such an offensively inept back court guards are seniors!!
MrOizo
- Chicago
It's entirely possible that the odds of his departure decrease with every sign of an upcoming regime change. He has to know there is playing time at Illinois and a new coach on the way. But if he wants to sit out next year, he should go for it. I'm guessing he's smart enough to wait a bit.
Illiini
- In the land of the Nittany Lion
In my opinion, this is one of his biggest weakness when handling players. There has been little accountability when it comes to poor shot selection.
DJW can still change his mind to leave, so here's hoping he makes the right decision either way. I guess we'll find out.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
For the first time this season I have watched the entire 40 minutes of two games in a row, Wisconsin and Minnesota. While I don't think Groce is a good coach, these two games have really shown how poorly put together this roster is. Its as if they took pieces from five different puzzles and threw them together to make one complete puzzle. I don't think Groce's in-game coaching is good but it appears to me that they aren't getting productive work done in-between games. These guys play like they just met five minutes before game time. The talent on the roster, which isn't that great, is minimized even more. I thought they had plenty of open looks today but they couldn't hit a shot to save their lives. Same thing against Wisconsin. This group of players just isn't very good.
I think the graduations, with the exception of Hill, will actually help a lot, but I agree. Leron Black and Mav Morgan, for example, is a senseless pairing. LB should be in a running, up-tempo scheme, Mav the opposite. But graduating Mav and Thorne, Tate and Abrams and replacing with the guys we have coming in will result in a much more cohesive roster. That said, I still think with the pieces and tools we have on offense, we could've/should've made the tournament this year.
I think the only chance they have to win a game is the Penn State home game and I wouldn't bet on that. Don't think they beat Rutgers on the road.
Just like night and day boom
Trakis
- Chicago, IL
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He needs to practice that in the off season.Every time he attacks the basket now its usually a sure fire turnover.