Illinois 73, Northwestern 66 Postgame

#126      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
I agree that cohawk is playing NOT to make a mistake , but that bounce pass to RJ for the fast break layup was SWEET........

Next year usher's in a new regime for the Illini , with TF , AP ,DMW and POSSIBLY Kofi and Jake gone and I'm less concerned today as ever ....

RJ , Podz, Luke , AC and the new frosh shows me we are OK ....add in Omar , Dainja and possible transfer's in and we will be in the thick of another B1G title run...............

Time to put the feet up , enjoy my lady soulmate and relax before the Super Bowl starts.......

It was a struggle today , but struggles make you stronger if you take the right approach to it ....I'm sure BU and staff will go over the mistakes and have us ready for the McPunky's next week..................
 
#129      

sacraig

sacraig
The desert
sacraig
pruman91 said:
I agree that cohawk is playing NOT to make a mistake , but that bounce pass to RJ for the fast break layup was SWEET........

Next year usher's in a new regime for the Illini , with TF , AP ,DMW and POSSIBLY Kofi and Jake gone and I'm less concerned today as ever ....

RJ , Podz, Luke , AC and the new frosh shows me we are OK ....add in Omar , Dainja and possible transfer's in and we will be in the thick of another B1G title run...............

Time to put the feet up , enjoy my lady soulmate and relax before the Super Bowl starts.......

It was a struggle today , but struggles make you stronger if you take the right approach to it ....I'm sure BU and staff will go over the mistakes and have us ready for the McPunky's next week..................
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Jerry Seinfeld Reaction GIF
 
#130      

Rocky

Rocky
Rocky
frozenrope9190 said:
No, it's your emotional opinion after witnessing a poor 2nd half against a gritty team THAT WE BEAT (because our domination in the 1st half more than offset the poor play of the 2nd). We just whooped Wisconsin and Indiana and are alone in 1st place in the B10.

We have no idea how we'll perform in the tournament, and we proved last year that end of season momentum does not equate to tournament success. Let's all enjoy the ride and not try to extrapolate the worst of the team's flaws into the rest of the season.
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I never felt comfortable at half time. Too many of our points were from 3's.

Tragedy is when I see my team collapse in the second half against a poor team. Comedy is when I see the other team totally screwing up.
 
#132      

101screamingeagle

1
101screamingeagle
Wokker said:
I really feel for him. Tons and tons of talent. Seems like he’s afraid to make a mistake and is hesitant, which is a killer. I like that he’s getting time with Payne on subs.

Still, he shows flashes and could be a huge part of this team next year. I hope he’s not disgruntled to the point of moving on next year. He could be so, so good.
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I ask you, who is playing better? RJ 20 plus games into his freshman year or Coleman 20 plus games into his soph. year Eye test is the key!
 
#133      

HensonHall71

H
HensonHall71
Orangetool said:
What's up with Hawkins?

He played with some energy (one dumb foul) but it looked like coach told him he wasn't allowed to shoot.
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He’s a foul waiting to happen, he should have learned to avoid those by now, but leaning into a jump shooter then throwing you hands up after the ref calls a foul isn’t it

He has the skills to be a player but he’s really struggling to find a groove out there- we need more Payne and RJ right now
 
#136      

ptgd1

P
ptgd1
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Thoughts:

1) Got to avoid those stretches of what honestly seem like mental lapses. It's one thing to go cold while the other team gets hot, but some of those TOs were simply us not being in the right spot mentally. For those of us who have played ANY sports (I only ever played HS, myself!), we all know exactly what this feels like. There are times when your muscles are loose, you feel like you're faster/stronger/more flexible and you don't spend much time "thinking" about the play currently going on ... there are other times/games where you just feel off, stiff, slow, etc. and you get in your own head. We have to find a better way to weather that storm when it inevitably comes from time to time.

2) I have to say, BTN's game presentation is awesome. From the scoreboard to the noise level distribution to the announcers, it is head and shoulders above ESPN. I'd rather be on ESPN for the views and stuff, but man ... BTN is a much better viewing experience.

3) RJ is going to be special. I'm NOT looking too far ahead, but I think we can be pretty damn good next year, too - definitely a Tournament team and probably top 25 again. That is how true programs are built, by reBUILDing. Props to the staff.

4) We better be ready to go in Piscataway. That is arguably the hardest place to play in the conference (only other contenders, in my mind, are Purdue, Illinois and MSU), and they are red hot. We actually match up well with them, IMO, but we will need a good shooting night with great defense.

5) GLAD TO GET THE WIN! All that matters at this point, right?? We sit alone in first place, and we are moving onto the next one!
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We're going to need R.J. to matchup better with their length.
 
#137      

altgeld88

altgeld88
Arlington, Virginia
altgeld88
Rocky said:
I like that you still call it the Assembly Hall and not the State Farm Center.
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Nothing against my insurance company of 40 years, but, God willing, I'm looking forward to the mid-2040s when the naming rights expire. IMO a national architectural landmark shouldn't have corporate sponsorship. I'm a grumpy old man that way. :ah:
 
#140      

Wokker

Wokker
"The Good Land", WI
Wokker
Manual3for4peat said:
8 years ago today we got smoked at Nebraska and thanks to Facebook memories I was reminded of my friends asking what had happened to our program.

Now people are freaking out about a bad win and being alone in first place. God bless our fan base, lol.
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Great perspective!
 
#142      

Wokker

Wokker
"The Good Land", WI
Wokker
727ill said:
Why can't we back cut one or two times on the dribble hand off? Seems like every game we have one or two turnovers just doing the handoff because the defender is selling out in the passing lane.
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Exactly! Just fake the run through and dive to the basket. With a five out should be easy pickins
 
#143      

frozenrope9190

frozenrope9190
Aurora, IL
frozenrope9190
Rocky said:
I never felt comfortable at half time. Too many of our points were from 3's.

Tragedy is when I see my team collapse in the second half against a poor team. Comedy is when I see the other team totally screwing up.
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Northwestern does this to teams. They've only been blown out once all season. To Purdue on the road. Sound familiar? They're good enough to make your life queasy, but not good enough to beat the better teams. We were the better team, despite ALL of our flaws being exposed.

This isn't the best we can play, and we know it. We'll be better.
 
#144      

PassingBy

P
PassingBy
Orangetool said:
Actually this turned out perhaps the best way.

We avoid the blowout win that makes us too satisfied going into an important stretch. Coach has a lot to address, push and plenty to keep the team edgy.

And we still got the win.
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One of those rare +ve, contemplative, meditative persons here

(y)
 
#146      

Pennsy

P
Pennsy
101screamingeagle said:
I ask you, who is playing better? RJ 20 plus games into his freshman year or Coleman 20 plus games into his soph. year Eye test is the key!
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Since we all qualify as coaches by virtue of being on this board, my lineup changes are Melendez first off the bench, followed closely by Verdonk. He had sneaky minutes today, but in the short time he was in there, great things happened. Hawkins need not strip off his warmups. Goode to me these last few games has done little more than pass the ball to the next guy as soon as he gets it. I'd like to see lots of Podz.
 
#147      

NCIllini10

NCIllini10
NCIllini10
Grandison was freaking horrible today! He was weak with the ball, and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with his shots. He did not rebound nor was his defense very praiseworthy. His FTs at the end were the highlight of his day. 'Monte has to sink those wide open looks. The whole team needs to stop those lazy cross court passes. Belo and Hawkins need to just settle down and let it come. Great first half, but that second half was painful.
 
#148      

Pennsy

P
Pennsy
altgeld88 said:
Nothing against my insurance company of 40 years, but, God willing, I'm looking forward to the mid-2040s when the naming rights expire. IMO a national architectural landmark shouldn't have corporate sponsorship. I'm a grumpy old man that way. :ah:
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In that regard, other than Busch Stadium and Wrigley Field, how many other MLB stadiums can you name? Yeah, me neither.
 
#149      

FloridaMan

F
FloridaMan
It is possible to both be happy about the current state of the program and concerned about various weaknesses and vulnerabilities displayed by our team the past two seasons. Yes, we currently sit atop the B10 standings, but by my calculation we still have 6 games remaining this year and none of those are gimmes.

I watched the 89 team fall against Michigan. I personally witnessed the 2005 team have a national championship taken from them by the NCAA refs as well as letting North Carolina field a team who basically was not required to attend class while participating in a full NCAA basketball season.

We are continually on lists of "the best teams to not have won a national championship in the modern era." We have a top 15 all time winning percentage in the NCAA, yet have one of the lower levels of respect nationally as a result of "not being able to win the big one."

No one is saying our team sucks. Quite the contrary; we are a top 15 no doubt and can beat anyone when playing well. But we are in the second season with a once in a generation - type player. While I undoubtedly enjoy Big Ten wins and would much rather be where we are rather than where we were the past 15 seasons or so, I am hopeful to witness us win it all at least once in my lifetime. I enjoy watching regardless, but that would put a stamp on our program as truly one of the elites. Not sorry for wanting that for a great fan base and university, alumni, etc. that I love!