Illinois 74, Iowa 72 Big Ten Championship Postgame

#326      

Illini in OC

Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Illini in OC
Given the the (well deserved) Coach K final game stuff...
(please forgive lack of Photoshop skeels and an old man's memory of Illini rosters)
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Looking forward to this...
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#327      

PtGd

P
PtGd
I lost Kofi's blue binder said:
Been lurking for years, made an account a month or two ago... what better time for a first post?

Thoughts on the Illini:
-Saw a lot of negativity directed Curbelo's way during the game. Some poor decisions, no doubt. Still not himself, and might not get there this year. But his defense on Perkins was excellent. Largely took his rebounding out of the game, which had been hurting our guys. Also moved the ball nicely, including a no-look assist for a Melendez 3 that was huge at the time.

-Also saw some ire thrown Hawkins' way. Think it needs to be said that it takes a real gamer to put up that 3 late in the game, as he did with 6 or 7 minutes left, with the cold stretch he has been on. Wide open (off a nice pass from Belo, I might add), not too early in the clock, flow of the offense. Good stuff. And he defended Keegan for most of the night. Refs allowed a lot of physical play, which helped a guy like Hawkins who's a work in progress w/r/t avoiding fouling. We all (rightly) talk about how effective Hawkins was on Harper in December. Murray is better, and a 7/22 night for him (with some of those makes coming on switches) has to be right up there with that performance. Amazing stuff from CoHawk.

-Kofi's perimeter defense was great. Kris Murray is good, but doesn't have his brother's smoothness or quick first step. Or maybe I'm wrong and it was simply Cockburn's size bothering him so much that he was taken out of his game a little bit. We'll take it! Kofi was game for a difficult assignment and he owned it.

-Damonte with a handful of massive plays. What more can you say?

-Trent with a rough shooting night--would have loved to see that late 3 or late layup attempt go down--but same top-tier D as usual. Bohannon surely hoping that he'll never see him again, as this isn't the first time his impact on a game vs. Illinois approximately equaled my own.

-Back to Kofi... could be mistaken, but I think he played the entire second half following a short rest during that frame in which Iowa made a big run (just after the Illini had finally come all the way back to tie it). In pregame threads on other B1G boards, I *always* see somebody mention that Kofi's stamina is one of his weaknesses. I don't blame other teams' fans for not knowing Illini players through and through, but I always get a kick out of it when I see them saying that. Kofi's stamina is arguably a strength of his as much as his... well, strength, is.

Thoughts on Iowa:
-Much respect to that team (except Fran and Bohannon, of course)... on paper you would expect them to be out-rebounded by double digits most nights, yet they've found a formula that works for them on the glass. Not sure if it's just preaching effort, scheme, can't say without watching them a bit more. But the difference between Iowa now and Iowa back in December is stark. IMO they, Purdue, and Illinois are the three best teams in the conference, with Wisconsin and OSU a step behind those three. Some might throw Rutgers into the mix in that second tier--I won't argue with you--though not sure they'll be the same team without the RAC for the rest of the year.

-We'll take the free-throw luck when we can get it. Can't count on a string of misses like that again, no doubt, but sometimes you can just shrug, smile, enjoy your good luck, and hang a banner ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thoughts on referees
-Thought the whistles favored the Illini last night. That's to be expected at home, I suppose, though it hasn't actually happened much this year. Again, primary reaction here is to shrug and take it. I'm sure Iowa fans are pumped for a potential rematch. I expect we'll see it on Saturday.
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Well done sir.

And welcome to the party.
 
#328      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
First off, congrats to the team. Hell of a game and hell of a season. Outside of Lieb, I think every scholarship player made at least one key contribution to a victory this year — and that’s not meant to be a slight on Lieb. Great job guys.

Second, is there anything more interesting (and often funny) than reading the game thread the next day — especially when Illini win. I’ve only made it through the first half, but very enlightening. My favorite are the posters who only post negative things and then nary a post when things start to turn around or in the postgame thread.

One thing I thought was interesting were all the negative posts about the lineup that had 3 freshmen in it. I get it, it didn’t go well. But I just have to wonder how many of those posters wrote something like “put in the freshmen to get a spark” during other games when Illini were in the midst of a drought. I know I saw that during other games (no idea if same posters though). Guess we know why didn’t see that too often.

On to the BTT — as BIG champions.
 
#330      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
I lost Kofi's blue binder said:
Been lurking for years, made an account a month or two ago... what better time for a first post?

Thoughts on the Illini:
-Saw a lot of negativity directed Curbelo's way during the game. Some poor decisions, no doubt. Still not himself, and might not get there this year. But his defense on Perkins was excellent. Largely took his rebounding out of the game, which had been hurting our guys. Also moved the ball nicely, including a no-look assist for a Melendez 3 that was huge at the time.

-Also saw some ire thrown Hawkins' way. Think it needs to be said that it takes a real gamer to put up that 3 late in the game, as he did with 6 or 7 minutes left, with the cold stretch he has been on. Wide open (off a nice pass from Belo, I might add), not too early in the clock, flow of the offense. Good stuff. And he defended Keegan for most of the night. Refs allowed a lot of physical play, which helped a guy like Hawkins who's a work in progress w/r/t avoiding fouling. We all (rightly) talk about how effective Hawkins was on Harper in December. Murray is better, and a 7/22 night for him (with some of those makes coming on switches) has to be right up there with that performance. Amazing stuff from CoHawk.

-Kofi's perimeter defense was great. Kris Murray is good, but doesn't have his brother's smoothness or quick first step. Or maybe I'm wrong and it was simply Cockburn's size bothering him so much that he was taken out of his game a little bit. We'll take it! Kofi was game for a difficult assignment and he owned it.

-Damonte with a handful of massive plays. What more can you say?

-Trent with a rough shooting night--would have loved to see that late 3 or late layup attempt go down--but same top-tier D as usual. Bohannon surely hoping that he'll never see him again, as this isn't the first time his impact on a game vs. Illinois approximately equaled my own.

-Back to Kofi... could be mistaken, but I think he played the entire second half following a short rest during that frame in which Iowa made a big run (just after the Illini had finally come all the way back to tie it). In pregame threads on other B1G boards, I *always* see somebody mention that Kofi's stamina is one of his weaknesses. I don't blame other teams' fans for not knowing Illini players through and through, but I always get a kick out of it when I see them saying that. Kofi's stamina is arguably a strength of his as much as his... well, strength, is.

Thoughts on Iowa:
-Much respect to that team (except Fran and Bohannon, of course)... on paper you would expect them to be out-rebounded by double digits most nights, yet they've found a formula that works for them on the glass. Not sure if it's just preaching effort, scheme, can't say without watching them a bit more. But the difference between Iowa now and Iowa back in December is stark. IMO they, Purdue, and Illinois are the three best teams in the conference, with Wisconsin and OSU a step behind those three. Some might throw Rutgers into the mix in that second tier--I won't argue with you--though not sure they'll be the same team without the RAC for the rest of the year.

-We'll take the free-throw luck when we can get it. Can't count on a string of misses like that again, no doubt, but sometimes you can just shrug, smile, enjoy your good luck, and hang a banner ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thoughts on referees
-Thought the whistles favored the Illini last night. That's to be expected at home, I suppose, though it hasn't actually happened much this year. Again, primary reaction here is to shrug and take it. I'm sure Iowa fans are pumped for a potential rematch. I expect we'll see it on Saturday.
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Curbelo drives me nuts as much as he does anyone. Just have to hope the good out weighs the bad at this point — and it did last night. Completely agree about his rebounding. I was surprised when I checked box score that he only had 4. I would have guessed 6 or 7. That was a key part of his game last year, and came up big against Iowa.
 
#332      

chiefini

chiefini
Rockford, Illinois
chiefini
This morning, after watching the game replay, and reading the game and post game threads, I’m still shaking. As an old timer with family who played Illini Basketball at the highest level, I realize just how much this B1G Title means to Illini Nation, my family, and myself. These moments can be fleeting, but the memories can last forever. The high character, guts, grit, and talent of these exceptional representatives of our university are truly special. For all you young ‘uns, for all you jump on the bandwagoners, for all you negative Nancys carping on Belo, CoHawk, Monte, and Brad, please take some time and enjoy this Illinois team while you can.
:chief: :hailtotheorange: :chief:
 
#333      

KOTC2

K
KOTC2
It took an improbable upset and many missed FTs, but at the end the Illini are Co-BIG10 Champs, as they say it's sometimes better to be lucky then good.
 
#335      

Sawicky

S
Chicago, IL
Sawicky
EyeoftheIllini said:
First off, congrats to the team. Hell of a game and hell of a season. Outside of Lieb, I think every scholarship player made at least one key contribution to a victory this year — and that’s not meant to be a slight on Lieb. Great job guys.

Second, is there anything more interesting (and often funny) than reading the game thread the next day — especially when Illini win. I’ve only made it through the first half, but very enlightening. My favorite are the posters who only post negative things and then nary a post when things start to turn around or in the postgame thread.

One thing I thought was interesting were all the negative posts about the lineup that had 3 freshmen in it. I get it, it didn’t go well. But I just have to wonder how many of those posters wrote something like “put in the freshmen to get a spark” during other games when Illini were in the midst of a drought. I know I saw that during other games (no idea if same posters though). Guess we know why didn’t see that too often.

On to the BTT — as BIG champions.
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Lieb had that big pick at the top of the key a few games back!
 
#336      

fulton steamer

F
fulton steamer
I've never ripped on one of our guys. Never have, never will. It's a difficult game to play. Physical skills are just one factor in what it takes to succeed. If we had a guy not showing enough effort, that's on the coaches. And quite frankly, with the coaches we have, that player would never see the floor and probably wouldn't remain on the team. Andre Curbello makes some mistakes and of course we wish that he would eliminate most of them. However, having said that, there is no one in college basketball that changes the complextion of a game more than he. We are a completely different team when he enters. That means the opponent has no recourse than to adjust to this "new" team. I guess all I'm saying is that his overall impact on a game is invaluable. Is he the best point guard in the country? I don't know. But if you are talking about impacting the flow of the game and forcing the opponent to re-think what they're doing, he has got to be in the top two or three. We are very fortunate to have him.
 
#338      

CubsIlliniFan

C
CubsIlliniFan
Mistakenj said:
Curbelo kind of hurt us down the stretch.
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Curbelo consistently followed a great play with a bad play In the second half. Hawkins played solid the entire game. He did what he could to shut down Murray. What I noticed the most was when Kris Murray tried to get past Kofi, Hawk was there on the help D which made Iowa move the ball back around. When that happened, Iowa did not get a good look and we capitalized on their poor shooting in the second half. Hawk was a rebounding machine and that 3 he hit WAS HUGE. He is the most improved player this year. One more thing I noticed is that Brad used the small lineup sone last night which gave Kofi a breather. I like that Podz got into the game as we may need a few minutes from him this weekend as three games in three days in this conference is brutal. I hope that when Grandy is healthy, he comes off the bench as I like the idea of Hawk starting as we most likely will play Rutgers Or Iowa on Friday.
 
#339      

Illinisteve25

Illinisteve25
Champaign
Illinisteve25
CubsIlliniFan said:
Curbelo consistently followed a great play with a bad play In the second half. Hawkins played solid the entire game. He did what he could to shut down Murray. What I noticed the most was when Kris Murray tried to get past Kofi, Hawk was there on the help D which made Iowa move the ball back around. When that happened, Iowa did not get a good look and we capitalized on their poor shooting in the second half. Hawk was a rebounding machine and that 3 he hit WAS HUGE. He is the most improved player this year. One more thing I noticed is that Brad used the small lineup sone last night which gave Kofi a breather. I like that Podz got into the game as we may need a few minutes from him this weekend as three games in three days in this conference is brutal. I hope that when Grandy is healthy, he comes off the bench as I like the idea of Hawk starting as we most likely will play Rutgers Or Iowa on Friday.
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Rutgers or Iowa Saturday.. The rest I agree with...
 
#341      

Cairo

Cairo
Cairo
pruman91 said:
www.stltoday.com

Illini edge Iowa, win share of Big Ten title

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 20 Illinois locked up a share of the Big Ten regular-season title when Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Illini to
www.stltoday.com www.stltoday.com

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 20 Illinois locked up a share of the Big Ten regular-season title when Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Illini to a 74-72 win over No. 24 Iowa Sunday night.
The Fighting Illini’s hopes for a conference crown were kept alive when Nebraska upset No. 10 Wisconsin earlier Sunday. They didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, claiming at least a share of the Big Ten championship for the first time since winning it in 2004 and ’05.
“Five years ago, I was wondering if we’d ever get out of the Wednesday game (of the Big Ten tournament),” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “We weren’t even close. For Trent (Frazier) and DaMonte (Williams) to go out this way, this is why I do this.”

Illinois (22-8, 15-5) erased a 15-point first-half deficit as Alfonso Plummer led the charge back en route to 15 points. Coleman Hawkins added nine points and 11 rebounds.
Iowa (22-9, 12-8) missed five of its first six shots but eventually got on a 13-0 scoring run. The burst started with Kris Murray’s 3-pointer, the first of nine straight made shots for the Hawkeyes. Peyton Sandfort hit a 3 and then made another jumper on the next possession before Tony Perkins’ layup put Iowa ahead 32-19.

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“(Illinois) has got some guys who are competitors that are really good players on really good teams,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “Very impressed with the job that Brad has done with his crew, not only this year, but over the years since he got here.”


This quote from Franny had to hurt him saying it.......................................

Go Illini
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Pru, I thought Fran was pretty classy last night post game. Nothing would make me happier than to talk !!!! on the guy, but he was complimentary of the staff, players, and program.
Every hoops season there are some B1G teams that grow on me. Effort and punching up get my attention. Rutgers definitely grew on me, and I hate to say it, Iowa has too. Nebraska and Penn State are going to be tough outs in the BTT. Teams that turn around poor starts and put together wins are fun to watch.
My birthday is 04/03. I've asked for the same thing since 1989, just haven't gotten it yet. Hope it's coming soon.
 
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#343      

Rocky

Rocky
Rocky
All you have to do is look at the box score to figure this one out. Every team stat pretty even ... except free throws. Gonna credit the overall team effort and making those Hawkeyes work exceedingly hard ... and the fans.
 
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#348      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
We were very fortunate to pull this one out. Still can't believe all Iowa's the missed FTs, rimmed out 3 at the end and how Purdue losing to Wisconsin actually worked out better for us. The stars aligned. The fact that it did made the drive home to Peoria and the walk to the car in the cold rain no issue at all. It easily could have been.

Deon happily laughing on the tape of the final call and Deon saying for me it is so much better because it was Iowa! I loved listening to a happy Deon. That was awesome. I was around when all that happened and I was happy due to that. I'm sure he was even more so. That's one thing I'll never forget.
 
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#349      

skyIdub

skyIdub
Winged Warrior
skyIdub
I'll just say this about Curbelo......anyone here with a questionable heart better shape up, or get some extra meds for next year. That kid is going to make us jump off the couch more than any other player we've ever watched. Good and bad.

It's like handing the keys to our new Subaru to Travis Pastrana.

Hang. On.
 
#350      

Rocky

Rocky
Rocky
Illini in Italy said:
I’m in the Caymans for two weeks or I would be tracking you down. First time I ever listened to the Illini over the radio (on the innernet thingy) . . . it didn’t suck!
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For leaving the country in March, we expect some superior bikini photos from 7 mile beach ... exclude yourself, please:ROFLMAO:
 
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