80'sIllini
- Arizona
Sorry but Hawkins not a 5- gets pushed around way too easily.Nope
Sorry but Hawkins not a 5- gets pushed around way too easily.Nope
Frustrated is putting it mildly. No adjustments of any meri at all. How in the hell does he not play Curbello or grandison at the end when we're only dowmn by 2 or 4 points with 6 minutes left. So what if Trent and DW are seniors. I'm sure they would much rather leave school by at the very least making the sweet 16 at least once. THIS REALLY STINGS. Underwood is great recruiter but needs to take a back seat to strategy and late game changes.
Don't misunderstand me, I am always and always routing for any achiements this team accomplishes.Just lashing out a little. NEXT YEAR ALL THE WAY.
Unfortunately when you have a beast in the middle who is not real agile it dictates your offense a little. Combine that with the fact we didn't have anyone with real length that could get downhill on a regular basis. RJ did show the last part of the season he can be that guy going forward. That being sad I would be ecstatic to have Kofi back. With a couple of slashers to complement him we will have another solid team.Very soft the last few games. No imagination, a lot of standing around, no ball movement…..very frustrating because we kept hearing about how good this team COULD be. Never saw it…….Overall a good Big10 season. Disappointing NCAA tournament though. Starting to become a theme. Need to get some athletes that can make plays. I love our Freshmen…
Thanks to the seniors. Loved Trent all regular season. He was a warrior.
I agree with almost everything here but doesn't Underwood bear some responsibility for preparing the team and then adjusting when things aren't working? He knows what he has at this point and saw what happened on Friday. I think he should have reacted more quickly and decisively with changes. But he was trying to draw an inside straight flush on the river.I was much more upset with last year’s loss.
While this team showed flashes of absolute greatness, they just could never sustain that greatness when the outside shots stopped falling. And they haven’t been falling for a few games now.
I think Brad did a really nice job this year to win the BIG title considering all the illnesses and injuries. Unfortunately, he couldn’t will the team to make open 3’s down the stretch.
Frazier is one of my all-time favorite Illini. So sad it had to end this way for him and all that will be moving on.
Hopefully Kofi stays and continues to improve, but if not, thanks for the memories! You sir are a gentleman and one of the all time greats!
Really like the retuning core and what Brad has coming in next season.
The future of Illini basketball is looking fun and bright.
Thanks for a great season!
How would you like me to prove it? Wisconsin has made 2 final 4 appearances since, including a runner up finish. Msu has 3 since 2010, and has 21 tournament wins in that stretch. Michigan has 2 final 4 appearances in that time.Ok prove it wrong. Look at the B10 performance the last 20 years.
Houston was missing 2 starters who brought 27 ppg to the table.Nah. We are a team that relies on post play and the three ball. And we were missing 2/3 of our 3 point shooters. About the only thing I'll fault Underwood for is giving Williams so much tick given how he was playing. Otherwise I think Houston was just the better team after factoring in injuries.
And yes I know Frazier was playing, but clearly nowhere near 100%
In the tourney? Yes. Otherwise? No.long story short we have MASSIVELY underachieved the past two years. there’s no debating that.
In the Tournament, yes. Overall, I don't think that's a fair assessment.long story short we have MASSIVELY underachieved the past two years. there’s no debating that.
Boy I can't believe you thought Williams should sit and trust a freshman?Nah. We are a team that relies on post play and the three ball. And we were missing 2/3 of our 3 point shooters. About the only thing I'll fault Underwood for is giving Williams so much tick given how he was playing. Otherwise I think Houston was just the better team after factoring in injuries.
And yes I know Frazier was playing, but clearly nowhere near 100%
I agree. Curbelo has the type of ceiling that can win a team a national championship- he just hasn't quite figured it out yet. That's why you go to college and what college coaches are for- to help a kid reach that potential. If andre spends the whole summer shooting threes until he can confidently knock it down, and if in his own mind decides to play a bit more controlled and a bit more in system truth is the sky is the limit for him. Fact is he's only a sophomore and one who was injured much of this season. He has a bright future ahead of him- we just as a fanbase have to be patient, and that's not something we're known for.I love Curbelo. Would love to have him back. I don't think its fair to hold this year against him. If he actually develops his shot and stays healthy, he can be really good. I'd love to see him play some 2 man action PnR with a big that can shoot like Dainja or if Hawkins actually develops a shot.
Last year, YES. This years team was not as good as you think. Bad shooting week with a horrible matchup.long story short we have MASSIVELY underachieved the past two years. there’s no debating that.
Sure. We were the two most injured teams.in the country. That doesn't invalidate our key injuries.Houston was missing 2 starters who brought 27 ppg to the table.
Learn some new inbounds plays. PLEASE
Officials didnt make us miss shots.I’m sorry, but that was extremely unfair to our players. They were f@cked all game long by this officiating crew which meant every player was second guessing what they were doing and not just playing. They deserved a chance to compete without wearing a 40lb sack all game.
There is much to be excited for with our program, but that was fundamentally unfair. We deserved our loss last year because of our play. Friday’s game and this game were just plain unfair to our team. I’m incensed at the travesty we saw today. Let the kids play a fair game and whoever wins, wins.
It takes time to build a program from the bottom. This is a speed bump on the curve back to that era of dominance. Lets just take a deep breath and realize the culture it winning is being instilled.I’m tryin’ man, and I think we can be good next year … but if NU/PSU/Chattanooga aren’t as good as Arizona/Purdue/Wisconsin, then this team had a mental block. The teams of 2000-2006 almost seem mythical with their comparable consistency.
As long as the recruiting remains as consistent as it has been since Brad arrived, I'll take our chancesBe careful what you wish for . . . We are coming out of the two of the best years of Illini basketball in the last 20 . . .
I think everyone has to process this loss their own way. For me, as emotional as I am, I will forever be an optimist.I don’t know how to believe that anymore. I just hope this isn’t as good as it gets for a while.