NOT giving up just responding to FF comment
Ohio State 72, Illinois 60 Postgame
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I think we have potentially great shooters, but the only one who has proven it consistently on the college level is Mayer.
I feel like we've really been hurt by not getting any outside shooting help from Goode and Melendez this year. We all had such high hopes for their three point ability coming into the season but with Luke hurt and RJ slumping for most of the year, I think it forces Mayer to take bad shots than he normally would because he knows he's the only one who can make them with regularity.
Now, the other big problem is the response to not having more shooting help should not be to shoot more threes, it should be to get to the rim more or feed Dain in the post. But frustratingly that rarely seems to be the plan.
The last part of Harv Schmitts's tenure. 1 year of Gene Bartow. Finally Lou Henson getting this program back on track after a few tough years. Many fans are younger than I am.
I have no idea why so many people around here are convinced that Mayer is a good to great shooter and that Shannon is not:
Career 3FG%, Mayer: .350
Career 3FG%, Shannon: .344
I feel like both should be shooting better than they are this year and suffer from shot selection issues, but both are capable. I can’t remember a player who has produced like Shannon and has been so frequently forgotten or dismissed by our fans. It’s wild to me.
We have good shooters, but we rarely do anything to get them decent looks. And we have one guy who constantly pump fakes on open shots and ends up with a much worse shot.
I think they’re probably average to slightly above average to be honest. But when you have the kind of internal issues we have had…it begets other bad things…and then you don’t play together as a team for a good length of time AND that creates bad juju.
Somebody takes a couple super-rushed ill advised shot or two from 27-30 feet away that’s completely outside the flow of the game…Or let’s say they even know coach wants them to shoot so many per game…but the looks they are getting aren’t as good as they could be because Heroball Hank and Me-shot McGee are already in chucker mode. So for a while there we undoubtedly had guys playing and not knowing if they were gonna see the ball from their teammates or not. Then we they do get it they’re half-surprised…and
well, that ain’t the best.
And then it snowballs and you got guys thinking: Heck, I usually shoot better than him…blah blah…That guys a black 🕳 hole of the solar system
..throw it to him and you never see the SOB again…guess I’d better make sure I light it up 
lwhen I get my chances! ……and then pretty soon you got multiple guys doing it and that’s just not a good situation…Overall, it’s gotten a lot better I think. But there for while there you could occasionally play out like that on the court. Certain guys not passing to certain guys etc. etc.
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My only comment about today's loss is that this team has a very high vortex....but an extremely wide curve.
Zorak
- Naperville
To still think this team is capable of winning a national championship... good lord
They're both shooting about average from 3. Mayer is a career 35.1% with a best year of 39.5% and a worst year of 30.8%. He's shooting 36%, so about right.
Shannon is pretty much the same story, career average 34.7%, high 38.4%, low 25.7%, he's at 34.1%, so again about right.
I don't consider 35% a great shooter. It's ok. You'll gladly take that from a scorer who isn't expected to be your long range threat, but that's the problem. We have no one that is a legitimate long range threat. No one even close. And what's worse, when we were all talking about the length and driving ability in the offseason, how the drive, kick, and shoot game could be great, have we seen any of that at all?
Shannon took 84 3s as a soph and 86 as a Jr, he's taken 135 so far this year. Tacked on more than 50% more shots. He's a slasher, not a shooter. Mayer is more of a shooter but he took 136 3s last year in 33 games, through 28 this year he has already taken 162. Coleman, who is shooting 27.6% from 3 has taken 116 this year so far.
We have length, we have athleticism, we have slashing ability STOP SHOOTING 3s. Like I said, 325th in the nation and we shot well below our average today while taking more attempts than usual so our shooting percentage will drop even lower, closer to dead last, and our number of 3s taken ranking will increase. I just have no idea why Underwood is allowing so many 3s. It is not a strength of the team, it is THE weakness, and they're just beating that dead horse to the point that Elmer's won't even take it.
Like I said, we win when at least 1 of Mayer, Shannon, and/or Coleman gets hot from deep. If that doesn't happen, like today we can lose to teams that can't beat anybody. We need shooters in the worst way.
I think we looked really out of sorts from how loose the officiating was in the first half. We really did not adjust quickly to that at all. And the Buckeyes played more desperate consistently,. And unlike against Northwestern, we didn't quite have the juice to get that lead again late, and TJs offensive foul (3rd?) really didn't help. I'm not completely shocked but it's not a good loss. I'm still driving out at 8am Thursday for a weekend of hoops and family.
I believe.
I believe.
Awh…details, shmee-tails.
We got this…maybe.
Nothing short of a miracle is now defined as beating a 16 seed and a 1 point come from behind last second victory over a 13 seed over 5 years?
Fixed it.
I personally don’t think taking threes is a bad thing if they’re good shots in the flow of the offense. Unfortunately, they often aren’t, and I think the reason we take so many is because we don’t do enough to open up driving lanes or post feeds. You saw that today, where we shot 44% (by my count via the game log, might be off by a bit) on twos including a crisp 36% in the first half. They could drive the ball in those situations, but I don’t think they’ll get great results.
I don’t know why it’s played out this way. For whatever reason the top guys on this team haven’t meshed and never bought in. I’m not sure what else Underwood could do at this point. Sit Shannon, Mayer, and Epps? You could, but you probably don’t want to. He’s given a long leash because he needs those guys on the court if he’s planning on going anywhere.
Underwood is ultimately accountable for the product on the floor, but it’s disappointing to see super talented seniors just not show up on a regular basis. Given how many slots he has to fill for next year I think he probably has to roll the dice again on bringing a couple of random guys in as transfers. Maybe he won’t roll a 2, 3, or 12 the next time around.
Today I watched both the men's and women's games. As we have all bemoaned the horrible shooting beyond the arc for the men I looked into the three point stats for the WBB team today and for the season. Today we were 5/14. For the season we averaged 7 threes per game. We converted for the season at about 37.5%. For awhile we were over 41% and tops in the country.
For the most part we took shots that were good looks and not rushed. The Michigan game all our shooters were cold. In the Maryland game the press made us take rushed shots as the clock ran down. But for the most part our three point shooters were under control and getting good looks thanks to ball movement and often making that one extra pass. The players that may not have the deep shot in their arsenal know that they are best at taking the ball to the rim or will drive, stop and pop.
The team seems to understand their identity and what is expected of them. For the most part they have followed the game plan and finished with one of the best rebound seasons in the history of the Big Ten Conference. It has been a remarkable season and kept me sane as I root for the men. A task that has not been for the faint of heart.
it's tournament time! Let's Go Illini!
For the most part we took shots that were good looks and not rushed. The Michigan game all our shooters were cold. In the Maryland game the press made us take rushed shots as the clock ran down. But for the most part our three point shooters were under control and getting good looks thanks to ball movement and often making that one extra pass. The players that may not have the deep shot in their arsenal know that they are best at taking the ball to the rim or will drive, stop and pop.
The team seems to understand their identity and what is expected of them. For the most part they have followed the game plan and finished with one of the best rebound seasons in the history of the Big Ten Conference. It has been a remarkable season and kept me sane as I root for the men. A task that has not been for the faint of heart.
it's tournament time! Let's Go Illini!
Same old same old, half our shots from 3 and we're lousy 3 point shooters most every evening. More turnovers than assists and then toss in some poor defense and geez, I can't figure out how we lost. We're at the end of February and so this isn't going to change. We're just an inconsistent mediocre team as much as I hate to say it.
I don't usually give up on an Illini team but this is too much. I've said it before, fans deserve better than this.
Consistently Horrible
No, I haven't forgotten those years but I think there is a distinction between them. I remember 1 game in particular I think was in Weber's last year the Illini went to Nebraska to play a poor Husker team and was totally embarrassed. Illinois wasn't a very good team but on paper was better than by far than Nebraska. Those teams were either good or really bad. They weren't Jekyll and Hyde. You knew exactly who they were. With this team you don't know from one game to another or in fact one half to another [evidenced in N.W. game] what you are going to get. It just doesn't seem like this team has any chemistry. They play as individuals not as a team. The talent is there but they just don't come to play day in and day out. I can't remember 1 game this year where they put 2 solid halves together. The one thing I can say about this team is THEY ARE CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT!
I so badly want to disagree with you----but I can't. They may have enough talent but I'm not sure they have the grit to maintain a consistent intensity or focus for more than a couple of games in a row. I feel badly for having said that but I just don't see it.
They are just a average team. Face it
This is the team that got blown out by Mizzou, Penn St twice, and Northwestern
It took a hot second half to beat UCLA, Texas and Northwestern
This is the team that got blown out by Mizzou, Penn St twice, and Northwestern
It took a hot second half to beat UCLA, Texas and Northwestern
Seriously, this team will be fortunate to win another game this season. Michigan is playing very well and Purdue is Purdue. Best chance may be in the Big10 tourney but we keep falling in seeding there so that now becomes a tougher outlook. Poor chemistry on this team, always wants to settle for 3s, we need to be trying to get some points in the paint. We however really only have Dainja that wants to work inside. Very bleak outlook for these next 3 games. Disappointing to think of what lies ahead as this team has a lack of leadership and other teams coming out of their shells.
We have talent, but we depend way too much on freshman. Lou Henson always said the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores. We get individually great games, but they are still learning. Our upperclassmen haven't played together enough. All that said, if we could consistently hit an open three we might be a final four caliber team, but we can't. Brad is a great coach, but he can be stubborn at times about changing what isn't working. There are a lot of great coaches and players in this league, we aren't going to win every year.
I am sure it was discussed why no Dane in the game. I understand going small but he should have played bully ball with him down low . Our shooting leaves something to desire. I stayed away from the board yesterday.
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