This team will go as far as TSJ takes us. Hawkins is our most consistent defender (by far) and Mayer offensive player. But Shannon is the difference from an ok team to one that can beat the best teams in the country like he played early in the season. If he is efficiently scoring it’s a different team.
Pregame: Illinois vs Penn State, Thursday, March 9th, 5:30pm CT, BTN
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IMHO, this is the best draw for our guys. There should be plenty of motivation from having been owned by them twice. BU has had 80 min. of his own game film to watch...as well as the players. Play SMART!!! Use your advantages and let Rogers or RJ handle Pickett...or both with a little Hawk. Wasted possessions...eliminating them....is critical. Patience is a must. They will not be running the floor but will be patient and so must the Illini. Losing to PSU three times in a season will really hurt seeding....there is one chance to deter that. No need for rushing contested threes. But be ready to shoot when open. Go Illini!!
Just don't let them get comfortable. Throw Hawkins at him initially, send in Harris and Rodgers, mix it up. Foul him early. Get into his head. Just don't let him get into an easy rhythm. Do that and drive the basket. Push the ball and play up tempo. Get them tired and get them to foul. Make them play OUR game. Don't get passive and let them come to you. I'm a lot less worried about how many fouls we have to give than letting their shooters get comfy behind the arc and getting into a groove. Get them all in a deep funk and play our game. I think this game says a lot about what we can expect in the tourney.
Goillinikobd
- Southeastern US
confidence, mmm not so much, but hope, yes, I still have hope.
Goillinikobd
- Southeastern US
Buried deep in my memory is a game where Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing purposely goal tended the first few shots just to get in the other team‘s head.
We know Harris can elevate about 12 feet. If we are going to continue to dig a -10 pt hole in the first 5 minutes, why not do it in style and with a purpose.
PSU did not beat us twice! Jalen Pickett absolutely kicked our butts twice. Don't understand most other teams didn't have that problem. He uses his big butt to keep pushing the defender back. We need to double team him and make him give up the ball. On offense quit throwing up rocks from the 3 point line and get to the basket. Ty, RJ, TJS, Harris and Mayer have that ability to get there. Do thar and we win, If we decide to continue to clang 3's we will get out butts kicked for the 3rd time!
Help D needs to be stripping Pickett from opposite side.... as he is backing ty or Sencire down.
We are capable of putting together fantastic 5 min and sometimes 20 minute stretches. Boo Buie got his in the first half of the NW game and things turned out fine...
...the major question is how we close out this game. Again, NW (and earlier UCLA and Texas) showed we actually can win tight contests. OTOH, Maryland, Indiana, Iowa, and Purdue all showed we have room for improvement. What do those four games have in common? And remind me where this game is going to played again? C'mon everyone...allow yourself to be excited...I dare you!!!
As we’ve seen, when going against a team with a really good player, BU often chooses to let that guy stay 1 on 1 and make sure other guys don’t beat you. Their other guys have beat us. I’m very pro that game plan, but the other 4 need to lock in defensively.
RJ has been hoopin lately, I think he’s the one who draws the assignment. Length and athleticism is the kryptonite for most shooters. Even if he posts RJ, he still has to finish over him. And even if he does, as long as you make him work hard for his buckets and wear him down, you’re doing your job (assuming we’re in the 1 on 1 and shut everyone else down game plan).
RJ has been hoopin lately, I think he’s the one who draws the assignment. Length and athleticism is the kryptonite for most shooters. Even if he posts RJ, he still has to finish over him. And even if he does, as long as you make him work hard for his buckets and wear him down, you’re doing your job (assuming we’re in the 1 on 1 and shut everyone else down game plan).
MadtownIllin
- Madison, WI
When Pickett starts to back down hard in the paint, why not stand your ground and go down on the hard bumps--I know you may get a flop call, but that's only 1 free throw and it will force the refs to make a decision--maybe it cleans up some of his banging the defender down the lane (which I personally think should be an offensive foul--defender has as much right to that space as the offensive player)...
If help comes he will find an open 3. They have to control him with one man.
Lost my Senior year by 1 in the regional finals to a team we beat twice in season, this team went to the State semifinals. There’s that, science
This would be an interesting time to play a zone defense. PSU knows how to beat our man to man, and given our length and athleticism we should be able to play a really effective zone.
We haven’t practiced zone defense in 2 years
PSU seems like the kind of team that would absolutely embarrass a zone defense with their 3 pt shooting and Pickett's ability to get to a spot and dish the ball. They might hit 10 threes just from the baseline alone. So count me out on that idea.
Also this.
How about a little more "Up the line, On the line" and force the passes to go over the top so we can close out while ball is in the air. "Up the line" would help on penetration. Pickett will require making him put the ball on the floor and stopping him backing down the defender. We are going to have to foul a few times by bucking him to expose the backing down aspect and force the refs to call it.
apparently not very well based on our first two encounters
I see too much defeatist talk in this thread about how the Illini will probably lose to Penn State. We have Luke back in playing shape, a revitalized RJ, Rodgers and Harris playing at their highest level of the season, virtual home court advantage, a team with more length and athleticism than PSU, a deeper bench, and tremendous motivation to show that no lower tier B10 team can embarrass us three times in a row. I see the Illini coming in to the United Center on Thursday and putting in a dominating performance.
Well we held him to his season average the first meeting.
I'm not sure it would be worse than the first two times we played them. We have the athletes to play a very effective Syracuse style zone. Given we haven't practiced it this is obviously a moot point, but our man to man defense has several weak points that opponents have been able to consistently exploit
We need to come out with our hair on fire from the very start . intensity like were down 25 at Purdue .
What is it with teams that cannot come out ready? we are that team this year.
What is it with teams that cannot come out ready? we are that team this year.
Retro62
- North Bethesda, Maryland
Just call Vlad Divac...would love to see that practice session.
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