UConn 74, Illinois 61 Postgame

Status
Not open for further replies.
#177      
Yeah. We just watched our team get out-toughed, out-hustled, out-coached, and every other out you can imagine and on a nationally televised stage. Is it so surprising that actual fans of this team might be "miserable" after watching that performance?

Or is this comment just about trolling folks like me who just might expect better preparation from a coach who's paid among the top ten salaries in the college game? If so, congratulations. You baited me in successfully. Well done.
 
#178      
0% you can allow a player play bad defense, not rebound, not pass, not play hard just because you are paying him.

Underwood is not going to allow a kid getting paid to allow him to play bad basketball. One example is Skyy Clark. He thought making money gave him privileges and Underwood sent him packing by Christmas.

Coaches are going to find out the hard way … They don’t run this 💩 anymore …

If you’ve got a booster paying a kid millions … You will do what that booster says …

Otherwise … You won’t have those millions next year …
 
#179      
So if you're here for Ben Humrichous' feelings, move on to the next post. This is basketball.

He and Jake are MVC, Ohio Valley, Big South Conference players. Period. Full stop. That's just who they are. The ONLY reason they should ever see minutes in a game like this are hitting open 3 point shots (because they can't create their own) and mop up. Ben is a passable 3pt shooter. We have enough evidence at this point at this level.
For all the talk of Ben's offseason conditioning and improvements, he had 1 rebound in 27 minutes of basketball. All 6'9" 240 lbs of pure Fletch forward.

One rebound.

They have absolutely no business playing over Mirk, Wagler, Petro, and Andrej, unless serious foul trouble, sending a message for 3 or 4 minutes, or injury dictates it.

They work hard, they are great teammates and great people. They do not belong on the floor for extended minutes at this level of competition.

Excited Lets Go GIF
 
#181      
Stats are one thing, eye test is another. Ben played really good defense today, good on switches, contained dribble penetration even when switched onto guards, didnt allow open 3s.
He had one of the worst defensive possessions I've seen on that Smith/Karaban pnr on Petrovic.

I legitimately don't understand what Ben was doing on that play. He just stood there.
 
#184      
Stats are one thing, eye test is another. Ben played really good defense today, good on switches, contained dribble penetration even when switched onto guards, didnt allow open 3s.

Yes, Ben can play basic, fundamental basketball. As does anyone that should even put the uniform on at this level.

As for really good? I watched him go under screens and allow a three point shot at least 2 or 3 times.

My eye test sees that we need to raise our expectations. All of those other players bring an above average skill set beyond the basic fundamentals expected at this level. They all have played poorly in stretches, but you have to put the players on the floor that give you the best chance of winning.

And this is a 23 year old 4 year college basketball player. If he's hitting 40% of his open threes as an elite CBB shooter, which is why he was recruited here, we aren't having this conversation, and we are talking about a much closer game today.

Try hard doesn't not win marquee games.
 
#185      
Coaches are going to find out the hard way … They don’t run this 💩 anymore …

If you’ve got a booster paying a kid millions … You will do what that booster says …

Otherwise … You won’t have those millions next year …
Is that really what should happen though? Boosters don’t know 💩 about running pick and roll or zone defense.

What should matters is money for players and those players getting wins. Everything else is the coach. Boosters shouldn’t be giving tips.
 
#191      
Yes, I am one, guilty, but a lopsided offensive effort where 90% of the roster couldn’t hit the side of a barn from 23 feet with a bazooka does nothing to lessen my misery.
 
#192      
Is that really what should happen though? Boosters don’t know 💩 about running pick and roll or zone defense.

What should matters is money for players and those players getting wins. Everything else is the coach. Boosters shouldn’t be giving tips.

I mean we can get into a whole debate about NIL being good or bad for the sport …

But the fact of the matter is this … Nowadays if you don’t have the full support of the boosters, you’re not going to have a good team, and we know what happens after that …

If you don’t have players … You don’t have to worry about teaching X and O … Be getting blasted by 30 every night anyways …
 
Last edited:
#193      
Great question for someone to ask in the press conference …

If it’s the first … We’ve got MAJOR problems …
he seemed engaged on the bench and cheering on the team when we went on a run. hopefully it's just an off night for him and Brad going with a different look
 
#195      
Am I the only one here that thought Tomi started to show some signs of life late in the game? Seemed more active on defense. Hit a hook in the lane. Hit a 3.

Sorry. I know it’s considered wrong to see positive things around here after a loss.
Definitely seemed to get some confidence, which can only be good. If he’s confident banging and shooting, we’re gonna get the Tomi we all fell in love with late last year.
 
#196      
So if you're here for Ben Humrichous' feelings, move on to the next post. This is basketball.

He and Jake are MVC, Ohio Valley, Big South Conference players. Period. Full stop. That's just who they are. The ONLY reason they should ever see minutes in a game like this are hitting open 3 point shots (because they can't create their own) and mop up. Ben is a passable 3pt shooter. We have enough evidence at this point at this level.
For all the talk of Ben's offseason conditioning and improvements, he had 1 rebound in 27 minutes of basketball. All 6'9" 240 lbs of pure Fletch forward.

One rebound.

They have absolutely no business playing over Mirk, Wagler, Petro, and Andrej, unless serious foul trouble, sending a message for 3 or 4 minutes, or injury dictates it.

They work hard, they are great teammates and great people. They do not belong on the floor for extended minutes at this level of competition.
Did you watch the game? Mirk, Petro and Andrej were not just bad, they were absolutely horrendous. I legitimately don’t think you can play Mirk against high level competition. He makes so many bad decisions and is possibly the worst defender on the team. Triple doubles against Podunk U doesn’t impress me.
 
#197      
It’s already been called out in this thread several times but I’m calling it again.

Boswell is our Gamer. He steps up in big games and late game situations. It’s great to have him on the team. I was hoping that AS and Tomi would be the others but consistency is definitely not there.
 
#198      
I get what you’re saying but I don’t think it’s so much that we lost, but HOW we lost. Outside of a late “rally” we looked totally overmatched the majority of the game.

I didn’t think we looked overmatched at all, we just shot extremely poorly (again)

Hurley is a guy that says what he thinks, he’s already proven once he will bash our coaching staff and team if he thinks it’s warranted. He didn’t do that this time, said we have high a ceiling as any team they’ve faced (they just played Arizona btw).

Make shots and this is a ball game, and that’s not a controversial statement whatsoever.
 
#199      
So I am dedicated to four teams.

Illinois basketball.
Illinois football.
Blues hockey.
Rams football.

I get one dose of good sports a week.
 
#200      
Don't need to be scorching hot, just approach average and we're right in that game, maybe even win it. I don't think the answer is move the big men inside; of course you'll need some balance but what makes Tomi, Z, Mirk dangerous is that pop out 3. But why so cold in such a big game? Seems like they should be fired up given the circumstances. Boswell showed up, for sure.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back