I don't know why he would
Illinois 89, Maryland 70 Postgame
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FIFY haha
I think people are just super paranoid from the KJ experience. Every game it's like "is this the freshman off night? Is it finally happening?" .... And it's just not happening.
He's been extremely productive in every game since that UCONN game. What I think will eventually end up happening is that he'll have one or two off nights (literally every player has them - Ayo, Terrence, Kofi included). This board will then be quick to declare his season officially hitting the "freshman wall." Maybe even some "not a first round pick comments."
BUT .... BUT .... it's Keaton. He'll bounce back and continue to show he's here to stay. Eventually we'll all recognize he's truly that dude.
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blackdog
- Champaign
Some reason lol. I say this as someone who doesnt criticize players very often but the dude absolutely does not care about playing defense or as part of a team. He's completely out in left field mentally most of the time to the point where he doesn't even know who he is supposed to be covering let alone knowing a scouting report. Why would you trust that guy on the court?
We as in us. Brad certainly knows who he is and doesn't need 25 minutes of game time to see it.
But during the Maryland game you could see him miss a rotation and they buried a 3. That'll kill you if you do it for 25 minutes no matter who you play.
Dee_4_Three_83
- Mahomet, IL
I like Petro and still think he can help but more often than not he usually does something that gets him benched. After he made a good drive to the basket but didn't get the layup he went back down the floor dragging his feet. He felt he got fouled and probably did but either way he has to stay focused on what he is out there for. He has to realize that's not going to cut it for Brad.
I'm hoping it's more that MP is not completely healthy yet, with boz out for awhile we could really use him if he can get it going obviously
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Brad always puts the team he can get the winningest performance out of on the floor, and he always acquires enough talent to be a winner year after year. He is NOT like Bruce Weber where his senseless feuds with his precious few talented guys leave the team in a weak position.
But that is not the same thing as saying that Brad is never wrong about a player he dislikes and buries.
So I don't feel like there's any inconsistency in saying I believe in Brad AND I believe in Petro, and I hope they find a way to make it work.
I think it was referring to points. 1 flagrant is two free throws and the ball, a potential 4 or 5 point swing.
Yes I thought I heard that as well. Also, my call saying Jake Davis was the leader was just confirmed by Coach Brad in the post game presser.
I'm sure you would support Big Z with 2 minutes left in a game, Illinois up by 2, and Big Z committing a silly flagrant foul because he perceived a player on the other team playing dirty. Love Big Z, but he has to be better than that
It’s a great question … I saw the film … Liked what he brought offensively and defense in a way hasn’t been the focus it used to be …
But I was pretty vocal on here about needing a Malachi Smith/Feliz type dawg as a reserve guard …
Staff went other direction …
Body language …
I think what happened was none of us forseed Wagler becoming a first team All BIG type of player. Hence, the thought was we needed a PG who could score and facilitate, not knowing we had one of such caliber already on the roster -- the #261st ranked freshman.
In hindsight, I agree going another direction (more defensive focused) may have helped the current state of affairs.
I think Lee is that type.
It’s hard for me to buy the “they see them in practice.”
They saw a first rounder in practice with Podz.
Heck, just last year alone:
They saw Tre White in practice and he gets benched, he’s shooting 3s at a high clip this year
They saw DGL for years and he is excelling at UNLV with the ball in his hands
They saw Morez and apparently he couldn’t shoot and not foul out, but is doing well getting more minutes in a big heavy lineup
They saw Carey Booth in practice as well. He played decent minutes at ND and sat here. He is now getting more minutes at Co State and is even productive than he was at ND. I didn’t think the kid could walk and chew gum in an Illinois uniform. I seriously thought he was special and was here bc of who his father is.
My man Indy, I would like to see more of Lee in the rotation right along with you as I would like to see more Petro. I know there are only so many minutes to go around, but certain matchups could definitely see a few more tossed his way especially if they’re not going to play Petro.
You and others are correct about Petro’s effort on D and maybe getting it right in the couple of minutes he gets more often than not getting it right. However, Mirk getting upset like he did shouldn’t happen. That’s bad body language as well and not being a good teammate. He also misses a lot of assignments on D. In fact far too often our entire Defensive execution (don’t get me started on scheme) is atrocious.
this is a good example of why I think it’s tough to evaluate players based on their pay. Any veteran guard we brought in, would have been “overpaid” contrary to what their role would actually be due to the emergence of Wagler.
Agree with Indy, I’d love a bigger senior guard dog defensively off the bench. But even they wouldn’t play that much, and when Brock Harding is going for over a million bucks, idk how many players fit that bill.
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