I haven't seen Mara play that good all year. The twins were terrible from three and Andrej was a no show and we still put up a descent fight til back to back turnovers pretty much stopped any chance of getting back in it. We should have played zone much more, that's on Brad.
Michigan 84, Illinois 70 Postgame
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Tomi can't disappear from the offense in these big games.
We’re going to hang a KenPom #1 Offensive Efficiency Banner
Well if he plays like that all the time I would agree. I have watched several of their games this year. He has not shown much other than blocking shots and most of the time it looked like there was a good chance he was going to trip over his own feet. The Mara I saw tonight was head and shoulders above anything that I had seen from him previously. I think he more than anyone else was the difference in the game for them. Everyone else pretty much played as expected. He was the surprise to me.
Michigan is a hand full. We need to hit 3s at a better clip to beat them. Seems our best shooters had trouble getting clean looks tonight. We may well meet them again in the B10G tournament. Need more emphasis on passing and less one on one. We have the guns to beat them when on our game.
That's what Michigan's size and athleticism can do. Plus, our perimeter passing wasn't nearly as crisp as usual. Shooters were catching the ball over their head, or at their knees, or off to the side. Iirc, Kylan once resorted to a BOUNCE pass out there...
Did he leave for money or perhaps a real chance to win a national championship? Don't think illinois will ever pull it off.
I mean.... that's not true? I feel like when people make these inferences on seeding, they have virtually no idea about THE REST of college basketball.
Right now there's 6 teams you could consider "locks" for at least a 2seed: Houston, Iowa State, UCONN, Michigan, Arizona, Duke.
The rest is completely up for grabs and if we're being honest -- a loss to the potential #1 or 2 overall team won't hurt you (we saw it with Duke last year).
FLA still has games against Arkansas and @KY.
Purdue seems to keep on losing.
MSU still has @Indiana and @Michigan.
These are tough games!
Plus we still have the BIG tourney to make our mark. Lots still left to play out. Illinois isn't "locked out" of anything other than a 1seed and a BIG regular season title.
Finally! Now I'm going to bed
Well… maybe Michigan’s defense is really good?
Tell you what… I don’t think Michigan’s OFFENSE (ranked #5 in the country) would look all that much better against Michigan’s DEFENSE.
We know this because they faced Duke — a defense just as stellar as Michigan metrically (difference between the two is 0.2 points; Duke’s slightly ahead at #1, Michigan’s #2).
Against Michigan:
Illinois offense scored 1.049 points per possession and 70 points.
Against Duke:
Michigan’s offense scored 1.007 points per possession and 63 points. So, they looked like a “JV team on that end” as well, no? What’s the excuse?
The difference between Illinois and the top tier of college basketball (Arizona, Michigan, Duke) is NOT the offense. It’s that defensively we aren’t capable of winning a grind-it-out, dogfight like Duke did a week ago.
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I think the difference is that Illinois's offensive scheme is completely predicated on launching 3s and dominating the offensive glass.
This works against less talented teams and in games with a huge talent/size disparity but it doesn't work when you run into legitimate top end teams that are just as big and more physical than the Illini.
The offense isn't designed to get guys going downhill to attack the basket and Boswell is the only guy on the roster that can create separation so in games like this you just see the offense stagnate and turn into one guy trying to iso while 4 guys stand and watch.
Then on the defensive side they simply aren't athletic enough or tough enough to really guard teams.
This team is just a slightly better version of lasts years team but still has a lot of the same flaws. I think we just need to accept Brad and this program for what we are under him. A good program that will consistently be in the top 25 based on resources and his recruiting ability but will never truly be elite or a legitimate title contender.
People love penciling in wins for teams simply based on “being favored.” We saw it with Nebraska. We went from predicting them going 18-2 (after we beat them) to 17-3 to 16-4 to now likely 15-5 or even 14-6.
We saw it with our team as well. A team like UCLA or Wisconsin can absolutely pick you off if you aren’t prepared and ready to play.
Florida’s an interesting one to me. Everyone (around the country) is fascinated with them, but in that weak SEC, they’ve avoided AT Alabama, AT Tennessee, and AT Arkansas. Those are the next 3 best teams in that league and they avoid playing all of them on the road.
However, they do have some tough games upcoming. They haven’t lost since January 24 (Keaton Wagler against Purdue day). To run the table, including the conference tourney, they would have to win 14 games in a row. That’s just extremely unlikely.
Their current 8 game win streak has been with an extremely soft schedule. Only quality win in that streak is Alabama, and every remotely respectable opponent has been at home. They also have losses AT Missouri and Auburn at home.
Wait… but isn’t this team going to be 15-5 as well?
Yes, I’m assuming we will take care of Oregon and Maryland.
Edit: this is an absolutely hideous take. That team had 6 quad 1 wins the whole year.
This team has 8 already.
That team had 3 Quad 2 losses.
This team has only 1.
That team was a 4 seed.
This team will likely be at least a 3.
Basically your only logic is to taint this team because Michigan’s so good. And reward the other because they never had to face that team.
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That might be a more idiotic comment than anything said on this board all season.
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Total embarrassment on home floor. Biggest game of the year and they laid ANOTHER EGG! Score isn't indicative of just how bad the beating was in all phases of the game. Two freshman [Keaton /David] have 1/2 of points scored. Ivisics combine for only 5 rebounds. Michigan manhandled the Illini-like men beating up mere boys. This team cannot win a championship without playing good defense. Lost 4 out of last 6. I think they get bounced in Big and NCAA tourney early. Another overhyped team!
Morez got his revenge on Brad!
Morez got his revenge on Brad!
Goillinikobd
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Live and die by the 3
This is why we have a less than stellar record in the NCAA. it’s hard to string together 5 games where you successfully live by the 3 AGAINST ALL QUALITY TOURNAMENT TEAMS. you can die by the 3 in any one of those games and it is a win or go home tournament.
He's a rich entitled kid and he has infected BAM. I would not pay nor bring him back next year. Our defense has been horrible pretty much all season. We got a stretch, but those teams are piss poor. I will enjoy what few games we have left to soak in Keaton Wagler. Whom since Purdue and 3 game stretch, the Big10 and referees have allowed all out Assaults on him!!!!!
Bring back Kofi for 2 years. He's never stepped foot in NBA and get him in shape. Boy, Id love to see that toughness and smile again.
Interesting that you literally chose to crop out my reasoning in your response lol
Do you think Michigan’s offensive scheme works “when you run into legitimate top end teams” ?
Because our offense had a better offensive showing against Michigan (top end defense)… than Michigan’s offense had against Duke (top end defense).
Against Michigan:
Illinois offense scored 1.049 points per possession and 70 points.
Against Duke:
Michigan’s offense scored 1.007 points per possession and 63 points.
The “difference” is (very clearly) the defense. Duke is 1st in DEF efficiency, Michigan is 2nd, and Arizona is 3rd. Illinois is 33rd.
Michigan had the defense to keep up with Duke (and make it a close finish). We didn’t have the defense to keep up with Michigan.
Last year’s team had NINE losses by 9 or more points (some of them to very bad teams in USC and Rutgers). This year we have TWO — both likely 1seeds.
4 of our 5 B10 losses are by a combined 9 points, two of them on buzzer beaters, three of them in overtime.
Last year we were 2nd worst in the league in the 3pt percentage. This year we are 6th best.
Last year we were 5th worst in the league in turnovers per game. This year we are 3rd best.
That itself will win you lots of games, as it has:
We will finish 15-5 in league play and that team finished 12-8.
We will finish the regular season with 8 total losses and that team finished with 11.
We will be a 2 or 3seed instead of a 6seed.
If you don’t think that’s a considerable improvement, I’m not sure what to tell you. I guess your expectation was 1seed or bust, which is not how this works.
I’m also not sure about the Kenpom numbers being perceived as simply adjusted metrics that lead you to any deserted thought.
I mean — if you’d like to think that, go for it. But in terms of the true, raw in-game data… here are the nation leaders in points per 100 possessions on the season:
We were at 126.6 before yesterday’s loss. Still firmly #1.
I mean — if you’d like to think that, go for it. But in terms of the true, raw in-game data… here are the nation leaders in points per 100 possessions on the season:
We were at 126.6 before yesterday’s loss. Still firmly #1.
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Tomi… 7&4 and 1-6 from 3 doesn’t cut it
Z…0 rebounds?
Andrej no show
Brad’s thing is “how to win games when shots don’t fall”. We’re not seeing it with those guys. If we have any dreams of sweet 16 and beyond, we need these dudes to wake up.
Z…0 rebounds?
Andrej no show
Brad’s thing is “how to win games when shots don’t fall”. We’re not seeing it with those guys. If we have any dreams of sweet 16 and beyond, we need these dudes to wake up.
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