Michigan 84, Illinois 70 Postgame

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#601      
dmb24illini
BackThatPassUp said:
1. Don't have the athletes to defend teams that do. 2. Boswell 's shot is so broken they're sagging and it's not spreading the floor. 3. We don't play inside out enough.
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I was screaming in the 2nd half because I couldn't believe Boswell just kept jacking up bricks. Pass it to someone better from deep!

Here's his three point shooting the past 8 games:
1-6
2-4
1-6
1-3
1-4
0-2
1-5
1-4

8 out of 34 - 24%. Maybe he should stick to what he does best which is getting to the hoop and drawing contact. Abysmal from three and even worse since his injury.
 
#602      
dmb24illini
Andrej Stojakovic played 12 minutes and barely did anything at all, let alone score a point.
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What do you mean? He was the game leader in dribbling off his leg out of bounds.
 
#606      
fatboyslim
Remember all the folks on the board pretending that Morez was someone addition by subtraction?
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fake interest cool story bro GIF
 
#607      
blackdog
…INI said:
Let’s see how the season plays out, but I think BU’s current formula (recruiting, NIL$, scheme, player development, etc) is a winning formula; it’s not a championship one. It prioritizes offense over defense too much.

Arguably we should be content with being a sweet 16 contender every year. As a life long fan, however, I find myself disappointed each year when we can’t seem to ever get over that hump.
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You have to be a winning team to be a championship one. Coaches that have won championships generally dont have teams that are competing at that level every single year but are always at least winning. The teams they have that win are the lighting in a bottle, special ones even above the rest. If you have a coach that can keep getting to that Sweet 16 level they are good enough to eventually get that special group to break through.
 
#608      
stevej64
All I ask is that we find out if Michigan can or cannot beat us three times in one year.
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We owe them back from 89 when we kicked their butt twice but then they got us back in the final four!
 
#609      
Heisenbobble
You have to be a winning team to be a championship one. Coaches that have won championships generally dont have teams that are competing at that level every single year but are always at least winning. The teams they have that win are the lighting in a bottle, special ones even above the rest. If you have a coach that can keep getting to that Sweet 16 level they are good enough to eventually get that special group to break through.
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Sure, but Underwood has made one Sweet 16 in his entire head coaching career. Just saying.
 
#610      
Jimbo
Michigan had their A game. We had our C game. We didn’t bring any fight or defensive intensity. We need to be pissed when we play them if we meet them again.

My dream is to lose big to them in the BTT, somehow make it to the final four and beat them on a last second rebound and put back. That would seem fitting.
 
#612      
AirTran
You have to be a winning team to be a championship one. Coaches that have won championships generally dont have teams that are competing at that level every single year but are always at least winning. The teams they have that win are the lighting in a bottle, special ones even above the rest. If you have a coach that can keep getting to that Sweet 16 level they are good enough to eventually get that special group to break through.
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Here are all the schools that made the sweet 16 at least 5 times in the past 10 years:
  • Gonzaga: 9
  • Duke: 7
  • Houston: 6
  • Kentucky: 6
  • Michigan: 6
  • North Carolina: 6
  • Purdue: 6
  • Arizona: 5
  • Kansas: 5
  • Oregon: 5
  • Villanova: 5
How many of those schools have had the same coach over the past 10 years and how many of those schools made it to the sweet 16 over 3 of the past 5 years?

Now how many of those schools have an NIL budget larger than ours?

Unless I am mistaken we are talking about 3 coaches (on from the B1G) and all of those schools have larger NIL budgets (except for perhaps Villanova) that we do.

We are in a new age. Whatever you witnessed in the past, you can throw away. The players are better, the money is larger and because you only play 5 at a time, the competition is much more difficult.
 
#614      
Fly Illini Fly!
…INI said:
Let’s see how the season plays out, but I think BU’s current formula (recruiting, NIL$, scheme, player development, etc) is a winning formula; it’s not a championship one. It prioritizes offense over defense too much.

Arguably we should be content with being a sweet 16 contender every year. As a life long fan, however, I find myself disappointed each year when we can’t seem to ever get over that hump.
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The misconception about this narrative is that the “championship one” isn’t about offense over defense… or defense over offense… its about offense AND defense.

I think we can all agree the 3 clear favorites to win it all are Duke, Arizona, Michigan. Let’s say all three have the “championship” formula. Here are where the three rank in offense/defensive efficiency:

Duke: #6 offense, #1 defense
Michigan: #4 offense, #2 defense
Arizona: #8 offense, #3 defense.

It isn’t about one over the other, it’s about being ELITE in both categories (top 10).

…..

If your just talking about the offense vs defense argument:

Here are the top 5 offenses that are of teams OUTSIDE THE TOP 30 in defensive efficiency (hope the language is understandable) —

Illinois, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, BYU (“offense focused”)

The top 5 defenses that are of teams outside the top 30 in offensive efficiency:

Nebraska, Michigan State, Kansas, Seton Hall, Cincinnati (“defense focused”)

I’m not sure the quality of team is all too dissimilar — if it is, probably favoring the offense focused teams.

Overall, the formula to be in the same tier as those title contenders is to have BOTH in your arsenal. If you run into a defense like Michigan that can shut down your offense, you need to have a defense of your own to keep you in the game.

We didn’t, and that’s why we got blown out.
 
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#615      
WizardBill
Ryllini said:
Everything still in front of this team, but toughness is an issue for me. Credit to Michigan. They bullied out tonight. I’m shocked we don’t have one guy who would be willing to go.
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For me as well. We DO NOT have any. It was in OUR building and their guys were tough. We were marshmallows. If you get a lot physical with guys like that, then you can push back hard. Our guys did nothing physical. We were pushed all over on the interior. It was infuriating to watch. I skipped work for that weak effort?
 
#616      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
OrangeBlue98 said:
It seems like Illinois’ desired comp is Gonzaga. With rare exception, they hit a ceiling in the tournament.
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I think the problem with a lot of folks right now is literally thinking championship or bust. Just FYI, Illinois has never won a national championship.

From 2015 to 2024 - that's 9 years, almost a decade - gonzaga made 9 straight sweet sixteens, 3 elite eights, and twice the national champion runner up.

If that's our stretch for the next 9 years, sign me up right now lol.

Plus, they legitimately never miss the tournament (I get they play in an awful conference, still noteworthy).
 
#617      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Indy Illini Fan said:
Who’s tainting this team ???

That team came together and found ways to win when the tide turned and things weren’t going their way … They had toughness …

This current team wins one way … There’s not been adjustments and there is no adjustments for being soft … Just is what it is … 2-4 in our last 6 … Can’t close games and getting embarrassed on our home floor …

Can we fix it ? Maybe … But the answers are out there on how to beat this team … Let’s see if they adjust …

2nd weekend and most everyone is going to say it’s not bad year … Should’ve had more but alright … You miss that 2nd weekend with all this talent … Then what …
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Probably you're right here for the most part.

Its just your original comment talked about the 21-22 team as "it all coming together" (perhaps implying this team didn't? - my bad if that's a too generalized assumption) and that "Trent & DMFW ain’t walking through that door unfortunately." However, that team with Trent and DMFW was worse in pretty much every aspect compared to our current team. We have the same conf. record, a better overall record, better tournament resume, more good wins, more good road wins, less bad losses. That team went to Mackey and got annihilated; this team went to Mackey and won (in an all timer).

Additionally, what that team lacked IMO was a guard who could create his own shot and get you a bucket at will. Trent was a terrific defender, and Plummer was a great shooter. I don't think either of those guys could reliably create 1 on 1.

We have that this year with Wagler, we had it in '24 with Shannon (and Domask), and we had it in '21 with Ayo. That's why all 3 teams have won so many games.
 
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#618      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
Trueblue777 said:
Keaton is the LEAST of our problems. Without him this team is 17-12 right now at best.
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Agreed. In the second half, he was our lone hope. He had 11 of the team's first 21 second half points. No one else even looked capable.

When things get tense, we need somebody else to at least be a complementary piece.

Sure there's always things to nitpick, but his only true bad game was michigan state.
 
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#622      
illinitiger
The runs michigan had in each half killed us. 11-0 in 1st half and 16-2 in 2d half....the run in 2d half ...approx 13min to 8 min mark ... was difference in final score

..if we had controlled and adjusted to Mara lobs better in that 2d half stretch and hit some shots ourselves...we may have been down to wire with them...tsk
 
#623      
Sim
We have high IQ guys, sure, but we don’t have the same level of athleticism as some other teams and it shows when we play against those programs, Michigan being one of them. Z looked spooked all night and we had no one to stop a Dawg like Morez unfortunately, and we’re going to see a lot more of that in March, buckle up.
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Line them up by position and Michigan has more athletic players across the board and the same with toughness. Underwood is easy to prepare for because they always do the same thing and he doesn’t know how to adjust in game situations. He’s not much of a coach.
 
#624      
Keisersose
sacraig said:
Remember all the folks on the board pretending that Morez was someone addition by subtraction?
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Actually I don’t remember that. I remember a bunch of people upset that a fan favorite and possibly best player on the team this year left the program.

And I remember people saying he supposedly signed something but left anyway.

I also remember saying that Morez’ rebounding won is a couple games last year.
 
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