Illinois 120, Fairleigh Dickinson 45 Postgame

[illiniguy24]

That first half was one of the most insane performances I’ve ever seen.

Such a bummer about Jake, on his bday especially. The injury bug needs to crawl back into its hole and go away.

It will be great for the freshman to get extended time the next 6-12 weeks but let’s just make sure everyone is healthy by Feb

 

[Calvin]

Dan, Unfortunately I think we are going to need a permanent Illini Basketball Injury thread.

I can't thumb this...I just can't. But I agree.

Looks like the young guys will be getting a fair amount of tick while the team is dealing with injuries for many weeks to come. Really hope it's not too long for Jake but his reaction looked serious.

Other than that, there was a lot to like in the opener. Incredibly, if you go by KenPom, we're favored by 50, no joke. Illinois is a +30 team FLD is -16, and home court is typically worth 3. The fact that they kept up the beating for almost the entire 40 minutes shows to me they're pushing themselves to get better. As a fan, I'm ok with no stress viewing, and watching the lead grow. Got spoiled with that last year and I would prefer it continues

 

[CoachHooleyHoo]

Shot chart from this game:

View attachment 52346

100% of Illinois shot attempts were either below the free throw circle or from 3.

This is amazing!

 

[wc_illini]

I can't thumb this...I just can't. But I agree.

Looks like the young guys will be getting a fair amount of tick while the team is dealing with injuries for many weeks to come. Really hope it's not too long for Jake but his reaction looked serious.

Other than that, there was a lot to like in the opener. Incredibly, if you go by KenPom, we're favored by 50, no joke. Illinois is a +30 team FLD is -16, and home court is typically worth 3. The fact that they kept up the beating for almost the entire 40 minutes shows to me they're pushing themselves to get better. As a fan, I'm ok with no stress viewing, and watching the lead grow. Got spoiled with that last year and I would prefer it continues

One correction: that would be 50pts/100 possessions. Last night's game was 75 according to Torvik.

 

[From the cheap seats]

A few thoughts on maybe the most entertaining "buy" game I've seen:
--Not sure I've seen a more unselfish team in a long time. The ball never sticks and, as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, they make quick, simple passes that result in few turnovers and are so difficult to guard.
--The pace is what I'd call frenetic yet controlled. That's not a combination that usually goes together. One concern I have, and it's like complaining about the taxes on winning the Lottery, is whether a tired team can finish games, including at the FT line.
--If this team can play defense at even a B level and rebound, not many teams will be able to outscore them.
--With so many shooters and their ability to get the 3-pointer off so quickly and Tomi's ability to stretch the floor, Andrej and Coleman should have plenty of creases to get to the rim. Opponents will have to pick their poison.
--This might be the best freshman class, top to bottom, that I can remember at Illinois.
--You don't see many games in which a team almost shoots better from the field (55%) than at the line (56%). Had to laugh when Brad bellowed "Make your free throws!"...near the end of a 70-point win.
--Ok. So I kinda poked fun at the preseason obsession with the 9th man. Given the pace of play and the injury hex, I owe an apology to the poster who started that conversation/debate.

 

[NarrowJ]

A few thoughts on maybe the most entertaining "buy" game I've seen:
--Not sure I've seen a more unselfish team in a long time. The ball never sticks and, as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, they make quick, simple passes that result in few turnovers and are so difficult to guard.
--The pace is what I'd call frenetic yet controlled. That's not a combination that usually goes together. One concern I have, and it's like complaining about the taxes on winning the Lottery, is whether a tired team can finish games, including at the FT line.
--If this team can play defense at even a B level and rebound, not many teams will be able to outscore them.
--With so many shooters and their ability to get the 3-pointer off so quickly and Tomi's ability to stretch the floor, Andrej and Coleman should have plenty of creases to get to the rim. Opponents will have to pick their poison.
--This might be the best freshman class, top to bottom, that I can remember at Illinois.
--You don't see many games in which a team almost shoots better from the field (55%) than at the line (56%). Had to laugh when Brad bellowed "Make your free throws!"...near the end of a 70-point win.
--Ok. So I kinda poked fun at the preseason obsession with the 9th man. Given the pace of play and the injury hex, I owe an apology to the poster who started that conversation/debate.

passing / ball movement is

 

[ChiefGritty]

Shot chart from this game:

View attachment 52346

100% of Illinois shot attempts were either below the free throw circle or from 3.

A few thoughts on maybe the most entertaining "buy" game I've seen:
--Not sure I've seen a more unselfish team in a long time. The ball never sticks and, as someone pointed out earlier in the thread, they make quick, simple passes that result in few turnovers and are so difficult to guard.
--The pace is what I'd call frenetic yet controlled. That's not a combination that usually goes together. One concern I have, and it's like complaining about the taxes on winning the Lottery, is whether a tired team can finish games, including at the FT line.

It is not easy to teach young basketball players to really understand in the heat of the moment what a good shot is, that's a perpetual challenge of basketball coaching.

Tyler Underwood is doing a, dare I say, ELITE job of that in recent years. Our guys just get it.

Though I do really think that begins first and foremost in recruiting, where our staff scouts feel for the game better than almost anybody.

We're going to play way better teams and run into all kinds of problems as the season goes along. But that bone deep understanding of what a good shot is and a willingness to search for one together is going to continue to serve us well.

 

[OrangeBlue98]

passing / ball movement is

Couldn’t reply to your Tasmanian Devil GIF since the game thread is closed, but that’s about the perfect comp for this offense.

 

[blackdog]

It is not easy to teach young basketball players to really understand in the heat of the moment what a good shot is, that's a perpetual challenge of basketball coaching.

Tyler Underwood is doing a, dare I say, ELITE job of that in recent years. Our guys just get it.

Though I do really think that begins first and foremost in recruiting, where our staff scouts feel for the game better than almost anybody.

We're going to play way better teams and run into all kinds of problems as the season goes along. But that bone deep understanding of what a good shot is and a willingness to search for one together is going to continue to serve us well.

I also think we will see more complexity to the offense as the season goes. Right now the concepts are pretty simple for everyone to understand. When someone does this you do this. Defenses are going to start picking up and trying to jump that, and then we will see Illinois start running counters to the defense. Can't wait to see the season long chess game plays out because I know Tyler probably already has those counters in his back pocket waiting until the team is ready to install them.

 

[EllderIlliniFan]

I got tired just watching the pace of play. Have not seen anything like that. If they keep it up they will need to play deeper than 8 or 9 which is a great morale booster for the end of the bench.

 

[RML]

I took that as he needed some time to recover from the appendix surgery. Coming off anesthesia can sometimes make you nauseous

Ooh, the opportunity to jump in with an annoying vocabulary note. I hope you meant, "Make you nauseated." Among us pettifoggers, only an ill temper, a vile appearance, a foul odor, or a comment like this can make someone nauseous: that is, capable of nauseating others.

 

[AssemblyHallForever]

Mt thoughts: Lots of good even though we were playing a far inferior team. Nothing against FDU but we are really good. The Freshmen played solid and three in particular, Morillo, Brown and Coleman played like upperclassmen. Coleman may not be Wagler but he gets after the ball. His instinct is good. He needs to reign in the 3s for now but they will come. Morillo played solid D and made some very good cuts to the basket. He will eat up some of Davis’s minutes as well as the third member of the trio, Brown. His IQ is off the charts. His vision of seeing what is in front of him and adjusting. He just makes plays. A steal off a FDU rebound, his passing touch around the basket to a cutting teammate. His game just fits here. Zens played ok for his minutes as well as L Davis. AS and Vaaks are the leaders here. Both, along with Mirk when he hets back will have post season honors. The passing last night was phenomenal. Open shooters all over the place. The cutting lanes we wide open due to the spacing this team creates. Lots of rebounds but that will happen when your opponent is jacking 3s all night. Both Brown and Coleman rebounded like crazy. Brown about had a double double and was also 3 assists from a triple double. Coleman did have a double double just 4 assists from a triple. In a wild fast paced game, we only had 7 turns and 30 assists. Thats crazy. We set a record in assists in a game last night. Surprised Brucie didn’t bring that up as defensive minded of a coach that he is. Finally, on the good, is Fagbemi the best scout player in our history? Now some things that need to be worked on. A yearly battle it seems with free throws. 9-16 with AS missing 2 straight in the second half. Also, as much fun as it was watching this game, I haven’t seen this many threes shot by both teams since the Loyola Marymount years. I know it’s one game but we need to reel in the threes as better teams will be guarding us better. Granted, most were open looks but playing better teams will nullify that many open looks. Finally, losing Davis will hurt a bit as his intangibles are lost in the box score. Brown, Morillo and possibly Zens will take those minutes. Well, on to Penn as we have a quick turn around on Thursday.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

It is not easy to teach young basketball players to really understand in the heat of the moment what a good shot is, that's a perpetual challenge of basketball coaching.

Tyler Underwood is doing a, dare I say, ELITE job of that in recent years. Our guys just get it.

Though I do really think that begins first and foremost in recruiting, where our staff scouts feel for the game better than almost anybody.

We're going to play way better teams and run into all kinds of problems as the season goes along. But that bone deep understanding of what a good shot is and a willingness to search for one together is going to continue to serve us well.

Competition is going to get better, but our shot selection is not going to change one bit.

Last season: 94% of Illinois’s shots were either in the paint or from 3. Literally meaning that if we shot 100 balls, 94 of them are going to be 3s or shots in the paint.

Not all 3s are good shots: there’s a difference between the step back Matt Mayer 3s, and the stationed, catch and shoot attempts by Jake Davis.

100% of our made 3s were assisted last night, so I think we did a good job of hunting the catch and shoots.

 

[Birdus]

The thing I like about the pace of play is it is not forced. It looks natural playing to their strengths. This is definitely going to be a fun year if we can stay somewhat healthy going forward.

 

[Bbuck21]

Shot chart from this game:

View attachment 52346

100% of Illinois shot attempts were either below the free throw circle or from 3.

So we were 2 for 4 beyond the arc ?

 

[Dan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2117657304602493190

https://twitter.com/x/status/2117634659106615804

 

[Uihoop2023!]

Mt thoughts: Lots of good even though we were playing a far inferior team. Nothing against FDU but we are really good. The Freshmen played solid and three in particular, Morillo, Brown and Coleman played like upperclassmen. Coleman may not be Wagler but he gets after the ball. His instinct is good. He needs to reign in the 3s for now but they will come. Morillo played solid D and made some very good cuts to the basket. He will eat up some of Davis’s minutes as well as the third member of the trio, Brown. His IQ is off the charts. His vision of seeing what is in front of him and adjusting. He just makes plays. A steal off a FDU rebound, his passing touch around the basket to a cutting teammate. His game just fits here. Zens played ok for his minutes as well as L Davis. AS and Vaaks are the leaders here. Both, along with Mirk when he hets back will have post season honors. The passing last night was phenomenal. Open shooters all over the place. The cutting lanes we wide open due to the spacing this team creates. Lots of rebounds but that will happen when your opponent is jacking 3s all night. Both Brown and Coleman rebounded like crazy. Brown about had a double double and was also 3 assists from a triple double. Coleman did have a double double just 4 assists from a triple. In a wild fast paced game, we only had 7 turns and 30 assists. Thats crazy. We set a record in assists in a game last night. Surprised Brucie didn’t bring that up as defensive minded of a coach that he is. Finally, on the good, is Fagbemi the best scout player in our history? Now some things that need to be worked on. A yearly battle it seems with free throws. 9-16 with AS missing 2 straight in the second half. Also, as much fun as it was watching this game, I haven’t seen this many threes shot by both teams since the Loyola Marymount years. I know it’s one game but we need to reel in the threes as better teams will be guarding us better. Granted, most were open looks but playing better teams will nullify that many open looks. Finally, losing Davis will hurt a bit as his intangibles are lost in the box score. Brown, Morillo and possibly Zens will take those minutes. Well, on to Penn as we have a quick turn around on Thursday.

Shot 78% as a team last year. Not sure the "yearly battle" comment applies.

 

[pweo]

Looked like an NBA offense out there. Ball movement, shot ratios, etc.

 

[Oldskoolkoach]

I haven't watched the game, but I have been calling for us to go to the Grinnell System for 3 or 4 years. Posted it here many times...why not? We always have shooters; making them is not always a given, and we have size for rebounding.

Is our offense similar to the Grinnell System? Everyone keeps talking about our new offense, but I haven't seen it yet, and nobody has been on here much either.

If we core 120 every game, I like our chances

 

[RockfordIllini]

One thing I noted that bled over from the exhibitions that I’m going to continue to monitor is Jakstys appears to be ahead of Z in the rotation. And at least to my untrained eye, Jakstys appears to be a better processor, plays faster and is thus a better fit for how we want to play, at least at this point in the year.

At least right now things seem to be moving a little fast for Z. Will be interesting if we are willing to sacrifice ball movement and speed for rim protection and floor spacing at some point. Will likely depend on opponent.

But i didn’t have Jakstys ahead of Z on my bingo card.

 

[PopChampaign]

Impressed with this team and the lightning-fast offense, good decision making & IQ, great mix of veterans with experience and new EVERYDAY type of guys that we have in our freshman. We've had some really good teams as of recent, but this freshman class is special will provide a level of depth that we haven't had before and considering we'll continue to learn & improve... real shot at winning it all this year . We'll be challenged, sure, and we need to see how our guys step up when against the ropes and how our defense handles elite offenses.

 

[foby]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2117657304602493190

https://twitter.com/x/status/2117634659106615804

Zens and Brown also in the Top 10. Awesome!

 

[Illiniguy13]

One thing I noted that bled over from the exhibitions that I’m going to continue to monitor is Jakstys appears to be ahead of Z in the rotation. And at least to my untrained eye, Jakstys appears to be a better processor, plays faster and is thus a better fit for how we want to play, at least at this point in the year.

At least right now things seem to be moving a little fast for Z. Will be interesting if we are willing to sacrifice ball movement and speed for rim protection and floor spacing at some point. Will likely depend on opponent.

But i didn’t have Jakstys ahead of Z on my bingo card.

I don't think this is the case

 

[Bbuck21]

Competition is going to get better, but our shot selection is not going to change one bit.

Last season: 94% of Illinois’s shots were either in the paint or from 3. Literally meaning that if we shot 100 balls, 94 of them are going to be 3s or shots in the paint.

Not all 3s are good shots: there’s a difference between the step back Matt Mayer 3s, and the stationed, catch and shoot attempts by Jake Davis.

100% of our made 3s were assisted last night, so I think we did a good job of hunting the catch and shoots.

Thanks! Just kidding. However, I would literally have to do that for my wife.

 

[Bigtex]

4pts, 5rebs, 1blk in 10 minutes.

Stat line doesn’t look too concerning.

agree and he was playing with 2nd or 3rd team players - which are less consistent with their play. Where as QC played primarily with starters and a few of the first off the bench. minor concerns regarding Z.