"Guaranteed AZ will go up".. Go up From #11 in polls....
Arizona 83, Illinois 79 Postgame
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I actually don't think that Hutch is our most important player. Trent, Plummer and Kofi would all come before him.
Mathurin is good.... but ultra brash and arrogant. Reminds me of Liliard in that respect
There are far worse point guards around the country than what we had on the floor yesterday. Belo might have made a positive difference but, he might not have, either.
Hyperbole! We played plenty tough enough!
Exactly the kind of thing BU was talkin about when he said "Put it in all caps...SOFTNESS." You better have your adult size jock on when you go into a game like this.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Yeah. We were joking about their NET ranking, not the AP/Coaches polls.
Has to get stronger. With strength comes true confidence. He'll have flashes this season but he needs another offseason of S&C to start really reaching his potential.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I loved it: "Welcome to 'big boy' basketball, RJ."
It's a metaphorical bucket of cold water. I'm betting RJ will be tougher next time. BU noted that our "ball toughness" was abysmal yesterday.
As for me, I would have collapsed in a puddle of quivering and tears on national TV.
Yes, he has a very quiet set shot. Not a lot of extra movement or elevation at all. Great spot up shooter but he's not going to do a lot of creating space on the perimeter. Very reliable.
Yea...short leash for him. Given AZ length, RJ I believe could have helped us.
I mean, Trent was the biggest factor in the game and this staff didn't recruit him.
He scored the most points he's scored since his freshman year, we were one short of the school record for 3's, we had a 19-0 run....and we lost. Those aren't repeatable circumstances.
But that's fine. It was a hell of a fun game to watch and I know what board I joined.
Yes this was one of the "letting them take our ball" plays that drives a coach nuts who demands toughness from his team. I am glad he demands toughness because this is big boy basketball and without it... you see the result in the outcome yesterday. If you can't handle getting yelled at when you make a mistake, play soft, or don't give 150% every second you are on the floor then you should be sitting.
He’s a sophomore. Maybe we can trade him for a senior.
Coleman can be a good player. He needs to be that, pay attention always, be stronger, tough, be focused, not get lazy. Be more like Jake who played 31 minutes with zero turnovers. Plus Coleman has unreached potential that is true but its not like he is "uber athletic" like some make it out to be. He is good athlete and needs to focus. When he does he will make us very much better. We were -17 with him out there as BU mentioned. When you see those like the one Arizona had today I think its clear to see what a stud uber athlete looks like why he struggled against them.
BU recruited him to come back for his super senior year.
ginabackes00
CrazedUIFan
I was at the game. It was a great atmosphere. A few observations, which aren’t always the best watching live because you don’t have the luxury of replay. we were overmatched against Tubelis. Hawkins struggled with his size and didn’t match his intensity and physicality. Underwood did try to go big for a few minutes, but neither Payne or Verdonk have the lateral quickness to play with him And they struggle at the four within our offense. I’m a huge Hawkins fan and believe he’s going to be a star by the end of his carrier here, but he needs to get mentally tougher to play against the level of talent that AZ has.
Kofi was manhandled when he had the ball in his hands. It is amazing how physical a team can play against him without fouling. Having said that, Kofi was struggling reading whether the double team was coming or not. He‘s been great passing out of double teams and it shows his growth, but AZ mixed It up. He’ll get better at it with more time and film.
I wasn’t as concerned as others with only four scoring. What matters more is player impact in other areas and I think that’s where we need to see more from those that didn’t score And our bench.
As far as our freshmen, the growth will take time. The level of play has drastically increased once conference play started and it shows in their hesitation. They have to level up and understand how important every possession is so I have no issues with Underwood getting on RJ.
Kofi was manhandled when he had the ball in his hands. It is amazing how physical a team can play against him without fouling. Having said that, Kofi was struggling reading whether the double team was coming or not. He‘s been great passing out of double teams and it shows his growth, but AZ mixed It up. He’ll get better at it with more time and film.
I wasn’t as concerned as others with only four scoring. What matters more is player impact in other areas and I think that’s where we need to see more from those that didn’t score And our bench.
As far as our freshmen, the growth will take time. The level of play has drastically increased once conference play started and it shows in their hesitation. They have to level up and understand how important every possession is so I have no issues with Underwood getting on RJ.
I just watched the last 9 minutes of the game on a rebroadcast on FS1. I specifically watched Trent the whole time on offense, and during that time I only saw him doubled twice. Still think they should have tried to get him some shots after the 11:21 mark. That’s just too long to go for Trent not to get a shot given how well he had been shooting. Oh well.
Illini did play very well, but having Curbelo with 31 seconds left and down by 3 would have been nice. Might not have won, but pretty sure he would not have gotten a 5 second call. And while Plummer had a good scoring night, he was asked to play point more that one would like and had 5 turnovers. Sure Curbelo might have had 5 turnovers too, but he would created some shots for others too.
If we had AC we win by 6 or lose by 20 depending on which Curbelo showed up. One thing we really don't have when he is out is a person that can create off the dribble and get to the basket. The offense is basically feed it low to Kofi or shoot a 3 when Curbelo is out. Being able to drive to the basket like AC can would have led to a few easy buckets for Kofi too.
He seems to like to get into scuffles similar to how Alan Griffin was. I like having an enforcer but to play that role properly you have to be smart and not get T's.
Thankfully DMW is not stepping on anybody yet.
I would rank this AZ team #1. Very talented, working together, with confidence - and very young.
IL convinced me that they are more than capable of a B10 title. But, it will have to be earned. And, the going will be very tough.
I think we gave AZ the best run for their money and we will meet in the E8/F4, somewhere there. And, we will be ready then.
My thoughts
IL convinced me that they are more than capable of a B10 title. But, it will have to be earned. And, the going will be very tough.
I think we gave AZ the best run for their money and we will meet in the E8/F4, somewhere there. And, we will be ready then.
My thoughts
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