Game Thread: Illinois at EIU (Exhibition)

[I Bomb]

Well if BU didn't have their attention last week.......he'll have it now.

Let's hope. For some of the players on this team, you would think missing the tournament consistently, losing a coach - those might get your attention, too. Coming out like this instantly negates anything we've heard or entertained about the upcoming season. Reboot.

 

[blackdog]

Gotta say Leron Black is a TERRIBLE defender. No concept of space and how to help and recover.

 

[JFGsCoffeeMug]

Smith is really good at drawing fouls.

 

[TheBucket]

Need to have a lot of player turnover before we’re good again. Most these guys got out played by the bottom of a terrible conference

Feels like this is what we're dealing with in football too. Wonderful.

 

[breadman]

Well if BU didn't have their attention last week.......he'll have it now.

Exactly. A teaching moment, to say the least.

No clamp down defense anywhere to be found.

Finke and Black need to find their inner Illini defensive backbone ala Tisdale and Davis.

 

[MountainmanMitch]

This is embarrassing. Getting killed by a team picked to finish 6th in the OVC...

Wow...

It's an exhibition game with more than half the rotation new to the team and a first year coach. Calm down. This isn't the year for great expectations anyway. Enjoy the ride.

 

[Peoria Illini]

It's not a set system. The system is very flexible, but the players have to read what the defense is giving them. There are counters and options for different situations. This losing mindset that we are stuck in is very contagious.

 

[JFGsCoffeeMug]

Too many missed bunnies. That's got to be fatigue and lack of focus.

 

[mattcoldagelli]

God you guys are ninnies

 

[ForWhomTheBellTolls]

17 by us. 19 by EIU.

I think we had 4 at the half and they had 12. Just a total collapse in defense, shooting, etc.

 

[DB11Headband]

It's an exhibition game with more than half the rotation new to the team and a first year coach. Calm down. This isn't the year for great expectations anyway. Enjoy the ride.

Finally some sense in this thread. Not an ideal start obviously, but let’s step off the ledge. Plenty of teams in the past have lost exhibitions like this and have been just fine.

 

[RockfordIllini]

Losing....is a disease. As contagious as polio...

Ah. But curable.

 

[Deleted member 236589]

We stinks

Sure do. Underwood has a heck of a project on his hands. This season is going to be rough, but hopefully things will trend in the right direction by year end. Building the foundation is not easy and it takes time. Everything from X's and O's to culture has to be established. This whole season is going to be developmental, but hopefully in the Spring we can say the program is on solid ground.

 

[illinitiger]

alot of turnovers in 2d half

 

[ivwilsoniv]

It's an exhibition game with more than half the rotation new to the team and a first year coach. Calm down. This isn't the year for great expectations anyway. Enjoy the ride.

Except an overwhelmingly high, unexpected percentage of readers on this website were picking this team to go .500 in the big 10 in the poll, and be a tournament team. Hopefully everyone can temper their expectations a little bit.

 

[skyIdub]

So.....pizza talk?

 

[EfremWinters84]

Full game positives: Mark Smith
Full game negatives: Most everything else (Offense and Defense awful 2nd half)

I wouldn't share the final score with Ayo until after he signs in ink.