Illini1221
Peru,IL
I dont think we are very talented at all. Zero athleticism or quickness on this team. Tejon is our quickest player, and Groce chooses not to play him.
Game Thread: Illinois at Maryland
- Status
I dont think we are very talented at all. Zero athleticism or quickness on this team. Tejon is our quickest player, and Groce chooses not to play him.
Yes, Groce needs to prepare them, but it's not him to do basic things like compete and give effort. That's on the players actually playing the game. No one ever needed to tell me to play hard.
Groce doesn't put players in a position to succeed with his schemes and rotations. He sticks with players who don't get the job done and leaves potential contributors on the bench. I don't see why Lucas and DJ don't get more minutes. Why not see what Kipper can do. Any of them can't be worse than what we produced in the first half. But I will predict that Groce doesn't make any adjustments per usual
When a shooter has an off night, the coach needs to see this, and make adjustments....
My question is why do ALL of our shooters have off nights at the same time ?
Is it because they really aren't good shooters, or is it that they aren't good shooter when being guarded ?
Definitely West Virginia. Turnovers aren't next to our bucket this time.
Halftime show questioning the team's effort. Reminiscent of Weber's last year.
Illini1221
Peru,IL
On the positive side of things, there are a lot of teams out of the top 20 who are going to take a drubbing on the road eventually. It wont make or break a season, but it certainly doesn't look good.
You could say the same thing about every other player right now other than Malcolm. Thorne, Finke, Tracy and JCL have all been awful as well.
I don't want to see JCL, Finke or Tate play another second today. They have been an embarrassment. Outside of JCL's stroke, he might be the worst all-around player on the team, and I'm not kidding. Finke is soft, hesitant and has provided nothing for a fewgames now. Tate is Tate, and TeJon needs minutes.
Let's hope this is our worst half of basketball of the conference season. If it's not, we're NIT bound and Groce is gone. Horrible coaching and horrible effort.
Might as well roll the dice with Tejon. You know what you have with Tate, and it's a back-up PG. Need a spark, maybe Tejon can give it to us. Let's hit some shots, feed the post to get their bigs in foul trouble, protect the basketball and go after loose balls like our season depends on it.
Can we get Kenny Battle, Doug Altenberger, Lucas Johnson, Dee, Damir, Sergio, Stephen Bardo, Trent Frazier and Bruce Douglas to practice once with the team to show these guys how to play the game?! Who am I missing?
Might as well roll the dice with Tejon. You know what you have with Tate, and it's a back-up PG. Need a spark, maybe Tejon can give it to us. Let's hit some shots, feed the post to get their bigs in foul trouble, protect the basketball and go after loose balls like our season depends on it.
Can we get Kenny Battle, Doug Altenberger, Lucas Johnson, Dee, Damir, Sergio, Stephen Bardo, Trent Frazier and Bruce Douglas to practice once with the team to show these guys how to play the game?! Who am I missing?
illinoisfan11
- Peoria, IL
You're definitely right. It's the effort that's so infuriating.
If this is how we will play the rest of conference, then we are going to probably go 2-16 at best. What have we done right today?
It's pretty simple. We are a jump shooting team who can not get decent looks because we routinely play 4 on 5.
We are not a particularly good defensive team, so we need our offense to pick up that slack. It's NOT going to happen with JTate getting significant minutes. I'm sorry. He's a nice kid, I don't dislike him, but when he's on the court it has a domino effect on everybody else. We could get away with playing him if we had any kind of defensive identity, but we don't. We can't give up the advantage on both offense and defense. TEJON has got to start getting tate's minutes or its going to cost groce his job
We are not a particularly good defensive team, so we need our offense to pick up that slack. It's NOT going to happen with JTate getting significant minutes. I'm sorry. He's a nice kid, I don't dislike him, but when he's on the court it has a domino effect on everybody else. We could get away with playing him if we had any kind of defensive identity, but we don't. We can't give up the advantage on both offense and defense. TEJON has got to start getting tate's minutes or its going to cost groce his job
Chris Yates
Recruiting Correspondent
- Michigan
Five guys from Northwestern. Those guys actually showed up ready to play on the road today.
Coach says you earn PT in practice. Well, if they haven't been practicing better than this, they need to have their scholarships revoked.
JJE
- Bethalto, IL
I agree. Yeah they're coming off a break, but this is the same old song and dance we've seen for years.
Anybody notice that Groce has had the players wearing the throw backs a lot this year? I think he is trying to instill fight into the players. There isn't many players on this Illinois team with that fight. Abrams and black might be the only players that have that killer instinct. Just zero confidence.
Cheez
- Sun Prairie WI
As much as I agree with you about Tate being a major problem with the offense, I can't put it all on him. Illinois is not making shots regardless of whether he is on the court or not.
illinoisfan11
- Peoria, IL
JCL is the worst defender on the team. By a lot.
I miss Egwus defense immensely
Cheez
- Sun Prairie WI
If he's not hitting shots, he is a major net-negative. You're right.
Maybe Fletch and the staff are over-training these guys? Because nobody has energy and no one can hit their shot. Maybe our guys don't have their legs? And I am serious here
- Status