Houston 68, Illinois 53 Postgame

WeWillWhen · Mar 20, 2022

Sad way to end the year.

Kofi is a once in a generation player, so you have to build your schemes around him, but You have to wonder whether this style of play is really what works in this age of CBB.

the juiceman cometh · Mar 20, 2022

KenPom was right about Houston. They are good, despite "not having played anyone."

JJE · Mar 20, 2022

The signs were everywhere that we were losing steam and focus over the past 6 games. Losing today shouldn't shock anyone.

IlliniShelt · Mar 20, 2022

FromTheLogo said:
I am frustrated at Underwood's black of adjustment. You can give me all the stats you want and all

He dusted off the frosh so he definitely made some adjustments

LoveLovie · Mar 20, 2022

Can’t have multiple guys not do anything. Trent, Damonte, and Plummer all have limitations that hurt the team. Love the heart and effort they put in!

Hopingfor500 · Mar 20, 2022

Champaign88 said:
For the second year in a row in the second round, the opposing coaching staff smoked our coaching staff like it was April 20th.

Nothing to do with the coaching staff. It was a limited offense when it came to player bigger, more physical teams. Houston is Rutgers on a double dose of steroids. The Rutgers guards also took us out of everything we wanted to do. We need bigger, more physical guards and guards that can get to the basket.

Taking emotions out of this.....Houston is Final Four good. Game vs Arizona should be a beauty.

Butters · Mar 20, 2022

Tough way to go out against a tough team. But our first Big Ten Championship in 17 years will be worth celebrating for a long time!

DB11Headband · Mar 20, 2022

Waited three months too long to play the freshmen. Who knows where they would’ve been at this point if they got consistent tick all year. Disappointing.

Epsilon · Mar 20, 2022

DMWSuperFan said:
Everyone who is thinking this season was a disappointment needs to look at the fact that Houston is very good and a 4/5 matchup can go either way. Could we have won? Yes. But this is not some massive underachieving season. It was a very tough matchup. Houston pulled away at the end but it was close for a long time today. Always sucks to lose, but let’s see how BU and the team adjust for next year.

Of coarse I wanted to win but that Houston AZ game is going to be exciting to watch.

Too soon…?

727ill · Mar 20, 2022

This was a 40-40 game and then we gave up a putback plus a foul.

illiniguy24 · Mar 20, 2022

Hate it for Trent. Absolutely hate it.

I love coach Underwood and am so grateful he is our guy. But he was out coached back to back years in the tournament.

Back to back first team all Americans. Back to back conference championships. No tournament success to show for it. Just heart breaking.

Sorry to all fellow Illini fans.

GrayGhost77 · Mar 20, 2022

Belo, RJ, Goode, Rodgers, with CoHawk and Dainja splitting time at the 5.

Manual3for4peat · Mar 20, 2022

I really hope that wasn’t the last time we see Kofi in an Illinois uniform.

Thanks to the seniors. Would have been easy to bail when the coaching changes happened. Or after multiple disappointing years. The last two didn’t end how we wanted, but man we won a big ten title and came a long long ways from 2010-2018.

plooger · Mar 20, 2022

Docta Illiniwek said:
the fatal flaw of this team is we had good shooters and good defenders. But we didn't have players that could do both besides Trent

Also, our shooting disappeared down the stretch. This team really took “ILL” seriously. *SO* sorry that Trent had eye issues at this critical time.

suburbanILLINI · Mar 20, 2022

Kelvin Sampson winning today shows there is no justice in this world

ugottabjoshinme · Mar 20, 2022

FromTheLogo said:
I am frustrated at Underwood's black of adjustment. You can give me all the stats you want and all

But he did adjust? Curbelo and Hawkins couldn’t shoot so they crashed Kofi hard. Rode Goode and RJ and it got them back in the game until the wheels fell off at the end.

Too many turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds. That’s not a coaching problem.

DMWSuperFan · Mar 20, 2022

JMoser16 said:
Truthfully, what did Damonte bring to this game, our seniors really gave nothing at all. Where do we go from here as a basketball program?

We go to the 2022-2023 season.

Does anyone really think a program turns around in 5 years? We are in the conversation - that’s a huge start and recruiting is getting better and better.

dbeverly26 · Mar 20, 2022

I’d love watching Houston play if they weren’t Houston, had a different coach, and weren’t playing us.

Tough end to it all. Seems like we just ran out of gas this year, and had too many guys who have exploitable flaws out there.

QCtoKC · Mar 20, 2022

This was a brutal matchup for us and it came to fruition, but not before we battled. Credit to the freshmen for keeping us in it. Thank you to Trent, Da’Monte, Alfonso, and Jacob. And if it’s the end for Kofi, thank you.

We need big wings. Let’s hope Ty Rodgers fills that role.

KrushCow31 · Mar 20, 2022

the juiceman cometh said:
KenPom was right about Houston. They are good, despite "not having played anyone."

That's impossible. I was told numerous times by those here that Houston was trash and this game would be a case study on why Kenpom is wrong!

krushalot2005 · Mar 20, 2022

Think the post game announcers will bring up the fact that - Houston threw a fit after a loss at Alabama and the coach and the team (minus one player) trashed Alabamas court!

Another Houston player was suspended for BITING an opponent during a game. Their coach was also suspended from the NCAA for five years for cheating.

Aside from that, thank you Trent and Damonte for bringing us back from the abyss, and Plummer for joining the party this year. You all represent what it truly means to be an ILLINI!! Thank you, thank you!

STLflyinIllini · Mar 20, 2022

illini80 said:
This is a team that never gelled. We can make excuses for why but it doesn’t change the facts. The best team to never make a sweet 16?

imo last year's team was the best to not make SS

Calillini · Mar 20, 2022

FromTheLogo said:
I am frustrated at Underwood's black of adjustment. You can give me all the stats you want and all

Losing Kofi will hopefully lead us to a more flexible offense, rather than Kofi and 3s. Disappointed we didn’t progress more with Kofi passing back out to open shooters.
Reggie made a good comment about the perimeter shooters not working to get into Kofi’s line of sight.

skyIdub · Mar 20, 2022

Coach Irvin wins this by 20+.

Too soon?

Illiniaaron · Mar 20, 2022

Two All-Americans last year, one this year and can’t get out of the first weekend both seasons, wonder if that has ever happened.

Houston 68, Illinois 53 Postgame

WeWillWhen

the juiceman cometh

JJE

IlliniShelt

LoveLovie

Hopingfor500

Butters

DB11Headband

Epsilon

M tipping over

727ill

illiniguy24

GrayGhost77

Manual3for4peat

plooger

suburbanILLINI

ugottabjoshinme

DMWSuperFan

dbeverly26

QCtoKC

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow

krushalot2005

STLflyinIllini

Calillini

Now appearing in Tampa

skyIdub

Winged Warrior

Illiniaaron