Houston 68, Illinois 53 Postgame

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#402      

SuperMetroid

SuperMetroid
Evanston
SuperMetroid
hooraybeer said:
long story short we have MASSIVELY underachieved the past two years. there’s no debating that.

EDIT: i think that if Groce ever had a
point like AC we are through to S16
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In the tournament, yeah hard to argue. We also have 2 BIG titles (muck fichigan) and a BTT title in that time. This year I can understand with all the ridiculous injury luck (pinkeye?!?), but that Loyola game is arguably our worst tournament loss of all time. It’s in the team photo for sure.
 
#405      

Illini84

I
Illini84
Dan said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1505633426950569987
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Honestly, I am a little disappointed in Trent's snipe at the "Keyboarders" especially in light of the team's disappointing performance in the tournament. I don't think there is a fanbase anywhere that has supported a player any more vigorously than this fanbase has with respect to Trent. I am actually surprised at how generally fair and balanced Loyalty's postgame comments have been. Kudos to Trent and his teammates for their commitment to the Beloved. They have been great representatives of the University and conference. I usually like the "Us against the world" mentality but it seems that might have been more productive had it served as motivation against Houston. Conjecture on my part, admittedly. One thing for sure... I hate when it's over. On to football and let's see marked improvement there to ease this sting a bit. Go Illini!
 
#406      

727ill

7
727ill
RML said:
I don't think it's so much that Houston is a "poor matchup" for us: I think they are a really good team and will be tough for ANYONE to beat.
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No they are a poor matchup for us. Did you see the way St. Peters rebounded the ball against a clearly superior athletic team in Murray State?

We haven't rebounded all year.
 
#407      

Hopingfor500

H
Hopingfor500
bartwa said:
Illinois didn’t do anything to lose this game. They got beat by a better team. No complaints. Cub’s season officially begins for me. Hope springs eternal.
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People don't want to hear that, but it's true. Houston is the more athletic, bigger, more talented and diverse team. They can beat you multiple ways. There were no X's and O's that could have made up for that gap. The only hope was hitting 15 or 16 three pointers and even that wasn't enough vs a similarly athletic team in Arizona. It is what it is. Houston is an elite team. We are a very good team when hitting threes. When we're not, we're very average, as evidenced by the first round gave vs UT Chattanooga.
 
#408      

IlliniKat91

IlliniKat91
Chicago, IL
IlliniKat91
Illini84 said:
Honestly, I am a little disappointed in Trent's snipe at the "Keyboarders" especially in light of the team's disappointing performance in the tournament. I don't think there is a fanbase anywhere that has supported a player any more vigorously than this fanbase has with respect to Trent. I am actually surprised at how generally fair and balanced Loyalty's postgame comments have been. Kudos to Trent and his teammates for their commitment to the Beloved. They have been great representatives of the University and conference. I usually like the "Us against the world" mentality but it seems that might have been more productive had it served as motivation against Houston. Conjecture on my part, admittedly. One thing for sure... I hate when it's over. On to football and let's see marked improvement there to ease this sting a bit. Go Illini!
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He's not talking about Loyalty. He's talking about Twitter. It's an absolute cesspool, and that goes for all fanbases. Just look at the comments EJ Liddell and Kofi got last year after the tourney.
 
#409      

MarvinShee

M
MarvinShee
Illini84 said:
Honestly, I am a little disappointed in Trent's snipe at the "Keyboarders" especially in light of the team's disappointing performance in the tournament. I don't think there is a fanbase anywhere that has supported a player any more vigorously than this fanbase has with respect to Trent. I am actually surprised at how generally fair and balanced Loyalty's postgame comments have been. Kudos to Trent and his teammates for their commitment to the Beloved. They have been great representatives of the University and conference. I usually like the "Us against the world" mentality but it seems that might have been more productive had it served as motivation against Houston. Conjecture on my part, admittedly. One thing for sure... I hate when it's over. On to football and let's see marked improvement there to ease this sting a bit. Go Illini!
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Loyalty and Twitter are entirely different beasts. Twitter illini fans are vile.
 
#410      

727ill

7
727ill
Hopingfor500 said:
People don't want to hear that, but it's true. Houston is the more athletic, bigger, more talented and diverse team. They can beat you multiple ways. There were no X's and O's that could have made up for that gap. The only hope was hitting 15 or 16 three pointers and even that wasn't enough vs a similarly athletic team in Arizona. It is what it is. Houston is an elite team. We are a very good team when hitting threes. When we're not, we're very average, as evidenced by the first round gave vs UT Chattanooga.
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Not true. We simply didn't rebound and it wasn't because we were less athletic. So many balls right within our grasp that Houston players just wanted more.

We cut their offensive rebounds in half and its likely a one possession game at the end.
 
#412      

I-L-L

I
I-L-L
I-L-L said:
My take aways...
1. Houston is really good and experienced.
2. Thanks to Trent and Damonte for sticking this out and helping change the culture.
3. Glad we're moving on from their era though. Fresh start with no inherited players next year.
4. Damonte shouldn't have played hardly any minutes in either game, especially today against such a good defense. We played 4 on 5 offensively most of the game.
5. I'm scratching my head as to why Hawkins barely played in the second half (brings energy, length, offensive rebounding, pace), and why Curbelo didn't play at all. I know he makes mistakes, but if you watch his film breakdown, when he's in the game (not just offensively) we're a better team. Again, plays with pace, sees things others don't, knows where to be on the court at all times (rebounds, steals, assists, scoring.). Very disappointed they didn't play much as they are not only our future, but potential leaders next year.
6. We need a leader! Ayo was a leader. I know he was the best player, but he was a leader and would get the team to slap the floor on D, huddle the fellas up and chew !!!, take over when we needed it. I hope Goode or Hawkins take over as a leader for next year's team. I'm happy if it's Melendez or Curbelo as well, we just need a vocal leader to motivate, calm everyone down, etc.
7. I very much dislike the new NCAA with NIL and the transfer portal. They take away from what sports is all about. Team work and the ultimate focus to win. NIL and the portal are simply distractions and make it more about "me" vs. "team". I get it, making money is nice, but it's also fact that they distract and take focus away from "team". It is what it is. That being said, I can't change it. I just hope nobody transfers, although, highly unlikely. A starting 5 of Curbelo, Goode, Melendez, Hawkins, and Kofi/Dainja has all the pieces. Handles, shooting, size, length, athleticism, defense. If Kofi is back a bench of Rodgers, Epps, Harris, Podz, Payne, Dainja (possibly Grandy) is soooo deep. And if Sky comes, WOW! I hope as part of the new culture, we're including "loyalty" meaning stick with this family, don't transfer. A team of talents that plays together for 3-4 years does wonders at the end of the year (see Baylor last year).
8. Probably my only knock on Underwood is being too stubborn - and by this I mean in-game adjustments. The one adjustment I liked was playing the freshmen - probably the only one. To the point, we had 7 TOs on in-bound plays on our end of the court. That's crazy!!! A lot of the time you're trying to score on the play, but we couldn't even keep possession. Change those plays in game! We gave up buckets late in the game on the same point guard high pick over and over. Reminded me of the Mich. St. game on the road where they almost came back to beat us b/c we didn't adjust to the same play. I get he's a senior and I love him and he really tries, but Damonte is just not good enough (also undersized) for this kind of game. Why did he play most of the game, when better, more athletic, more offensive players were sitting the bench? I love that Underwood is our coach, but the in-game coaching needs to improve. I don't know if he isn't listening to his assistants or if they aren't offering this information. I would guess they are offering.
9. Another solid season. Yes disappointing we're done in the second round, but Houston is more like a 2 seed. We were hurt, sick, and suspended almost all year. Will always love and appreciate them, but time to move on from the old era (Trent and Damonte). Hopefully we keep most of our squad, bring in what looks to be an exciting new group, find a leader, and start making in-game adjustments. If so, we'll be as tough an out as anyone in the tournament. Happy with the direction we're headed. All players and coaches deserve a lot of credit. Just need to keep self-examining, playing hard, and playing for one another. Go Illini!
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Forgot to mention off the ball we need to quit standing around. I understand a 3-point shooter shuffling back and forth to open spots, but when we enter to Kofi or try to enter to Kofi everyone off the ball just stands. With the exception of Goode, Melendez, Curbelo and sometimes Hawkins. That's why those guys should've led the team in minutes.
 
#413      

Jon

J
Jon
Took a few hours to collect myself.Tough way for Trent and Monte to go out.

Ayo/Kofi get credit for turning the car around but Trent and Monte are the ones that slammed the breaks when we were headed 100 MPH in the wrong direction.

Future looks real bright. And thats knowing our starting line up (w/ jake) may all be gone. Let's just avoid the underseeded mid-majors on Sunday morning from now on.
 
#414      

steveinspringfield

S
steveinspringfield
If Kofi doesn't come back next year, I truly think the Illini will be even better. That's not to say Kofi isn't a great college player (of course, he is), but a faster tempo would really suit this team and the type of players the Illini have now and have coming in. Another "Flying Illini" team could be just a year away.

One more thing that won't garner me any loyalty points is that if I could only keep two of RJ, Luke, or Curbelo, it would be the first two. I believe they are going to be outstanding players. RJ, especially. He's exciting to watch and seems to have tremendous basketball IQ. With Curbelo, he just doesn't give me that same confidence and his BB IQ hasn't improved this year. IMO. He might be great somewhere, but I just don't think it will be at Illinois. I realize my opinion of Curbelo is in the minority by a long shot. I hope he proves me wrong...if he stays.
 
#415      

SuperMetroid

SuperMetroid
Evanston
SuperMetroid
BBIQ said:
I don't know what games you've been watching but Curbelo doesn't know how to be a PG and Underwood knows that. He has tried to stick with him in the hopes that it improved but it hasn't.

Your PG needs to take care of the ball and value possessions. He has to be the smartest guy on the court in terms of basketball IQ just like a QB in football. Curbelo is the complete opposite of that. He is the antithesis of a Deron Williams.

Many posters here don't understand that wasted possessions might as well be turnovers (something Izzo even said after a loss to us recently) and don't seem capabale of thinking past what's in the scorebook. Curbelo's turnovers are just a small part of the overall problem, it's all the wasted possessions that kill us more then the actual turnovers that show up in the stat sheet. He doesn't recognize game situations. We recently had a 5 point lead with a minute and a half to go and he's still playing out of control. Completely clueless on how to protect a lead. It was really bad this year, no reason to surges coat it.

He has the potential to be a superstar but that's all it is right now, potential. If being benched in the National tourney because you're so careless isn't a wake up call then I don't know what else could be. I hope he finally learns his lesson cause I love him to death and want to see him be the player he has the potential to be. All the excuse making and special pleading around here for his play has to stop. It's okay to recognize reality even as fans with orange colored glasses on.
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I really think Belo’s concussion was the single most important moment of the year. He just never looked right except for a few isolated stretches here and there. Seemed out of sync with the rest of the team a lot of the time. Hopefully after a full offseason and fresh start we’ll see the guy who lit up the BTT last year again.
 
#417      

dbeverly26

dbeverly26
dbeverly26
727ill said:
Not true. We simply didn't rebound and it wasn't because we were less athletic. So many balls right within our grasp that Houston players just wanted more.

We cut their offensive rebounds in half and its likely a one possession game at the end.
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Not singling out this post specifically, but one thing I could use less of us folks thinking that rebounding and defense are just a matter of hustle or desire. They’re both skills just like shooting or dribbling are, and Houston happens to be one of the absolute most skilled teams in that regard that you’ll see.

We could’ve done better but the guys we had on the floor 1-4 for most of the game are not highly skilled rebounders. It’s a weakness that we could paper over against less talented teams early in the season by virtue of, well, Kofi. Just looking forward to seeing us get a bit longer and more athletic.
 
#418      

fuggles

F
fuggles
Uralljabrones said:
Don’t talk bad about Damonte. Most of the kool-aid drinkers think his “defense” helps us even though statistically the team does better with him off the floor.
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Lol. Have you looked at the stats? I'm guessing not because if you did you would know that DMW's ws (advanced stat : win share) is tied for 5th on the team. And his dws (defensive win share) is second on the team. Kofi is first.
 
#419      

I-L-L

I
I-L-L
dbeverly26 said:
Not singling out this post specifically, but one thing I could use less of us folks thinking that rebounding and defense are just a matter of hustle or desire. They’re both skills just like shooting or dribbling are, and Houston happens to be one of the absolute most skilled teams in that regard that you’ll see.

We could’ve done better but the guys we had on the floor 1-4 for most of the game are not highly skilled rebounders. It’s a weakness that we could paper over against less talented teams early in the season by virtue of, well, Kofi. Just looking forward to seeing us get a bit longer and more athletic.
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I would agree! I'm 5'10" and played point guard (not a great athlete either ;) and was the third leading rebounder on our team. It's about reading the shot, knowing where to be on the court, and timing your jump when it comes to rebounding (in addition being able to do multiple things at once - having your head on a swivel). As for defense, again, agree for the most part. The words are "discipline" and "consistency" when it comes to defense. Effort is certainly part of it, but you have to be strong mentally and know where to be on the court at all times.
 
#420      

I-L-L

I
I-L-L
fuggles said:
Lol. Have you looked at the stats? I'm guessing not because if you did you would know that DMW's ws (advanced stat : win share) is tied for 5th on the team. And his dws (defensive win share) is second on the team. Kofi is first.
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What I'd say to everyone is....Damonte wasn't good enough to play this many minutes in a game of this caliber against a great defense. Damonte has worked hard, done some good things over his career, stuck it out when times were tough, and help change the culture, which we should all be grateful for. That being said, the fact is, at Houston's level it was simply too much and we needed another scorer. But don't blast the young man. He's done a lot for the program.
 
#422      

UCantHideYer

U
UCantHideYer
Woulda, shoulda, coulda……Hutch would have been just enough. We would have overcome the officiating fiasco vs OSU and beat Indiana in the B10 Tourney, earning a decent 3 seed pairing. Such is our lot.
 
#423      

IlliniRon

IlliniRon
Illini Basketball Fan Forever
Ft Worth, Texas
IlliniRon
Yes, a loss was predictable, but this Illinois team can play so well, and had the potential to beat a team as good as Houston. But we didn't do the things needed to win. Too many turnovers, didn't block out well defensively so got badly outrebounded, and didn't shoot consistently well either. Defense fell apart in the second half.

Coach did make some big time adjustments with the two freshman playing well, benching Curbelo in second half, he really tried to get it done. It is hard to create a regular rotation with this deep of a roster, giving the freshman as much tick as possible.

Looking forward to next year. I doubt Kofi returns, but I guess you never know. We should be interesting to watch, and we do have some big wings, Goode and RJ will get better next year. Hope Curbelo can turn into a reliable and consistent point guard next season.
 
#424      

illinitiger

I
illinitiger
Navy_illini said:
Belo working with the sophomores + Hawkins will be huge. A lot of his passes are unique and require everyone to be on the same page

All players have things they need to work on. If Belo defense improves like it did from his freshman year he can add a different element to his game

Another year of maturity will help him. I remember Chester Frazier as a freshman and senior and I think Belo can have better improvement and has a higher ceiling

Offseason starts tomorrow and I have a feeling some players will be in the gym and in the weight room which shows their dedication and commitment
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Belo D has been really good recently. He is a "magician" that just needs to learn how to control and use his talent best....BB IQ is there...just needs to temper impulsive blunders.

He can be a magician...just needs to be a "brilliant magician" and not a "mad magician"
 
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