pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I think I would take purdont's T. Williams over Dickinson.....Williams has a lot more moves and better foot speed.....
JMHO
Illini Basketball 2021-2022
- Status
JMHO
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
That win was so much fun. I called my brother midway through the second half just to make sure I wasn't watching an old clip from the 80's.
Seriously one of my favorite sports memories of all time. Maybe some recency bias but I honestly don't think do. I am confident I'll still feel that way years from now.
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
I'm watching Michigan State and Max Christie and would love to hear other board member's thoughts on both.
Since you are the one watching what are your thoughts?
"Get your little !!! out of here Trent"...love it!
MSU brings in a great class, but they lost a lot from a mediocre team. Hard to say how they'll gel, but I expect they can beat anyone on a given night. Christie is 5 star, and the rest of the class is pretty good. I watched highlights of their Ferris St. game, and they had good ball movement. I think it's unwise to underestimate Izzo, especially after a bad season like last year.
Really appreciate your evaluation of Michigan as a whole based on one game, especially one in which Livers got hurt. Good stuff
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Well we didn't have Ayo, so there's that.
No problem here...one of my favorites from last year. Hopefully we duplicate This year.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I've watched that game a couple of times after a bad FB loss just to lift my spirits.....
Watched a couple more exhibition games:
Purdue vs Indianapolis
Edey is a cheat code man. What an absurd alien, I mean human. This was an 11 point game with 7 minutes left and Purdue decided to go to Edey five straight possessions and he scored every time.
Like I said, this was a close game until the 5-minute mark and Purdue was not great defensively. Especially in closing out on three-point shooters. Something to keep an eye on.
They also looked pretty poor from the free-throw line, even with Trevion making his.
Trevion might be the best post-passer I've ever seen at the college level. Holy s**t. He was whipping cross-court passes like it was nothing and in the pocket. Super impressive.
Caleb Furst is an absolute stud. Big body, can step out to 3, played super aggressively and already looked like a vet. He's going to be Purdue's next great big man and he and Edey might be the best frontcourt in the country next year.
Trey Kaufman looked ok, made really great solid passes offensively but man, he got abused defensively.
Ivey did good and bad things but hit some 3's and had some great drives to the bucket. I don't think the hype about him making a leap is unfounded. Him vs Trent is going to be a blast to watch.
Isiah Thompson looks to be their starting PG and that's a massive net positive for us. No chance he can deal with Curbelo.
Sparty vs GVSU
Max Christie is still that dude. Wow. His stroke is pure and he's just an all-around solid basketball player. I seriously don't imagine we'll see him again next year.
Their frontcourt is so deep. Bingham, Hauser, Marble, Hall and Sissoko. Though Sissoko looks like a baby deer out there. I don't see him getting many minutes as the other guys are way ahead of him and Gabe Brown can play the four spot.
Bingham looked great and apparently grew to 7'. And he hit a 3. Don't like that.
Hall is a monster on offensive rebounds, hope we keep track of him when the time comes.
Gabe Brown hit 3's again and almost had an insane put back dunk. Not looking forward to that matchup.
Joey Hauser is about as hateable as Brad Davidson but is a much better shooter and doesn't seem to hit dudes in the nuts.
They slowed down the pace much more this game, seemed to play almost primarily out of the halfcourt.
Nebraska vs Colorado
First thing's first, this is a very different Colorado team without former John Groce target McKinley Wright. They are not good...
However, Nebraska looked pretty damn solid. Their ball movement in the halfcourt was absolutely phenomenal. I saw a lot of extra passes for the right shot and it was fun to watch.
This includes Alonzo Verge. He seems to have reined it in a bit under Hoiberg and did not look like the same guy who hogged it at ASU. But he still isn't afraid to break down the defense himself (which he did often). His pick and roll game with Derrick Walker looked NBA level.
Bryce McGowens got to the bucket at will and looked every bit the 5 star he is. Hit some 3's as well. And he's like 6'7". I think there's a good chance he's a one-and-done.
CJ Wilcher is a transfer guard from Xavier and man can that kid shoot it. Really beautiful stroke in terms of form.
They also have this Japanese lefty, Keisei Tominaga, who is absolutely fearless and jacks up a 3 anytime he gets a chance.
This Breidenbach kid...ugh. The best way I can describe his look is like Giorgi's weird, unathletic cousin. He's kind of hunched in posture so when I saw he's listed as 6'10", it's almost hard to believe. He also hit 2 absurd three-pointers this game. I hate him already and you should too.
I honestly think this team could finish as high as 8th. Iowa and Wisconsin aren't anything special this year, Rutgers could regress and Penn St, Minnesota and the Pussiecats really suck. Nebrasketball could be special offensively and their my most intriguing watch in the league this year.
Purdue vs Indianapolis
Edey is a cheat code man. What an absurd alien, I mean human. This was an 11 point game with 7 minutes left and Purdue decided to go to Edey five straight possessions and he scored every time.
Like I said, this was a close game until the 5-minute mark and Purdue was not great defensively. Especially in closing out on three-point shooters. Something to keep an eye on.
They also looked pretty poor from the free-throw line, even with Trevion making his.
Trevion might be the best post-passer I've ever seen at the college level. Holy s**t. He was whipping cross-court passes like it was nothing and in the pocket. Super impressive.
Caleb Furst is an absolute stud. Big body, can step out to 3, played super aggressively and already looked like a vet. He's going to be Purdue's next great big man and he and Edey might be the best frontcourt in the country next year.
Trey Kaufman looked ok, made really great solid passes offensively but man, he got abused defensively.
Ivey did good and bad things but hit some 3's and had some great drives to the bucket. I don't think the hype about him making a leap is unfounded. Him vs Trent is going to be a blast to watch.
Isiah Thompson looks to be their starting PG and that's a massive net positive for us. No chance he can deal with Curbelo.
Sparty vs GVSU
Max Christie is still that dude. Wow. His stroke is pure and he's just an all-around solid basketball player. I seriously don't imagine we'll see him again next year.
Their frontcourt is so deep. Bingham, Hauser, Marble, Hall and Sissoko. Though Sissoko looks like a baby deer out there. I don't see him getting many minutes as the other guys are way ahead of him and Gabe Brown can play the four spot.
Bingham looked great and apparently grew to 7'. And he hit a 3. Don't like that.
Hall is a monster on offensive rebounds, hope we keep track of him when the time comes.
Gabe Brown hit 3's again and almost had an insane put back dunk. Not looking forward to that matchup.
Joey Hauser is about as hateable as Brad Davidson but is a much better shooter and doesn't seem to hit dudes in the nuts.
They slowed down the pace much more this game, seemed to play almost primarily out of the halfcourt.
Nebraska vs Colorado
First thing's first, this is a very different Colorado team without former John Groce target McKinley Wright. They are not good...
However, Nebraska looked pretty damn solid. Their ball movement in the halfcourt was absolutely phenomenal. I saw a lot of extra passes for the right shot and it was fun to watch.
This includes Alonzo Verge. He seems to have reined it in a bit under Hoiberg and did not look like the same guy who hogged it at ASU. But he still isn't afraid to break down the defense himself (which he did often). His pick and roll game with Derrick Walker looked NBA level.
Bryce McGowens got to the bucket at will and looked every bit the 5 star he is. Hit some 3's as well. And he's like 6'7". I think there's a good chance he's a one-and-done.
CJ Wilcher is a transfer guard from Xavier and man can that kid shoot it. Really beautiful stroke in terms of form.
They also have this Japanese lefty, Keisei Tominaga, who is absolutely fearless and jacks up a 3 anytime he gets a chance.
This Breidenbach kid...ugh. The best way I can describe his look is like Giorgi's weird, unathletic cousin. He's kind of hunched in posture so when I saw he's listed as 6'10", it's almost hard to believe. He also hit 2 absurd three-pointers this game. I hate him already and you should too.
I honestly think this team could finish as high as 8th. Iowa and Wisconsin aren't anything special this year, Rutgers could regress and Penn St, Minnesota and the Pussiecats really suck. Nebrasketball could be special offensively and their my most intriguing watch in the league this year.
Newmark4thFloor
- Houstown
Great write-up. Thanks for sharing.
Oh don't worry, Izzo will find his purpose.
I agree with this post, but i'm not going to like it...
To me the whole season really boils down to how Curbelo and Hutcherson play. And that range of outcomes is pretty large IMO. Anywhere from a 1-6 seed.
We know Curbelo can make the big jaw dropping plays and coming off the bench last year that was a huge spark. But to be a legit NCAA contender and B1G frontrunner, he needs to show he can make those big plays while consistently taking care of the ball and being a game manager. I'm optimistic he can do that, but I could also see him needing more time to hone in the crazy plays. There's a chance we could be pulling our hair out in mid January, begging Curbelo to calm down and not force so much.
And if Hutcherson could step up and be a legit playmaker that can score at all 3 levels. We could be scary good. That would be a 3 headed monster offensively with Belo, Hutch, and Kofi. Then you have Monte, Grandison, and Plummer raining down 3's with Hawkins a big spark off the bench. If all that happens we could potentially see us mowing down opponents ala Baylor last year.
We know Curbelo can make the big jaw dropping plays and coming off the bench last year that was a huge spark. But to be a legit NCAA contender and B1G frontrunner, he needs to show he can make those big plays while consistently taking care of the ball and being a game manager. I'm optimistic he can do that, but I could also see him needing more time to hone in the crazy plays. There's a chance we could be pulling our hair out in mid January, begging Curbelo to calm down and not force so much.
And if Hutcherson could step up and be a legit playmaker that can score at all 3 levels. We could be scary good. That would be a 3 headed monster offensively with Belo, Hutch, and Kofi. Then you have Monte, Grandison, and Plummer raining down 3's with Hawkins a big spark off the bench. If all that happens we could potentially see us mowing down opponents ala Baylor last year.
To me the whole season really boils down to how Curbelo and Hutcherson play. And that range of outcomes is pretty large IMO. Anywhere from a 1-6 seed.
Don’t forget about Trent!
The last way I want Curbelo to play is as a game manager. He has to be fearless and take chances.
You can be fearless and take chances... AND have good control of the ball and offense. Fearless and in control are not mutually excusive.
If he can aim for better than 2 ATO (assists to turnovers) I think we'll be ok.
I know some here think that the "...other guys just need to catch and anticipate passes better and Andre just keep doing what you are doing"... I'm not in that camp. I think he needs to stay cool and smooth and take what defense is offering. He'll have plenty of chances to make highlights, but I just think he needs to dial down a little.
We have many weapons (shooters) for him to to use and most of his opportunities will be simple lobs or kickouts.
Just like everyone I love the under the opponent's leg passes when they are there...but we dont need to rely or force those for him or the team to be extraordinarily successful.
I don’t think he forgot. It’s more of the fact that we know what we are going to get with Trent. I don’t expect many surprises there.
Hutch and Curbelo do have a lot of question marks and also a LOT of potential. Their play could swing us either way
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
NBC Sports Chicago is airing a Fighting Illini Basketball Preview 2021 at 10:30 pm.
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
Thanks for the heads up, Joel!
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Sagarin preseason rankings are live: http://sagarin.com/sports/cbsend.htm
1 Gonzaga = 94.03
2 Kansas = 91.84
3 Michigan = 91.14
4 Purdue = 89.72
5 Baylor = 89.67
6 Duke = 89.59
7 Houston = 88.80
8 Illinois = 88.77
9 Villanova = 88.39
10 Texas = 88.05
1 Gonzaga = 94.03
2 Kansas = 91.84
3 Michigan = 91.14
4 Purdue = 89.72
5 Baylor = 89.67
6 Duke = 89.59
7 Houston = 88.80
8 Illinois = 88.77
9 Villanova = 88.39
10 Texas = 88.05
Not sure what metric most of these pre-season rankings use, but the analytics like us more than the media. I Can't say I'm surprised the media doesn't think highly of us.
- Status