Illini Basketball 2023-2024

PepeSilvia · Jul 28, 2023

marvin1991 said:
I have been hearing good things about Domask in practice. Think he will be solid contributor to the top dogs on the team.

Going to be a top dog. He's the second best offensive player on the roster behind Shannon.

PepeSilvia · Jul 28, 2023

SkyysNotFalling said:
Would be absolutely shocked if this team finishes the entire year with less than 26 wins. They’re the most experienced & talented team top to bottom in the big ten by a wide margin.. only other team that compares is MSU. Purdue is a 1 trick pony.

MSU has played together way longer, has a ton of returning experience, and a talented group of young guys.

Plus they have 3 of the best guards in the conference. They are better than us on paper going in this year.

Combo · Jul 28, 2023

SkyysNotFalling said:
Sencire doesn’t have the handle, shot, or vision or change of pace to be a HM PG. Amazing point of attack defender, underrated help side shot blocker, athletic, quick as a Fox, team player… PG? No.

Yup. I'm not a fan of Ty at PG, but at least Ty seems like he has decent court vision. I see nothing in Sencire's game that screams PG. He reminds me a bit of a young Kendall Gill skills-wise. And while I loved Kendall, he was not a PG.

SkyysNotFalling · Jul 28, 2023

Combo said:
We do have lots of experience and lots of depth. Except at the most important position on the floor. It's like you have a football team with lots of talent across the roster, but you don't have a quality QB so you try to convert a TE to PG. There's a real good chance that you won't be a very good team.

I really like our team at four of the five spots. TSJ is one of the best players in the conference. I love the three portal guys we got. Hawkins, I think is overrated by some, but he's still a solid Big Ten starter. If somehow Ty and/or DGL is able to give us quality play at the PG spot, we could be a really good team. But realistically, I wouldn't predict that. And w/o solid PG play, the whole will be less than the sum of the parts.

Ty & DGL are going to be great. 26+ wins this year when it’s all said and done.

iron · Jul 28, 2023

SkyysNotFalling said:
Purdue is going to win the conference, Edey is the most valuable player in the country.. you take him off that team and that Purdue team is like 10th or 11th in the league.. that is a BAD team without him.

MSU & Maryland are deep and good, maybe throw OSU in with them…

Other than those 3… what other roster would you rather have? I like us. A lot.

Purdue would be top half no doubt.

Their guard duo is top 3-4. Colvin is going to be good. Kaufmen Renn is solid

splitter · Jul 28, 2023

When all is said and done, I think it will come down to free-throws at the end of the game no matter wo starts or who plays the positionless point.

BRucks · Jul 28, 2023

SkyysNotFalling said:
Would be absolutely shocked if this team finishes the entire year with less than 26 wins. They’re the most experienced & talented team top to bottom in the big ten by a wide margin.. only other team that compares is MSU. Purdue is a 1 trick pony.

Possibly, but we haven't won 26 games since 2006. We've only done it 7 times in program history.

Edit: db26 beat me to it.

BigMuddyMonster · Jul 28, 2023

iron said:
Delusion is always fun.

This team didn't add enough to be meaningfully better than last year's team. 6 seed at best I'd say, which I'm content with, with this group

WRT Domask, I hope we see some him in more of the 2 guard role and Shannon sliding more to the 3 guard/wing. Domask has better handles than Shannon I think and it plays to Shannons strengths more.

I also hope Domask brings the ball up some and initiates the offense

I kinda like the idea of the

Domask
Harmon
Shannon
Goode
Hawkins

Line up

I can tell that you have never seen Domask play. Let’s just say I live 5 minutes from the arena in Cdale. Way way off IMO.

Domask is such a solid player though. Good passer. Very good addition overall.

foby · Jul 28, 2023

BRucks said:
Possibly, but we haven't won 26 games since 2006. We've only done it 7 times in program history.

Edit: db26 beat me to it.

Yeah, but when we did it in 2006 it was the ending of a dominant era where we did it 5 out of 6 seasons with the other season being 25. Point being, dominant eras need to start somewhere, so hopefully it begins this season.

lstewart53x3 · Jul 28, 2023

Road to 26 wins:

9-3 noncon
14-6 B1G
Win 1 in the B1G tourney
Make the S16

Put me down for the under.

foby · Jul 28, 2023

lstewart53x3 said:
Road to 26 wins:

9-3 noncon
14-6 B1G
Win 1 in the B1G tourney
Make the S16

Put me down for the under.

If we lose 3 non-con, this is going to be a long season.

IllinistuckinGopherland · Jul 28, 2023

My opinion is, we are incredibly deep, but have numerous flaws and/or incomplete players that can be exploited.

As a result, this season’s record will be up to Underwood. For those who play fantasy football, you know the frustration of a “deep” team vs a team with 6 or 7 clear cut stars. In the first scenario, you end up frustrated every week making the wrong moves. In the latter, you start your stars and roll with it.

Brad will need to constantly pull the right levers. Tactics and counter tactics. Constantly looking to get the right guys on the floor for each opponent.

Could be great, and if it is, BU will deserve a lot of credit. And vice versa.

SkyysNotFalling · Jul 28, 2023

11-1 non conference
13-7 conference
1-1 B1G Tournament
2-1 NCAA Tournament

That is how i envision the season going, FWIW.

Beat Marquette & FAU, lose to Tennessee.

Noblesville Illini · Jul 28, 2023

CoalCity said:
Wow they came up with something worse than Oregons floor.

Nothing is worse than Oregon’s floor!!! At least they can change the LED court. Oregon can’t!

WhiteHorseWings · Jul 28, 2023

PepeSilvia said:
Going to be a top dog. He's the second best offensive player on the roster behind Shannon.

Third after Hutch

Old Farm Illini · Jul 28, 2023

Combo said:
We do have lots of experience and lots of depth. Except at the most important position on the floor. It's like you have a football team with lots of talent across the roster, but you don't have a quality QB so you try to convert a TE to PG. There's a real good chance that you won't be a very good team.

This analogy doesn’t work well in today’s game.

Qdog59 · Jul 28, 2023

PepeSilvia said:
Going to be a top dog. He's the second best offensive player on the roster behind Shannon.

Shannon is not are best offensive weapon!!! Sit on his left hand and you render him useless.

iron · Jul 28, 2023

foby said:
If we lose 3 non-con, this is going to be a long season.

Lose to Marquette, Tennessee, and FAU and it's a long season????

FinallyMadeAnAccount · Jul 28, 2023

Qdog59 said:
Shannon is not are best offensive weapon!!! Sit on his left hand and you render him useless.

foby · Jul 28, 2023

iron said:
Lose to Marquette, Tennessee, and FAU and it's a long season????

Yup. Home to Marquette. The rest of non-con is mizzery and cupcakes. If we end up 8-3, that's pretty mediocre.

InDaAZ · Jul 28, 2023

Qdog59 said:
Shannon is not are best offensive weapon!!! Sit on his left hand and you render him useless.

Good thing dozens of highly paid college coaches haven’t yet figured out how easy it is to render TSJ useless!

sacraig · Jul 28, 2023

Qdog59 said:
Shannon is not are best offensive weapon!!! Sit on his left hand and you render him useless.

Sitting on his hand would be a foul.

jimbo72 · Jul 28, 2023

No point guard and poor free throw shooting will doom us. Unless, certain players make HUGE improvements. At the end of games missing front end 1n1's = L's. End of games we can't have these men shooting free throws: Coleman, Sencire, Ty, and Dainja. Having to take Dainja off the court late in games truly hurt us last year. I hope they all have improved! 11-1 would make me do a back flip.

.

lstewart53x3 · Jul 28, 2023

foby said:
Yup. Home to Marquette. The rest of non-con is mizzery and cupcakes. If we end up 8-3, that's pretty mediocre.

3 preseason top 10 teams. We’ll likely be dogs in all 3.

cjw1901 · Jul 29, 2023

splitter said:
When all is said and done, I think it will come down to free-throws at the end of the game no matter wo starts or who plays the positionless point.

Yes, some games will be like this, but I'd feel pretty good trying to get the ball in to TSJ in that situation. He's really a good free throw shooter. He shot 79% last season to lead the team for players that played much. But if Terrence fouls out, others like Goode and Domask will have to step up.

And it will get weird, if Ty is shooting FT down at about 50 percent, which is possible. Rogers shot 39% last season, and Harris shot 20%, so both were a disaster at the line.