Illini Basketball 2023-2024

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#226      

iron

I
iron
PepeSilvia said:
MSU is great.

Lol in what world is Purdue's backcourt projected to be great? Sure it should be improved but they certainly aren't going to blow by the Illini with quickness.

Everyone else has a ton of questions marks. Young is great at Maryland but there is nobody proven beside him. Similarly OSU has Thornton and some talented young guys but nobody really proven. Indiana's is meh, and Buie is a great college player but more of a strong physical guard than lightning quick.

Other then MSU, Illinois is basically right there with everyone else. Shannon and a question mark with Rodgers/DGL/Harris but also have Harmon which is something those other schools don't really have. In general the Illini have an older and more experienced roster than most of the conference.
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1. Purdue's backcourt is going to be really really good. you don't know ball if you think otherwise
2. DeShawn Harris-Smith + Young will be a great backcourt
3. Thorton + Roddy Gayle Jr. will be a great back court
4. Indiana - Xavier Johnson is a better PG than anyone on our roster.
5. Buie is a great college player but more of a strong physical guard than lightning quick. - Ok so what? Quickness isn't the only factor in a great backcourt


Other then MSU, Illinois is basically right there with everyone else

I love Illinois basketball - but this is just wrong. you should spend more time paying attention to the rest of the conference
 
#227      

FrankNitty30

F
FrankNitty30
hoopsfan47 said:
Bingo...it is BASKETball they play. However, with the speed and athleticism available in today's mix, shooting is not everything. But you have to have 3 or 4 guys that you can count on to make shots every day. This team has a couple. My hope is that DGL and Harmon can become dependable.

Also, the turnovers are frightening, have been for every Underwood team, and show no sign of changing.

And as for FT shooting....no excuse and it falls on the coaches.
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Absolutely, 100%, false.
 
#228      

WyattEarp

WyattEarp
WyattEarp
Old Farm Illini said:
“I told Rick Barry I’d rather shoot 0% than shoot underhand. I'm too cool for that” -Shaq
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“I told Shaq that opinions vary; and you might not be as cool as you think. Besides, can you really call yourself a professional athlete when the average kid in grade school can shoot a better percentage then you? It’s a free shot and an integral part of the game. And don’t you dare give me that woe is me (I’m a BIG man crap.) Darn near every big man that played the game shot/shoots better from the charity stripe than you. You’re like a hall of fame semi-truck driver that can’t back up. It’s ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous…have you ever met a product you WON’T endorse? Your commercials are garbage.”

-Rick Barry
 
#229      

PepeSilvia

P
PepeSilvia
iron said:
1. Purdue's backcourt is going to be really really good. you don't know ball if you think otherwise
2. DeShawn Harris-Smith + Young will be a great backcourt
3. Thorton + Roddy Gayle Jr. will be a great back court
4. Indiana - Xavier Johnson is a better PG than anyone on our roster.
5. Buie is a great college player but more of a strong physical guard than lightning quick. - Ok so what? Quickness isn't the only factor in a great backcourt


Other then MSU, Illinois is basically right there with everyone else

I love Illinois basketball - but this is just wrong. you should spend more time paying attention to the rest of the conference
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You're just making a ton of assumptions on young players which we've seen doesn't always pan out.

Loyer and Smith are fine players but they lack athleticism. They get to play with Edey so I'm sure they will put up big numbers but other teams will target them for the athleticism. Lance Jones can play but he's not a great shooter.

I think Harris Smith will likely be good but he's still an unproven freshman.

Likewise with Gayle at OSU except he's a sophomore. Gayle had two very good games to close out the season but as we saw with Melendez last year it doesn't necessarily mean he's going to take a huge jump.

Johnson is fine but the other guards are all unproven and young.

My comment on Buie is that he isn't a matchup problem if for Rodgers like guarding Jahmir Young would be. Plus he's only one part of the back court.

Likewise with Illinois. We have Shannon who is just as good as any guard in the conference. We have Harmon who was the best player on the kenpom 64th best team in the country, and then a variety of former top 100ish guys in Rodgers, Harris, and DGL. That's a pretty similar talent level to everyone not named MSU though Maryland and OSU might have more upside.
 
#230      

NJJ871

N
NJJ871
Illini in Indiana said:
wedding crashers comedy GIF


Well deserved after game celebration
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And after the daiquiri's...

Hey Everybody Golf GIF by Rodney Dangerfield
 
#231      

3 point girl

3
texas
3 point girl
WyattEarp said:
“I told Shaq that opinions vary; and you might not be as cool as you think. Besides, can you really call yourself a professional athlete when the average kid in grade school can shoot a better percentage then you? It’s a free shot and an integral part of the game. And don’t you dare give me that woe is me (I’m a BIG man crap.) Darn near every big man that played the game shot/shoots better from the charity stripe than you. You’re like a hall of fame semi-truck driver that can’t back up. It’s ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous…have you ever met a product you WON’T endorse? Your commercials are garbage.”

-Rick Barry
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The Dallas Mavericks free throw coach back in the day also coached USA basketball for a while. He had Shaq shooting one handed free throws to keep the shoulder muscles from interacting in a negative way. Shaq was killing it but once again told him he wouldnt shoot one handed because it looked silly.
 
#233      

Illini in Italy

Illini in Italy
Illini in Italy
RabidDawgClassic said:
Not sure where to put this, but most of the town of Lahaina in Maui has been destroyed by massive wildfires. I’m guessing that probably means the Lahaina Civic Center, home of the Maui Invitational.

Obviously, the number one concern is the safety of the people, but if it is in fact among the damage, it’ll be a shame to never see that tiny gymnasium hosting such big name teams ever again. 😢

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/...re-crews-continue-battle-wind-whipped-flames/
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A friend on Maui sent this picture showing what Front St. in Lahaina looks like now . . .
IMG_0853.jpeg
 
#234      

WyattEarp

WyattEarp
WyattEarp
3 point girl said:
The Dallas Mavericks free throw coach back in the day also coached USA basketball for a while. He had Shaq shooting one handed free throws to keep the shoulder muscles from interacting in a negative way. Shaq was killing it but once again told him he wouldnt shoot one handed because it looked silly.
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What a dunce. All that fame, brute strength and $$$ and he’s as insecure as a 13 year old girl.
 
#235      

thefalcon5

T
thefalcon5
Random, but around what date does the schedule typically get released? As in the actual dates the games will be played on.
 
#236      

Rap47

R
Rap47
There is more to the guard position than scoring. I would take our guards over any other guards in the big ten because they play defense
 
#247      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
dawgville
Joel Goodson
PepeSilvia said:
Lol I think I'm quite a bit younger than most of this boards demographic, but I've got my first on the way in a few months.
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congrats! enjoy the ride

My kids are young adults now, and I'm still occasionally stunned by their naivete and/or ignorance (and they're all far, far from naive and/or ignorant). That DGL gas pump pic struck a chord, lol.
 
#248      

PasadenaIllini

P
PasadenaIllini
iron said:
1. Purdue's backcourt is going to be really really good. you don't know ball if you think otherwise
2. DeShawn Harris-Smith + Young will be a great backcourt
3. Thorton + Roddy Gayle Jr. will be a great back court
4. Indiana - Xavier Johnson is a better PG than anyone on our roster.
5. Buie is a great college player but more of a strong physical guard than lightning quick. - Ok so what? Quickness isn't the only factor in a great backcourt


Other then MSU, Illinois is basically right there with everyone else

I love Illinois basketball - but this is just wrong. you should spend more time paying attention to the rest of the conference
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Agree with 1-5. I don't agree with "Illinois is basically right there with everyone else." Until our team proves it can handle the basketball against a decent team without piling up more turnovers than your average bakery and proves it can knock down the three point shot and free throws, I think you have to put us down as middle of the pack. Teams are going to harass the bejesus out of Ty full court until he proves he has the skills to actually play the position that Brad thinks he can play, and they're going to sag off of most of our perimeter players and make it really difficult to get the ball inside. The advantages of having good frontcourt players are greatly reduced when you don't have a point guard who gets them the ball in places where they can be successful.
 
#249      

Old Farm Illini

O
Old Farm Illini
PasadenaIllini said:
Agree with 1-5. I don't agree with "Illinois is basically right there with everyone else." Until our team proves it can handle the basketball against a decent team without piling up more turnovers than your average bakery and proves it can knock down the three point shot and free throws, I think you have to put us down as middle of the pack. Teams are going to harass the bejesus out of Ty full court until he proves he has the skills to actually play the position that Brad thinks he can play, and they're going to sag off of most of our perimeter players and make it really difficult to get the ball inside. The advantages of having good frontcourt players are greatly reduced when you don't have a point guard who gets them the ball in places where they can be successful.
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I get the pessimism but this team just doesn't look like a middle of the pack B1G team. The eye ball test has to account for something and this team looks dangerous even when shots aren't falling.
 
#250      

PasadenaIllini

P
PasadenaIllini
Old Farm Illini said:
I get the pessimism but this team just doesn't look like a middle of the pack B1G team. The eye ball test has to account for something and this team looks dangerous even when shots aren't falling.
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The problem with the eyeball test against the competition we've been playing is that the competition hasn't been good. As another poster pointed out, every visiting team has blown out these European teams we've played. I would love it if Ty beat the odds or our 3 point or foul shooting improved drastically. I don't think it's fair to expect any of these outcomes.
 
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