Illini Basketball 2023-2024
- Status
Think this makes us think about "will he consider transferring?"
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
FWIW, I actually think there is almost no argument the BTN has a bias against Illinois ... in fact, I would argue we are actually as close to a "darling" of the BTN compared to anyone not named Michigan or OSU. Mike Hall and Howard Griffith are two of the most frequently featured BTN personalities, and Bruce Weber is now seemingly constantly on air. Add on to that the location of the studio in suburban Illinois (not a huge factor but doesn't exactly hurt us), and I have always felt the network ignores many other schools a lot more than us. This goes all the way back to 2007 Illini football literally getting The Journey all to itself in the first year of the network's history, whereas every year after was a conference-wide thing.
I hope he does not transfer and is not forced out. Great teammate, solid rotation piece. Not picking on you but i hate it when we jump to conclusions about our own Illini. Get ready for conjecture that is just unneeded.
Us being us, yeah I think we’re going to discuss this for a GOODE long while.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Harmon makes my All Dawg team
Is Trent Meacham still a BTN analyst? Haven't seen him in a while.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Another thing I want to throw out there that I have not seen mentioned but just occurred to me. We should REALLY appreciate how steady and resilient this team has been, because with two very tough challenges left - a top 5 matchup at home and a road game at a rival who's playing extremely well - this team has a chance to do something truly extraordinary. IF we can go at least 1-1 in this final week...
... this would be our first team since 2005 to never lose 2 or more regular season games in a row. That would be truly impressive, especially given the circumstances!!
LONGEST LOSING STREAK (REGULAR SEASON ONLY)
2024: 1 game
2023: 2 games (L 93-81 at Penn State, L 71-68 at #14 Indiana)
2022: 2 games x2 (L 67-66 at Marquette, L 71-51 vs. Cincinnati; L 96-88 vs. #4 Purdue, L 81-65 at Maryland)
2021: 2 games (L 66-63 vs. Maryland, L 87-81 vs. #21 Ohio State)
2020: 4 games
2019: 5 games
2018: 6 games
2017: 3 games (x3)
2016: 3 games
2015: 3 games
2014: 8 games
2013: 3 games (x2)
2012: 6 games
2011: 2 games (x4)
2010: 3 games (x2)
2009: 2 games
2008: 5 games
2007: 3 games
2006: 2 games
2005: 1 game
... this would be our first team since 2005 to never lose 2 or more regular season games in a row. That would be truly impressive, especially given the circumstances!!
LONGEST LOSING STREAK (REGULAR SEASON ONLY)
2024: 1 game
2023: 2 games (L 93-81 at Penn State, L 71-68 at #14 Indiana)
2022: 2 games x2 (L 67-66 at Marquette, L 71-51 vs. Cincinnati; L 96-88 vs. #4 Purdue, L 81-65 at Maryland)
2021: 2 games (L 66-63 vs. Maryland, L 87-81 vs. #21 Ohio State)
2020: 4 games
2019: 5 games
2018: 6 games
2017: 3 games (x3)
2016: 3 games
2015: 3 games
2014: 8 games
2013: 3 games (x2)
2012: 6 games
2011: 2 games (x4)
2010: 3 games (x2)
2009: 2 games
2008: 5 games
2007: 3 games
2006: 2 games
2005: 1 game
Luke has been a class act for 3 years. He came back late last season to try and give the team a boost when he should have red shirted. I hope he stays and averages 20 ppg like Marcus.
We definitely could use him next year regardless of what transfer portal players come in. However given the current level of the program it is not clear he has the althleticism to be a 30 minute per game starter. It all depends who comes in from the portal.
Right now assuming no transfer portal out or in (very unlikely). On the other hand if Luke stays he is really our only 3 point threat so maybe he will play 30 mpg at SF. I doubt we will get 3 significant contributors via portal like Marcus, Quincy and Justin again but you never know
Guards
DGL (SO)
Nico (SO)
Sencire (SO)
Jase (FR)
Forwards
Ty (JR)
Morez (FR)
JasonJ (FR)
Luke (SR)
Centers
Amani (SO)
Dain (SR)
We definitely could use him next year regardless of what transfer portal players come in. However given the current level of the program it is not clear he has the althleticism to be a 30 minute per game starter. It all depends who comes in from the portal.
Right now assuming no transfer portal out or in (very unlikely). On the other hand if Luke stays he is really our only 3 point threat so maybe he will play 30 mpg at SF. I doubt we will get 3 significant contributors via portal like Marcus, Quincy and Justin again but you never know
Guards
DGL (SO)
Nico (SO)
Sencire (SO)
Jase (FR)
Forwards
Ty (JR)
Morez (FR)
JasonJ (FR)
Luke (SR)
Centers
Amani (SO)
Dain (SR)
You, sir, truly are a champion of the sun. You're a master of karate and friendship to everyone.Another thing I want to throw out there that I have not seen mentioned but just occurred to me. We should REALLY appreciate how steady and resilient this team has been, because with two very tough challenges left - a top 5 matchup at home and a road game at a rival who's playing extremely well - this team has a chance to do something truly extraordinary. IF we can go at least 1-1 in this final week...
... this would be our first team since 2005 to never lose 2 or more regular season games in a row. That would be truly impressive, especially given the circumstances!!
LONGEST LOSING STREAK (REGULAR SEASON ONLY)
2024: 1 game
2023: 2 games (L 93-81 at Penn State, L 71-68 at #14 Indiana)
2022: 2 games x2 (L 67-66 at Marquette, L 71-51 vs. Cincinnati; L 96-88 vs. #4 Purdue, L 81-65 at Maryland)
2021: 2 games (L 66-63 vs. Maryland, L 87-81 vs. #21 Ohio State)
2020: 4 games
2019: 5 games
2018: 6 games
2017: 3 games (x3)
2016: 3 games
2015: 3 games
2014: 8 games
2013: 3 games (x2)
2012: 6 games
2011: 2 games (x4)
2010: 3 games (x2)
2009: 2 games
2008: 5 games
2007: 3 games
2006: 2 games
2005: 1 game
Nice work.
He gone.
Pretty clear sign that he's transferring. Can't blame him. He doesn't get the COVID year but the class ahead of him does, and Underwood is likely to continue to be aggressive in courting super seniors so Goode does not have a guaranteed starting role in his last year of eligibility.
High character guy and good team player. Also impressive to finish a U of I business degree in three years with a basketball workload on top of it. He will do good things in life.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
I don't know if that's true (stay tuned! lol), but if he bolts to a place he'll get more tick, good for him. He's been nothing but a class act here. If anything, that's an understatement. Young man deserves our respect: he's earned it
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Valpo would be an interesting landing spot, should he transfer.
I completely forgot there was a four game losing streak in 2020, the regular season ended on such a high note it wipes that stretch away. Plus the Ayo knee injury at the end of the MSU loss was so devastating at the moment, it took most of the attention away from the actual losing skid.Another thing I want to throw out there that I have not seen mentioned but just occurred to me. We should REALLY appreciate how steady and resilient this team has been, because with two very tough challenges left - a top 5 matchup at home and a road game at a rival who's playing extremely well - this team has a chance to do something truly extraordinary. IF we can go at least 1-1 in this final week...
... this would be our first team since 2005 to never lose 2 or more regular season games in a row. That would be truly impressive, especially given the circumstances!!
LONGEST LOSING STREAK (REGULAR SEASON ONLY)
2024: 1 game
2023: 2 games (L 93-81 at Penn State, L 71-68 at #14 Indiana)
2022: 2 games x2 (L 67-66 at Marquette, L 71-51 vs. Cincinnati; L 96-88 vs. #4 Purdue, L 81-65 at Maryland)
2021: 2 games (L 66-63 vs. Maryland, L 87-81 vs. #21 Ohio State)
2020: 4 games
2019: 5 games
2018: 6 games
2017: 3 games (x3)
2016: 3 games
2015: 3 games
2014: 8 games
2013: 3 games (x2)
2012: 6 games
2011: 2 games (x4)
2010: 3 games (x2)
2009: 2 games
2008: 5 games
2007: 3 games
2006: 2 games
2005: 1 game
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
2020 was such a rollercoaster, haha.
We started off just 6-3 (0-1), but we played #3 Maryland tough in College Park, and then turned around to beat #5 Michigan at home to improve to 7-3 (1-1). However, we would lose 2 of 3 around the holidays - a total dud of a loss in Braggin' Rights and a 20-point spanking at #14 Michigan State. Then things got so streaky:
W 63-37 vs. Purdue
W 71-70 at Wisconsin
W 54-51 vs. Rutgers
--- Illini break into the top 25 for the first time in years ---
W 75-71 vs. Northwestern
W 79-62 at Purdue
W 64-62 at Michigan (Ayo's buzzer beater)
W 59-51 vs. Minnesota
Then came this 4-game losing streak:
L 72-65 at #18 Iowa (very hard-fought game)
L 75-66 vs. #9 Maryland (frustrating but understandable loss that I attended)
L 70-69 vs. Michigan State (huge fake comeback)
L 72-57 at Rutgers (now this one was alarming, lol...)
But then we turned around like this, lol:
W 62-56 at #9 Penn State
W 71-59 vs. Nebraska
W 74-66 at Northwestern (also attended this one, and we looked good!)
W 67-66 vs. Indiana
L 71-63 at #19 Ohio State (kind of an "out of gas" game)
W 78-76 vs. #18 Iowa (Kofi blocks Garza at the buzzer)
Honestly, it's that last win that defines this team to almost all Illini fans. We beat a rival in a VERY tough game to earn a double bye in the BTT - foreign territory for us as a program by this point! We finished winning 5 of 6 and were set to climb back into the top 20 of the rankings before getting a rematch with Iowa in the BTT later that week ... then, of course, COVID. I honestly loved this team ... they'll forever be our "we are back" squad.
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If we break the defense into "Opponent true shooting %", "Opponent turnover %", and "Defensive rebounding %", here's what I see:
- Our opponents' true shooting % on the season is ok (51%, or ~40th in the NCAA), but we've steadily gotten worse and are bottom of the barrel (~58%) since @NW. If we were average at this (53.4%), that would be a difference of 6-7 points per game compared to our recent performance.
- Our opponents' turnover percentage has been bottom of the barrel all year long (11%, or 359 out of 362 in the NCAA) and is somehow getting even worse lately (below 10%). If we were average at this, or 15%, that would be a difference of ~4 points per game. But we only have a handful games even close to this, and in B1G games, our best were 15.9% vs Rutgers (highest all season) and 14.3% @PUR.
- Our defensive rebounding percentage is about 70th in the country and has generally been steady over the course of the season. Improvement in any area would of course help, but this isn't a glaring weakness compared to the above.
Maybe some of the opponent true shooting % is from opponent luck with 3-pointers, but we could still force some more turnovers and be alright.
That is impressive to finish a business degree in 3 years from U of I. Those are the types of student athletes you want around your program
I have no idea what his long term plans are but I have enjoyed watching him play and I think he will be better next year if he comes back. He only has played 2 full seasons due to injury
Thank you Coleman Hawkins. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching you play here.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Always gonna love Hawk. So glad he stuck it out and showed just how good he can be. Hope he gets a great final run of games. He deserves it.
Harmon is exceptionally good at layups (end of the Penn State game notwithstanding). How he contorts his body on the run to get the right angle is amazing.
illiniswish09
- Northwest Suburbs
Will never forget this moment from Coleman postgame after the Arkansas loss. Thank you for coming back and getting the culture back on track. None of this happens without you. Every Day Guy For Life.
- Status