Even more concerned about the team after listening to Werner's breakdown of the game... Werner is as fair as they come- just a scathing critique of the lack of effort, poor decision making, and inability to adapt during the game. He through a long series that was literally just examples of defensive lapses and lack of effort by our guys.. How does no leader step up at halftime or during the 2nd half? How does Underwood not call a timeout earlier in the first half when the momentum was shifting- NOT AFTER IT HAD SHIFTED (classic Underwood and his poor in game coaching). Our biggest achilles heal- fast guard and bigs that can shoot. How do we leave Booker wide open for so many 3's when he's shot over 40% this year? Why did we keep switching bigs on to Dent and not make Kylan just stick him at all costs (or at least only switch guard on guard). That game is truly a full on indictment on the players and staff.. We choked when it mattered most and have done so many times this season in the closest of games.
Illini Basketball 2025-2026
- Status
We had a "very slim" chance to lose to Loyola of Chicago, but we lost tona better coach. If we're one of the elite basketball programs in the country, why do we accept a coach who is so challenged by in game coaching. We have a ceiling with him and its not a championship. All your good analysis, analyze that.
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
Hey Happy Birthday!!It was on this day in 1984 that Robert Montgomery Knight decided to celebrate my 14th birthday by throwing a chair across the court!
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
For the bulk of this season I was feeling fairly positive about the direction of the season and potential for a difference making run in March. Saturday brought back a lot of the lingering Brad doubts for me that frankly I’ve had since Loyola in 2021. I’m now of a mind they’ll win 2 games and then will run into something that requires in game tactical adjustments and that’s where it ends.
Do you feel there's been any games this year where you've seen in-game adjustments that have led to wins?
Adjustments were made in the UCLA game as LaTulip pointed out today. Those adjustments worked and the reason ucla didn’t win by double digits in regulation. Just wasn’t quite enough.
"Even more concerned about the team after listening to Werner's breakdown of the game"
"Oh Auntie 'Em, its a twister its a twister!"
If watching this team is so painful... you can always stop watching.
I just wonder for all you "The glass isn't half full, it isn't half empty. The glass is cracked and leaking" types why actually watch the games? It almost as if you are looking for something wrong.
If you have problems with the this team (not withstanding the 5 losses we have) you have alot of problems.
Who in the world be able to replace Brad Underwood and have the succes he has had?
Do you think that those teams disrupted Illinois' offense?
Michigan State, yes. I thought their ball screen coverage was better than anyone we’ve played this year.
Alabama, we missed free throws and too many wide open shots. We’re a very bad shooting team when we play on nba courts.
And in both situations, we were one play away from beating Michigan St, and we were a strange, TERRIBLE free-throw shooting night away from beating Alabama (before we had our identity as well). I don't believe that speeding us up really destroys us. I believe that we can play any game anyone wants to play.
Even with the poor shooting, we scored 1.16 PPP vs MSU which is still way above average
Nebraska is a better defense per KP and we scored 1.29 and 1.25 PPP in those two games, which are elite numbers
Not worried about our offense, we just shot poorly vs MSU more than they were blowing up anything we were doing evidenced by only 4 turnovers
The NBA courts thing that happened in one game is not a trend (we shot 34% from 3 vs Alabama in the other game that was played on an NBA court)
Illini in Italy
- Illini HQ, Florida Panhandle
But the MSG court was hedious.
It was! I would rather not play on any colored court, though I don’t believe it necessarily gives certain teams unfair advantages.
I think we need to consider that perhaps lack of effort will undo any schematic changes the coaching staff might make anyway. Why did we leave people open? It wasn't designed that way. It never is. Players lose focus all the time, or underestimate a shooter or overthink decisions. Not just ours. If we ran every play perfectly, we'd win every game 120-15 and 10 of those 15 would be free throws that we'd be arguing were bad calls.
Bigtex
- DFW
why is it 8 from B1G and 2 from Big 12? SEC? ACC? Big east?
Or why is it 3 from Illinois, 3 from Purdue and 2 Nebraska
Yes, we lost focus and stubbed our toe vs UCLA. Unfortunate but it does happen especially this time of year. It stings but ultimately it’s a Q1 loss against a team that is a tough matchup for us on the road where they are now 15-1 and on the second game of a SoCal trip that no one has swept this year.
Still encouraged about our chances for a deep run, I am seeing a bit of a formula for our last 3 losses, that is
1. Quick penetrating guard(s) we can’t stay in front of.
2. Above average shooting night for our opponents (Wisconsin bigs I believe were 6-11, Booker/Dailey 5-8)
3. We struggle in someway that’s out of character (MSU missed too many shots, Wisconsin poor rebounding game and unforced TOs, UCLA lost focus on defense and took/missed too many 3s).
So we need to have all 3 go wrong and even then, it’s 3 OT losses to tournament teams, 2 on the road and 2 where we were shorthanded. We are literally one rebound/made free throw/complete brain fart on end of game defense etc from being 3-0 in those games when all the bad stuff happened against good teams.
Now all of those things can happen in a single elimination game in the tourney. But the fact of the matter is I don’t know if a team has beaten us as much as we’ve beaten ourselves since the Nebraska loss which was also a buzzer beater, and that’s a 2.5 month sample size. Tells me we will be a tough out in March.
Still encouraged about our chances for a deep run, I am seeing a bit of a formula for our last 3 losses, that is
1. Quick penetrating guard(s) we can’t stay in front of.
2. Above average shooting night for our opponents (Wisconsin bigs I believe were 6-11, Booker/Dailey 5-8)
3. We struggle in someway that’s out of character (MSU missed too many shots, Wisconsin poor rebounding game and unforced TOs, UCLA lost focus on defense and took/missed too many 3s).
So we need to have all 3 go wrong and even then, it’s 3 OT losses to tournament teams, 2 on the road and 2 where we were shorthanded. We are literally one rebound/made free throw/complete brain fart on end of game defense etc from being 3-0 in those games when all the bad stuff happened against good teams.
Now all of those things can happen in a single elimination game in the tourney. But the fact of the matter is I don’t know if a team has beaten us as much as we’ve beaten ourselves since the Nebraska loss which was also a buzzer beater, and that’s a 2.5 month sample size. Tells me we will be a tough out in March.
This is still the most confident I’ve been in an Illini team since the 1 seed year.
I know others have brought it up but our worst loss is an OT buzzer beater to UCLA in LA? Or Wisconsin OT at home? Both tournament teams.
Our other losses were a buzzer beater contested 3 home against a top 10 Neb team, an OT away loss at MSU, neutral losses to UConn and Bama — both top 25 teams.
I truly, on a season level, cannot understand the doom and gloom. It’s all too hyper focused for me. UCLA loss sucked I get it. Every loss sucks when you’re a good team.
We’ve got 8 guys who can drop 20 any given night and no that isn’t an exaggeration. We’ve got the most efficient offense in CBB (sorry I don’t believe one prior to kenpom existing would have a higher metric). Our defense is serviceable. Our rebounding is fantastic. We don’t foul, and shoot the 4th highesT FT % in the county. We rarely turn the ball over.
Our hiccups have cost us games, that’s concerning to me. But they’ve been just that—hiccups.
I know others have brought it up but our worst loss is an OT buzzer beater to UCLA in LA? Or Wisconsin OT at home? Both tournament teams.
Our other losses were a buzzer beater contested 3 home against a top 10 Neb team, an OT away loss at MSU, neutral losses to UConn and Bama — both top 25 teams.
I truly, on a season level, cannot understand the doom and gloom. It’s all too hyper focused for me. UCLA loss sucked I get it. Every loss sucks when you’re a good team.
We’ve got 8 guys who can drop 20 any given night and no that isn’t an exaggeration. We’ve got the most efficient offense in CBB (sorry I don’t believe one prior to kenpom existing would have a higher metric). Our defense is serviceable. Our rebounding is fantastic. We don’t foul, and shoot the 4th highesT FT % in the county. We rarely turn the ball over.
Our hiccups have cost us games, that’s concerning to me. But they’ve been just that—hiccups.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
This team reminds me of the 1986-87 Illini, which lost five excruciatingly close conference games, three of which were in overtime and one of which came after having 22 point lead (with 12 minutes left). All five losses were to three teams — Iowa (2), Purdue (2) and Indiana (1).
We also had an ugly one point loss to (ugh) Loyola and our worst loss was a 90-77 affair at North Carolina.
That team was really, really good and those close losses were crushing. But optimism was still high as Illinois earned a #3 seed.
Against #14 Austin Peay.
Let’s hope history doesn’t completely repeat itself.
We also had an ugly one point loss to (ugh) Loyola and our worst loss was a 90-77 affair at North Carolina.
That team was really, really good and those close losses were crushing. But optimism was still high as Illinois earned a #3 seed.
Against #14 Austin Peay.
Let’s hope history doesn’t completely repeat itself.
- Status