Illini Basketball 2026-2027

#301      
Emerson Bigguns
Doogie94 said:
Great article on Lincoln Williams today.

Any idea on where he would fit in the rotation? I'm thinking like, possibly, maybe, 9th man?
Click to expand...
He has a skill set/attributes that are unique for the roster, especially down the bench. Minutes for guys past the obvious 7 are probably very much undetermined, and may be dictated by matchups and in-game developments. A lot of work will be put in by all the guys between now and game 1. He certainly has a great opportunity to carve out a role, but you could probably say the same for all the freshmen.

Between Williams, Brown and Davis there is only a .0098 difference in their numerical composite rating. (between 90-89)

QC (99), Morillo (98), and Zens (95) were all given significantly higher grades than that group, but who knows? A lot can change over the summer.
 
#303      
Joel Goodson
Emerson Bigguns said:
He has a skill set/attributes that are unique for the roster, especially down the bench. Minutes for guys past the obvious 7 are probably very much undetermined, and may be dictated by matchups and in-game developments. A lot of work will be put in by all the guys between now and game 1. He certainly has a great opportunity to carve out a role, but you could probably say the same for all the freshmen.

Between Williams, Brown and Davis there is only a .0098 difference in their numerical composite rating. (between 90-89)

QC (99), Morillo (98), and Zens (95) were all given significantly higher grades than that group, but who knows? A lot can change over the summer.
Click to expand...

for sure. those ratings are a talking point for fans, but they don't mean a damn thing to Brad. players are going to dictate their roles by how they practice (and later, play)
 
#308      
the juiceman cometh
Doogie94 said:
Great article on Lincoln Williams today.

Any idea on where he would fit in the rotation? I'm thinking like, possibly, maybe, 9th man?
Click to expand...
There is no #9thman. All are #9thman.

quentin tarantino whatever GIF
 
#310      
Tevo
Emerson Bigguns said:
He has a skill set/attributes that are unique for the roster, especially down the bench. Minutes for guys past the obvious 7 are probably very much undetermined, and may be dictated by matchups and in-game developments. A lot of work will be put in by all the guys between now and game 1. He certainly has a great opportunity to carve out a role, but you could probably say the same for all the freshmen.

Between Williams, Brown and Davis there is only a .0098 difference in their numerical composite rating. (between 90-89)

QC (99), Morillo (98), and Zens (95) were all given significantly higher grades than that group, but who knows? A lot can change over the summer.
Click to expand...

Also, the ratings are an attempt to provide a single measure of a player. Williams has an advantage in that he is more distinct from the other Freshman in what he brings. Sometimes you may just need a pure athlete to keep up with an opponent, or create mismatches. Guy who can shoot and pass are obviously critical, but when you have 6 other guys ahead of you who can also pass and shoot, being the guy who can run faster, jump higher, react quicker may be what gets you on the floor.
 
#314      
ptgrd23
Emerson Bigguns said:
He has a skill set/attributes that are unique for the roster, especially down the bench. Minutes for guys past the obvious 7 are probably very much undetermined, and may be dictated by matchups and in-game developments. A lot of work will be put in by all the guys between now and game 1. He certainly has a great opportunity to carve out a role, but you could probably say the same for all the freshmen.

Between Williams, Brown and Davis there is only a .0098 difference in their numerical composite rating. (between 90-89)

QC (99), Morillo (98), and Zens (95) were all given significantly higher grades than that group, but who knows? A lot can change over the summer.
Click to expand...
Illini fans more than anybody should appreciate how inaccurate HS rankings are based on Keaton.

We were dying for a lockdown defender last year against certain players - Fears, Blackwell, Philmon etc. Lincoln could get that time if he is as good on defense as Sencire.
 
#315      
Fly Illini Fly!
Fly Illini Fly! said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2072405312628195814

.....

https://twitter.com/x/status/2072317771766018103

"3. Illinois Fighting Illini

Impact newcomer: Stefan Vaaks

Coach Brad Underwood will be wholly reliant on his incoming group on the perimeter, with Vaaks and five-star freshman Quentin Coleman manning the backcourt. Both players are capable of playing on or off the ball, but Vaaks showed real playmaking chops during his freshman season at Providence. He had 20-plus points against St. John's twice and Villanova twice, and his 6-foot-7 size causes issues for defenders.

Projected starting lineup

Quentin Coleman (No. 23 in SC Next 100)
Stefan Vaaks (15.8 PPG at Providence)
Andrej Stojakovic (13.5 PPG)
David Mirkovic (13.6 PPG)
Tomislav Ivisic (10.2 PPG)"
Click to expand...
Full list:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2074165350648647959
 
#318      
wc_illini
Combo said:
Typical ranking and seems pretty reasonable to me. Only one that I don't know about is Texas at 7. Are they really that good?
Click to expand...
At sportsbooks, there in a group bunched closely together at #7-11 (with Louisville, Houston, Arkansas, and Arizona)
 
#320      
IlliniNash
Illinisam said:
Why don’t we have 2 lines like hockey does? It would keep all the players ‘happy’ as far as playing time goes. If a team is deep play them all and wear out the other teams. Kentucky use to do this back in the 90s.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who would our 10th man be…..
 
Back