Illinois 113, Jackson State 55 Postgame

Status
Not open for further replies.
#77      
ImGonnaBeILL
Hope we get Petrovic back at some point. Given his style of play I could see the hammy lingering for quite a while if he doesnt allow to fully heal. I think he can make a big impact as leader of 2nd unit with his quickness and energy. Watching Mirk and Tomi as distributors with 1st unit is gonna be fun.
 
#78      
Oranges
0A5A21E4-9540-481E-8DE8-7DC2B9FBAFFC.jpeg
 
#79      
hoopsfan47
BWA said:
This is quite the take after a 58 point win
Click to expand...
Personally, it is a better take than most I have seen. Make no mistake, this team has a high ceiling and that is in the NC stratosphere.

But two things made tonight's performance almost inevitable...height advantage and shooting performance. Both of those will disappear on several occasions. Then, whether this Illini team wins against evenly matched teams depend on willingness to hustle until exhaustion, connecting with every pass, grabbing really tough, contested rebounds, hitting contested shots, knowing who will be cutting when and seeing them and getting the ball in that their hands, keeping turnovers in single digits and....of course....hitting free throws...especially when they are crucial to winning. All those things need improvement. Its not being unreasonable to point that out. I am certain BU will do that. This was a good game where our guys hit shots at a high level, but we all know that does not happen very often.

But that what these early OOC games are for and it is hard to keep focus and energy up when you lead by 30 after 12 minutes. I do not feel the criticism is anything but constructive and supportive. The bar for this team is and should be set very high. Focus, hard work, and improvement are what is needed right now. The win and performance were enjoyed by all, but it was a first step against very low competition, not Michigan or UConn.

This team may have the best talent and highest ceiling of any in Illini history....and I loved the Flyin' Illini and '05 Illini as much as anyone. One thing most miss about this team is the importance of Ben. I won't state that I knew he would improve greatly, and that is not proven yet by in fact has become almost a guarantee, but there was little doubt in my mind that after a season of B1G fermentation, months of work with Fletch, a significant gain in self confidence, and the reduction in pressure to be the team's go to shooter, that he would become a critical piece of the puzzle that would fit a huge need for a dependable front court big. Finding Mirk was a cherry on top and takes tremendous pressure off him to have Ben's support.

I also agree with grue's post that Z's performance was sub-standard, but what a great guy to have. If and when BU gets his attention and changes some of his habits, he can be an amazing plus factor to this team when the stage gets huge.

As I said earlier, I am not sure how much AS, Ty and Petro can raise the ceiling for this team. I sure hope they can, especially when the going gets tough, and that is when the tough get going. I truly hope this team belongs in the tough group....along with getting a bit lucky too!!
 
#81      
EmeraldCityIllini
hoopsfan47 said:
Personally, it is a better take than most I have seen. Make no mistake, this team has a high ceiling and that is in the NC stratosphere.

But two things made tonight's performance almost inevitable...height advantage and shooting performance. Both of those will disappear on several occasions. Then, whether this Illini team wins against evenly matched teams depend on willingness to hustle until exhaustion, connecting with every pass, grabbing really tough, contested rebounds, hitting contested shots, knowing who will be cutting when and seeing them and getting the ball in that their hands, keeping turnovers in single digits and....of course....hitting free throws...especially when they are crucial to winning. All those things need improvement. Its not being unreasonable to point that out. I am certain BU will do that. This was a good game where our guys hit shots at a high level, but we all know that does not happen very often.

But that what these early OOC games are for and it is hard to keep focus and energy up when you lead by 30 after 12 minutes. I do not feel the criticism is anything but constructive and supportive. The bar for this team is and should be set very high. Focus, hard work, and improvement are what is needed right now. The win and performance were enjoyed by all, but it was a first step against very low competition, not Michigan or UConn.

This team may have the best talent and highest ceiling of any in Illini history....and I loved the Flyin' Illini and '05 Illini as much as anyone. One thing most miss about this team is the importance of Ben. I won't state that I knew he would improve greatly, and that is not proven yet by in fact has become almost a guarantee, but there was little doubt in my mind that after a season of B1G fermentation, months of work with Fletch, a significant gain in self confidence, and the reduction in pressure to be the team's go to shooter, that he would become a critical piece of the puzzle that would fit a huge need for a dependable front court big. Finding Mirk was a cherry on top and takes tremendous pressure off him to have Ben's support.

I also agree with grue's post that Z's performance was sub-standard, but what a great guy to have. If and when BU gets his attention and changes some of his habits, he can be an amazing plus factor to this team when the stage gets huge.

As I said earlier, I am not sure how much AS, Ty and Petro can raise the ceiling for this team. I sure hope they can, especially when the going gets tough, and that is when the tough get going. I truly hope this team belongs in the tough group....along with getting a bit lucky too!!
Click to expand...

Do you think people who post excitement about the results tonight feel that hard work and focus aren’t necessary moving forward?

When you agree with a post that says the Illini defense was abysmal and showed no signs of being good (in a game the opponent shot 30% from the field and got out rebounded by a billion), I push back on you saying “the win and performance was enjoyed by all”.

Not that that was your posts thesis. But it’s okay for us to be happy for a day or two :)
 
Last edited:
#82      
grue2
EmeraldCityIllini said:
Do you think people who post excitement about the results tonight feel that hard work and focus aren’t necessary moving forward?
Click to expand...
How could one person possibly know another forum member's mind at that level? That would be like believing I knew that someone didn't enjoy the game, and wasn't excited about the team because they made some comments on what could be improved.

EmeraldCityIllini said:
When you agree with a post that says the Illini defense was abysmal and showed no signs of being good (in a game the opponent shot 30% from the field and got out rebounded by a billion), I push back on you saying “the win and performance was enjoyed by all”.

Not that that was your posts thesis. But it’s okay for us to be happy for a day or two :)
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Some people are happy to watch no matter the results (e.g. my mom). Others are always looking at what can be improved, even if they already had the top result. Its all about doing better next time. Today is done. People need to decide for themselves what works for them. Hopefully both styles can peacefully co-exist in this forum.
 
#83      
Oracle21
blackdog said:
We play cupcake games every season. We don't often run them off the court like that.

My only real concerns at this point for when the games start to matter is that Z is pretty soft and has nothing like Tomi's IQ, and that Wagler is going to struggle for awhile against better athletes like Will did last year.

A lot of the other mistakes can get hammered out with time and experience playing together/in the system.
Click to expand...

I don’t see Z playing any real minutes during the real games unless Tomi is in foul trouble. I see Tomi at 33+ minutes in the tough ones and Z very spot minutes. Plus Mirkovic is just better than Z so it makes no sense to play the twins together anyway
 
#84      
ginabackes00
I feel like we discuss poor free throw shooting every preseason and in early games and more often then not, we see an improvement for a few reasons. Free throw shooting is mental for most. It takes a few games to get into the mental mindset needed, especially when you're playing teams like Jackson State. I also believe in close games, you typically have the right people at the line. I don't worry about them until we see a trend against good competition. I'm not saying we shouldn't be working on them and improving.
 
#85      
Brosky
No injuries. And we won by 50+ points without arguably perhaps--I say PERHAPS--our two best players as time goes by.
 
#86      
Second place is 1st loser
hoopsfan47 said:
Personally, it is a better take than most I have seen. Make no mistake, this team has a high ceiling and that is in the NC stratosphere.

But two things made tonight's performance almost inevitable...height advantage and shooting performance. Both of those will disappear on several occasions. Then, whether this Illini team wins against evenly matched teams depend on willingness to hustle until exhaustion, connecting with every pass, grabbing really tough, contested rebounds, hitting contested shots, knowing who will be cutting when and seeing them and getting the ball in that their hands, keeping turnovers in single digits and....of course....hitting free throws...especially when they are crucial to winning. All those things need improvement. Its not being unreasonable to point that out. I am certain BU will do that. This was a good game where our guys hit shots at a high level, but we all know that does not happen very often.

But that what these early OOC games are for and it is hard to keep focus and energy up when you lead by 30 after 12 minutes. I do not feel the criticism is anything but constructive and supportive. The bar for this team is and should be set very high. Focus, hard work, and improvement are what is needed right now. The win and performance were enjoyed by all, but it was a first step against very low competition, not Michigan or UConn.

This team may have the best talent and highest ceiling of any in Illini history....and I loved the Flyin' Illini and '05 Illini as much as anyone. One thing most miss about this team is the importance of Ben. I won't state that I knew he would improve greatly, and that is not proven yet by in fact has become almost a guarantee, but there was little doubt in my mind that after a season of B1G fermentation, months of work with Fletch, a significant gain in self confidence, and the reduction in pressure to be the team's go to shooter, that he would become a critical piece of the puzzle that would fit a huge need for a dependable front court big. Finding Mirk was a cherry on top and takes tremendous pressure off him to have Ben's support.

I also agree with grue's post that Z's performance was sub-standard, but what a great guy to have. If and when BU gets his attention and changes some of his habits, he can be an amazing plus factor to this team when the stage gets huge.

As I said earlier, I am not sure how much AS, Ty and Petro can raise the ceiling for this team. I sure hope they can, especially when the going gets tough, and that is when the tough get going. I truly hope this team belongs in the tough group....along with getting a bit lucky too!!
Click to expand...
These takes need to stop. They happen every year. As long as we're going to hop on the critical bus and take absolutely nothing out of a win out of the first game of the season......this group couldn't carry the jock of those teams that had some of the greatest athletes in the programs history and when it was time you dig in and get a stop, that's a HUGE question mark for this group.

Your point of being up 30 vs a team that doesn't belong in the same gym as us is valid. I don't think that anyone will dispute that. However, for the exact same reason, your take that the ceiling on this team is higher than two Final Four teams, both of which should have been cutting down the nets is absurd. That's going WAY too far in the other direction.

Those teams were next level and athletically took a backseat to absolutely nobody. Especially 89. This team is one big question mark. We'll score 90 a few times, but the floor is if we're allowing 90 and the ceiling is it we can keep opponents in the lower 70's. This team has a lot of holes to get to that point. A lot.
 
#89      
NarrowJ
The people doom-n-glooming because we shot 64% from the FT line on a 25 attempt sample seem to be the same people doom-n-glooming about guys being injured who are supposed to be back literally any day now (oh it’s an ankle sprain, he’s probably done for the season!!! Lmao)

The average FT% across college basketball has been around 70% for decades, so consider me completely unbothered by us shooting 6 percent lower on a miniscule sample. People just like being miserable for some reason, it’s so #%^*!ing weird.
 
#92      
travelin' man
grue2 said:
Coach style comments -- if you only want the orange tint, move along.

Humrich and Davis had solid games. They did not do anything flashy. They just did their assigned tasks and were (mostly) in the right places at the right time. The offense was much smoother when Davis was on the floor.

Big Z: Needs to work on protecting the ball. When you have a rebound, the first priority is holding onto it. You can't just lazily bring it down, and you especially can't go straight to a dribble. He lost multiple balls after the initial grab. Another issue is his passes. The passes, especially the ones inside out, are telegraphed. Several were tipped, and at least one was stolen. He also needs to get his arms up sooner when guarding the perimeter and they are going to shoot. They took several successful shots over him.

Mirkovik - He did well based on his size and strength. There were a TON of mental mistakes. First, like Z, there wasn't enough emphasis placed on protecting the ball. There were multiple lazy passes, some dangerous passes, and some poor decisions when to pass, e.g. the pass out to Davis when he should have just dunked it with authority. He also is too loose with the dribble in traffic. Mirkovik was out of position defensively a fair bit, and did a poor job of closing out on his man; he reacted too late, thinking "should I", vs. just doing it. The offense often stalled with Mirkovik in the lineup and then smoothed once Davis came in. Some of this is arriving late. Some of it is not.

Wagler: A bunch of freshman mistakes. He tried to do too much 1:1 at times. (Not bad play, just freshman play.)

Defense: A solid team defense was nowhere to be found tonight. The defense played was purely using size/athleticism vs. being in the right positions and doing the right things. Rotations were off (missing, missed). Closeouts were poor. I get we had some people out. This looked to be more than just a coordination issue. Individuals were looking lost and didn't have their job down yet.

Offense: Despite the score, the offense didn't seem to flow most of the time. (It flowed far better with Jake than with Mirkovik.) One issue was the passes, both inside out, and around the horn were not crisp enough. They gave the defense time to rotate and recover. Another issue was when an player near the hoop noticed a teammate driving at them. They blindly vacated the area leaving their defender right in the path of the driving player. Stay and seal them off.

Lets get better each game, and make a run in March.
Click to expand...
Wow! Really serious buzzkill.
 
#93      
BretMyBeachHouse
NarrowJ said:
The people doom-n-glooming because we shot 64% from the FT line on a 25 attempt sample seem to be the same people doom-n-glooming about guys being injured who are supposed to be back literally any day now (oh it’s an ankle sprain, he’s probably done for the season!!! Lmao)

The average FT% across college basketball has been around 70% for decades, so consider me completely unbothered by us shooting 6 percent lower on a miniscule sample. People just like being miserable for some reason, it’s so #%^*!ing weird.
Click to expand...
The consternation over free throws in one game is a bit much.

I think on injury front the concern is regarding how well they come back.

You can argue that KJ never fully recovered last year and that it impacted our results. That's likely the biggest concern of many.
 
#96      
NarrowJ
BretMyBeachHouse said:
The consternation over free throws in one game is a bit much.

I think on injury front the concern is regarding how well they come back.

You can argue that KJ never fully recovered last year and that it impacted our results. That's likely the biggest concern of many.
Click to expand...

No you’re absolutely right and I’m being too harsh

Though hamstrings and knees aren’t things you try to play through for an extended time period like you would forearm pain… can’t see them doing that

Indy and LVille have repeatedly said they’ll be fine, so it just feels the constant hammering of “it’s worse than they’re telling everyone” theory is off base here (we knew Ty’s injury was a serious one immediately; there was no “oh he’s trending upward” it was “he’s likely out for a few months minimum” which is what I’d expect to hear if that were the case for Petro and AS)
 
Last edited:
#97      
Cary67
They did what they were supposed to do against an outmanned Jackson State squad. Wouldn't read into the severity of the beating or the prolific 3 pt shooting display too much. If we are still shooting 3s at 35% or better after our 5 main non conference games then our shooting could be special. Still worry about quickness, athleticism, and strength on the defensive end though. Also concerned about can we stay healthy? Petrovic and his hamstring.Those can have a tendency to linger. Good start; real evaluations start after data comes in against Texas Tech, UConn, Alabama,Tennessee, and Missouri.
 
#98      
pruman91
Brosky said:
The thing about a die-hard fan is that he's never satisfied. He always wants more.
Click to expand...
well , I respect your opinion......I really really do........but I consider myself to be a very much die-hard fan and I am supremely satisfied with our performance last night and I respectfully disagree with your post..........

I am of the opinion that there are people who are optimists and there are people who are pessimists......I think we all want more from our favorite teams but us optimists have the ability to enjoy a complete domination like last night and are able to not voice a concern and just enjoy the game results.........the wanting more should never be the major opinion after what we witnessed on the court last night........

if you wanted more after last night's rout of jsu then I don't know what to say to ease your pessimistic slant on sports and what you expect each game.........there will never be an acceptable outcome and that's not being a die-hard fan , that's being an unrealistic fan.........there's never a perfect game played.....there's always something to nitpick about.......it's what level of play you decide to be enough for you to be happy and I'm as happy as I could be after watching the Illini throttle a supposedly good mid major team on every stat you could think of....

It's another example of being a glass half full fan or being a glass half empty.......I can't be a pessimist about the Illini EVER.......

JMHO.......and no disrespect to anyone intended...........

the more you know..........................
 
Last edited:
#100      
illinifan1987
pruman91 said:
well , I respect your opinion......I really really do........but I consider myself to be a very much die-hard fan and I am supremely satisfied with our performance last night and I respectfully disagree with your post..........

I am of the opinion that there are people who are optimists and there are people who are pessimists......I think we all want more from our favorite teams but us optimists have the ability to enjoy a complete domination like last night and are able to not voice a concern and just enjoy the game results.........the wanting more should never be the major opinion after what we witnessed on the court last night........

if you wanted more after last night's rout of jsu then I don't know what to say to ease your pessimistic slant on sports and what you expect each game.........there will never be an acceptable outcome and that's not being a die-hard fan , that's being an unrealistic fan.........there's never a perfect game played.....there's always something to nitpick about.......it's what level of play you decide to be enough for you to be happy and I'm as happy as I could be after watching the Illini throttle a supposedly good mid major team on every stat you could think of....

It's another example of being a glass half full fan or being a glass half empty.......I can't be a pessimist about the Illini EVER.......

JMHO.......and no disrespect to anyone intended...........

the more you know..........................
Click to expand...
Everyone's glass will be full after the Natty win (y)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back