Tonight's barely win does make the UK lose even better. Still finding enjoyment in that.
Illinois 54, Chattanooga 53 Postgame
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I agree.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Illinois survives first-round scare against Chattanooga
The 4-seed Illini escaped a first-round upset to the Mocs with game-winning free throws from Alfonso Plummer and a huge block from Coleman Hawkins.
PITTSBURGH — Illinois trailed for the first 39 minutes, but the lead it got in the final seconds was all that mattered.
Alfonso Plummer hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left to give No. 4 seed Illinois a 54-53 win over No. 13 Chattanooga in the NCAA Tournament South Region first round game Friday.
A 20-6 lead for the Mocs looked like the start of a 1997 remake, the last time these teams met in the postseason when a double-digit seed Chattanooga upset Illinois.
Instead, Plummer had 13 of his 15 points in the second half and Illinois got the most of its 25 seconds of the night spent in the lead.
Kofi Cockburn had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Illini picked up the pieces after a horrid offensive start to beat the Mocs. It erased an early 20-6 deficit and saved itself from an embarrassing opening round upset.
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Illinois got outrebounded, outshot, didn't foul out any of the opposing bigs, turned the ball over more than the opponent, Kofi got 2 points in the second half (yes, that putback to give Illinois the lead for the first time), and Illinois still won.
This was due to phenomenal defense after the first 4 minutes of each half (Chattanooga scored 20 points in those 8 minutes, 33 points the remaining 32 minutes). Malachi Smith, their leading scorer, got 12 points on 20 shots. Their other starting guard was 2-11. De Souza played 18 total minutes because he couldn't hang with Kofi.
This was due to phenomenal defense after the first 4 minutes of each half (Chattanooga scored 20 points in those 8 minutes, 33 points the remaining 32 minutes). Malachi Smith, their leading scorer, got 12 points on 20 shots. Their other starting guard was 2-11. De Souza played 18 total minutes because he couldn't hang with Kofi.
And why we need to accept his bad with his good. As head scratching as his turnovers and wide open misses (which I've long said are 10 times more frustrating then his TO's) can be, we get blown out without him on the floor.
Have we gotten an explanation for no RJ?!?
Anybody?!
Anybody?!
Down in Mexico and had to follow this through the game thread. Page after page of WTF followed by “We Won” Can’t wait to fly home and catch the second round!
God gave this gift to you.
Gotta admit, I'm not sure what this post means....but I like it?
IlliniSaluki
- IL metro east burbs of St. Louis
yes they did..
The gift of bourbon. Good bourbon. Don’t waste it!
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Pentwater
Pent-water
Pent-up-water
Burst dam
Dominant Erupt
Illini win in final seconds after smelling like four-day-old dead fish for entire evening.
And someone noted his wife forestalled a dominant erupt of her own pent-up-water while driving in a (?) driving (?) rainstorm, which created good ju-ju that influenced goings-on in Pittsburgh.
[deep breath]
This is like one of those out-of-body situations from long-ago days in Champaign where I feel suddenly in complete harmony with the universe and many unrelated strands from disparate parts of life converge but yet I'm not this evening under the influence of controlled (or uncontrolled) substances and really at this point I need @pruman to insert some sort of psychedelic GIF or unsettling, yet strangely reassuring Walken GIF, so that I don't suddenly completely unravel in the wake of that logic-defying win (and the fact that someone not Sean Higgins and wearing an Illini uniform lofted his ridiculously large body skyward in balletic elegance, plucked a rebound and put it back in as gently as I laid my infant to sleep nearly 18 years ago, ripping me away the edge of of the abyss with approximately the accelerative force of my 1972 Buick Skylark on the University Avenue on-ramp to I-74 32 years ago), rip off my clothes and run down the street into oncoming traffic.
That is all.
I am with you brother. It defies logic but this team is better with AC on the floor without a doubt.
Deficiencies definitely hurt us. We have only one good slasher in Belo and he is still warming up. That's why I said he needed to score enough. He didn't this game but we defended well enough and we're lucky. Sometimes being lucky is better than being good. Ask Richmond.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I believe it's somewhat more complex. While following the team this year has created adaptive cardiovascular effects in all of us that have undoubtedly strengthened our myocardium, this beneficial effect has been more than offset by the increasingly cirrhotic state of our livers over the course of the winter.
I thought we were going to win exactly zero seconds during that game.
I see the final score scroll by & it seems like I must have been watching a different game.
I see the final score scroll by & it seems like I must have been watching a different game.
IlliniRon
Illini Basketball Fan Forever
- Ft Worth, Texas
Really? I know a lot of fans love Cubelo but when I see 6 turnovers, 4 assists, 1 of 7 shooting. His defense was that good? He is our key guy out there? I need someone to explain it since the stats don't show it to me.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
I prefer a dry rubbed Curbelo but will take him anytime, anywhere with any seasoning.
Details of the outcomes of any given game certainly do not not carry over, agreed. But quality of play sure as ... does, very often. Our team has for the most part not been in synch for a long stretch now.
What I thought I saw tonight was a (out-of-synch) powerhouse team struggle mightily against a middling squad.
I think he managed OK this game. Could definitely be better. I remember two years ago he had lots of games with only one good half. This couple years the adjustments had been OK (not bad, not great either). Unfortunately he got completely out coached by the Loyola coach last year.
Did you watch? Chattanooga went on runs when he was off the floor. Everything worked better offensively when he was in the game.
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