I watched the game on Sunday. I expected a bad showing by Illinois, but I didn’t see that. They played hard and I saw effort throughout the entire game.
1. It seems like Illinois missed about 5-6 layups.
2. Officiating wasn’t horrible, but it was inconsistent. Kofi did not get calls on literal body blocks from the NU defense. As usual.
3. Nance made some ridiculous fadeaway shots and was hot from 3. Give him credit, NU’s best player performed well.
4. Illinois shot poorly from 3. Hit a few more of those open looks (in addition to the layups) and it’s a blowout.
5. Northwestern is a solid team, but not deep.
A. Nance would start on most B10 teams.
B. Audige is athletic and is a B10 player.
C. Buie is talented and a definite B10 player.
D. Beran is a solid post player. Rotation player for most B10 teams.
E. Williams really impressed me with his effort and low post defense and skills. Rotation player for most B10 teams.
F. Greer is a solid backup point guard that can run the offense. Nothing flashy, but didn’t make mistakes.
You don’t play well, and Northwestern will beat most D1 teams. Illinois gutted out the win with determination, defense, and effort. To me, that’s the sign of top team. Shots won’t always be falling, but they did enough to stay in the game and pull out a road victory in the B10.
On to Wisconsin!