Iowa At Wisconsin and home versus Penn State.
Michigan At Nebraska.
Seems very possible to me. :thumb:
Illinois 73, Michigan State 70 POSTGAME
Iowa At Wisconsin and home versus Penn State.
Michigan At Nebraska.
Seems very possible to me. :thumb:
I am finally about to pull the trigger on tournament tickets. You'll have to do better than that
The crazy part is I'm happy the refs didn't call it in that situation. But man that was a dirty screen. Like every way a screen came be illegal, it was. Foot shuffle, hip lunge, arm extension. Thanks God Malcolm is okay, and let's get Rutgers!
Today was a great day! It was fun to look forward to a "big" game again. The game didn't disappoint and throw in the AH rocking like old times, it was fun to be an Illini fan again!
Hill is the definition of hard work. You watch a guy like Bridges and it's cool/entertaining...but watch a guy like Hill and you truly appreciate his game. He's not fast and he can't jump out of the gym. He just works harder than anyone else to get to this point in his career. It's unbelievable.
Also, that whole game I was thinking please don't let that 4 point play at the end of the 1st half be the difference in the game. Bridges travels but it's not called then Black throws it away for another 2 points.
And speaking of the refs, did anyone else wonder why Bridges didn't get a technical for that elbow on Finke? He clearly new where his elbow was and he knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn't a full swing but he definitely knew what he was doing. 10-15 years ago I wouldn't have even questioned it, but this day and age I've seen a lot less get a T.
And speaking of the refs, did anyone else wonder why Bridges didn't get a technical for that elbow on Finke? He clearly new where his elbow was and he knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn't a full swing but he definitely knew what he was doing. 10-15 years ago I wouldn't have even questioned it, but this day and age I've seen a lot less get a T.
I remember a lot of people complaining about Black shooting 3's earlier this season, but games like this are exactly why Groce gives his team freedom. If Groce had told Black to stop shooting 3's then we probably don't win this game.
Just finished watching the game, and Groce & Malcolm's tears (yes, I cried). Then I rewound for a few seconds and quickly landed on what has to be the defensive play of the game. TJL was guarding Winston at the left arc and gets his hand in on Bridges while driving to the hoop at the 6.1 mark. He somehow knocks the ball loose, which Bridges recovers, but his shot is way off and Nichols rebounds and gets fouled. The end of the game changes dramatically if Bridges finishes on that possession, and if you watch closely, Hill was screened and Bridges was pretty much uncontested to the hoop. TJL is a baller. On to Rutgers.
SydneyDave
- Belleville
In the extended video that Dan posted of the interviews with Tracy and Malcolm, after Malcolm kisses the floor and pounds his chest he says something like "this one's for you Jeremiah".
Jeremiah Radford was Malcolm's friend at Belleville East who died of cancer in 2012, and the reason Malcolm wears #21.
Jeremiah Radford was Malcolm's friend at Belleville East who died of cancer in 2012, and the reason Malcolm wears #21.
Deleted member 4960
D
Guest
Like the Jaylon Tate box out at MSU a couple of years ago??. I like old school basketball and am ok with that not getting called. Have some consistency though. That elbow was a lot more obvious than the box out.
Deleted member 29907
D
Guest
Seemed to me Izzo was getting the Hall of Fame Coach treatment by the refs. Groce's technical helped turn some of that around, but it got back to the refs fearing Izzo IMO.
Once upon a time, record in last ten games was part of the committee's selection criteria but they threw that out several years ago. Last ten count the same as first ten.
So many stories in this one. I watched through the post-game stuff, and really enjoyed watching these young men fight through this game. I would've been proud of them either way, as MSU fought to the end --something I wasn't sure a freshman team would do. And they have a genuine star in Bridges. Whoever said this was the worst MSU team in recent years doesn't understand how they're playing at this point in the season. Great game --really glad we eeked out a win.
Anyway, watching them enjoy the victory --seeing Groce get a much needed win, and seeing the team have amazing support from the fans and a sell-out crowd --gosh, what a shot in the arm for these guys. And I think Hill's emotion and senior night shows how this is a culmination of a long journey. Glad I could see it!
And to the folks who made it to the game, awesome to see the support! March is turning out to be a helluva lot more fun than it looked like a few weeks ago.
As it should be
There were a couple things that got me about the officiating, (as an obvious homer).
1. The foul disparity early was RIDICULOUS. Was starting to think the fix was on. It evened out eventually, so really I shouldn't complain.
2. What did they T up Groce for? If it was arguing a call, lame, but I didn't see any replay or hear an explanation, so I'll reserve judgment on that one.
3. The elbow to Finke was clearly intentional when shown at from the offensive player's angle, but I believe the rule is excessive, severe or extreme, so I'll grant them that.
4. The end of half travel that netted them 4 points (granted 2 were our sloppy play) seemed pretty bad.
On (1), I think they missed a few, but the best we were going to see was probably 8-3 instead of 8-0. We came out playing really aggressive D on and off ball around the perimeter, and were trying to rebound over guys on the offensive glass. Both of those approaches come with risk/rewards, the risk of course being accumulating fouls.
On (4), by that point the officiating had been established as bad both ways. Definitely a missed call, but the only reason that was a big deal was Leron's bad pass to make it 4 instead of just 2.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Didn't catch the quiet tribute or remember the back story. Thanks for sharing:thumb:
Philly Boy
- Deerfield IL
A Few Observations
1. While it's true we played great defense in many ways, our FG percentage allowed -- which was great in the past four games -- was pretty high. MSU hit 48%. Other aspects of the D were better. Some of their turnovers were off steals we made.
2. Speaking of our D, it looked to me like to some extent we adopted last year's strategy of not hitting the offensive boards and instead dropping back to stop their fast breaks. We did get some ORs. Basically the strategy worked -- MSU got only five fast break points, and that is supposed to be a big part of their offense. And, of course, we won.
3. Lest we get too euphoric about this one victory, I think it falls short of the big, splashy win the NCAA Committee is said to desire (such as NW beating WI in Madison). For one thing, we were favored to win by 1-1/2 to 2 points. But it is a TOP 50 win.
4. Everyone was moved by the post-game on-court interviews we saw. I think that besides its obvious value of reinforcing the experience our student-athletes can get, it should be used as a great recruiting tool, especially for in-state kids, and those across state lines that are still nearby. Malcolm kept saying how important it was to have his Mom (and other family?) be at all his home games. This may not help much when recruiting against WI, Purdue, and IU, but it will against more distant schools, in conference or out.
ON TO RUTGERS!
1. While it's true we played great defense in many ways, our FG percentage allowed -- which was great in the past four games -- was pretty high. MSU hit 48%. Other aspects of the D were better. Some of their turnovers were off steals we made.
2. Speaking of our D, it looked to me like to some extent we adopted last year's strategy of not hitting the offensive boards and instead dropping back to stop their fast breaks. We did get some ORs. Basically the strategy worked -- MSU got only five fast break points, and that is supposed to be a big part of their offense. And, of course, we won.
3. Lest we get too euphoric about this one victory, I think it falls short of the big, splashy win the NCAA Committee is said to desire (such as NW beating WI in Madison). For one thing, we were favored to win by 1-1/2 to 2 points. But it is a TOP 50 win.
4. Everyone was moved by the post-game on-court interviews we saw. I think that besides its obvious value of reinforcing the experience our student-athletes can get, it should be used as a great recruiting tool, especially for in-state kids, and those across state lines that are still nearby. Malcolm kept saying how important it was to have his Mom (and other family?) be at all his home games. This may not help much when recruiting against WI, Purdue, and IU, but it will against more distant schools, in conference or out.
ON TO RUTGERS!
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
Survive and advance... Rutgers is rung #5. Keep it going.
ILL in IA
- Iowa City
Perfect. Its the Middle 10 I'm worried about.
Does anyone have the shot chart for this game?
