It was Skyy until tonight. Now it goes 1. Shannon (.429), 2. Epps (.400), 3. Coleman (.381), 4. Sencire (.375), 5. Skyy (.360)
Illinois 73, Syracuse 44 Postgame
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That was one of the craziest, most aggressive 2-3 zone alignments I’ve ever seen. Popping up to a 4-1 at times. I’ve seen them play high and wide wings before (which is their baseline rules because boeheim will sub out a wing if he gives up an open wing 3) but that was just insane.
For us, when we were in our 2-1-2 set and they were setup like that, I couldn’t figure out why we wouldn’t put Shannon in the opposite corner from the ball, let him get a running head start, and throw him a diagonal lob. Especially when we were broke early.
Epps kept us afloat early.
And Coleman, goodness. Way to impact the game in every way. I actually agreed with Fran that he should turn and face more. But you can’t deny that he made a bunch of really good plays. If we could shoot he might have had 15 assists too.
For us, when we were in our 2-1-2 set and they were setup like that, I couldn’t figure out why we wouldn’t put Shannon in the opposite corner from the ball, let him get a running head start, and throw him a diagonal lob. Especially when we were broke early.
Epps kept us afloat early.
And Coleman, goodness. Way to impact the game in every way. I actually agreed with Fran that he should turn and face more. But you can’t deny that he made a bunch of really good plays. If we could shoot he might have had 15 assists too.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
NEIlliniFan
- No longer in New England
Read where the Illini's second-half defense forced more turnovers, 11, than it allowed field goals, 7.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Coleman Hawkins' triple-double gives No. 16 Illinois win over Syracuse
Coleman Hawkins had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and the No. 16 Illini beat Syracuse in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Tuesday in Champaign.
By ANDERSON KIMBALL
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois was caught in a dogfight, but Coleman Hawkins pulled the team out of it.
Hawkins had the fifth triple-double in Illinois program history, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, to spur No. 16 Illinois to a 73-44 win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday.
He acted as a connector and focal point of the offense and squeezed the Orange’s 2-3 zone, scoring or assisting on 17 of the Illini’s 24 made baskets.
“He’s just special against the zone with his feel,” coach Brad Underwood said. “And I knew we had the right guy to put the middle. He played with great, great patience.”
Terrence Shannon Jr. wasn’t efficient, shooting 5-for-17, but in a dogfight where neither team made a lot of shots, those he did make were crucial and he finished with a game-high 17 points.
Illinois also had a season-low seven turnovers and 17 offensive rebounds to preserve possessions on an inefficient night. Illinois also added 18 points off 17 Syracuse turnovers.
Illinois got out to an early six-point lead, but a Syracuse 10-2 run in the middle of first put the Orange up 11-9.
Shannon didn’t score in the first 11 minutes, but then he hit three 3s in a span of 2:21 to give Illinois a 26-20 lead with 5:46 left in first.
Correct he was listed at 5'11. Epps at 6'1
I would like to see it before March, but would also be delighted to see it the first weekend in April, particularly that first Monday.
I was stuck with merely listening to the radio again. I liked how we attacked it…based on what I saw after the fact that is.
I loved what Coleman was able to do obviously. I especially liked the short-corner stuff we got with Shannon, a time or two. Skyy splitting the top defenders was pretty sweet, too…the cutting, the high post…throwing out of a near baseline trap…busting em inside-out…overall I liked our attack.
4-1? That’s a first for me too. Where was the ball at the top?( I’ve seen teams do that on the high school level just daring you to throw over it…with the ball at the top of the key.) But, that’s unlike any slide/rotation I remember seeing associated with Syracuse’s 2-3…it almost sounds like
poor communication on their part.
The simple answer is the projections had us winning by 12 and we won by 29. That's a huge discrepancy. A couple in depth reasons I see...
1) Yes, Syracuse is bad, but they will still beat some teams this year. I think we, as fans, have a tendency to lump all the bad teams into 1 category. In reality, Syracuse bad isn't the same as Louisville bad, which isn't the same as Lindenwood bad. There are levels of bad. A 100ish ranked team is still fairly competent and will beat you if you don't come to play. We lost to a similarly ranked Cincinnati by 20 last year. So beating a team of this caliber by 30 is an impressive feat.
2) Syracuse's strength was their offense. They were ranked 60th in offensive efficiency, which isn't great but isn't bad either. And we completely dominated that end of the floor. Our defensive efficiency rating got a huge boost from that.
3) Torvik has this as our worst offensive game of the year thus far (adjusted for opponent). Think about that. We played our worst offensive game and still won by 29. That's incredible. We might have won by 50 had the shots been falling at a decent clip.
iLL 89ers
- Dallas,TX , Born and raised in Alton,Illinois
You right IMO blackdog, his game reminds me of Frank (Frankie) Williams....just his playing speed and silky smooth with his handles.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Mr. Epps plays all out but under control , making his play look so mature .....and it is mature , when taken into account the other freshmen on the squad....
He will be one of the leaders on this team that all players , upperclassmen and frosh , will look to for direction as he is a bucket maker ....I love how he attacks the basket , under control , but with an assassin's mentality of making it count....and if he catches the ball and get's his feet straight , he is deadly behind the arc......
next game watch him as he goes about his business......no outlandish actions , just strictly business and he is very good playing his game ......From behind the arc to attacking the rim he is a $$$$$ ballplayer and I'm so glad he is a big part of this team ......I said before the season I thought he would be a big part of this team's success reletive to his past success in HS and AAU.....JMHO
He will be one of the leaders on this team that all players , upperclassmen and frosh , will look to for direction as he is a bucket maker ....I love how he attacks the basket , under control , but with an assassin's mentality of making it count....and if he catches the ball and get's his feet straight , he is deadly behind the arc......
next game watch him as he goes about his business......no outlandish actions , just strictly business and he is very good playing his game ......From behind the arc to attacking the rim he is a $$$$$ ballplayer and I'm so glad he is a big part of this team ......I said before the season I thought he would be a big part of this team's success reletive to his past success in HS and AAU.....JMHO
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
Our defense really was outstanding last night.
Vs. a high major opponent, it was Illini's best single game in KP defensive efficiency since January 2020 (when we held Purdue to 37 points) and second best in the last 14 years (going back to December 2008 when we held a bad Georgia team to 42 points).
Vs. a KP top 100 team, it was our second best single game in defensive efficiency since February 2003 (a 70-40 beatdown of Michigan State).
I think the best thing about this team is that they have enough guys that can get hot that the team isn't sunk when a Trent or Plummer go cold like last year's tourney. If Epps is could, throw RJ in there, if he is cold go with Skyy. The trick for the coaches will be figuring out who "the guy" is each game quickly.
We had been told that Epps was a scorer of the basketball that got points in bunches while in high school/AAU, but I had no idea that it would translate so seamlessly to his first year at Ill! He was a SCORER but we were not sure that with his size and the presence of Clark whether he would see much court-time this year. Boy, was I wrong!
Where would we be without him and Harris this year? In the pre-season prognostication, most had them playing minimal minutes--maybe even red-shirting one or both.
I think that the injury the team suffered in the practice session was a blessing in disguise as it pressed the two freshmen into service and, boy, have they grown!
Do you remember the first game when Epps didn't take a shot? I thought "maybe next year..."
Its Happening THIS year!An Integral piece....
Just curious. In regards to the low number of turnovers I was just wondering if playing against a team that plays zone (any team, not just Syracuse) most teams will have a lower number of turnovers? I don't know how to phrase this exactly but I assume that a team that plays zone is not a team that forces very many turnovers. It's just the nature of playing against a zone. Is that right?
I think there’s a lot of truth to that. Teams tend to be more careful with the ball and there are less drives that could result in a TO.
Do they have a history? I know about JB's Big Ten comments concerning the tournament but has something happened in the past with him and Underwood?Looks like no love lost between Brad and Boeheim in the handshake line. So glad the Illini shut that jerk up!-L-L
I was telling my Dad in the first half that we were getting the shots we want against the zone, they just weren't falling and once they do we will blow them out of the building.
No kidding. He's kind of the Perry Como of basketball. (For those of you too young to remember, which is probably most of you, SCTV did a great parody of Perry Como called, "Perry Como: Still Alive After All These Years". You can see it here, Perry Como/Jim Boeheim)
I said the same to my wife and S-I-L. My S-I-L was laughing that they might take 200 3's. I said they could get an open 3 EVERYTIME, but they have to make some. I know this is probably a silly comment, but watching them shoot those 3's, I felt like they weren't focused. I believe y subconsciously thought, "I'm open, I have to shoot!". I felt there were a couple times Skyy passed up open 3's because he wasn't hitting. Missing wide open 3's will not be a habit. Shooters at this level don't see that shot as anymore difficult than a 15-18 footer.
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Yeah, but most of those bike miles are highway miles.
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