Illinois 76, Nebraska 50 Postgame

#126      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
I woke up tired and grumpy this morning and then remembered the game. It was like coffee, heroin, cocaine, and skittles directly into my veins and I'm in the best Weds AM mood I've had in weeks.

Most of this has been mentioned already, but what I've mentally logged for 1/10/23
1. Ty Rodgers belongs on this roster. He may be inconsistent for a while, but his impact was apparent when he was on the floor
2. Dain is gaining confidence in all aspects of his game. I truly believe he'll be a matchup challenge in the remaining games and seasons to come. His hustle last night was fantastic
3. Don't write off Harris because of his stat line last night. He had some impacts that don't show up in the box score, and I'm 100% certain he's going to give us the TF feels from time to time
4. We moved up to 26 on KenPom (from 34)

And the obligatory gripes about the inconsistent officiating. I don't know that I've seen as many offensive fouls called ever, and a few of them (both ways) were just bad. The upside is I don't see our guys whining at the refs as much.


And one snide remark--Breidenbach needs a personal stylist. I thought UN had recruited Bigfoot.

OK, 2 snide remarks - Tominaga is one of those players I'd love to have in O&B but hate to see on the floor for an opponent. Quick, pesky, knows where to be on the floor, and just gives off the vibe of an irritating player.
 
#134      

FloridaMan

F
FloridaMan
MDchicago said:
I didn't get that vibe. Did seem a bit shellshocked, but thought he gave credit to the Illini while lamenting his team's lack of execution. And complimented our defense (especially Dain's and the inside help without mentioning anyone by name). Love to see that.

"Give them credit. They took us out of it. They took our shooters away, and played Derrick [inside], and we just couldn't get anything going.... I feel good about Derrick whoever is guarding him, and we just couldn't get around them, we couldn't get over the top - they were staying down on his fakes. Give them credit."
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Correct. I missed that comment. I went back and rewatched and he did credit IL. Take back my jerk comment.
 
#135      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
It's hard to know what the interpersonal situation is with Skyy and the rest of the team.

But on a basketball level, losing our nominal point guard seems to have spurred a "hey, we're all responsible for passing to each other and keeping the offense flowing" light to come on in our guys heads, and defensively we're just straight up better off without Clark who was a weak link in that respect.

It feels unfair to blame Clark for whatever the behind-the-scenes mystery has been with this team, and I don't want to outright declare we're stronger without him on a basketball level - it's a thinner roster with less ballhandling ability now. But we've obviously adapted well to his absence, and that's positive to see. It feels a little less like a group of individuals than it did earlier in the season.
 
#136      

Se Il Illini

Se Il Illini
Se Il Illini
illini80 said:
Great job. How does a switch just flip like that? Seems to happen every year. Of course we have to keep that going and we will be tested next game. One thing though. Our 3 point shooting is not our strength, but we don’t seem to understand that. We shot 62.5% from 2 and 27.8 from 3. It seems pretty clear that we if we take a few less 3’s (29 last night) we might see positive results. Anyway, great effort last night!
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Illinois overcame a 1-11 start from behind the arc and still dominated. The offense is much improved due to more passing and cutting and less dribbling without a purpose.
 
#139      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
illini 67 said:
Harris's ability to get to the hoop as illustrated in the first two play of the Wisconsin game makes me think he will be a scorer once he learns to finish his drives. He is a good passer after penetration. His shot does needs a lot of work. He needs to pull a Shannon and make a 10000 shots before breakfast.
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I feel like Harris is just a true freshman that isn't ready, but he has this one superpower the team desperately needs so we're kind of forcing him into the action.

Which is fine, you play to win the game, but it's back to the lab for Harris' game in the offseason.
 
#142      

phats22

P
phats22
Ransom Stoddard said:
1. Ty Rodgers belongs on this roster. He may be inconsistent for a while, but his impact was apparent when he was on the floor
2. ...
3. Don't write off Harris because of his stat line last night. He had some impacts that don't show up in the box score, and I'm 100% certain he's going to give us the TF feels from time to time
4. We moved up to 26 on KenPom (from 34)
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1. We could end up having DMFW x 2 if these two continue to grow in defense

3. I didn't comment at the time out of frustration at foul-meggedon 2023, but Sencire put the hurt on Buie to the tune of 2-13 from the field. I had the thought the Buie must be allergic to left handed #1s.
Past 3 games SH has been ballin out on the defensive side
 
#144      

BWA

B
BWA
Is it crazy to say the Harris might be better than Trent and Damonte on defense already?
 
#145      

ChiefIllinois

C
ChiefIllinois
BWA said:
Is it crazy to say the Harris might be better than Trent and Damonte on defense already?
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There’s different ways to impact the defensive end.

DMW and Trent were fantastic at denying and contesting shots. Harris is really good at that but what differentiates himself is how active he is in the passing lanes and how aggressive he is. Different styles.

Also I’m not convinced Harris can play that style of D for 35+ mins. Trent and DMW could go all night.
 
#146      

Yukon

Yukon
Yukon
hoopsfan47 said:
Sure saw another baby step up the competence ladder.
1. TSJ is being aggressive in the paint, trying to drive it and not chucking up wounded ducks. That is his game and his way to help and lead the team. Shoot those threes if wide open, but never more than a handful and drive it or post in the lane 3 times more often.
2. Love what we saw from Rodgers, but he needs to work on those FT fundamentals. Does not look like anyone has helped him at all. But good to see him hit 50%...a baby step up. Otherwise, I love his game...who wouldn't. Kid is smart, athletic, high motor, high character, and highly skilled in most areas other than shooting. B1G warrior in the making.
3. Sure liked Dainja making two FTs. And yes, less knee bend helps very much. Would love to see him get rid of the circle jerk with the ball as that also keeps him slightly off balance as well as too much lateral influence. Get quiet before the lift!! Watching closely, he did move straight up on both shots resulting in both going the same distance. A little more arc using more speed in the lift and he should be able to make 70%.
4. Liked seeing RJ hit those threes. He may never have the confidence to understand all of which he can do on the court, but hitting open threes is a significant contribution to the Illini winning. The air balls have to disappear, but in his defense, a 10 foot running jumper from the baseline is a tough shot for almost any player.
5. A slow, tough start but at least we could see them trying to move in sets and moving the ball great at times...and then missing too many shots. 10 turnovers was a huge step in the right direction...but the goal is 5 or less every game...just move in that direction!
6. DD is a load on both ends and getting better every game. Not sure he can slow Edey down at all but we will see.

Now, what will Sparty try in order to gain an advantage? Take another tiny step forward in all facets, especially defense and turnovers, and they will have a tough time in Champaign. Go Illiini!!!
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Overall good take. I did like what I saw from RJ today. Rodgers is getting plenty of hype. He stepped up. What I like about RJ is he had a different look about him. An attitude that was visable. The stick back offensive rebound after he made 2 bad turnovers was definitely different. Just the look of determination when he did it. In the past, it seemed he would get tentative after making mistakes. My take is that Brad awarded him with more minutes and he responded instead of looking over his shoulder after a mistake. I like the kid. I still believe he has a bright future. Just hope its in Champaign.

ILL!
 
#147      

kyillinifan

K
kyillinifan
Harris has to work on his dribble drive. I don’t know if it nerves or just not a good shooter. He needs a shot coach. Love his def.
 
#148      

CleverHandle1

C
CleverHandle1
jumpingjack said:
That was hella fun. The offense looked snappy, even when the shots weren't falling early. Just got back from the game so I'll go read the game thread next... But Daddy Brad looked generally pretty happy with the effort and execution. RJ in particular looked happier and more confident than I've seen out of him in awhile. And the defense was generally lights out.
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Great point. Although it took a little while for the offense to get in its groove, the defense stepped up to keep Illinois in the game. And that's going to be key in the future. This and MM and CH playing within the offense.