Tip of my cap to the Gophers who played a smart, gritty game until the Illini depth exacted the toll in the end.
Also a tip of my cap to the Illini for being resilient, determined, and focused throughout. This was not a highlight game for Illinois as shots were not falling...but our players were. And yet, in the clutch, they hit shots and FTs while the Gophers, who could have won the game by getting hot with the game on the line, went ice cold and watched the Orange and Blue guys celebrate.
Overall, a good win over a rising Gopher program, but mostly a good win when not hitting shots in the first half.
However, one critique that has been so easy to see in the BU era. Against the zone, a 2-3 or 2-1-2, the first pass from the point has to go to the high post at the FT line, or to the high post after a quick pass to the wing in order to get him open. If that is not the sole purpose of the zone offense, then you are simply burning clock. Passing around the perimeter against a zone without making the interior players sag to guard the high post is a recipe for failure. We do that about 40% of the time and it should be done 100% of the time until it is totally denied. Why? If that post man can hit a jumper from the FT line, it makes someone cover him, and if you notice, generally a guard will sag to help whichever frontcourt defender tries to cover him, leaving at least one or maybe two perimeter shooters wide open. or the baseline runner if he is moving which is his job. Fast ball movement this way leaves open shots everywhere, and we have 8 or 9 guys that can knock down shots.
