I mean…it’s not my money that pays for Andrew, so I don’t really care what he’s making. That’s for the team to determine. He has some no show games, but he’s had some pretty big games as well, and gives us a pretty great skill set to have, even if it is flawed and isn’t always a great matchup.
Illinois 77, Minnesota 67 Postgame
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This is really the only important part for me. I’m not paying the salaries and you can’t just go adjust everyone’s pay after every single game they play based on that performance. Wagler probably deserves more money but what am I supposed to do about that?
Also, we want Tre White instead? He is no longer here because he was a bad apple last year and refused to do what Andrej is doing (concede usage and shot attempts to be on an actual good team). He now plays for an unranked Kansas team. He just played very poorly on Friday night (far worse than Andrej’s “bad game” which wasn’t a bad game in any sense, he just didn’t put up a ton of shots is all) and I’d bet his season +/- is far worse if we want to go that route.
Saying how he always turns it over and never passes, but look at the box score, he had 3 assists and zero turnovers so color me confused why that is brought up now and not after a game when he actually did the thing that’s being complained about.
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I think the twin tower line up with two shooters was a part as well. It definitely confused Minny. That was true on offense and defense. But was good to see Mihalo perform well.
agreed, guy being a -2 in one singular game is a very very poor way to determine his worth
i also think that "gee i'm glad this $ went to andrej instead of josh dix, ian jackson or dame sarr" is a perfectly valid feeling to have lol
not sure about him being a 'no show' necessarily, just the shot attempts/offense wasn't there because its harder to do what he does against a zone... the main thing i'd heard everyone yelling about lately is his assist/tov ratio and like someone else said he was 3:0 yesterday
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For the most part agreed, but one thing of note: since the UConn game, Keaton’s had 16pts or more in 9 out of 10 games. The lone game he didn’t (Southern) he would’ve had a triple double had he finished the game.
This is not me saying he’ll never have a bad game, but very rarely has it NOT been Keaton’s night.
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I think he is out there because he is learning. NCAA bb. Before yesterday, he was a turnover machine. Against Minnie he look like he valued the ball, was careful with his dribbling, played controlled instead of wild. Keep doing that on practice and games, and he’ll get more time. We all want him to be successful, for the team.
I don't know anything about White and the doghouse but it would have been an aberration had he stayed for more than the one year.
Hopefully Andrej can assimilate to team basketball. Unfortunately, while he has a knack for the hoop, it reminds me of when Ravonte Rice was here. He got his points, but the rest of the team was taken out of the game / flow. We have enough talent if we can keep everyone involved in the game. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see different high scorers every game. The talent is there.
I'm not sure Andrej is really hurting the offense, per evanmiya.com our best 3 man combo is Tomi, Keaton & Andrej
Despite some nervous moments in many of the games, this team seems to find a way to figure things out. Unlike some past good Illini teams. It may take longer than some fans think it should take, but this team usually ends up passing the test. Some previous Illini teams had only one or two options in crunch time. This team can look to almost anyone on the floor to make a play on the defensive end or take the decisive shot. The moment doesn't seem too big for most of the players who are seeing playing time.
That isn’t my argument- I’m saying we paid Andrej the going rate for a high volume scorer which is what we were looking for at the time
It turns out we don’t need him to be that- and he’s been able to transform his game to be highly efficient offensively- he’s shooting 52% from the field 6 points higher than Keaton and better than Kylan. He’s an 80% FT shooter who gets fouled a decent amount. He’s lowered his shot attempts. He’s not a ball hog that shoots a low %. He’s molding his game to what we need - what more do we want from him? He’s won us games so far and he’ll win us games again
I have no reason to beleive this, but when I saw the lineup adjustment near the end of the first half. I wondered if the coaching staff said to themselves, or even asked Petrovic, "Do you know how to beat this zone?" and he said, "Yea, and put the twins out there with me" 
Wouldn't that be cool?
Wouldn't that be cool?JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
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There was a defensive possession (I think in the second half), when both of them went up at the same time to block a shot at the rim. It was awesome.
At the buzzer in the first half
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Thanks for the correction! Yeah, I loved seeing that.
He’s also really in love with the scoop shot but he’s not very good at them.
Ryllini
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I agree and with those 3 on the floor, that is alot for other teams to account for. They can score at all 3 levels. We don't seem to run anything for AS, so I think when he is go create something mode it is a finish at the rim or a turnover in the paint. I don't think he is selfish by any means, but I do think he could be a more willing passer, but also that isn't something he has ever had to do. He was always a score as many as he could just for his team to have a chance to where we don't necessarily need that. He is our most athletic player and best finisher. I feel like he is still learning how to win, win within a team, and how his role on both ends fits to it all imo.
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
Not saying having him going wouldn’t help but what exactly are you looking for to have the offense to improve? The offense is 3rd in the nation (and 5th over the last 10 years). And that’s with Tomi not playing yet up to his top level.
Clearly the Illini offense is outstanding in it's production. No question.
Two things stood out to me from watching yesterday: First, the ball moved around the court better when Petrovic was on the floor. Yes, it was a short stretch, so maybe that was just chance. It looked, though, like Petrovic wanted to use the full width of the court and that he wanted (you could see him gesturing at his team mates) more movement and perhaps (I hope) cuts. That sort of floor generalship would be nice AT TIMES.
Second, when the Winsconsin-Rutgers game came on shortly after the Illini game, it was striking how much more velocity Wisconsin gets on their passes, how much sharper and quicker their cuts are, and how many more off the ball screens they employ. The Illini would benefit from all of those things.
Regarding off the ball screens and inbounding the ball in the backcourt: 1 or 2 screens (obviously off ball, since the ball has yet to be inbounded) would help get the ball inbounded closer to the middle of the floor and thus reduce the problem of getting trapped near baseline corners.
winning can change perspective and be addictive. isn't this the first time he's on a winning team at this level? I commend him for trying to integrate into the flow instead of going full blown hero ball am the time. always things to work on and improve but it seems like he wants to win!
Only if he continues to play better D and show more hustle. Early on his D was atrocious and he often coasted, especially when he made mistakes. I agree that he adds a new dimension when he’s right.
And that's the point. On a typical afternoon, you're not taking KB or Wagler off the court. Those are literally your two best players.
What happened yesterday was Bam got benched for his play in the first half and we needed that spark.
I do agree he could be used when one of our duo takes a breather. However, he still needs to earn the trust in a limited minutes role -- not turning the ball over, holding up defensively and on the glass. Yesterday was a step in the right direction.
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