Illinois 78, Nicholls State 70 OT POSTGAME

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#126      
RockfordIllini
It’s strange to call the first game a trap game, but was it? On the eve of a big road trip, we play an opponent who plays unconventional defense that throws us off our rhythm.

Maybe I’m just grasping at straws. Hope they play better this weekend!
 
#127      
doowink
Was driving by on Kirby around 8:30 last night....smelled a really foul oder....assumed it was the cattle barns....got home and turn on news and saw the score of the game.....my apologies to the ag dept for assuming
 
#129      
IlliniFandom
Well, Grand Canyon also lost their first game to a division 2 team. So they are at a worse place than us...take solace that we're not them right now.

That said, last night's game was a little uncomfortable. Even up 18, we just never felt like we had clicked or that things were going smoothly. It's surprising given the amount of time the team has had together that we're still not in a decent flow or that line-ups are so fluid. I think BU is subbing the players too much. I saw GB get pulled just as he was getting into rhythm. Bodies in and out...in and out....never really getting good cohesion. I think BU was trying to solve the sins of the last game of keeping KC in too long, but I think it was to the detriment of the flow of the game.

Also, lots of close shots that were missed. Shots that frazier or GB or KC should automatically make were missed. Probably a little bit of energy, but something that can be fixed. Free throws were terrible. Team needs to spend time before and after practice on FT.

Just in general, sloppy play...I just hope it doesn't take until past midway into the season to rectify. After seeing last night's performance, it's not an overnight fix....so hold onto your hats, it's going to be a bumpy takeoff!
 
#131      
drsmitty74
Could say a lot of things about last night, but most has already said.

Although, one player I don't remember seeing in the previous posts..........I was REALLY disappointed in the play(albeit limited minutes)of BVV. I know he is still recovering from whatever leg/foot injury he had, but geez. I know some of you posted about him in the Lewis game, but I didn't see that one. I watched last night. He LOOKS like he should be a baller. What I saw last night was anything but. I think my 10 year old could have stolen the ball from him at the top of the key.

ok, I'm done complaining. we won.
 
#133      
illinibballfan
drsmitty74 said:
Could say a lot of things about last night, but most has already said.

Although, one player I don't remember seeing in the previous posts..........I was REALLY disappointed in the play(albeit limited minutes)of BVV. I know he is still recovering from whatever leg/foot injury he had, but geez. I know some of you posted about him in the Lewis game, but I didn't see that one. I watched last night. He LOOKS like he should be a baller. What I saw last night was anything but. I think my 10 year old could have stolen the ball from him at the top of the key.

ok, I'm done complaining. we won.
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Meh, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt pretty much the whole year. Could be special, but just know with some overseas players, it takes some time to transition. If he does something this year, I’ll be very happy, if not, I’m not going to get too upset.
 
#134      
ugottabjoshinme
Illinisteve25 said:
Its one game and we won.... Nothing else to say.
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Pretty much this. Bad wins just look like wins on the end of the year resume. Yeah, it got uncomfortably close but there is a lot of over reaction here. I have the same expectations for this team going forward that I had 2 weeks ago. I'm sure coach can find plenty of coachable moments from this one and hope they get better.
 
#136      
BlueLeader
First game of the season. Took a shower and washed it off. This is why I don't by BTN+, I wait until the team is ready to impress me on cable.
 
#139      
ILL in IA
I wasn't able to watch the game but heard most of it on the radio. But we were up 20 and seem to be in control. Is the issue that the team let off the gas, or were outmatched and schemed? It sounded more like we thought we could coast and got caught. It doesn't make it ok, but maybe a lesson learned early in the year.
 
#143      
PlayAZ
Watched most of the first half, none of the 2nd with flying from East Coast....Feliz looked to be aggressor, Kofi looked about as good as I thought against inferior size/talent inside, Griffin was a force on the boards, very aggressive...that will pay off later. Obvious issues in 2nd half, again didn't get to see it so a win is a win....
 
#144      
Joel Goodson
Staying off this thread, but Feliz Navidad! (Christmas comes early). Thank goodness for Dre!
 
#145      
ttelbonk
dbeverly26 said:
They gave up 0.89 points per possession. Maybe you want to do better against Nicholls State, but the offense was a good sight worse than the defense tonight.
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I was at the game and I agree. In the first half I thought our defense was fine but the offense looked out of sync. The run by NS looked like lack of effort on the defensive end. I am more concerned about the offense but if Trent goes 4 of 9 and not 0 this is a different game. And he will most of the time.
 
#146      
SampsonRelpenk
FiveStar said:
Defensively, now that we’ve toned down the aggression schematically, I almost felt like it impacted our mentality. There’s an attitude piece to denying like crazy, even if you give up a layup. We didn’t appear to have that same intensity on defense, and I honestly felt like it slowed down our offense too. We have to figure out how to channel that aggression into the softer denial defense that we seem to be playing. For those of you yearning for it, this is the defense BU played after that 0-6 start at ok state, with maybe a little more zone.
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It sure seemed like the narrative in the fanbase and media was that this would be the first season Underwood would have the personnel to run the defense we saw the last two years effectively. Now we're running something else? Is that due to our massive new center's presence? Something else?

Sidenote: are you prepared to be the basketball version of @Twangers? ;)
 
#147      
Illiniguy13
Listening to the post game presser, Underwood noted Alan Griffin's performance and immediately admitted he should have played him more. I'm not writing off Kipper yet, but I think Underwood recognizes it's (finally) time to give more of those minutes to #0.
 
#148      
Efrem Winters fan
FiveStar said:
Defensively, now that we’ve toned down the aggression schematically, I almost felt like it impacted our mentality.
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I agree with this. As much as we had to play a very aggressive defensive style last year to force turnovers I thought there was a side benefit to our overall mental approach to the game and scrappiness. We were not diving for loose balls last night and were a bit TOO standoffish allowing guys like McClanahan too much space to operate. Our offense definitely suffered with Trent not being able to hit anything and Giorgi missing some bunnies (although he did make both of his three attempts). The glaring ugly stat was 23 turnovers - that will keep many lesser teams in the game even if you soundly beat them on the boards. When I watched the player interviews I literally thought Ayo was wearing a "Farting Illini" t-shirt. Maybe this is because of the bad font and my even worse eyesight but they did stink for a long stretch in the second half! Having said that they did find a way to win and that's what counts. They are still figuring things out and how to play together especially given Giorgi has a different role on the team. I'm not going to panic based on one game but they won't be able to get away with the sloppy play against Arizona, that's for sure!
 
#149      
sully
Glad we won but that was way too close for comfort.
 
#150      
tts22
First game. Low Expectations for your opponent. Players have read too many articles/tweets by Andy Katz and other so-called experts. Great wake-up call for the players. You will see a much different team in the desert this weekend.

My only comment - Feliz is a BULLDOG. Love watching him play!
 
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