Illinois 84, Purdue 70 POSTGAME

#151      

Dan

Admin
https://twitter.com/IlliniMBB/status/686580767070273536

CYc5kZxUEAEGTIa.jpg
 
#154      
Great shot of bench after Nunn's dunk.
 

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#159      
yeah...I still see a deficit of horses. had a great plan and a dearth of execution .... maybe they watched a movie like Hoosiers last night. They got pieces....just not enough of them. Motivation, impeccable planning and good execution will get you only so far.

this...great game, limited turnovers, shot 50+% from field and from three, our free throw difference was score difference. We do those things and we can win and we will look very good, but we won't be this good every game & if we played Purdue 5 times this year they easily could beat us the next 4...but hopefully we start playing more like this & less like we did against MSU. We just need to keep improving and be closer to this good on a consistent basis.
 
#160      
Key to the win was the very strong start of the second half. Total opposite of many games this season.
 
#162      
Yes it is, and notice the ratio of guys wearing uni's to guys who are not.

We have not had a loss this year with both Nunn and Thorne available for a full 40 minutes of a game.

I am not saying that we wouldn't have lost some of those games, just that we have not had our full lineup in any of our losses this year. I am not counting Abrams since he was hurt before the season started.
 
#163      
I was a little thrown off about the slow start/misconception about DJW readiness to contribute this season. I don't expect him to consistently play at a high level for some time, nor do I expect him to fill a stat sheet anytime soon. but the more I watch him, the more I'm getting my hopes up about his potential. He has the highest ceiling I've ever seen from a freshman at Illinois in my time as a fan.
 
#164      
We have not had a loss this year with both Nunn and Thorne available for a full 40 minutes of a game.

Exactly. Interesting to think about where we would be if at least two of those guys were just resting on the bench, instead of residing on it.
 
#165      
Exactly. Interesting to think about where we would be if at least two of those guys were just resting on the bench, instead of residing on it.

If Thorne comes back soon which it sounds like is possible then the season takes an interesting turn with the way the schedule sets up.
 
#166      
I was a little thrown off about the slow start/misconception about DJW readiness to contribute this season. I don't expect him to consistently play at a high level for some time, nor do I expect him to fill a stat sheet anytime soon. but the more I watch him, the more I'm getting my hopes up about his potential. He has the highest ceiling I've ever seen from a freshman at Illinois in my time as a fan.

Why do you say that? What makes his ceiling so high? He is not an elite athlete, shooter, ball-handler, passer, or rebounder. He does nothing elite, so I am not sure why someone who does nothing at an elite level should be considered to have the highest ceiling ever as a freshman at Illinois.

He does most of those things that I listed well for a player who is 6'7. And that is good to be so well rounded at his size, but not sure his ceiling is super high.
 
#167      

KrushCow31

Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
That was a fun game to watch. It's nice to see everyone clicking and to be the team draining 3s and the other team struggling to make them for once. We won't shoot 52% every night though. I'm also happy to see us take advantage of all the light fouls, shooting 17 more free throws than Purdue, which was the game changer. My biggest criticism of the game would have to be the press break though. I mean holy cow, could you get trapped in the corner more times in a row? I think we turned it over 3x in a row. We're lucky we were up by a ton and it didn't impact the game, but in a close situation that could have cost us big. I'm sure it's good experience to face a press for 4 minutes though.
 
#168      
[YOUTUBE]Mg6pOa5N7qU[/YOUTUBE]

Thanks Dan. This was pretty entertaining. Especially liked the announcers' "Nunn .... oooh" on the 4 point play, and their reaction following his dunk, followed by "Kendrick Nunn!". Also the "and one" on MH's play. Though I don't sprechen ze Mandarin, I would happily listen to these guys all day every day rather than suffer through another minute of Jim Calhoun.
 
#169      
So great to see small ball starting to work for this team. Would be great for the team to build on this.

Amazing how different this season would look right now if we finished against Providence and OSU.
 
#170      
He does most of those things that I listed well for a player who is 6'7. And that is good to be so well rounded at his size, but not sure his ceiling is super high.

One could argue that doing all those things well for being just a young freshman does indeed make his ceiling super high. If he did a couple well and didn't do a couple well, then he would have an average ceiling and if he only did one thing well his ceiling would be low.

DJ is really starting to come on and really it is hard for anyone to say where his ceiling is going to be IMO.
 
#171      
Why do you say that? What makes his ceiling so high? He is not an elite athlete, shooter, ball-handler, passer, or rebounder. He does nothing elite, so I am not sure why someone who does nothing at an elite level should be considered to have the highest ceiling ever as a freshman at Illinois.

He does most of those things that I listed well for a player who is 6'7. And that is good to be so well rounded at his size, but not sure his ceiling is super high.


I stick by this with the exception of meyers leonard, who might be my least favorite Illini ever for those tears at nebraska. First off, he might not be "elite" in any of the categories you mentioned but few freshman ever are, and with all things considered I'd say his potential is "elite". Williams is an excellent athlete. Idk why you don't realize he is... He's not the explosive type, but he's a smooth athlete with bounce and at his size I'll take it. His handles are better than you might think. After he grows up a little bit, he could play 4 different positions, i could see him being a nasty point forward and an absolute mismatch on the floor, a serious problem for opposing teams in transition, and he can be made into a excellent defender and a fine rebounder with that length and adjustment to the system. He can be used to have a big/small lineup. There are so many different ways he can be used.

DJ took Deyonta Davis( A bigger 6'10" mcdonalds AA) to school off the dribble and finished beautifully at the rim and followed that up with a steal on the other end of the floor. It's things like that which open my eyes. Maybe it's just me though. Idk. I think he's exciting
 
#172      
One could argue that doing all those things well for being just a young freshman does indeed make his ceiling super high. If he did a couple well and didn't do a couple well, then he would have an average ceiling and if he only did one thing well his ceiling would be low.

DJ is really starting to come on and really it is hard for anyone to say where his ceiling is going to be IMO.

Was gonna post the exact same things. Great post. :)
 
#173      
I was a little thrown off about the slow start/misconception about DJW readiness to contribute this season. I don't expect him to consistently play at a high level for some time, nor do I expect him to fill a stat sheet anytime soon. but the more I watch him, the more I'm getting my hopes up about his potential. He has the highest ceiling I've ever seen from a freshman at Illinois in my time as a fan.

Looks to me like he's starting to fill out a bit too. Weight room is doing good things for him
 
#174      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
Hahahahaha...Mandarin for "and one" is....."and one"....who knew?
:p
 
#175      
Motivate him to play a Rodman style role (focus on aggressive defense and go after any and every rebound opp) for this years team.....he definitley looks like he's got the ability to do it. Good foot speed, good hopps. Much needed down low. I'm with you.... I like DJ's potential.