Illinois 86, Rutgers 51 Postgame

#101      
additional fun fact, according to ESPN Edgar Padilla is still on the team and apparently had a growth spurt
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i learn so much from the interwebs
 
#108      
fun fact.....Kofi already has more assists this year (7 in 5 games played- chart not updated with tonight's info) than last year's total across 31 games.
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This is true I’m sure. But it sure helps when you have a lot of great three point shooters that are more than willing to take the shot around you.
I know I would trust passing back out to Plummer every time. :)
 
#110      

WINT

Kewanee, IL
I agree. And I really don’t think Hawk is that great an on-ball defender. He gets his share of steals and blocks, but seems to me more in help situations. I think having full-time responsibility for the center would decrease the number of opportunities to do what he does best on D.
Looked decent tonight.
 
#111      

sacraig

The desert
I don't know. Curbelo would certainly have more assists than that when playing well. Rebounds and steals, maybe. And likely more points. I think all of those stats would be either in Curbelo's advantage or a wash. The question will be all the other immeasurable things that Williams does well. I don't think it's unreasonable that Williams would get shifted to 6th man, but probably just as reasonably that Curbelo spends his first few games back as 6th man.

Either way, this is a good problem to have.
 
#113      
Looked decent tonight.
Looked very good. I think I have the magic touch. I say Hawk not that great of a on-ball defender and he comes up big against Harper. Earlier in year I said I didn’t think Kofi had passing out of the post in his arsenal, and next game is when he started passing out of double-teams with more frequency.

In my defense on Hawk, I think BU in his postgame presser talked a bit about how he had to keep pushing Hawk to get him to dig in his heels on D. But if the Rutgers game is any indication, he’s taken a big step in regards to his D.
 
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#114      

Tacomallini

Washington State
really wish RJ would've seen that setup pass from Podz in the last couple seconds...closing out the game with that dunk would've been the cherry on top...great game for the Illini
 
#115      

JFGsCoffeeMug

BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
really wish RJ would've seen that setup pass from Podz in the last couple seconds...closing out the game with that dunk would've been the cherry on top...great game for the Illini
Would have been so great. Couldn't do anything but chuckle though. Freshmen going to freshmen. On the plus side, any chemistry they can build this year is only going to benefit us next year (assuming they both stick around).
 
#116      
I am so proud of Kofi. He has obviously worked his tail off since last season. He has also listened to all the people that have worked with him and applied all that they were willing to teach him. He has improved in so many ways, and we got to see his new skills in tonight's game. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have outside shooters. I don't remember another time when the Illini had that many great shooters. What a luxury!

Great ball movement was a big part of our success tonight. It makes a huge difference. Unfortunately, we did not have that kind of movement with AC at the point. The ball was always in his hands only. If he couldn't get it to Kofi, he would take a shot himself. I would like to see him be our 6th man like he was last year. He thrived in that position. Once we see him sharing the ball and controlling turnovers, we can have the option of bringing him back to a starting position. But I would have trouble figuring out who in tonight's starting five would be replaced. They all earned their position in the game tonight.
 
#117      

Tacomallini

Washington State
Would have been so great. Couldn't do anything but chuckle though. Freshmen going to freshmen. On the plus side, any chemistry they can build this year is only going to benefit us next year (assuming they both stick around).
Man I hope they stick around. Saw the lineup we already have, on paper anyway, for 2024-25 season - eight dudes already on there. Love to see Podz, RJ, and Goode as seniors on that team.
 
#118      

The Galloping Ghost

Washington, DC
Over the summer, I predicted Alfonso Plummer would be the 6th man of the year in the B1G. Apparently, I'm a fool because it's gonna be real hard for him to win that award if he's starting. I probably had the highest expectations for him on here and damn if he hasn't exceeded them. Scoring talent is an absolute hell of a thing. Starting or off the bench, he's a huge addition to the team.
 
#119      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Over the summer, I predicted Alfonso Plummer would be the 6th man of the year in the B1G. Apparently, I'm a fool because it's gonna be real hard for him to win that award if he's starting. I probably had the highest expectations for him on here and damn if he hasn't exceeded them. Scoring talent is an absolute hell of a thing. Starting or off the bench, he's a huge addition to the team.
agreed brother...............i really hope BU keeps him in the starting 5 and brings Belo off the bench when Belo is cleared to return.......

it's working right now as last night was , without any doubt , our best game of the year and why change anything............Belo is a helluva talent and i would like to see him ease back in to the court instead of him thinking he has to do it all....He was the 6th man of the year in the B1G last year so we know he can flourish in that role initially....

JMHO's
 
#122      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois guards Jacob Grandison and Alfonso Plummer found their spots on the State Farm Center floor, draining shot after shot while combining for 25 first-half points.
For Rutgers, no spot on the court was safe from the Illini’s swarming defense.
Illinois limited the Scarlet Knights to 29 percent first-half shooting and rocketed to a 20-point halftime lead that only grew larger after the break as the Illini manhandled Rutgers 86-51 on Friday in the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams before a crowd of 14,501.

That weighty Illini footprint led to 31 percent Rutgers shooting overall and just 27 percent inside the 3-point arc. Underwood was particularly pleased with the defense of Coleman Hawkins on leading Knights’ scorer Ron Harper Jr.
“I told him Ron goes to bed every night envisioning Coleman Hawkins in a pink tutu. Last year he had his way with him. He had him on skates,” the Illini coach said. “I think Coleman is an elite defender. He took on the challenge of one of the best players in the league. He made it difficult for him, and that really set the tone.”

Illinois 86, Rutgers 51

RUTGERS (4-4)
Omoruyi 4-9 0-0 8, Jones 4-14 0-0 10, McConnell 2-7 0-0 5, Mulcahy 2-11 0-0 4, Harper 1-9 2-2 5, Gonzales-Agee 2-5 0-1 4, Mag 3-5 0-0 8, Miller 1-3 0-0 2, Palmquist 1-3 0-0 3, Hyatt 0-1 0-0 0, Reiber 1-1 0-1 2. Totals 21-68 2-4 51.

ILLINOIS (6-2)
Hawkins 4-8 0-0 9, Cockburn 4-8 5-6 13, Frazier 2-10 0-0 6, Plummer 8-15 5-5 24, Williams 2-6 0-0 6, Grandison 7-11 0-0 16, Payne 0-0 0-0 0, Goode 2-4 0-0 6, Melendez 2-2 0-0 4, Bosmans-Verdonk 1-1 0-0 2, Hutcherson 0-0 0-0 0, Podziemski 0-1 0-0 0, Lieb 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-66 10-11 86.
 
#123      
The Rutgers team and players have regressed over the last two years. Physically Illinois seemed more imposing, possibly we are an older team. But I wonder if our weight training program is better.
 
#125      

Dbell1981

Decatur, IL

I don't hate it, but man sometimes it feels like they're laying it on a little thick (to me).
I like it. The players do it willingly it seems and I like the fact that Coleman Hawkins is in there. A younger player that will bring this same leadership back to the team next year. Not sure if he was in that pose from last year but its an example of setting the culture. How cool would it be if other teams started hi jacking this? We could then say, "it all started right here." Man i love this team and coach!
🔊 I-L-L