Illinois 87, Eastern Illinois 57 Postgame

#101      

RockfordIllini

R
RockfordIllini
Overall was really impressed with the win. Think Underwood hit the nail on the head in his presser that the team is figuring out how to play with pace without being sped up/forcing things. Biggest takeaway for me was in the jump from D2 to D1 competition, our length and athleticism was still quite overwhelming. And I don’t think EIU is a bad or unathletic team. Think they will win some games this year. We will of course face better athletes but the fact we could overwhelm EIU at this stage bodes well.

I thought Mayer looked better offensively. Was in the right position but just smoked a few layups. Those will start to go down. Unfortunately I think he needs to pick it up quite a bit defensively. That’s supposed to be a strength of his but I think he’s been one of our weaker defenders so far, particularly on ball.

Lots of bright spots but to me the biggest one was Sencire. He looks like a solid rotation player at a minimum and that would be a huge bonus for our depth. He may even slide past Epps in the rotation as I think he’s better defensively, at least right now.

A lot of missed shots and other execution errors on offense and a few missed switches on D, but nothing too alarming for the first game. Think we will continue to fine tune things and will really be a handful come conference play and March.
 
#105      

blackdog

blackdog
Champaign
blackdog
TCTORNADO said:
In fairness to Mayer he's been injured. Has had back problems since he arrived in July.
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Brad was still visibly upset on the sideline on a couple of his defensive plays including one where he got too aggressive going for a steal allowing his guy to spin for an easy drive.
 
#106      

Illwinsagain

Illwinsagain
Cary, IL
Illwinsagain
I only watched the first half, will watch the second tonight. I was concerned with the passing. It seemed deliberate and telegraphed. I fear going against a longer, more athletic team that there will be a lot of easy breakaways. I hope it is just getting to know each other.
 
#108      

GoodePodzMelendez

G
GoodePodzMelendez
jrichisamazing said:
I'm not worried about RJ. Once he sees a couple go in he will be fine.

Mayer is a little concerning. He had some health setbacks off and on at Baylor. Hopefully it's not a scenario where he just never gets comfortable and can't find any consistency. We really need his shooting, especially with Goode out.
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Mayer is not comfortable at all. I cannot put a finger on it but he just seems out of sorts. But about the game, we missed a ton of bunnies. Missed a lot of FTs and we are seeing how much we are missing Luke. His leadership on the floor. We are still learning on the fly but by January, we should be dialed in.
 
#109      

hoopsfan47

H
hoopsfan47
Monticello said:
This is completely irrelevant and may already have been covered. When we play Purdue, Edey will be guarding Hawkins, right? Which means he'll be about 23 feet from the hoop (which is close to where CoHawk hit his first one). And that means TSJ has 14 slamma-jammas against Purdue.

Also, Mayer hit his first bucket on a backcut. I do not remember the last time the Illini scored a layup on a backcut.

Lots of things to clean up...but the glimpses of awesomeness were, well, awesome.
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Not very likely you will ever see Edey 23 ft. from the basket. There are a plethora of ways to do that.
 
#110      

chiefini

chiefini
Rockford, Illinois
chiefini
Poe's Law said:
Probably wrong spot to ask but did we recruit TSJ out of high school. Wondering how he ended up at Tech
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Yes. We attended a huge open scrimmage held in Ubben before an Illini football game when recruits TSJ, Oscar Schweibwe, and EJ Liddell came. It was packed wall to wall with Illini fans. At the time, our crew thought TSJ was clearly the least talented of the three. Not sure why he ended up at Tech.
 
#111      

JFGsCoffeeMug

JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
JFGsCoffeeMug
Rich said:
Dain looked Dainjarous
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Lets Get Dainjarous.gif
 
#112      

aaeismacgychel

A
aaeismacgychel
TCTORNADO said:
In fairness to Mayer he's been injured. Has had back problems since he arrived in July.
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That makes a lot of sense. He's playing like he's dealing with back tightness and worried about spasms. Not sure if any insiders know, but how longterm is the issue looking at this point? As anyone who has ever experienced them knows, back and neck issues linger and can be pretty debilitating to your normal activity level. Sorry he's going through that, but it explains a lot based on his play- everything falling well short on offense, and playing tentative on defense.
 
#113      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
RockfordIllini said:
Think Underwood hit the nail on the head in his presser that the team is figuring out how to play with pace without being sped up/forcing things.
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Exactly. Everything we were doing felt rushed.

We have more of a collection of players than a basketball team at this point, I think it would be fair to say. Vegas might be too much too soon, we'll see.
 
#114      

PIT_ILL

P
PIT_ILL
ChiefGritty said:
Exactly. Everything we were doing felt rushed.

We have more of a collection of players than a basketball team at this point, I think it would be fair to say. Vegas might be too much too soon, we'll see.
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Yea they are way too loose with the ball. I think Brad assessed it right in that the pace and defensive pressure is making them rush when it isn't there.

I do worry about this team in the slog of the conference season when everyone seems to try to slow down. Not sure what this team has in a traditional half court game. If Hawkins can hit threes even close to what he did last night it will help immensely. Edey struggles a lot to come out to guard. Dickenson made him look bad last year doing that.

Moderate levels of concern with RJ, Mayer, and Skky from last night. None looked particularly good.
Pleasantly surprised by Harris. He looks like he is going to play more than projected if for no other reason than I don't know who else will keep a defense honest to the 3pt line. 3pt shooting is going to dictate the ceiling for this team.
Dain had a very quiet strong game. Before looking at the box score I would have said he did ok but the line was great imo.

And I am starting to think Underwood is not stressing the importance of FT shooting, which would be a mistake with a team that should get to the line a ton. Maybe the perception is skewed because of Kofi but I don't think they have been very good at the line during Underwood's tenure. You cannot miss as many FTs as this team did last night. They will lose a game because of it.
 
#116      

jjv0004

J
Greenville, SC
jjv0004
Mayer is going to have to be way better if this team is going very far this year. They need 3 point shooting. He and Goode should provide it on top of whatever they get from Melendez, Hawkins and Epps from 3.

Little concerning that the point guard only has 1 assist but it was his 1st college game so who knows. Free throw shooting brutal and that will come back to bite them against good teams.

I think UCLA probably beats this team by at least 10 due to their returning production and all the new guys on the Illini. I do think this team will be pretty good come January/February but it will take some time to get there.
 
#117      

Bbuck21

B
Bbuck21
When I saw what appeared to be rushed, I thought is was BU just letting them play. I think guys like RJ and MM were standing around some times not sure what was going to happen next with their teammates. I prefer this approach early in the season, even against stronger opponents. Let the players try to figure out within the system they are being taught. TSJ was clearly a man against the EIU boys. This team is going to be something. When Goode returns, they will be 10 deep.

I gladly sent time trying to catch my wife up with this team. Even though she is a fan, she certainly doesn't follow recruiting, transferring, nor understand team make-up. Not only did I explain who the new team was, I explained the differences between the teams that she has known best (including the last few). Last year we had small guards, reasonable wings, and Kofi. 2005 we always had 3 pure guards on the floor at all times. Just then I noticed for a brief time we had not a single player, normally considered a guard, on the floor. It was Dainja, Hawkins, TSJ, Rodgers, and either RJ or MM (I don't remember which). I said look at this "BU has 5 non-guards on the floor at the same time" (I understand that those terms don't easily apply anymore). I told her, "this team will the closest we have ever seen to 1989." Later I pointed out that there were 3 "guards" on the floor (all freshmen).

BTW, now that I have seen Sincere Harris, I am glad he chose #1. That would be a great tradition to have for somebody deserving of shut-down defensive guard. It is no surprise he contributed to 2 state titles. He absolutely plays to win (and not lose). He may have better offensive talent than Trent.
 
#118      

thehass

T
thehass
illinitiger said:
Nice start overall... a little concerned on 18/33 freethrows (55%).
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Our energy and athleticism are great. Missed a lot of point blank shots and had some careless turnovers but overall am super excited about the team. Thought EIU gave a good account of themselves and should have some success this year.
 
#119      

Emerson Bigguns

Emerson Bigguns
Emerson Bigguns
I'm going to reserve judgement on Mayer. He had a lot working against him last night. New coaches, teammates, arena. (like pretty much everyone else) He had the additional hurdles of being the last guy on campus for practice, while subsequently dealing with a back issue, and the high expectations of the local and national media. He has a lot of good basketball on tape and plenty of big game experience. I think that guy will show up sooner or later. Last night just wasn't his night. He missed a few bunnies, and it seemed like it got in his head a bit. He's been too good for too long for me to think he won't be a significant asset.

Shannon was dynamic. Let's enjoy this season with him. He won't be here long. Such a well-rounded player.

Skyy and Epps were solid. Perhaps a bit passive, but freshmen are going to be freshmen. They didn't try to force things, which is when young players really test your patience.

I've often been a Hawkins critic, but his game looked much more mature last night. Confident, decisive, aggressive. All the pre-season hype looked justified. I hope he keeps that swagger when the competition gets stiffer.

Rodgers is as advertised. He's a tough kid that does the little things. Gonna be a fan favorite.

I was optimistic about Dain coming into the season. He did not disappoint. He's got some more work to do on the defensive end, but he is a legitimate threat on offense. I made a weird audible noise when he made that drive from the high post... I didn't see it coming, and it was so smooth...

RJ had a tough night. Better days are ahead for him too.

Harris... I really thought he would be a year away from contributing, but... wow! All the ingredients are there. Kind of an unorthodox looking shot, but we've had some success with guys like that in recent years. Super aggressive defensively. I wouldn't be surprised to see him struggle to stay on the floor early this season. Plays a bit more with his hands defensively than I would like... but... What an athlete! He's got some stuff you can't teach. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a lottery pick by the end of next year if he tightens up his handle and shows consistency shooting. He pops off the TV screen. Lot of guys can jump. He can elevate.

Kind of a bumpy performance all around, especially early. It's not surprising considering all the new faces, and entirely new approach. The good news is that the depth we all imagined seems to be real. BU & co are going to have some tough decisions, & likely hurt feelings when the rotations tighten up, but when he looks down the bench for a spark, he's going to have a lot of options.

This should be fun.
 
#120      

Ga65

G
Ga65
Certainly have no better feel for the rotations now than I had before seeing them. Really think they will go nine deep and minutes decided by matchups and who is hot that night. Harris may not be a shooter but he is a scorer and Epps hasn’t gotten comfortable enough to show his shooting ability. Hoping Mayer is just trying to figure where he fits as wasn’t here in the summer. Right now it looks like Ty at the point during crunch time.
 
#121      

IlliniShelt

I
IlliniShelt
PIT_ILL said:
Yea they are way too loose with the ball. I think Brad assessed it right in that the pace and defensive pressure is making them rush when it isn't there.

I do worry about this team in the slog of the conference season when everyone seems to try to slow down. Not sure what this team has in a traditional half court game. If Hawkins can hit threes even close to what he did last night it will help immensely. Edey struggles a lot to come out to guard. Dickenson made him look bad last year doing that.

Moderate levels of concern with RJ, Mayer, and Skky from last night. None looked particularly good.
Pleasantly surprised by Harris. He looks like he is going to play more than projected if for no other reason than I don't know who else will keep a defense honest to the 3pt line. 3pt shooting is going to dictate the ceiling for this team.
Dain had a very quiet strong game. Before looking at the box score I would have said he did ok but the line was great imo.

And I am starting to think Underwood is not stressing the importance of FT shooting, which would be a mistake with a team that should get to the line a ton. Maybe the perception is skewed because of Kofi but I don't think they have been very good at the line during Underwood's tenure. You cannot miss as many FTs as this team did last night. They will lose a game because of it.
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The free throw shooting is concerning but I doubt that underwood isn't stressing it. You're right though, it could cost us a game if it doesn't improve but I'm sure Underwood is stressing free throws this week and throughout the season.
 
#122      

ptgrd23

ptgrd23
ptgrd23
Brad has to make it clear - if you can't hit your free throws you don't play.

Some awful form that needs to be cleaned up.

Kofi was hackashaqed and still did much better than our freshman
1667936267481.png
 
#125      

WyattEarp

WyattEarp
WyattEarp
IlliniKat91 said:
He's got a weird back spin on the ball that makes the shot drift to the right. It looked to me that it was making it bounce oddly off the iron
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I think you’re right.I looked at a couple of his highlight reels…(sadly I was only able to listen to the radio against EIU) :(

It looks to me like he has a tendency to sometimes wrap his left, off-hand/guide-hand around the backside of the ball; rather than having the off-hand more to the side of the ball. (In other words, this grip makes
it harder to get the off-hand the heck out the way of his shooting hand.)


Also, if he is momentarily late getting that off-hand, off of the ball it can push right. It can also, slightly drag through the ball in the opposite direction; creating a simultaneous downward spin that runs counter to the desirable backspin of the shooting hand. But that’s just me pretending to be a shot-doctor. Lol

The examples I was looking at were in his jumpshot. I’m curious to actually SEE a game to watch his free-throw mechanics…but I digress.

I think overall he has an average to fairly good command of his shot. I don’t think he
does it all the time…but occasionally it looks like it crops up.