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Illinois 88, Missouri 63 Postgame
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<blockquote data-quote="RockfordIllini" data-source="post: 1690230" data-attributes="member: 8716"><p>So glad we played our game and didn’t play down to our competition, as it felt like we did the previous 3 years. Obviously Kofi Trent Plummer and Grandi were terrific. Here are my other takeaways for how the rest of the team is progressing:</p><p></p><p>1. Coleman- thought this was his best game in a while. Played more under control, with more confidence and was more active on the boards. He is certainly capable of more but will take 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 minutes every night. A couple more silly touch fouls and 2 turnovers is probably still too many given his usage but definitely trending in the right direction. If I were on the staff, my biggest takeaway for him on d would be to quit slapping, and on o when he drives just go up with it rather than trying to pass. Even if he misses on his drive, he’s pulled the defense over and 80%+ chance Kofi gets the rebound and cleans it up easily. Probably the higher percentage play than trying to thread the needle through all of that traffic.</p><p></p><p>2. Frosh are coming along nicely. I love Melendez’ feel and Podz is playing with so much confidence. I loved his rebound and putback even more than his 3. And Goode was solid as always. If those 3 continue to progress and can contribute in conference play would be huge. All 3 are 6’6 or better and really give us some size on the wing that we are currently lacking.</p><p></p><p>3. Verdonk- thought he bodied up Brown really well and I think he’s the best Kofi feeder on the team. Not an offensive threat but contributing more than I thought as a physical 4. A nice piece we have been missing.</p><p></p><p>4. Payne- obviously still struggling. I feel for him as I think he had his best energy tonight although it didn’t show up on the score sheet. Didn’t get a rebound but was really active on the glass and kept several balls alive. On offense, of course he needs to be stronger with the ball but also feel like he was really unlucky tonight. He was stripped/blocked probably 3-4 times and that felt like maybe the 3-4 best defensive plays Mizzou made all night. Sort of reminded me of a slumping hitter who goes 0-4 but with 3 hard line-outs. I get that he didn’t have it tonight but wish Brad would have given him some more tick. He’s not going to figure it out on the bench. I just hope he doesn’t lose his confidence and continues to bring the energy he brought tonight. If he does he will break through eventually. There are going to be games where we will need him and I hope he can get to a point he can provide us a burst like Giorgi against OSU in the BIG championship. </p><p></p><p>Glad we have one more tune up game. Defense still needs to get better but if it continues to improve and we get Belo back I still maintain we have as high a ceiling as anyone in the country.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RockfordIllini, post: 1690230, member: 8716"] So glad we played our game and didn’t play down to our competition, as it felt like we did the previous 3 years. Obviously Kofi Trent Plummer and Grandi were terrific. Here are my other takeaways for how the rest of the team is progressing: 1. Coleman- thought this was his best game in a while. Played more under control, with more confidence and was more active on the boards. He is certainly capable of more but will take 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 18 minutes every night. A couple more silly touch fouls and 2 turnovers is probably still too many given his usage but definitely trending in the right direction. If I were on the staff, my biggest takeaway for him on d would be to quit slapping, and on o when he drives just go up with it rather than trying to pass. Even if he misses on his drive, he’s pulled the defense over and 80%+ chance Kofi gets the rebound and cleans it up easily. Probably the higher percentage play than trying to thread the needle through all of that traffic. 2. Frosh are coming along nicely. I love Melendez’ feel and Podz is playing with so much confidence. I loved his rebound and putback even more than his 3. And Goode was solid as always. If those 3 continue to progress and can contribute in conference play would be huge. All 3 are 6’6 or better and really give us some size on the wing that we are currently lacking. 3. Verdonk- thought he bodied up Brown really well and I think he’s the best Kofi feeder on the team. Not an offensive threat but contributing more than I thought as a physical 4. A nice piece we have been missing. 4. Payne- obviously still struggling. I feel for him as I think he had his best energy tonight although it didn’t show up on the score sheet. Didn’t get a rebound but was really active on the glass and kept several balls alive. On offense, of course he needs to be stronger with the ball but also feel like he was really unlucky tonight. He was stripped/blocked probably 3-4 times and that felt like maybe the 3-4 best defensive plays Mizzou made all night. Sort of reminded me of a slumping hitter who goes 0-4 but with 3 hard line-outs. I get that he didn’t have it tonight but wish Brad would have given him some more tick. He’s not going to figure it out on the bench. I just hope he doesn’t lose his confidence and continues to bring the energy he brought tonight. If he does he will break through eventually. There are going to be games where we will need him and I hope he can get to a point he can provide us a burst like Giorgi against OSU in the BIG championship. Glad we have one more tune up game. Defense still needs to get better but if it continues to improve and we get Belo back I still maintain we have as high a ceiling as anyone in the country. [/QUOTE]
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