Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
My apparently unique brain power allows me to worry about multiple topics at the same time!
Illinois 90, Southern 55 Postgame
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LouHenson
- Naples Florida
Well thought out post and I wish we would have gotten something out of Petro? But, most of the reason we are not getting much out of Petro is because KW is simply so much better than anything (frankly than ever?) we have seen out of a Freshman?
I think with these players available at the two āso calledā guard spots KW, KB, JD, AS, and Lee we are āprettyā good.
Remember this also assumes (which is for sure possible) that Ty does not return, as you could slate him in to a āguardā slot?
As far as trusting Wagler, in my 58 years watching the Illini, I am not sure I have ever seen a better freshman? Many good ones, but this kid has āitā. He can play the point, he can get others involved, he rebounds, he can get tough baskets, hit 3ās what canāt he do?
I trust him! And bottom line, most every team that wins it all has a stud one and done superstar (Carmelo type) player, we may just have that in KW? You simply have to ride this kid, he plays so within himself truly amazing what he is doing?
I see what youāre saying, but I think at this point what we got is what we got? I think it might work really well if they can hit 35% from 3 are going to be tough to beat?
I'm with you on wanting there to be a few set plays. Crunch time is one use. Calming the team is another. There have been multiple games this season where we threw away back to back possessions because the team was rattled. Calling a set play as they come up the court is a way to reintroduce discipline and let them calm down. They are executing a well known path. Everything is normal and okay.
Mirk was standing and watching. I don't know whether BU wanted him crashing the boards or back on defense. Standing and watching isn't the answer.
Where does this delusion that Illinois does not run any set plays come from? Sure, there is a lot of ISO stuff for certain guys because it is effective. But, its impossible to have realistic discussions when statements are so extreme/absolute (ie, Illinois NEVER runs set plays, which is obviously not true).
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
This team currently has a better offensive efficiency than our ā05 team (by a lot). In fact, itās currently our most efficient offense in KenPom history.
But I guess we donāt run enough 2000s style set plays, so itās not very good?
I'll rephrase. I wish Illinois ran set plays more often, e.g. when the team is rattled as a calming method.
Here's where I feel differently. The aspects of basketball that can be improved through game rep include shooting, decision making/passing, and cohesiveness with teammates. They do not include effort, attitude, and character. The main issues that we've seen with Mihailo every time he's gotten an opportunity to play are not issues that improve with increased playing time. When Brad yanked Mihailo immediately in the first half of this game, the issue wasn't the errant pass. All players turn the ball over occasionally (although Mihailo definitely has been more casual with the ball than most). The issue was the loafing back on defense...the lack of any sort of desire to make the subsequent scoring play more difficult for our opponents with effort.
We have Brandon Lee to cover the guard spot in a pinch. Brandon has proven that his WILL play hard and give it his all out there. There's no need for us to try to carry a player whose play has shown that he won't do this.
I was surprised to see him get back in the game at all TBH.
Just Google sets vs actions in basketball
Yeah I like the idea of players just running action on their own. Makes us less predictable.
Anyone can watch film to deduce set plays and then come up with ways to counter them.
Yep. Everything we do is a read based on how the defense reacts
Most of you are totally twisting my words pretending like Iām saying our offense isnāt good or that I think Brad or Tyler is a bad coach. When did I ever say our offense wasnāt good? Oh right, I didnāt.
When we donāt shoot well from deep and we shoot 30+ 3ās a game it typically doesnāt go well for us, and thatās when we could use a few set plays (along with BLOB situations).
This portion of Loyalty who thinks you canāt criticize the staff without being put up on the cross is exhausting. Iāve applauded Brad every step of the way but that doesnāt mean I canāt ask him, his son or his staff to IMPROVE. Just like we ask of the players.
All of this from me saying the team played hard and handled their business, but the offense wasnāt perfect. I appreciate all your statistics to draw back on to prove your points, but go touch some grass. Basketball 20 years ago isnāt the same as it was today.
There is no doubt that his body of work over the first 13 games has been nothing short of awesome. He's been more than I think anyone could have expected.
That said, for years, the Big Ten grind beats down even the most experienced players and the proverbial wall gets hit. This will be the first go around for this young man. He'll have gone through nothing like it in his young basketball life. Getting through the gauntlet in some rough months, with some tough travel, in some incredibly tough venues is part of the development process, both mentally and physically.
I don't think you can prove yourself until you actually do it. At this point last year is when KJ really struggled. He became a target of defenses. We'll never know how much the forearm injury effected the rest of his year, but he went from a potential top 7 pick to free falling in the draft. His regression when it came to turning the ball over lost games.
That is my concern right now. Going into the season, I was comfortable with the season being on the shoulders of Tomi, Drej and Boswell, then have the nice supporting cast around them. Mirkovic started the season off beautifully, but he's slowly regressed to expectations, which is perfectly fine. If each individual guy can meet the expectations that we had prior to the year, we'll be fine. The problem is that Tomi has been far below expectations and we're getting nothing out of Petrovic. That load has been dropped squarely on a Freshman's shoulders and it's hard to get comfortable with that.
Its going to be absolutely fascinating to watch unfold. I'm as on edge as everyone else. I do firmly believe that the minutes expected out of KB and KW need to chill out. They really should be around 32ish minutes per game. Finding 8 minutes out of the bench should not be this troublesome, but it seems like it might be.
This is fair, but it doesnāt mitigate the need for sets when your actions are being blown up or youāre playing against a team that matches up really well against us defensively
The style is high risk high reward. Maybe we can string a bunch of games together at the right time. My personal concerns have been more about making changes and responding when the style is coming dry. It happens at times.
blackdog
- Champaign
And Tyler (wait is that you?) is always up off the bench making calls as they bring the ball up the court. The team is definitely not just out there playing pickup ball.
Really set plays dont serve you well in the long run because they are too easy to scout. Stringing together a bunch of actions is way harder for the defense because its harder to recognize and get ahead of what's happening.
blackdog
- Champaign
Speaking to Keaton having "it", after his lone turnover yesterday he immediately went and made a pretty awesome defensive play to steal the ball right back. The dude just was not going to tolerate his own mistake and had to make up for it. Reminded me a bit of the plays where Kobe would turn it over then hustle back down the court for a chase down block.
Apologies if the attached below is a duplication from a previous post. I guess I don't understand seeing DM with only 2 TOs? It was nice to see, though, 5 players with double digit PTS.
fightingillini.com
Men's Basketball vs Southern on 12/29/2025 - Box Score - University of Illinois Athletics
The official box score of Men's Basketball vs Southern on 12/29/2025
fightingillini.com
Pru, how are you feeling since getting back home? Hope things are getting better for ya! ILL!
LouHenson
- Naples Florida
All I know is I have been watching Illini basketball for almost 60 years, and I am not sure Frankie was āall aroundā as good as this kid. Frankie is probably the best Freshman I can remember until now?
Dee or Deron (I think Dee) used to talk about this as well. If he made a turnover, he made it a point to try to get it back. Winning behavior.
No thanks, Tyler
I would absolutely hate to have some of you as my boss/coworkers. Top 15 offense (probably even better tbh) in the country for the last several years running and people still find time to complain......get a grip.
We're an elite offensive team, it is what it is at this point.......if anything we need to harp on our defense to continue improving because that's where we'll make the leap from a great team to one capable of winning a natty.
We're an elite offensive team, it is what it is at this point.......if anything we need to harp on our defense to continue improving because that's where we'll make the leap from a great team to one capable of winning a natty.
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