Illinois 95, Minnesota 68 POSTGAME
Illinivek23
- Gurnee
Was Adonis hurt? Also - who was the big guy at the end of the bench in the blue shirt chest bumping guys - was that Higgs?
Just want to seed in the 10+th spot for the tourney. None of the bottom 4.
You may have inadvertently omitted BU's system worksOne game had brought a huge change everywhere. Noice.
Bu can coach.
Bu can recruit.
Bu can develop. And.
Bu can win, even in the B10 by large margins.
Deleted member 746094
D
Guest
That team was 10-2 going into Big12 play with a win over #19 Wichita State and a decent UCONN team.
Great win last night, but this team still has to prove the consistency piece of it. They are young. The BigTen is just too talented and too deep to win out in the regular season. Anything can happen in the BTT, but a lot has to go right for this team to go on a run like that.
ray:illini80
- Forgottonia
I love the way we played and that they had fun doing it, but I’m not ready to pronounce things ‘fixed’ just yet. As others have said, we need to be able to take it on the road. Everything went right tonight, and face it, Minnesota had a bad game and probably overlooked us. We were due for some good fortune and finally got some.
What I really really want to see is us take a tough game down to wire and gut out a win. Especially on the road. There couldn’t possibly be a better place than Iowa for that to happen!
I-L-L
What I really really want to see is us take a tough game down to wire and gut out a win. Especially on the road. There couldn’t possibly be a better place than Iowa for that to happen!
I-L-L
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/col...cle_c9d43d43-dd9f-5740-9de2-4b48eb56558a.html
I didn't get to watch the game as I was travelling but listened to brian and deon and was shouting and yelling all game long....Finally put 40 minutes together and got a B1G win....crowd sounded great and I believe it was Krush and students back that also contributed to the win....
some notable points from the article above:
Before the game, Underwood handed out cards to his team with goals written on them. Bezhanishvili’s goal was for rebounds. Actually, Bezhanishvili said, that was a goal written on the card of most of his teammates. The rebounding discrepcancy was easily Underwood’s favorite stat of the night, along with six offensive boards from Bezhanishvili.
Offensively, the 6-foot-9 freshman danced around the post, tapping his feet around defenders and finishing with layups off the glass and a flurry of hook shots.
“We work every day and it paid off a little bit,” Bezhanishvili said. “Our record doesn’t show it. Today we got the win and it kind of made us feel good because we work so much as a young team.”
Great win again Illini and I am looking forward to the rest of the season hoping we can approach each game with enthusiasm and keep it fun....
I didn't get to watch the game as I was travelling but listened to brian and deon and was shouting and yelling all game long....Finally put 40 minutes together and got a B1G win....crowd sounded great and I believe it was Krush and students back that also contributed to the win....
some notable points from the article above:
Before the game, Underwood handed out cards to his team with goals written on them. Bezhanishvili’s goal was for rebounds. Actually, Bezhanishvili said, that was a goal written on the card of most of his teammates. The rebounding discrepcancy was easily Underwood’s favorite stat of the night, along with six offensive boards from Bezhanishvili.
Offensively, the 6-foot-9 freshman danced around the post, tapping his feet around defenders and finishing with layups off the glass and a flurry of hook shots.
“We work every day and it paid off a little bit,” Bezhanishvili said. “Our record doesn’t show it. Today we got the win and it kind of made us feel good because we work so much as a young team.”
Great win again Illini and I am looking forward to the rest of the season hoping we can approach each game with enthusiasm and keep it fun....
One thing that makes a long run in the BIG 10 tournament believable is having 10 players that are interchangeable. I believe last night that 9 or 10 were on the floor in the first 4 minutes. If we have 10 guys that can play the aggressive defensive system you can see playing 4 (or 5) days in a row without totally running out of gas. Will be interesting to see if the playing time is spread around the rest of the season.
Deleted member 236589
D
Guest
We were 4-7 in the pre-conference and we have one conference home win. I enjoyed the game and was optimistic in the terms of ...things can work.
However, if Iowa runs them out of the gym, the board will be in complete meltdown mode, calling for BU's head.
On top of that, Minnesota saw 4-12 and performed like they expected to win just by getting off the bus. That's what happens.
We, as a fanbase, are narotic. If we lose, there are 200+ posts on how the program is in ruin and if we win, there are 80 posts claiming we're on the cusp of rolling off 17 in a row.
Baby steps. The biggest step that has been taken has been by Ayo. He went from Freshman mistakes to NBA discussion in three weeks.
I watch a lot of NBA games. Ayo needs 3 years at Illinois. He doesn't have the body for the NBA yet. I don't see NBA athleticism just yet, which will change. He needs to keep working on his jump shot because he still shoots from a low position. He would struggle to get a shot up. He still makes freshmen mistakes and could improve his finishing at the rim. The way he seems to be improving, the NBA is in his future. He reminds me of Dejounte Murray and I think a few years of college can get him there. But Its also his decision and he should do what he thinks is best. Just hope that he takes him time and considers all options because the game seems to be coming to him. I am excited to what is to come with these young guys and the upcoming recruiting class. Seems like they are moving in the right direction.
RedRocksIllini
- Morrison, CO
Fear of losing one's narcotics?
Robert is soooooooo negative in his article.
I c what you did there.
I'm with you, buddy. Lost my right leg to cancer on Nov 5th. Bad news: I'll have a prosthetic for the rest of my life. Good news: I'm cancer free.
Lotta fun. We did that on 11 total assists? Ayo had only 2 officially. I'd have guessed Ayo had 11 by himself.
Deleted member 236589
D
Guest
Now YOU are a reason to be optimistic in life. I don't personally know you, but I do admire you. You are a shining example of why basketball in not the be all, end all in life.
Glad you are cancer free and have a positive outlook on life. Life is fragile and basketball does not and will not ever compare to reality.
Congratulations to you and yours!
A couple of things I noticed about the last 3 games, just checked some stats to compare:
Past 3 games: 15.0 3 Pt attempts/game
First 14 games: 25.7 attempts/game
Past 3: 46.0 2 pt attempts/game
First 14: 36.9 attempts/game
Past 3: 52.9% 2PT FG%
First 14: 47.7% 2PT FG%
Past 3: Giorgi - 10.5 FG attempts/game (9.75 2 pt FG attempts)
First 14: Giorgi - 8.0 FG attempts/game (6.0 2 pt FG attempts)
So, our guards are getting to the basket more and finishing better, AND we seem to be making a conscious effort the get the ball to Giorgi inside. What I noticed, especially last night, was a the team doing a better job of finishing baskets off turnovers (Ayo was out of his mind doing it last night). 3 pt shots are obviously an important part of any offense, but too many times this year we have used them as a crutch. The offense stagnates for 20-25 seconds and a difficult thee is launched. In HALF of our first 14 games, we attempted 28 or more 3s. In the past 3 games, we're attempting 15. That's a startling drop off.
TL;DR - over the last 3 games our offense has started to work
Past 3 games: 15.0 3 Pt attempts/game
First 14 games: 25.7 attempts/game
Past 3: 46.0 2 pt attempts/game
First 14: 36.9 attempts/game
Past 3: 52.9% 2PT FG%
First 14: 47.7% 2PT FG%
Past 3: Giorgi - 10.5 FG attempts/game (9.75 2 pt FG attempts)
First 14: Giorgi - 8.0 FG attempts/game (6.0 2 pt FG attempts)
So, our guards are getting to the basket more and finishing better, AND we seem to be making a conscious effort the get the ball to Giorgi inside. What I noticed, especially last night, was a the team doing a better job of finishing baskets off turnovers (Ayo was out of his mind doing it last night). 3 pt shots are obviously an important part of any offense, but too many times this year we have used them as a crutch. The offense stagnates for 20-25 seconds and a difficult thee is launched. In HALF of our first 14 games, we attempted 28 or more 3s. In the past 3 games, we're attempting 15. That's a startling drop off.
TL;DR - over the last 3 games our offense has started to work
Looks like you aren't allowed to watch anymore games the rest of the year.
Great win for the Illini and so fun to watch. When Minny went on a 9-3 run to start the second half, I have to admit my mind went to "not again," but the Illini answering back with a 16-2 run was just beautiful. Nice to see Tev, AG and Samba get some minutes. And it was great to see the laughing and cheering at the end of the game. So a very nice first step, but it was just a first step. They've got a fairly tough stretch coming up -- two ranked teams and Wisky -- but hopefully they can build upon this. I'm also interested in seeing how they do in the rematch with Minn. on the road. You know the Gophers are going to want revenge, so how the Illini weather that storm will tell a lot too.
As to Ayo, I'm just going to enjoy his development this season and let the rest take care of itself. It is a bit of a double-edged sword. The more wins the Illini get the better the experience he'll be having and hopefully he wants to come back to help Illinois take the next step especially with what we have coming in next year. But Ayo will be a big part of more wins, which means more positive exposure for him that can improve his draft status. It certainly seems like he is working himself into a first round pick. It just depends how high he can climb and whether he'd like wait a year, develop his game, and possibly work his way into a lottery pick or be happy being lower in first round and ending up on what would likely be a better team.
As to Ayo, I'm just going to enjoy his development this season and let the rest take care of itself. It is a bit of a double-edged sword. The more wins the Illini get the better the experience he'll be having and hopefully he wants to come back to help Illinois take the next step especially with what we have coming in next year. But Ayo will be a big part of more wins, which means more positive exposure for him that can improve his draft status. It certainly seems like he is working himself into a first round pick. It just depends how high he can climb and whether he'd like wait a year, develop his game, and possibly work his way into a lottery pick or be happy being lower in first round and ending up on what would likely be a better team.
Great to hear! (the second part, obviously). Funny - I had right leg surgery the same week. Didn’t lose the leg, but also didn’t get all of it (already spread a little). I’ve got good odds, a good attitude, and the treatment is relatively mild in side effects.
I don’t like having “odds” in the first place, but there’s plenty of people worse off than me.
Apologies for derailing this thread a bit - but if it managed to top a feel-good win with some actual IL board unity, than I guess I’m not sorry.
Giorgi was close to being my favorite player already, but this article seals it. I really hope he can make it to the NBA, but even if not, playing internationally will be huge for him and his family.
Quoted - "Kipper: Same ol Kip but starting to think that’s okay. The fact is, this roster and next year’s roster will have better players at the 3/4 spots. But that’s the point. We are over recruiting, he is still a fine players and young man, but don’t expect him to do much anymore. However; he has done it before, so I guess nothing would surprise me anymore from this kid. Maybe he scores 20 on Sunday, but if he does, i’d assume we’d lose the game."
I'm not giving up on Kipper yet. I remember him dominating in games that mattered and coming away from many games thinking he was by far our best overall athlete / player. I don't know exactly what it is going to take to get that Kipper going again. He's got to be a self-starter, that's for sure.
I'm not giving up on Kipper yet. I remember him dominating in games that mattered and coming away from many games thinking he was by far our best overall athlete / player. I don't know exactly what it is going to take to get that Kipper going again. He's got to be a self-starter, that's for sure.
By far the best win of the year. KenPom and T-Rank have East Tennessee and Minnesota being very similar, but East Tenn. is over-rated - they haven't beaten anyone, just look good beating bad teams.
I like T-Ranks "game score", it is a rough stat but it gives you a rough idea. The Missouri and FAU games were the lowest scores of the season there (and the eye test confirms that). Since then, we've rattled off 4 solid games. I'm not sure how many games we will win with just "solid", but showing that consistency is a huge step forward.
I like T-Ranks "game score", it is a rough stat but it gives you a rough idea. The Missouri and FAU games were the lowest scores of the season there (and the eye test confirms that). Since then, we've rattled off 4 solid games. I'm not sure how many games we will win with just "solid", but showing that consistency is a huge step forward.
This win proves what the metrics are saying. We are about as atypical a 12 loss team as there has ever been. Everything clicked yesterday. Will it continue to? I'm not sure, and no we aren't winning out and Minny is probably middle of the pack big ten wise, but I still think this team can win against 95% of the teams in the country.
Next hurdle will be winning a close game. The blowout, foot on the peddle for 40 minutes game is important, glad we have one now.
Next hurdle will be winning a close game. The blowout, foot on the peddle for 40 minutes game is important, glad we have one now.