He went to high school in the Metro-East. Everyone north of I-80 knows they play weak competition down here.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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Illin618
I forgot the last i in my username
- Southern IL
Ouch...
Amen. That's why I picked Iowa for my Final Four. Worked like a charm.
most definitely still pursuing Baylor
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
Not based on the tempo of NCAA champions. Champs in the 10 tournaments held between 2002-2011 had an adjusted tempo of 68.8 possessions (with 4 champs over 70), while the champions in the last 10 tournaments (2012-2022) had an adjusted tempo of 66.2 possessions (with only 1 champ over 70 and 1 under 60). I'm not suggesting that one tempo is better/worse, just pointing out that tempo of NCAA champions has decreased on average over the last decade compared to the prior one.
Championship teams almost always have/need both great offense and great defense, with 19 of the last top 20 NCAA champions being in the top 22 in both adjusted offensive and adjusted defensive efficiency. The only exception being 2014 UConn (in a broken bracket tournament with a 7 seed playing a 8 seed for the title), which was top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency but only 39th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Not sure you can draw a strong conclusion from your Prime example 2021 UCLA. But they did hold a one seed to less than one point per possession to reach the final four. Not a result that you’d expect from the 46th best defense in the country.
We’re screwed. Brad doesn’t love the game.
We only have 10 scholarship players right now - getting a veteran PG and a big would be priorities in that order, but I don't think we would turn away any good wing scorer who can shoot the three and rebound, he would be a quality addition for sure.
The tournament itself plays defense for you. The pressure, tough shooting environments, officiating. Teams hardly play their typical offense games. But the teams that meet or exceed their typical offense output tend to have better success. Compared to those who muck it up. The tourney itself mucks up games.
But this conversation has dragged on and I don’t wanna take up too much space. My overall point is that I could care less about a transfers defensive abilities when we return 13PPG from a team that was already 30th in offense last season.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
A good friend, who was a teammate of Gary Williams on Maryland in the '60s, noted several years ago that Gary told him the same thing about talent, luck and Nattys after MD took the '02 title.
Tony Bennett's squad that won it all in 2019 certainly didn't play with a high tempo... They were efficient, but deliberately slow. (they ranked 327th in average FG attempts that season)
And we’re the second best offense team in the country according to KenPom. The pace doesn’t matter as much if you are efficient.
Attachments
So any recruiting news? Any idea if there is a mutual interest between the Illini and Malachi Smith or specifically anyone else? We certainly have have some spots to fill.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I've been unable to keep up the past week or so, and engage in random sampling of the threads when I can. Dan's observation as he locked the Monday thread on Tuesday morning seems applicable:
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
When someone says: to win a championship, a great offense is more important than a great defense. What they're probably not saying: defense isn't important.
When someone says: defense wins championships. What they're probably not saying: offense isn't important.
When someone says: defense wins championships. What they're probably not saying: offense isn't important.
And both would be foolishly...and categorically... wrong.
Maybe not, but he likes it as a friend.
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
Note that 2019 Virginia was elite in terms of efficiency both offensively (2nd) and defensively (5th), and clear number 1 in KenPom efficiency margin ratings pre and post tournament.
Agree efficiency (offensive and defensive) matters more than tempo, as teams have won championships with a wide range of tempos, ranking as high as 6th (2009 UNC) and as low as 353rd (2019 UVA) over the last 20 tournaments, with an average adjusted tempo rank of 134th (slightly faster than the middle D1 team).
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Its okay guys we can let everyone score 90 because we'll score 91
soupy17
- MI
Big 12 Football mentality
Agreed. I guess I have PTSD from our last three tourney games where we have shot 39% from the field and 23% from three. I’d rather lose scoring 70+ than 53 points. I agree with your points. But given our lack of proven scores on this team. I think it would be foolish to look defense first.
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Sarcasm? I know the SW conference isn't the Chicago public league but he was sandwiched between Lidell and the Pickett/Smith/tilmon trio. I'm sure BWest played a stronger schedule when he was there due to Lidell being around.
The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
Also note that this team, while obviously statistically impressive and the eventual national champion, was often absolutely disgusting to watch.
Would you agree that we have lost a lot more defense than offense this offseason?
And would you agree that, in general, younger players struggle more on defense than offense?
Definitely sarcasm. Everyone knows how good the Metro East is. Liddell, Mark Smith, Malachi Smith, Pickett, Goodwin, etc.
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