Indiana 65, Illinois 63 Postgame

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#451      

Captain 14

The Last Best Place
Who was the last team that actually lost the first game of there own conference tourney and won NCAA championship?
Never? Friend who has little else to do than comb for sports minutiae said tonight no team who hasn't made the semi finals of their conference tournament has gone on to win national championship since the mid 80s. I might not have that exactly right (cocktails were involved), but interesting stat of the day if true.
 
#452      
We just had 4 days of rest and practice before we laid this egg today. Don't think our problems have anything to do with a lack of rest.
You and some others are missing the point about rest. Who gives a crap about rest for the BTT. The rest people are talking about is for the NCAA tournament. Getting extra physical and mental rest and preparation for way more important is critical. Also for those who are nursing an injury like Grandison. Doesn't mean we are going to automatically win but getting extra rest for the most important games of the season doesn't hurt.
 
#454      
I believe Bardo commented on that layup that CH just had to make that play. The replay showed Race Thompson smacked Coleman across the face and arm. Let's see you complete that play Steve! 😠
If CoHawk finishes that, we win this game. What a momentum shift that would have been. Aside from it being the literal difference in the game or whatever.

Oh look! The guy that loves CoHawk semi-blamed CoHawk for not at least forcing overtime with making ONE HIGHLIGHT REEL SLAM!!

or layup


* thanks for the gif @dsg
 
#455      
Plenty of time to think about today. The main thing I come back to: IT DOES NOT MATTER. This is March Madness. Anything can happen. Being Illini fans, we don't have much recent history here, so get used to it... it's MAYHEM. Seeing the stat about "No team has lost their first game in conference tourney, and gone on to win the Naty" ... SO WHAT!?!?! There's always a first for everything. This team is special, and I have a strange feeling right now about this team that is hard to describe. Just feel like we are gonna be a different team when we next see the Illini.
 
#456      
Never? Friend who has little else to do than comb for sports minutiae said tonight no team who hasn't made the semi finals of their conference tournament has gone on to win national championship since the mid 80s. I might not have that exactly right (cocktails were involved), but interesting stat of the day if true.
The most recent that I found was Arizona in 97. The Pac 10 didn't have a conference tournament but they lost their last two regular season games before the tournament. That team was such an outlier though as they finished 5th in Pac 10 that year.

As far as champions go I didn't realize how much the 1 and 2 seeds have dominated this century. The only 'surprise' champions were 03 Syracuse, 06 Florida, 11 and 14 UConn. Three 3 seeds and a 7 seed.

I feel that we can do it but we need to be playing our absolute best offensively. We need to channel the games @Mich, @Iowa, @Minn. These games IMO are the best we have played all season. Arguments can be made for @IU, Wisc, and @MSU but they are a notch below those other 3 games.
 
#457      
Does not look like that has ever happened.


Have a feeling this year could be different...
Great article...bottom para says it all...but defeats some of our consolation....
"While hoisting a league tournament trophy may not provide any sort of magic edge for the succeeding weeks, there's no question that it does improve seeding and breeds confidence. If you're a fan of a team playing for a conference title this week, there's no part of you that should quietly be rooting for an early exit. "
 
#458      
We have some major deficiencies to overcome to win it all. We can beat anyone in the country including all 4 potential 1 seeds and we get beat by St Mary school of the blind dinks girls squad.
 
#459      
Oh look . . . . the sun came up this morning . . . on to the NCAA’s.

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#460      
Never? Friend who has little else to do than comb for sports minutiae said tonight no team who hasn't made the semi finals of their conference tournament has gone on to win national championship since the mid 80s. I might not have that exactly right (cocktails were involved), but interesting stat of the day if true.
Only three exceptions that came to mind for me were three instances where the champ didn’t play a conference tourney.

Michigan
UCLA
Arizona

Didn’t look too deep. Thought maybe KU in the 88 season but it was an 8 team conference so making the semi’s was easier.

Now days with the byes and Dan fogleberg music and you get strange outcomes like not making the semis, so the comp period is short. UCLA lost they’re first game and still made a final four.
 
#461      

illini80

Forgottonia
Who was the last team that actually lost the first game of there own conference tourney and won NCAA championship?
I’m not that upset over the loss, but i do find the arguments that it helps us, we didn’t care, we chose to save ourselves because were want to win it all, laughable.

My opinion hasn’t changed. This team has enough talent to be elite, but we’ve only shown it in flashes. I’m hoping for a deep run, but I’m not confident and this game does nothing to make me feel better about that.
 
#462      
You can’t win in the NCAA tournament shooting so poorly from the free throw line combined with missing so many layups period . I want to see RJ and Goode get more minutes also. We seem to have a lot of trouble with a quick guard, our defense is not what it was earlier in the season. Hoping for a couple of wins from this team but I understand this is March Madness
 
#463      
Never? Friend who has little else to do than comb for sports minutiae said tonight no team who hasn't made the semi finals of their conference tournament has gone on to win national championship since the mid 80s. I might not have that exactly right (cocktails were involved), but interesting stat of the day if true.
UConn 2011
 
#464      
As much as I hate any Illini team ever losing to IU, this loss really does not bother me. The team left many points out there with missed open looks and missed free throws, but still only lost by one possession to a team with their backs against the wall! Belo really does make this team so much better when he is in the game, and I can 100% live with that last drive he took. Can't really ask for a better look than that. Only thing that really annoyed me was Plummer getting tentative down the stretch when he had the open shot (need his confidence to hit his open shots next week).

Conference tournaments always draw crazy drama, and we have already seen it happen across almost all major conferences (Big 12, SEC, and B1G). Time to get Grandison healthy (going to need him) and rest the legs for hopefully a long run in the Tourney! Last year the team grinded through the B1G tourney and looked worn out by the time the NCAA Tourney started. The excuse of tired legs is now off the table. Time to shake off the poor shooting performance today and prepare for an extended run in the Tourney.

I trust Brad will have this team ready and hungry next week.
I agree, we were mentally not in the game. Other than Hawk and Belo, we were going through the motion. This may be a blessing as it gives us a full week to rest and get our heads right. Winning the B1G tourney is nice but havin g a deep run into March is the prize here. All I know is that Hawk keeps playing he best game each time out anymore. Belo kept us in the game where Plummer and Trent checked out. New season, lets win 6 games
 
#465      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky


INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois had another good look.
After a missed front end by Indiana wing Miller Kopp, Andre Curbelo raced down the court for a layup that would have given Illinois the lead late.
It missed the mark, and was yet another sign of the off day offensively that doomed the top-seeded Illini. The 16th-ranked Illini’s Big Ten Tournament run ended almost as soon as it began with a 65-63 loss to ninth-seeded Indiana on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Illinois had missed breakaway dunks and layups, and had uncharacteristic turnovers late including on a miscommunication between Trent Frazier and Coleman Hawkins in the game’s final minute.

“It wasn’t our day,” coach Brad Underwood said. “It was Indiana’s day.”
Illinois had multiple long droughts without a field goal including the final 5:04. The Illini were also 10-for-22 on layups and 11-for-25 on shots at the rim. They shot 35.7% from the field and 15-for-23 from the free-throw line.

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#466      
Too many scoring draughts, too many missed free throws, too many terrible, predicatbale passes. Very remeniscent of some of our early season performances.
Anybody checked our season average on the front end of one and ones? I'm guessing it's around 65%.
 
#468      
It is very concerning to see this loss. This entire season we watch this team get some momentum and a lead then start playing sloppy, NBA, garbage ball. They start playing “hotdog” ball (especially Belo) and instead of playing smart ball that got them on a good spurt, they give away what momentum they just had. They don’t put the lay-ins and dunks away and the free throw shooting has been dismal these past 4-5 games. We live and unfortunately die on 3 point shooting. Hopefully this team gets hot from the perimeter in the tourney. Say a prayer or 2 that they do!
 
#469      
Anyone who says they feel better now about this team at this time of year than last year is in complete denial OR they are benefitting from the old retrospectoscope (which reminds me ... I think I'm due for one of those from my GI doc).

Anyone who is sold on Belo, count me in ... just not sold on him as a "closer" in the last minute or two of the game this season. Doesn't mean we don't need him in there then. His D, rebounding, FT shooting, and good feeds to Kofi are very valuable. But Trent is trying to once again find his role when Belo is in the game. I think Trent shoots better off the dribble, but that's jmho. When you have a creative unpredictable guy like Belo in the game, it takes many games and practice sessions for the guys to all get on the same page with him. What I love about BU is that he's not some flaming head-in-the sand optimist ... he's a worker. He solves problems. And he's got a little more time to do it now.

Anyone who truly believes this team can win the championship or even get to the final four is saying so with quite a bit of trepidation. Count me in that group. Just a realist. Consistency has not been our strong trait. I do agree with BU it will be nice to get out of our conference. He as much said so in his postgame interview that he was tired of playing Big Ten teams right now.

Anyone who doesn't love this season and still have some faith, however, I don't believe you. Or you wouldn't still be anticipating next game day.
 
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#470      
I have a confession to make. During Belo's convalescence and much of the time since he returned to the court, I have been afraid that he was somehow permanently broken by his concussion. That he could still be a good player, but that he would no longer be the crazy genius we saw so often last year.

At the very instant Belo made this pass, I stopped worrying. Belo is definitely Belo once again.
 
#471      

Illinir1

Camdenton, MO
Just came back inside from off of the ledge. Here's my visual game summary, which has likely been covered a few hundred times on this thread already. Please Illini Basketball, don't crush our hearts with another NCAA Tournament early exit. Go Illini!
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#473      
Just came back inside from off of the ledge. Here's my visual game summary, which has likely been covered a few hundred times on this thread already. Please Illini Basketball, don't crush our hearts with another NCAA Tournament early exit. Go Illini!
View attachment 16179
The 4 turnovers in last 3 minutes....wow. that is glaring and avoidable.

3p shooting was not bad....
-CH showed good signs..3p.
-Kofi showed good sign on FTs
 
#474      

Bigtex

DFW
All I will say is....the focus over the last month has focused on getting ready for the NCAA tourney. They want to go to a final 4, last year kind of took away the importance of the BTT. They will be playing at a different intensity we’ve seen all year. I’m telling you, this team will go to the final 4. Calling my shot-come back to this in a few weeks 🤷‍♂️
Like the enthusiasm and outlook but results on the court haven’t looked like a final four team. Not something you can turn off and on

Along with you will be rooting for a great run in the ncaa tourney.
 
#475      

Bigtex

DFW
Like to understand why the shot clock after the Galloway steal (he had control) and turnover out of bounds the shot clock was reset to 30 seconds for Illinois than was changed to 17 seconds. If you watch the replay this is exactly what happened. As a result Curbelo heaved an out of control shot.

Was the shot clock reset at the discretion of the clock operator or the ref?
Good observation. Wondered why the coaches were not all over that
 
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