This game shows we can play the type of defense needed to win on the road in the B1G, so overall a positive mindset, despite blowing the win.
Maryland 59, Illinois 58 POSTGAME
This game shows we can play the type of defense needed to win on the road in the B1G, so overall a positive mindset, despite blowing the win.
I didn't like Kofi sitting at the end and agree, he could've starred that rebound Ayala got.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I would really like to see a list of Illini games that DJ bald head ref has worked and what our record is regarding those games.....Call it sour grapes, whatever, but IMHO he is biased against the Illini and this goes back to previous coaches prior to BU...would be interesting to hear their input on what his level of expertise is as a ref...
It still baffles me how a ref would call that a foul with less than 2.5 seconds to go in the game , when that was NOT a foul for 39 minutes and 58 seconds.....Yes , I am blaming the officials for this loss, as much as I blame BU and the Illini players for losing a game that should have been a W in the win column...I have witnessed a lot of baffling ref calls lately, including the goal tend called on Kipper that clearly showed on replay to have been blocked BEFORE it hit the backboard...then is in line with all the goal tend or non goal tend calls in previous games and years that wern't called or reviewed...
The blatant elbow that Trent suffered would have been a flagrant 2 and ejection if we had done that to a terp player...no doubt in my mind..
I tired of the Illini continuously getting the short end of the stick and it's time for some coaches to voice their displeasure with the same refs getting the bulk of the games when they are distinctly inept at their job performance............
JMHO
It still baffles me how a ref would call that a foul with less than 2.5 seconds to go in the game , when that was NOT a foul for 39 minutes and 58 seconds.....Yes , I am blaming the officials for this loss, as much as I blame BU and the Illini players for losing a game that should have been a W in the win column...I have witnessed a lot of baffling ref calls lately, including the goal tend called on Kipper that clearly showed on replay to have been blocked BEFORE it hit the backboard...then is in line with all the goal tend or non goal tend calls in previous games and years that wern't called or reviewed...
The blatant elbow that Trent suffered would have been a flagrant 2 and ejection if we had done that to a terp player...no doubt in my mind..
I tired of the Illini continuously getting the short end of the stick and it's time for some coaches to voice their displeasure with the same refs getting the bulk of the games when they are distinctly inept at their job performance............
JMHO
Absolutely, this is the most promise this program has seen since the Miami game in Groce's first year. Talent is here and more is coming and we've shown we can play with top ranked teams.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter if we play every team in the top 25 and lose by a point to them, you gotta be leading once that game clock hits 0. Bu's teams have had a trend of just not making it to the finish line. We have to buck that to be a good team. Wins are all that matter in this game. BU deserves time to show he can field winning teams. The amount he has left is debatable.
The refs made some bad calls on both sides (missed a call here, bad call there) so I don’t blame them overall for the loss.
But I do blame them for handing Maryland the game on a silver platter with 2 seconds left. I mean, yeah, we could have done SO many things to keep the refs from being a deciding factor.
But it’s not like the refs are some sort of vigilante group added to the game as an obstacle to overcome and avoid. They are there for fairness, objectivity, and safety.
We shouldn’t have to worry about staying up by 2 possessions that way the refs can’t make a ridiculous call to decide the game.
We should be able to trust that they are fair and unbiased and will think critically about the situation at hand and only call something that obviously affects whether one team is able to make legal basketball plays. (Obvious charge/block on a drive, moving screen, legit shooting foul, overly aggressive hand check)
What happened to us Saturday was not that. In no way was Feliz “sort-of” hitting the Maryland player during a loose ball scramble agregious enough to say “Maryland should get free throws AND most likely win the game”.
That was incompetence, and that ref should be ashamed for such an utter failure to do his job fairly in crunch time. I hope he is evaluated as such and dropped down to a lesser league for awhile.
I mean, we all know Giorgi got mugged about a minute earlier...and was there really NO illegal contact from Maryland when Feliz drove in? They didn’t touch him at all and he simply lost the ball?
THAT is why I’m so pissed about the refs on this one. Just for those last 2 seconds.
But I do blame them for handing Maryland the game on a silver platter with 2 seconds left. I mean, yeah, we could have done SO many things to keep the refs from being a deciding factor.
But it’s not like the refs are some sort of vigilante group added to the game as an obstacle to overcome and avoid. They are there for fairness, objectivity, and safety.
We shouldn’t have to worry about staying up by 2 possessions that way the refs can’t make a ridiculous call to decide the game.
We should be able to trust that they are fair and unbiased and will think critically about the situation at hand and only call something that obviously affects whether one team is able to make legal basketball plays. (Obvious charge/block on a drive, moving screen, legit shooting foul, overly aggressive hand check)
What happened to us Saturday was not that. In no way was Feliz “sort-of” hitting the Maryland player during a loose ball scramble agregious enough to say “Maryland should get free throws AND most likely win the game”.
That was incompetence, and that ref should be ashamed for such an utter failure to do his job fairly in crunch time. I hope he is evaluated as such and dropped down to a lesser league for awhile.
I mean, we all know Giorgi got mugged about a minute earlier...and was there really NO illegal contact from Maryland when Feliz drove in? They didn’t touch him at all and he simply lost the ball?
THAT is why I’m so pissed about the refs on this one. Just for those last 2 seconds.
Here are some numbers in games decided by 3 points or less for coaches who started in the conference the same time as Underwood:
Brad Underwood: Overall Record in games decided by 3 or less - 11-15 (42.3%), with Illinois: 3-7 (30%)
Chris Holtmann: Overall: 12-10 (54.5%), with OSU: 5-4 (55.6%)
Archie Miller: Overall: 30-27 (52.6%), with Indiana: 10-7 (58.8%)
Notes: Underwood was 5-0 in such games in his 1st season at S.F. Austin. Archie has an 0-7 season in such games, and an 8-2 season (both at Dayton).
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Fair enough...thats your opinion and I respect that.....BUT,
the goal tend on Kipper...replays definitely showed contact before it hitting the backboard
the elbow to trent WAS premeditated and the terp player thought he could escape getting caught b/c the play was another part of the court
contrary to intent, when you watch the replay it clearly shows cowan's elbow laying out Dre in a way any person not blind saw as a violation of the rule as it is in effect
At least we got SOME compensation for the Trent hit. So that was nice even though we missed one of the two FTs. I too, felt like there was more there than just incidental contact. But I can’t say with certainty so I’m at least glad we got 2 FT attempts out of it.
Are goal tends reviewable? If so, MAJOR fail. I mean, if it’s reviewable, why didn’t someone get off their butt and review it?
To the bolded: I haven’t rewatched the end of that game...and I probably shouldn’t if what you say is true. It’ll only piss me off even more.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I'm not referring to the end of the game on Cowan's elbow infraction...that occurred as Cowan was attempting a shot and Dre was clipped by a screen and Cowan layed Dre out as he went up for the shot...it was called incidential contact but the rule 's intent is any contact of a players head is reviewable and many games I have watched by many different teams has a flagrant foul has been called for far less contact...
Just wanted to be clear....and the foul at the end of the game is confusing as DJ bald head ref was obstructed by 3-4 in front of him and the play as it occurred...
He is a terrible ref and I made my mind up on that a loooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg time ago, but this game confirmed that he isn't worthy of the whistle...
I’m tracking you now.
The Dave
- CA
Crazy how important context is.
If, before this game ever started, you were told Illinois was going to be in a 1-point game with 10 seconds to go against Maryland on the road we all would have been ecstatic. Even if some time traveler came back and told you we were going to lose on a miracle 29-foot 3-pointer and a dubious foul call, we'd all think that was a pretty good showing from our Illini on the road vs #3.
Of course the the first 39:30 of the game occurred and now we all believe the sky is falling (and it very well may be). Amazing how a PoV changes how we all evaluate this.
If, before this game ever started, you were told Illinois was going to be in a 1-point game with 10 seconds to go against Maryland on the road we all would have been ecstatic. Even if some time traveler came back and told you we were going to lose on a miracle 29-foot 3-pointer and a dubious foul call, we'd all think that was a pretty good showing from our Illini on the road vs #3.
Of course the the first 39:30 of the game occurred and now we all believe the sky is falling (and it very well may be). Amazing how a PoV changes how we all evaluate this.
The Dave
- CA
I'm usually not one to blame the coaches. It's the guys on the floor that decide games 90% of the time. It's the old "Jimmy's and Joe's beat X's and O's" thing. It's really hard to prove if a disengaged team is due to poor coaching/prep or just a bad day from a player or two.
Heck, in this game shooting 40% from the floor, including 21% from 3; shooting 69% from the line; scoring 19 points in the 2nd half; Giorgi taking an ill-advised shot early in the shot-clock late in the game....all of these are not on the coach. And I'm not going to complain too much about the refs. Did we get jobbed some in the 2nd half? I think so, but I also think we got some really favorable calls in the 1st half...
All that being said...I have to echo many board commentors on this game...the complete lack of Kofi for so long, the fact that Tevian never played, AG only played FIVE MINUTES (???), and that totally inexplicable final TO between free throws? BU didn't "lose this game for us" but he definitely made some decisions that made it a LOT harder than it needed to be. This is a rare time I might throw the L on the coach.
Heck, in this game shooting 40% from the floor, including 21% from 3; shooting 69% from the line; scoring 19 points in the 2nd half; Giorgi taking an ill-advised shot early in the shot-clock late in the game....all of these are not on the coach. And I'm not going to complain too much about the refs. Did we get jobbed some in the 2nd half? I think so, but I also think we got some really favorable calls in the 1st half...
All that being said...I have to echo many board commentors on this game...the complete lack of Kofi for so long, the fact that Tevian never played, AG only played FIVE MINUTES (???), and that totally inexplicable final TO between free throws? BU didn't "lose this game for us" but he definitely made some decisions that made it a LOT harder than it needed to be. This is a rare time I might throw the L on the coach.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
You can ask, but it seems like only BU knows the real reason why...I would have saved it for scenarios that would exist after he either made or missed the FT....
2.1 seconds left and we could have throw a pass to half court and then called the timeout and up a final play with roughly 1.5 seconds left
Steelyunk
- Tobacco Road
Woah! Pump the breaks, there, fella. I'm not accepting anything - especially your keyboard gangsta characterization of my programming. The only things I've been programmed to do are eat, sleep and {v<k... and I assure you that I am VERY well programmed to do two of those things.
But hot takes notwithstanding, Maryland is a significantly more talented team with a better coach and the game is 40 minutes. Just because you over-perform for 20 minutes doesn't mean you win. The other guy can step up his game - which is already better than yours - and proceed to kick your rear end for the remaining 20 minutes and thus win the game.
I can accept that this Illini team is not a top 10 team and Maryland is. If you choose to bang your fists on the table and not accept it - have fun with that. I love my team and want them to improve. I want my coach to make better decisions. Sometimes they don't. It really bums me out but I've found that impotent rage increases the chances of myocardial infarction in men of my age. If I'm gonna have a heart attack I'd prefer it happen while I'm working to improve my programming on that third bit I mentioned earlier.
ILL in IA
- Iowa City
Not sure you are going to get a good answer to this question. I have tried to look at that decision with an open mind and find a good reason for it. None of them make sense to me. Honestly, if he was going to take a time out before the second shot, why not take it before Cowen even takes the first shot. Set up your play and at least try and put some pressure on him by making Cowan think about it for a bit.
My thinking is that everybody and his brother knew he was going to miss that shot intentionally, and that needed to come up with whatever desperate plan they could. Without a timeout, it is 10,000 to 1 odds we can rebound and score, whereas with one, the odds against drop to 1,000 to 1.
Put another way, the game was lost at that point with or without the timeout. Nothing was lost by calling the timeout.
Put another way, the game was lost at that point with or without the timeout. Nothing was lost by calling the timeout.
ILL in IA
- Iowa City
I won't guess on what 2 things you do well.
Having watched us face Maryland the past few years, are they significantly more talented? Maybe that's what is so frustrating with this team. They have matched up so well with Maryland the past 3 years, yet Maryland has been dancing and a top 10 team, and we got nada.
My bad, thought this was some big strategic thing.
That is a great question
No, MD is not significantly more talented than , IL. They may be a top 5 tram as of , today, but they will not be a top 20 team by years end. And the first loss for MD will be against Penn ST this week. Say what you will about the end game TO, but not putting Kofi back in the game around 3-4 minutes was a really bad coaching decision. His explanation for why he did gets an "F". Then with 15 secs. left he still doesn't get Kofi in by using a TO. I can't fathom how knowledgeable you have to be to do something that dumb.
They will be due to B1G being the best conference and the rest of the teams that will be ranked will be on average as good but not better than them.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
I think BU calls a timeout there to remind everyone what they need to do if MD misses the second FT. He wants to ensure they at least have a chance at a game-winning shot before time expires. That said, the need to call that timeout in that situation speaks to a coaching deficiency. BU doesn't trust that his players will instinctively understand what they need to do in those final moments. Reflecting on the way we have lost some of these games, I don't think I can blame BU for his lack of confidence.
I agree that not getting Kofi back into the game was a huge mistake.
I agree that not getting Kofi back into the game was a huge mistake.
Couldn't he accomplish that by calling over one of the guards and telling them to stand next to the ref ready to call the timeout as soon as the ft misses?