Maybe Morgan's defense will get better next year. Needs to be consistent, but glad to see him aggressive on offense.
Maryland 81, Illinois 55 POSTGAME
+1. It's also hard to glean anything of value stat-wise from a blowout (or a lost season for that matter).
I was at the game and agree with this completely. The team did not quit aall the way through. Heads high, and hustling. Their defense, be it scheme, ability or personnel (I dont know which, probably a combination) is/was atrocious. The zone was a joke. Wide open threes from smooth shooters all night. Then, when they tried to push everyone to the perimeter, they could not contain p players, who either drove right by us into the wide open lane, or found a big cutting into the lane for easy baskets. If we could have hit some open shots and string together three or four stops in a row, we could have at least made it interesting into the later parts of the game. But limited offensive options and horrendous D wont get it done.
Maryland has a huge frontcourt and yet they are a horrible rebounding team. they seem to have weak motors. I was talking to fans around me, noone thinks they are going to get farther than the elite 8, and noone would be surprised if they dont make the second weekend.
When was that?
Although not obvious, the point where Groce got the technical was pretty critical. I couldnt see on the play before for sure, but it looked like a goal tend on MD or at least a foul, which I think would have brought the game to single digits with a little bit of momentum on our side. Instead the Foul and then the technical pushed the lead out to about 16 and it was all downhill from there. They also just couldnt follow up with a stop anytime they got a nice shot to go on offense.
Poor JFG. People want him to get mad enough to get T'd, and then when he gets T'd, he loses the game because of it.
almost posted that in the game thread last night...."gonna make some posters really happy and others will blame him for turning the tide in MD direction"
dsboyce
- Golden, IL
Nunn yes, Hill no.
dsboyce
- Golden, IL
No they aren't. Name one team in the Big Ten that could lose it's starting point guard, starting PF, starting C, 2nd string PF/C and still have a successful season.
Post game interview with Barnhart and Hester on the radio.
Thanks
Agreed and it's amazing some folks can't see/admit this. While I'm certainly not sold on Groce, you're not going to win many games with what we can put out there.
Maryland is just a completely superior team to us, regardless of who is coaching.
dsboyce
- Golden, IL
No doubt, a coaching triumvirate of John Wooden, Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson couldn't make this team successful.
Derek Piper @DPiperScout Let's revisit #Illini on ESPN... Jan 7: Loss by 25 at MSU Jan 19: Loss by 34 at IU Feb 25: Loss by 27 vs IU March 3: Loss by 26 at MD
Yeah, well, how about using this little tidbit as bulletin board material for next year and challenge these frowns to be turned upside down. It could happen!! How about that for a coaching tactic?
Everyone can see it, but should the team really be *this* bad? Four 25+ point blowouts, the first time that that's happened in 109 years. We're basically a historically-bad Rutgers and Minnesota team away from maybe being 1-16 or 2-15 in conference going in to Penn State. Individual players like Mav or JCL have improved, but the team hasn't, and we've still got talented players in Hill and Nunn on the floor this year.
This team has suffered from injuries like few others, but they shouldn't be getting repeatedly run off the floor like they have been.
Nicely done, I guess most people have purged Beckmanisms from their memory already.
A lot of people didn't get it....hats off to you. Free Lasagna dinner for you. Dee will bring the Ranch dressing.
