Maryland 81, Illinois 65 Postgame

#201      

Hopingfor500

H
Hopingfor500
The Galloping Ghost said:
Hi. We're still 13th in the NET with no Quad 3 or 4 losses. We're nowhere close to the bubble. We lost a game on the road in the B1G. It happens.
Click to expand...
I agree, as we sit here today, our NET rankings held and I believe that this loss, because it was on the road, will just sneak inside to a tier 2 loss.

Where my concern comes is that we have not looked good for a couple of weeks now.

Maryland- blew a 14 point lead in the first half(Kofi in foul trouble) and came back in the second half to win.

@Nebraska - That game was in serious, serious jeopardy with under 5 to play.

Michigan - They were baaad without Dickinson and John's. That team was brutal. Yet, there we were in a rock fight until again, we created some distance late.

Purdue - I don't have too much of a beef, expect for the expected drought and game altering run. 17-0 Purdue run to take what was a lead to a substantial first half deficit. They played hard, they fought to the bitter end. I was very proud of that effort.

@Maryland - That was absolutely brutal. Losing that badly to a team that basically gave up on their season weeks ago. The stadium was empty, so really can't say that the imposing home court advantage as an excuse. That was an eye opener.

Now, they don't have many(if any) more games on the schedule where you feel safe. Not sure if they get Nebraska at home? As we sit here, 6-2 in conference, if we're being honest with ourselves....is a 4-8 finish more likely then an 8-4 finish? A lot will have to do with Kofi and without him, a lot will have to do with philosophical changes, especially on the defensive end. They are undersized at every position. You saw Scott take advantage. On offense, we get nothing in the paint. So, it's live or die with the long ball and that's not sustainable.

So, I agree, as we sit here today, the numbers look good. We have to beat someone of substance. If that happens, I'll feel a ton better about our "resume". That's all TBD
 
#202      

Navy_illini

N
Navy_illini
Hopingfor500 said:
I'm being serious when I say this and am not stirring the pot.

I think it's funny that people think that this could be a final four team when they don't have one signature win. Not one top 25 win. Not one win of note. However, they do now have a terrible loss.

Last year's team put expectations on this year's team, right or wrong. They have a lot of tough games coming up. They already played the soft part of the conference schedule, which I believe is what gave fans a false sense of security. You don't want to go overboard after back to back losses, but you do have to be honest with the appraisal for the work done so far

If you look at the schedule going forward, there's not one game that you can feel good about, yet pitfalls are all over the place. I would be happy with 14-6, 13-7, maybe even 12-8 at this point. As we sit here today, that's just about where they belong....mid tier, looking to secure a tournament birth, trying to stay off the bubble.
Click to expand...
Making the Final Four means you beat the teams you play. You do not need to be the fourth best team. This team has a chance but they need to be healthy and play better D

Matchups and upsets have almost just as much weight on you Final Four chances. I do not think any team wants to play the Illini come March

I agree we need get better quality wins to help out seeding to give us a better chance
 
#203      

DougAwesomeberger

D
DougAwesomeberger
Chieeeeffffff said:
Woof.

Also, to the plethora of new usernames I saw in a losing game thread that I never see show up when things are good, you’re the worst.
Click to expand...
I’m a new user.. this is my first comment. But I love our Illini!!! These kind of games set us might expose some of our weaknesses. But I think they set us up for success down the road. It gives needed experience to new faces.
 
#204      

altgeld88

altgeld88
Arlington, Virginia
altgeld88
the juiceman cometh said:
It's not whining. This team is going to have a hard time winning without Kofi. I don't think that's controversial. If he's out a full month, we will lose games. Probably enough to knock us out of contention. If you don't like that opinion, just keep scrolling.

And thank you for adding substance to this conversation, you're appreciated /s
Click to expand...
I take your point, which is indisputably the case IMO, and regularly enjoy your posts. Let's, however, perhaps focus on the fact that we've been enjoying a conversation all season about winning the conference, just as we did last year and even the season before that once February arrived. Just to be back in that position again, where the program belongs, with a coach who's regularly bringing in the talent that makes such an aspiration possible, let alone to be at a place where such expectations that we're annually in the hunt are an equilibrium condition, is cause for thanksgiving and optimism.

I'm not Pollyannish. I did, however, sit in the largely empty Xfinity Center last evening occasionally contemplating our coaching staff, realizing that we lost our two top recruiters last summer and that BU replaced them promptly with top talent. I got to the arena 75 mins before tip and watched our 45-min shootaround. The guys clearly enjoy each other, they're extremely talented, and they respond well to the assistants. I looked down the bench during the game at the depth we have and the potential in the younger players and felt great pride. Goode impressed me for a frosh with his intelligence, hustle and talent in the mins he had early on. I really enjoyed watching BU coach and get after his players, and his interactions with Geoff, Chester, and Tim. He demanded a lot of BBV last night and encouraged him when he finally pulled him off the floor at the end. He got after CoHawk and DMW for their periodic carelessness. He's got some serious challenges right now with the injuries to Kofi and Andre's re-integration into the lineup. He's up to meeting them and the boys are up to rising to the challenge.

Despite the disappointment on the floor, I felt great pride and optimism about the program as I walked back through the campus to the parking lot on a frigid (for DC) January evening. :illinois:
 
#206      

Goldtop

Goldtop
Goldtop
The Galloping Ghost said:
That game was brutal to watch in person. It would be generous to say the arena was half-full. The Maryland fans around me were embarrassed by the turnout. As for the play, that level of effort just can't happen from a team with as much experience as we have. I'm gonna try to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind it out of my memory hole. Hopefully, this is just a horrible, but brief, speedbump before a successful run this March. I still believe in this team. We just need all the pieces back up and firing at the same time.
Click to expand...
Underwoods teams have all gotten better as the season goes on. Unfortunately, this year he has not been able to build any consistency with having key players missing significant chunks of time early on. And yet we will still have gotten better. But this team is not clicking like Underwood wants. That only comes by having everyone there and time to practice. They even missed a key chunk of practice time during Christmas because of players out with Covid. I think we are behind because of it.
 
#207      

Goldtop

Goldtop
Goldtop
Brosky said:
Had we had Kofi last night, you can just turn that score around. I also think we would have beaten Marquette rather handily had we had him then. It's a shame Georgi didn't return. He would have made a huge difference by now.
Click to expand...
I thought Payne would be a good replacement for Georgi. Nope. At least not on the offensive end yet. He would have benefited from sitting out a year with the team before the new transfer rule.
But I am really surprised at how bad our big men behind Kofi are offensively under the basket. Maybe this is an area we really miss Antigua.
Last night we were doing okay until Maryland got us to abandon our offense and play one dimensionally. And then we started to press a bit.
 
#208      

New Creation

N
New Creation
Goldtop said:
I thought Payne would be a good replacement for Georgi. Nope. At least not on the offensive end yet. He would have benefited from sitting out a year with the team before the new transfer rule.
But I am really surprised at how bad our big men behind Kofi are offensively under the basket. Maybe this is an area we really miss Antigua.
Last night we were doing okay until Maryland got us to abandon our offense and play one dimensionally. And then we started to press a bit.
Click to expand...
I said this earlier. just agreeing again.
 
#209      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
altgeld88 said:
I take your point, which is indisputably the case IMO, and regularly enjoy your posts. Let's, however, perhaps focus on the fact that we've been enjoying a conversation all season about winning the conference, just as we did last year and even the season before that once February arrived. Just to be back in that position again, where the program belongs, with a coach who's regularly bringing in the talent that makes such an aspiration possible, let alone to be at a place where such expectations that we're annually in the hunt are an equilibrium condition, is cause for thanksgiving and optimism.

I'm not Pollyannish. I did, however, sit in the largely empty Xfinity Center last evening occasionally contemplating our coaching staff, realizing that we lost our two top recruiters last summer and that BU replaced them promptly with top talent. I got to the arena 75 mins before tip and watched our 45-min shootaround. The guys clearly enjoy each other, they're extremely talented, and they respond well to the assistants. I looked down the bench during the game at the depth we have and the potential in the younger players and felt great pride. Goode impressed me for a frosh with his intelligence, hustle and talent in the mins he had early on. I really enjoyed watching BU coach and get after his players, and his interactions with Geoff, Chester, and Tim. He demanded a lot of BBV last night and encouraged him when he finally pulled him off the floor at the end. He got after CoHawk and DMW for their periodic carelessness. He's got some serious challenges right now with the injuries to Kofi and Andre's re-integration into the lineup. He's up to meeting them and the boys are up to rising to the challenge.

Despite the disappointment on the floor, I felt great pride and optimism about the program as I walked back through the campus to the parking lot on a frigid (for DC) January evening. :illinois:
Click to expand...
I'm also very happy we're in a position to compete, and have nothing but full respect for this coaching staff, and agree things are pointing up for the program. But Kofi's injury is a disappointment and we've seen how unpredictable this specific type of injury can be. If a user wants to avoid that fact perhaps a message board where every aspect of this team is discussed ad nauseum is not the place to frequent. I think there's a lot of talent on this team, but it's also largely built around Kofi and we saw that last night.

While I'm not the type of poster who thinks everything is always awesome, I don't think I'm the type that thinks the sky is always falling either. I felt pretty good about the Purdue game, despite the loss, and expressed that. I just don't see a silver lining in Kofi's injury, and hope he has a speedy recovery.
 
#210      

greyghost70

G
greyghost70
blife said:
No answer for Scott, nobody to play solid backup center for us. BBV is by far our best sub option for Kofi. Disappointing to lose again to the Turtles in CP. Lack luster performance, for all the depth we are supposed to have.. it isn't showing up for us.
Click to expand...
You have to play them if you want to establish depth. What would you be thinking right now if you were Hawkins after the last 2 games?
 
#211      

altgeld88

altgeld88
Arlington, Virginia
altgeld88
Goldtop said:
Underwoods teams have all gotten better as the season goes on. Unfortunately, this year he has not been able to build any consistency with having key players missing significant chunks of time early on. And yet we will still have gotten better. But this team is not clicking like Underwood wants. That only comes by having everyone there and time to practice. They even missed a key chunk of practice time during Christmas because of players out with Covid. I think we are behind because of it.
Click to expand...
He has had regular inconsistency in starting lineups, which is murder. He mentioned during the postgame presser that designing team without Kofi is a completely different matter than adjusting on the fly without Kofi during the season. As for our men up front, the demands on them without Kofi in there are dramatically different.
 
#212      

jamarvelous31

jamarvelous31
jamarvelous31
Illini said:
I don't know if it's just me but I don't see Hawkins developing into a starter whatsoever imo. We're a bit screwed for the 4 spot next year unless we get a major transfer. As much as I want to, I just don't like what I see from the kid at all.
Click to expand...
If he ups that 3pt% another 5% yr over yr he will make an impact.
 
#213      

Illini9089

Illini9089
Illini9089
Illini said:
I don't know if it's just me but I don't see Hawkins developing into a starter whatsoever imo. We're a bit screwed for the 4 spot next year unless we get a major transfer. As much as I want to, I just don't like what I see from the kid at all.
Click to expand...
Kid needs to attack and finish on offense. Stop thinking about it and keep his mouth shut after he makes a basket.
 
#215      

Rap47

R
Rap47
Hopingfor500 said:
I'm being serious when I say this and am not stirring the pot.

I think it's funny that people think that this could be a final four team when they don't have one signature win. Not one top 25 win. Not one win of note. However, they do now have a terrible loss.

Last year's team put expectations on this year's team, right or wrong. They have a lot of tough games coming up. They already played the soft part of the conference schedule, which I believe is what gave fans a false sense of security. You don't want to go overboard after back to back losses, but you do have to be honest with the appraisal for the work done so far

If you look at the schedule going forward, there's not one game that you can feel good about, yet pitfalls are all over the place. I would be happy with 14-6, 13-7, maybe even 12-8 at this point. As we sit here today, that's just about where they belong....mid tier, looking to secure a tournament birth, trying to stay off the bubble.
Click to expand...
Your evaluation of this team is just about as good as when you said they were better without Kofi.
 
#216      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
Illini said:
I don't know if it's just me but I don't see Hawkins developing into a starter whatsoever imo. We're a bit screwed for the 4 spot next year unless we get a major transfer. As much as I want to, I just don't like what I see from the kid at all.
Click to expand...
Hawkins has ability to be a starter and solid contributor. I don't know if he has stardom written all over him like some do though He may not eventually ever be Brian Cook like terms of what he does here but he could be overtime. To me his biggest issues are mental, gaining confidence, staying focused., playing to his strengths. He needs more experience, some success, to get more confident, and limit mistakes. He has a good skill set and coordination for someone 6'10". We shall see if he can develop into that with more experience. I think he can.
 
Last edited:
#217      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
greyghost70 said:
You have to play them if you want to establish depth. What would you be thinking right now if you were Hawkins after the last 2 games?
Click to expand...
After Purdue I’d be thinking it sucks to be sick. And after last night’s game I hope he’s thinking “I didn’t play well at all. I know I can do better, and plan to take advantage of the time I get against MSU to help this team win.”
 
#218      

Chieeeeffffff

C
Chieeeeffffff
More than a few comments have trickled in re: Damonte and Hawkins. I think the frustration boils down to the following: fans are frustrated with Coleman because of the talent he has and the player he could be, and, conversely, fans are frustrated with Damonte because they wish he had more in his bag—and he doesn’t.

I think it’s fine to constructively criticize these guys when they’re part of a full, healthy roster, but they aren’t and have not been. Damonte has played out of position the entire year and has been asked to assume a lot more in the backcourt on offense. If everyone had been healthy (namely Hutch), he probably isn’t even a starter. My biggest gripe is he needs to pull the string on shots when he is open and keep the defense honest. Last night he passed up good looks and took it into traffic with not so great results. He can’t do that. The defensive lapses from him are also perplexing—he’s too experienced to be a weak link on that end. But, he can’t be what he can’t be.

Re: Coleman, he looks the part from a physical and skills standpoint, but his game lacks fluidity, decisiveness, and confidence. Stroke and form looks good. Handle is solid. Athleticism is above average. Passing can be above average. Could be a great defender. But it hasn’t come together, something all the more glaring when guys like Keegan Murray and Davis are making quantum leaps in their second year. He isn’t what he could be…yet.
 
#219      

Cook

Cook
Richmond, VA
Cook
altgeld88 said:
He has had regular inconsistency in starting lineups, which is murder. He mentioned during the postgame presser that designing team without Kofi is a completely different matter than adjusting on the fly without Kofi during the season. As for our men up front, the demands on them without Kofi in there are dramatically different.
Click to expand...
He's not wrong, but I'm not really buying this line. 1. With Covid, this isn't an unexpected phenomenon this year and 2. we already had a known-in-advance 3 game stretch without him we had to plan for and play through.
I do 100% buy that we haven't been able to establish any continuity this season, and that has been a big factor to the season so far.
 
#221      

illini.culture IG

illini.culture IG
Grand Rapids, Michigan
illini.culture IG
graff.jpeg
 
#222      

illinigiant80

I
illinigiant80
This is zero contribution to this forum, but all the if this happened or if that happened. I know this is a fan forum and I do the what if’s all the time also. But, “ if the dog wouldn’t have stopped to take s##it , he woulda caught the rabbit “. We get kofi back & maybe stay healthy the rest of the year, we’ll be just fine. Go into the tournament as a 5-6 seed with less media expectations and less pressure on the team and hello elite 8 - maybe final four.
 
#224      

Hopingfor500

H
Hopingfor500
Rap47 said:
Your evaluation of this team is just about as good as when you said they were better without Kofi.
Click to expand...
I never said they were better without Kofi long term. I said they were better vs Purdue, vs Edey and the stats and results beared out to be true. So, take my comments within context. I also said that I HOPED that due to his recent play, which has been far from dominant, and the fact that BBV and Payne looked to be improving, MAYBE the hit with losing Kofi wouldn't be awful. Obviously those hopes and wishes didn't happen.

Now, regarding the post you quoted, tell me where I was wrong. Use your mind, not your heart. Just throwing a once sentence blurb out there because you don't like the analysis doesn't bring much to the topic and game being discussed. Stay on topic