Missouri 93, Illinois 71 Postgame
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Steelyunk
- Tobacco Road
Are you kidding me? This team is falling apart. They have 2x the talent that miznoz team has and lost by > 20. Worst. Loss. Ever. Stop. Just stop the Brad underwood rear guard action. I was a fan but he’s lost my confidence. He has to earn that $4 mil a year.
Not even close. I think you're the one who might need to stop for a while.
We are in total agreement here. I'm just saying, being a serious fan (and I mean live and die Illini, alum, kids who are graduates, followed the team to San Antonio, Atlanta, Indianapolis, St. Louis over the years, etc, etc) since the late 80's, I've learned that fleeting Illini success is paid for with serious, soul - crushing lows for sometimes decades at a time. The talk about this team from: first, the media covering them to second, team insiders - one purportedly being very close to the coach - hints at serious problems that could easily lead to the team spiraling into dysfunction, and who knows what else that would come as a result. Hard to be optimistic given all of that news and a couple of unexpected losses in the past two weeks after such high expectations after Vegas.
But, we as Illini fans must endure, try to be hopeful, and have faith that our loyalty will someday be rewarded with the ultimate achievement as a program. Best wishes for the happiest of holidays to you and all Illini fans and their families!
Skyy has not looked happy to me since day one. Mopey. Doesn't talk to teammates and shows very little leadership that is needed by a PG. Have noticed this all season and wondered if he would stick around to the new year. He seems very low energy, and that doesn't seem like it would mesh with BU, or any head coach at this level.
We could lose every game the rest of the year and I’d still be an Illini fan. But I don’t really want to root for players who are okay with fans like that. I prefer players who want to win.
I remember early on BU said he liked transfers in the old days - because that would give them an extra year in the system.
I worry that the staff isn’t built like that with NIL. Tim can obviously bring players in. Seems like Brad is more about chemistry and culture.
I don’t know if we’re seeing the fruit of that or not (because I know nothing), but something is amiss.
Maybe the question is: can Brad coach high level NIL ball, or is that not the best way to go??
I remember early on BU said he liked transfers in the old days - because that would give them an extra year in the system.
I worry that the staff isn’t built like that with NIL. Tim can obviously bring players in. Seems like Brad is more about chemistry and culture.
I don’t know if we’re seeing the fruit of that or not (because I know nothing), but something is amiss.
Maybe the question is: can Brad coach high level NIL ball, or is that not the best way to go??
I think what looked like over-passing early on certainly does start looking like lack of trust in retrospect. There have been instances over and over this year of guys making good cuts and coming away empty. And then you're going to start just looking to get yours. Add that to atrocious defensive effort generally and 
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I’ve never understood the hype around coleman. Not that good. Skyy i bet was promised he would start and to keep access to players from wherever he came from, he will keep starting. Reminds of that one freshman guard who started every game then transferred out after his freshman year. Our offense is terrible. I knew there would come a time this year when we wondered if Underwear could coach. I think he can but with all these new parts it will take some time to come together. And isn’t that the goal, to come together? Yuck yuck. But the biggest problem is our defense. Nothing else matters if we’re giving up 90 plus points to our opponent. And how can kansas look so much better than us when we started the year on equal footing, per reports. They have new parts too, don’t they?
oh well, this is just a game, for entertainment purposes only.
oh well, this is just a game, for entertainment purposes only.
You want this team to play up to its talent level so you keep rolling guys who aren’t running the offense or playing defense. At some point you gotta cut bait and just try to put together a team of kids that can sneak into the dance and hopefully improves as the year goes on. Maybe you’re not there yet but if you get another game or two like this you gotta hurt the host to kill the cancer. I don’t know who it is, but you gotta kill it.
I’ve never seen anything like this in 50 years of watching this team. Here I was hoping I’d get to enjoy watching Michigan miss the tourney this year, and…
If Underwood went full Norman Dale and we entered the second semester with seven scholarship players who were interested in playing and cut everyone else, I’d almost be ok with going like 7-13 in league play.
I’ve never seen anything like this in 50 years of watching this team. Here I was hoping I’d get to enjoy watching Michigan miss the tourney this year, and…
If Underwood went full Norman Dale and we entered the second semester with seven scholarship players who were interested in playing and cut everyone else, I’d almost be ok with going like 7-13 in league play.
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We've been off kilter as a team the last few games, obviously. I have noticed the everyday guy intensity has not been there for a while now. And where the 6 second offense has gone, I don't even know. Fast break buckets were our staple, and now I don't even see guys sprinting up the court full speed anymore. Not sprinting back on defense or giving maximum effort. Not locating their man to defend or finding a body and boxing out. Lazy effort and lackadaisical dribbling and passing. The sense of urgency to win every play and respect every play, as if it's the game on the line. The killer instinct to win every moment, and play, against your opponent. That competitive tenacity. That will to win, and relentlessness. That is Illinois basketball! That is an everyday guy! That is what you have to bring when you put that jersey on! Attack and defend until exhaustion, and give your all for your teammates! Play smart and relentless at all times, and trust your teammates to do the same! This, by no means is the end, and we can definitely right the ship. We can't win them all. But, we can give our best and leave it all on the floor, every time we step on it. Let's get back to us, and back to representing our culture! WE ARE THE FIGHTING ILLINI!!! I-L-L 
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altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Great post. I watched the game with an Illini brother across town, got home after midnight here, read the thread for a bit and then stopped. Watched all of Brad's 22-minute presser, however. I encourage everyone to do so, too. It's not rocket science. "Everyone is trying to do their deal," he says near the end. Yep. Obviously. Insufficient level of trust = no team. Got some work to do there.
Huge, bewildering disappointment tonight. The freshman will continue to learn. Some other guys need to grow up and buckle down. Will they? Do they want to win or are they content to get their rears kicked in regularly? Are their NBA prospects enhanced by playing on a seriously underachieving team, even if they're making serious coin this year already? Do they have pride in their product consistently? Can they be tough and cohesive? That's what January and February will tell us. I'm not selling my stock. I'm a buy-and-hold guy with this team.
'Nite.
Man, I miss Ayo
Hope like heck you are right, but that seems like asking a lot of a guy coming off a foot injury who played 9 minutes a game last year.
I thought the Penn State loss was that loss. I was wrong.
more so his attitude and what he brings to the table with his toughness. Add the fact that he can really knock down open threes, which no one can seem to do right now
when is he back
On one hand I certainly hope so and am looking for any kind of reason for optimism going forward. On the other hand if the season turning around hinges on a sophomore role player then that is quite an indictment on the rest of the roster right now.
TJ said postgame he needs to shoulder more of a leadership role, and obviously Underwood has expressed the same thought. Here's hoping he does.
Ryllini
- Lombard
That’s my quarterback
I think it would a) raise the bar for minutes at wing, b) give us another shooter who can defend multiple positions, c) a willing rebounder at both ends, and d) truly bring another all-in personality to the huddle, something we desperately need.
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