... FG% will probably be the x-factor to the W or the L...
Yes and the best way to control FG% is to improve the quality of your shots. We are really struggling with this right now because we don't penetrate and we don't have a post threat
Nebraska 78, Illinois 67 POSTGAME
Yes and the best way to control FG% is to improve the quality of your shots. We are really struggling with this right now because we don't penetrate and we don't have a post threat
ILLINIWEK86
Dick Vitale walks into a bar..
- Fisher
Give me a break, man. I'm supposed to be OK with Illinois losing to the Nebraska Cornhuskers? Is that the new norm around here? I don't care what the situation is. You don't get ran off of your home floor by Nebraska.
Spot on. The scary part is that a fully healthy roster doesn't correct this problem.
I think it's more the "I can't wait to see this team get beat by Northwestern" that is out of line.
Did I say you s/b OK with it? You said you can't wait til the season is over. I suggested u can make it be over for you right now, by ceasing to watch. Wasn't that helpful?
Jabber Jabber
- Champaign, IL
If the only stat that you switch from the PU and UNL games is FG%, we are still 1-1 in the last 2 games. I will take a win over a ranked PU team all day long, and (reluctantly) accept the loss to UNL...THIS (and only this) YEAR... Next year, this UNL type loss will be completely unacceptable. This year, it all comes down to making shots. When we shoot a high %, we probably win. If we don't shoot a high %, well... Doesn't matter who the opponent is for that particular game...
This year is really pretty simple. Our D and our rebounding are going to be what they are... FG% will probably be the x-factor to the W or the L...
Yes, Illinois shot better in the Purdue game (the best a Groce team has even shot in a Big Ten game) so that is probably the outlier. But the defense and rebounding were better in the Purdue game and they are things that should get better as the year goes on, but haven't. It's disappointing.
Jabber Jabber
- Champaign, IL
This is a good post. I agree with this post.
Yes and no. I do think that Abrams is our best on the ball defender and that, if healthy, he has the ability to stop so much penetration to the basket. I also think that, while not great defenders, both Black and Thorne are much better than Mav and Finke and at least can force penetrators to think twice before they head to the basket. You are correct that even a full roster would not correct the fact that we really don't have anyone, besides possibly Nunn, who can slash to the basket and finish. Maybe Lucas will be that guy. Maybe Coleman-Lands and Jordan, as they get stronger, can add that aspect to their games. I haven't seen Kipper play, so I don't know if he has that ability.
I'd agree with Thorne > Mav, but Black > anyone is hard to agree with considering he sends everything to the FT line. He has 8 career blocks to Maverick's 3. The area he helps is on the glass, but not really in stopping or altering shot attempts.
As I suggested to some people last year, we miss Nnanna Egwu far more than a lot of people will admit.
The thing I liked about Lon Kruger was that players were given little leeway to deviate from his plan. You put up a bad shot you immediately sat on the bench. Under Groce it appears it is not the case, we put up bad shots at bad times.
I thought there was a correction in the offense during the Purdue game. Much more control of game with the ball in the PG hands. Ran an offense with weaves and picks, some back doors. This game we reverted to know patience, one on one plays, and quick 3's.
I thought there was a correction in the offense during the Purdue game. Much more control of game with the ball in the PG hands. Ran an offense with weaves and picks, some back doors. This game we reverted to know patience, one on one plays, and quick 3's.
Back from ban just in time. I was liking things after the Purdue game, even bought in a little bit. Then today happened...
I don't believe its do much us repeating mistakes but our same old weaknesses being exploited every game.Such as lack of size,quickness and inferior pg play.There are no answers for that.
Can anyone explain why we weren't pressing when we were down four or six with 2:30 remaining? Never understood why Groce doesn't press more. We were just letting them run 30 seconds off the clock each time. At least force a bad pass and get quick transition buckets. If all else fails, they're at the line shooting and Nebraska wasn't proving they could make foul shots consistently anyways. Guess this is why I'm not a coach. Just my two cents.
This team does.
But you don't give enough credit to Nebraska. I mean they are not Minnesota or Rutgers. They have enough competent and talented players to make an NIT run. You make it sound like the Illini are far superior to Nebraska. They are not, they are pretty much similar teams, both really young and inconsistent.
I'm not surprised by the loss, just disappointed in the inconsistency from game to game.
Nebraska isn't very good. They were 2-3 coming in, with 10+ pt losses to every non-Minnesota/Rutgers team they played in conference.
The Glynn Watson's and Tyler Ulis's of the world are going to possibly be the reason Groce is out of a job at Illinois. Of all the ugliness that we just watched in that game, BY FAR the hardest thing to watch was Watson playing so well. I always liked Watson in high school and felt he could definitely contribute to our team and be a solid point guard. It just baffles me that Groce didn't pursue him.
Nebraska had 2 good players just like we do and a younger bench but their bench includes some good talents such as Morrow, Webster, and we didn't even hear from that McVeigh guy. I saw their game with Northwestern. They would've won it had they not allowed Northwestern to come back from a double digit deficit.
To say that Illinois is better than Nebraska is laughable. Both teams are average in their current state. But you should not be losing at home. That much I can agree with.
Glynn Watson as a freshman>Jaylon Tate as a junior....The sad state of reality of our program
I was planning on a big long rant post but really there's no need. It's this simple:
We have nobody that can breakdown the defense. We don't rebound. We don't play defense.
The reason why we are where we are:
Talent evaluation. Injuries. Roster assembly. It's all part of one big jumbled mess.
The most telling thing for me today was at the very beginning of the game, we win the tip, Malcolm throws it back to Tate, Tate catches it, flips it up into the air, catches it with 2 hands, and dribbles again. It was so bad the ref didn't even call it out of sheer embarrassment for Jaylon. How does that happen at the D1 level?
Which leads me to another point. I just don't know how we passed on Glynn Watson but took Jaylon Tate.
I will say we can shoot the 3 ball. If we had guys that could break down the defense, we would be dangerous offensively. We need some size and some guys that can penetrate and kick. If you watch any other college game, even mid majors, they have 2 or 3 fluid guys that can break down the defense. The closest thing we have is Malcolm, but he's not really what I would call a true slasher. I don't know, I'm just really frustrated.
I guess I did rant after all...
We have nobody that can breakdown the defense. We don't rebound. We don't play defense.
The reason why we are where we are:
Talent evaluation. Injuries. Roster assembly. It's all part of one big jumbled mess.
The most telling thing for me today was at the very beginning of the game, we win the tip, Malcolm throws it back to Tate, Tate catches it, flips it up into the air, catches it with 2 hands, and dribbles again. It was so bad the ref didn't even call it out of sheer embarrassment for Jaylon. How does that happen at the D1 level?
Which leads me to another point. I just don't know how we passed on Glynn Watson but took Jaylon Tate.
I will say we can shoot the 3 ball. If we had guys that could break down the defense, we would be dangerous offensively. We need some size and some guys that can penetrate and kick. If you watch any other college game, even mid majors, they have 2 or 3 fluid guys that can break down the defense. The closest thing we have is Malcolm, but he's not really what I would call a true slasher. I don't know, I'm just really frustrated.
I guess I did rant after all...
BY FAR. It's really not even close.
Oh, by no means am I saying we are better than them (similar/equal at best), but they aren't good. They are very similar to us, I agree. What I don't understand is how their freshman are playing with so much more confidence than ours. DJ and AJ look scared - Watson was playing like a senior. His finish through contact to put them back up 8 or 10 towards the end? Wow. They're just not a team we can afford to lose to at home.
It's one game for Watson and one game for djw and Jordan. It's easy to project right now based off that but our freshman have done a lot of good things this year especially JCL who you conspicuously left out.
Serious question here: Could MLT really be that much worse than Jaylon? Atleast when the ball gets reversed and the defense is scrambling and playing catch up, at least he can knock down a 3. I know Jaylon hit one today, but MLT is a pretty good shooter and seems like he'd be more of a weapon. Higher bball IQ too. Is MLT not dressing for a reason other than to get the scholarship guys on the floor?
My observation on the Frosh. One impact guy. JCL. He is a tremendous shooter but he's so one dimensional right now, his shooting is the only value he gives right now. AJ looks like he's hitting the freshman wall and really didn't do much before this. Not an impact player. I would love to see more DJ. He looks like a player. I don't know what it is. I like his length on D and he makes plays. Plays very tentative. I'd like him to be aggressive.
I don't count Finke cause of the RS but that kid is going to be a stud.
My observation on the Frosh. One impact guy. JCL. He is a tremendous shooter but he's so one dimensional right now, his shooting is the only value he gives right now. AJ looks like he's hitting the freshman wall and really didn't do much before this. Not an impact player. I would love to see more DJ. He looks like a player. I don't know what it is. I like his length on D and he makes plays. Plays very tentative. I'd like him to be aggressive.
I don't count Finke cause of the RS but that kid is going to be a stud.
He is a RS this year so he can graduate from UI this year and transfer as a 5th year senior with eligibility. MLT would not have been the solution though, as shown in previous years.