Northwestern 73, Illinois 60 Postgame

We were up 43-38 with 12 minutes left...........that means we got out scored 35 -17 in that 12 minute span .......When was the last time we had 3 players foul out ???........................Deon T. said the foul called on RJ as buie fell down , the softest foul call in the history of the B$G......only contact I saw was buie push RJ with his arm as he fell down.....

The fall from grace by the Illini since the win over texas at M$G has to be the most puzzling thing I have witnessed in many many years....I have tried to forget the Groce years so maybe something as bad as this stretch of horrible play happened back then...........

The presser where MM went off on something wrong with the team has been the match that lit this dumpster fire ........As all my friends here know , I am such a optimist concerning the Illini programs but this last 3 weeks has me as down as I have been regarding Illini MBB in a long long time........

Something is going on with this team that I can't figure out as we have plenty of talent but no cohesive play.....no momentum.......no all out effort........
no balls to the wall , hair on fire kind of spark that can carry a team through a scoring drought or less than stellar defensive play.......

I will say this was also one of the worst reffed game this year ....and that's saying a lot without larry sh**head or d j bald head ref on the court.......

I don't really know what can be done to stop this slide......anyone ?? ....anyone ???




BU on the radio post game said....................

we made 6 more FG's than them
fouls with 5 seconds left on the shot clock
passive on drives to the bucket
sincere can't trash talk 2 feet from the ref
lack of discipline
shots took tonight that we don't practice
4 players for us foul out
young guys have to grow up
veterans also
it's got to be aboot us , not me.....team instead of me......
not tough enough yet



same old stuff........................gonna be a long night for me as i don't process this type of play by the Illini very well.......time for some medications to ease my pain.....this pain goes all the way to the bone..........I tried to read some of the game thread but had to stop.......I want to curl up in a fetal position and sleep but when I wake up the pain will still be there .....

0-3 in the B$G with wisky up next and they are 3-0.............

On to the ladies game tomorrow night @ 8 pm.............carry on Illini Nation , as hard as it will be after this putrid display of Illini BB.......peace out.....

racinghoss said:

Mayer has been good. Reading his body language, he is more frustrated than anyone. He didn't sign up for this. Maybe TSJ didn't either, but he isbt doing much to improve his situation.

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Mayer makes individual plays on both sides of the ball but is absolutely atrocious with anything team related. No passing, doesn't run offense just tries to iso, doesn't get back on defense, and provides no help defense. He's basically reason #1 for my first comment about this being just a collection of players and I don't think it's any secret that everyone in the locker room feel the same.

This team is incapable of winning anything. Clark, Hawkins, Melandez, Shannon, and especially Mayers are playing just dreadful. The number of bad turnovers, stupid fouls, and standing around watching instead of moving without the ball is dictating lost after loss. What a waste of talent. This team has completely lost their motivation to win. Coach Underwood has no answer and he needs to stop saying we're going to be really good. Not happening this year.

In presser, BU says the lack of offensive flow is on him. Can’t disagree. Fix it.

I don’t understand how our ball handlers don’t run the pick and roll more effectively. They usually don’t cut close enough to the screener to rub off their defender, rendering the screen a waste of time and effort. Don’t they learn this in middle school?

I never would have expected the women's team to be better than the men's this season, but here we are.

Oskee67 said:

I don't recall BU being so angry... And borderline unhinged...his entire time here. He's always been fiery, but this is something else.

One moment that stuck out to me today was during the second half. Epps came out after making a silly foul or TO and the camera caught BU just going off on him. Even TA just stared up at BU in bewilderment before another coach moved Epps away.

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BU has lost it and the team…it doesn’t seem like he knows how to get them to snap out of it. Maybe should give up some control over to Geoff Alexander or someone else until he can figure things out.

champaignchris said:

Illinois’ three best players are supposed to be Shannon, Mayer and Hawkins.

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So the thought going into this year was make Role player/ Role player/ Role player your 3 best players.

pruman91 said:

We were up 43-38 with 12 minutes left...........that means we got out scored 35 -17 in that 12 minute span .......When was the last time we had 3 players foul out ???........................Deon T. said the foul called on RJ as buie fell down , the softest foul call in the history of the B$G......only contact I saw was buie push RJ with his arm as he fell down.....

The fall from grace by the Illini since the win over texas at M$G has to be the most puzzling thing I have witnessed in many many years....I have tried to forget the Groce years so maybe something as bad as this stretch of horrible play happened back then...........

The presser where MM went off on something wrong with the team has been the match that lit this dumpster fire ........As all my friends here know , I am such a optimist concerning the Illini programs but this last 3 weeks has me as down as I have been regarding Illini MBB in a long long time........

Something is going on with this team that I can't figure out as we have plenty of talent but no cohesive play.....no momentum.......no all out effort........
no balls to the wall , hair on fire kind of spark that can carry a team through a scoring drought or less than stellar defensive play.......

I will say this was also one of the worst reffed game this year ....and that's saying a lot without larry sh**head or d j bald head ref on the court.......

I don't really know what can be done to stop this slide......anyone ?? ....anyone ???

View attachment 22542


BU on the radio post game said....................

we made 6 more FG's than them
fouls with 5 seconds left on the shot clock
passive on drives to the bucket
sincere can't trash talk 2 feet from the ref
lack of discipline
shots took tonight that we don't practice
4 players for us foul out
young guys have to grow up
veterans also
it's got to be aboot us , not me.....team instead of me......
not tough enough yet



same old stuff........................gonna be a long night for me as i don't process this type of play by the Illini very well.......time for some medications to ease my pain.....this pain goes all the way to the bone..........I tried to read some of the game thread but had to stop.......I want to curl up in a fetal position and sleep but when I wake up the pain will still be there .....

0-3 in the B$G with wisky up next and they are 3-0.............

On to the ladies game tomorrow night @ 8 pm.............carry on Illini Nation , as hard as it will be after this putrid display of Illini BB.......peace out.....

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He also said it was on him and he has failed having them run anything resembling an offense.

IllinialuminAZ said:

These are my thoughts too. I keep wanting players off the floor. There's not really one person I trust on offense right now. Maybe Epps as he can drive a bit and hit an open three. Otherwise, it's just really bad. I don't know what happened to RJ or Skyy, but I have zero confidence that they'll hit even a wide open jumper at this point. MM just does his own thing and seems to get beat on D often. TSJ goes left 95% of the time and everyone knows it. Coleman just generally makes poor decisions and his TO's are killing us.

I had high hopes this season with all of the "slashers" we supposedly had. I thought we'd be driving to the basket a lot and opening things up for shooters or be throwing lobs toward the basket. It's obviously not happening and our complete lack of FT's every game shows it. We can't shoot threes either, but we keep chucking them up.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but it's looking extremely bleak. Maybe Goode turns things around a little or maybe some guys start to get their heads right, but I just want to know what happened to the team I saw in Vegas.

Super disappointed in this team right now.

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I know DD's not a dominating force like Kofi was, but make him the central point--an inside/out game, which should give guys like MM, TS and others better looks from the three-point line. This should aid Clark and Epps (maybe doesn't need as much help) in getting to the basket and dishing off to the open guy or having a good look at the basket with penetration. And with those athletes? Crash the damn board!

Oskee67 said:

I don't recall BU being so angry... And borderline unhinged...his entire time here. He's always been fiery, but this is something else.

One moment that stuck out to me today was during the second half. Epps came out after making a silly foul or TO and the camera caught BU just going off on him. Even TA just stared up at BU in bewilderment before another coach moved Epps away.

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Again it's on the players. They continue to consistently do things they are being coached not to do and fail to execute.. For someone who is as passionate as BU it's hard not to get frustrated.

FloridaMan said:

IL "Team"
3 FG/A
7-23
7-27
7-31
8-28
8-28

Dain Dainja
FGM-FGA
2-3
2-3
4-4
8-10 (Bethune-Cookman, clearly overmatched)
4-6

That's a 27% clip from 3 in the last 5 games, while DD is shooting at a 77% clip averaging only 5 shots a game which includes an over matched opponent where he got 10. Now, granted, he can't make a free throw to save his life and teams will hack him if we tried to feature him. BUT, what the team is doing now sure aint working. Take Hawkins off the point and scrap this ridiculous "position less" "5-out" BS and put him on the block to rebound for Danja, and get some occasional garbage put backs. Put SH/Epps at the point and let them learn, and combination of Epps, MM, TSJ, or RJ at the other guard spot. If any of the upper class guys don't like it or buy in they can observe from the bench and see how that bolsters their pro prospects. Maybe by end of February you have a team that can get hot at the right time. P.S. DM me, Josh Whitman, for my cell and we can discuss the terms of my consulting role.

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Half time stats 3 pointers 3-14 and I believe they said inside the arc 9-12.

This team is just soft. We have guys playing to get to the league instead or playing as a team. I’ve never seen a team stand and watch another team dive on the floor or grab rebounds as much as this team.

Can we get Podz back in a trade. Could use his energy and fight....also his 19 ppg and 8 rebounds wouldn't hurt. Oh yeh....he couldn't play with all the talent we've got!

Brad's not wrong - and hey! I feel smart.
CoHawk needs to stop with the step backs and just take the rhythm 3s he will get in the flow of this offense if they'd just run it

Oskee67 said:

I don't recall BU being so angry... And borderline unhinged...his entire time here. He's always been fiery, but this is something else.

One moment that stuck out to me today was during the second half. Epps came out after making a silly foul or TO and the camera caught BU just going off on him. Even TA just stared up at BU in bewilderment before another coach moved Epps away.

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His first year he was a maniac. I remember one game he lost it at the end of the half and he screamed that he was going to “blow up the bleepin roster”

I started referring to him as “Thanos”.

Talk about "team vs. individual" and "chemistry" and whatever all you want. It is important but it isn't the source of the loss in one, I'd argue two conference games this year.

Fix the fundamentals - actually getting offensive rebounds and HITTING YOUR DARN FREE THROWS - and I don't think we are 0-3 in the Big Ten. The turnovers are insane and have been since day one of this team. Some of that might be player personalities but I don't think all of it is, nor do I think being a horrible free throw shooter has anything to do with what NIL money you make.

That's on Brad Underwood 100 percent.

We are kind of at a cross roads. Either this team begins to figure it out OR the season may be over before we know it.

BBIQ said:

He also said it was on him and he has failed having them run anything resembling an offense.

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Eh, no, execution was squarely laid at the feet of the players - on both ends
Discipline, he took the hit for.

SeattleSlim said:

In presser, BU says the lack of offensive flow is on him. Can’t disagree. Fix it.

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No doubt. Chemistry problems, effort problems, body language problems... the buck stops where?

KingWolf11 said:

He's the coach and GM. He started the forest fire.

I love Brad but he fumbled this offseason as bad as you can. We had so much momentum

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I don't have the basketball smarts to say what percentage of blame lies with Brad vs the assistants vs the players. But I'm not sure how the off-season can be blamed on Brad. He (and Chet and TA) went out and got the top-ranked portal players. More than one site said we had done the best in managing the portal.

Now managing post-portal, maybe that is another thing.

My optimism says this is one of those blue blood five star rosters that looks like reheated butt in early January and somehow clicks unexpectedly, goes on a conference run then ignites in the tourney
Don't ask me for references, it's a hope.

Good, honest post game presser just Brad

The transfer portal really hurt Underwoods secret sauce of molding his recruits over multiple years.

Team has no alpha dog....good role players but no All-Americans or B1G...but they are coming..maybe a few already here and learning. Upperclass guys are too soft I am sorry to say. All the Alpha dogs are on the bench.

As much as I like the mix of talents, they just don't fit together. It was the primary question I had prior to the season....could BU meet the challenge of fitting the pieces together? It appeared to me to be a formidable task in spite of the talent due to mixing in the transfers as well as too many frosh. Injuries have hurt, but I don't remember an Illini team that was healthy throughout the season since I first saw Govoner Vaughn play back in the day.

But what can be done? BU pretty much has to play the upper-class guys who have the size and experience to compete..or does he? Melendez and Epps are the only two lower-class guys that can hit free throws when needed.

To me, what is to be learned is that B1G coaches are pretty astute at recognizing not only the strengths and weaknesses of their own team, but also of their opponents and devising ways to exploit and counter. But most have known that for decades. Few Illini fans understand those weaknesses until they show up on the scoreboard...and they sure did tonight.

Also, unless a player is of Lebron caliber, there is a steep learning curve to climb for them all. Nothing comes easy. And recruits are not born old and wise. Patience and hard work should be the goal/gold of all athletes...not the transfer portal/NIL. I really feel these youngsters have the talent, grit, determination, and character to be B1G champions and bridge the program to the Kofi days of success like the Flyin' Illini who were a band of brothers. Unfortunately, I am pretty well convinced it is not this year.