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.
Northwestern 73, Illinois 60 Postgame
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They just need to fix it period but it’s going to take a miracle at this point because some of the players have tuned out and the ones you expect to step up and show leadership.
Yep, leaders make others around them better. We have no one on this team that is making anyone else on this team better. I am really struggling to find a team on the floor. There are 5 guys who never seem to never have a sense of urgency until it is way, way, way too late.
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Probably sees a little bit of 03-04 in this team. The talent is there but the chemistry isn't. I remember how our fanbase was turned off by that team early in the season and after a loss at NW. That team turned it around in a big way. I don't know if this one will but there is still plenty of time to do it.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Lol...It's Doc and Marty trying to fix the DeLorean Time Machine with parts from 1885.
Last year we needed more minutes from the youngsters, most notably RJ. This year damn we could use a guy like Da’Monte Williams.
Then bench the ones that aren't doing what he wants. This is on him. We were a decent team early in the year. We are now not a good team.
I,too, though the extra practices would help the team settle into the new defensive and offensive systems Brad was installing. Instead we got mind numbing turnovers and poor shooting.
Spent all off season imagining what a great team this was going to be, and looked like early. Beyond disappointed.
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.
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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When you lose a team it comes out in so many different ways. We all bought into the pieces being put together, but they don’t fit. A bunch of guys that are good players, but just not together. It is obvious and difficult to stomach. I just hope it doesn’t affect the long term future of the program.
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
And right now we don't have a single player who can take over a game and carry everyone else. Certainly not Hawkins or Shannon, who are the guys we should expect to be able to do that.
100%. Just saw Audige say it was a TEAM effort. T-E-A-M.
Where the hell was the 'team effort' on our end? We're a collection of guys who are looking to serve their own agendas and nothing else.
I really did like our offensive system today despite all the missed wide open threes. And I do think Goode will help a lot with that. But I doubt it’ll be enough to save our season.
Agreed the season isn't over...it was just funny to see Bruce so calm and essentially telling illini nation to calm down....I can only dream that we turn the season around like that team in 2003. I was at the !!! kicking we took by Providence at Madison square garden that year and it was demoralizing. So maybe there is hope.
I need more accountability from brad. I agree with him this team doesn’t look the part but you as a coach need to shoulder more blame for the kind play out there considering the talent.
Generally, the head fakes need to be cut in half. Fully believe a lot of these guys are good three pt shooters. Too many open looks passed up after a couple misses. You can’t get dejected, keep looking and taking good shots.
On a more specific level as a post before me pointed out I want more Dainja. Not Kofi levels but he plays harder than most. He deserves more shot opportunities.
Generally, the head fakes need to be cut in half. Fully believe a lot of these guys are good three pt shooters. Too many open looks passed up after a couple misses. You can’t get dejected, keep looking and taking good shots.
On a more specific level as a post before me pointed out I want more Dainja. Not Kofi levels but he plays harder than most. He deserves more shot opportunities.
More worried about the massive runs that we give up. Good coaching can limit a 22-2 run.
This is an interesting perspective to consider.
Illinois’ three best players are supposed to be Shannon, Mayer and Hawkins.
Shannon just disappears for long stretches of the game. I don’t know if that’s on him or on his teammates not getting him the ball, but the offense needs to be running through him. He needs a touch on every possession.
Mayer seems to lose focus on both sides of the ball. He’ll play with intensity for short stretches and then just seems to fall asleep. I have no clue what the deal is or what the solution is.
Hawkins is a complete mess. His shot selection is a disaster. He has no clue where his passes are going. He’s making it an extremely complicated game. He looks like he’s crawled so far up inside his own head he can’t find his way out. He might need a couple games on the bench just to straighten himself out.
Shannon just disappears for long stretches of the game. I don’t know if that’s on him or on his teammates not getting him the ball, but the offense needs to be running through him. He needs a touch on every possession.
Mayer seems to lose focus on both sides of the ball. He’ll play with intensity for short stretches and then just seems to fall asleep. I have no clue what the deal is or what the solution is.
Hawkins is a complete mess. His shot selection is a disaster. He has no clue where his passes are going. He’s making it an extremely complicated game. He looks like he’s crawled so far up inside his own head he can’t find his way out. He might need a couple games on the bench just to straighten himself out.
Yeah that season obviously should stick out for most of us. I remember the Providence game and then the loss at NW and I was ready to just give up. "We really miss Brian Cook" is what I remember saying. The game that I believe truly turned it around was winning at IU on Nick Smith's shot. It was a place we always had trouble winning at.
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.
This feels strangely like 2018
Oskee67
- Champaign
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.
Eh, Mayer’s made some shots but he’s also played more than his fair share of hero ball, had lazy passes/turnovers (had his lunch money taken twice by audige tonight just by not valuing the ball), tends to gamble and take plays off on defense.
Still think he’s an overall positive but he makes a lot of non winning plays on the court too.
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