Amen. Irrelevant to the discussion, they ain't comin back
Ohio State 87, Illinois 81 Postgame
I'm not sure that anyone could be too hard on Kofi or Ayo this year. They are both being touted as two of the top 25 players in the country. The teams preseason ranking went from unranked to top 10. We keep hearing from BU that Ayo is the best guard in the country and Kofi is the best big man in the country. Now, with all that comes admiration, but also comes expectation.
In these last two losses, they both have performed below expectations. That's not to say that they played poorly, it's just below expectation, which directly affects the team performing before expectations.
I point out Ayo as well, as he is our big bucket getter. Where is he when we're in the midst of one of those 10-0, 15-0, 17-0 stretches? As the leader of this group, it's really his job to settle things down. BU shouldn't have to call time out to lay into his guys. He's got upperclassmen out there and what is said to be the best guard in the country. None of that should be happening.
In regards to Kofi, the free throw shooting is acting like a 6th defender. It's gotten into game plans now. When in doubt, hack him and send him to the line. 1-5 = 4 turnovers. It's getting close to the point where you can't have him on the floor late. There are two things that will fix that...1)Hit your free throws or 2)Play through contact and finish. He's 7 feet tall, 280 pounds and he continues to put the ball on the floor and lay it in. I'm getting to the point where I don't believe that he's got the explosiveness to catch the ball, keep the ball high and dunk it with authority.
I think we built enormous expectations based on two returnees. These long droughts, the missed foul shots....it's been the difference between 9-5 and 13-1.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This has indeed been frustrating. Our offense, especially in clutch situations, needs to be a COMBINATION of Ayo/Kofi creating and knowing that Trent, Adam or Da'Monte (maybe ... lol) are going to be open. It seems we either pass around to find someone who's "not Ayo" or we default to "Ayo" mode. That is just unacceptable for a team with this many weapons. In his defense, the number of times I have seen Ayo realize a drive isn't there and loft a pass over to Trent that he can't do anything with is infuriating, too. I know we have beaten this horse to death, but an offense that has the likes of Trent Frazier and Adam Miller as 3-point threats, Kofi down low and Ayo to worry about should be damn near unstoppable. And that's what keeps me the tiniest bit optimistic: these guys just need to figure out a groove that they can CONSISTENTLY rely on.
Also, RE: the post above mine about the draughts literally costing us four losses, that is so true.
Let's say even without an inexcusable mental lapse that turns into a hole too deep to climb out of, we STILL lose at Rutgers. I think it's beyond debate that we would have beaten Missouri, Maryland and even Ohio State. We would be 13-1 (7-1), with wins vs. (NET) #20 Ohio State, at #25 Missouri, vs. #28 Minnesota, vs. #34 Purdue, vs. #41 Maryland and at #42 Penn State ... probably ranked #6 or #7, first in the Big Ten and possibly eventually riding an 8-game winning streak into a top 5 showdown in Champaign vs. Iowa. I'm sure it does ... but I hope it clicks with these guys just how much has been lost already due to these lapses, and just how much there is to still lose if they don't figure it out. The talent is there, only the players (and possibly the coaching staff) can figure out why we can't keep up the intensity. They'll have my full support until they do, as always, but it's getting hard to watch such a potentially special season get wasted away. I don't buy that "expectations were too high" or whatever. These guys' intensity has lapsed, and it CAN be fixed.
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When was this interview?
Rough interview. Eeesh.
Tovorik's TRating for Trent for BIG games. First 3 years are his final #'s and of course 2021 is STD.
2018--#49
2019--#31
2020--#61
2021--#52
Deleted member 11228
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Guest
Don't agree with this. Illinois talks a lot of... what? This team doesn't talk a lot of anything. They act like we have a bunch of overconfident loud mouths. We don't.
They say we "play with swagger.." on front end of the broadcast.
I think they are confused with team hype vs media hype. Media hype is excessive, to their point.
For example, every national broadcast is led in with "Ayo and Kofi are amazing..." including OSU game on Fox. Often disappointed by end of game.
On a related note....is "swagger" contradictory to "play with a chip on shoulder"... I like the chip version better.
Deleted member 11228
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Yeah to me it sounds like something created by Goodman and Hummel that we talk a lot. I haven't seen/heard anyone of this team talk us up like we are unbeatable or the best team in the country.
Kofi has 2 assists so far this season and his screen game is non existent is everyone just there to be showcase for Kofi and Ayo's nba potential or is the goal to try to make and win a final 4 ? If we started Curbelo and gave him the ball he probably leads the nation in assists ...and turnovers .
You cant run 4 small limited guards and have the only big not be able to screen at a high level .
Said this the other night when Robbie Hummel was calling our game. He does not like Illinois. Jeff Goodman has crapped on Illinois since fans came at him during the Cliff Alexander recruitment.
To be fair, Ayo released a a video with decently high production quality where he proclaimed he was coming back to win a national championship, and Underwood has puffed up this team in multiple interviews. I don't think any of this is beyond the pale, but it certainly speaks to a level of confidence that hasn't really been earned on the court.
Edit: there was also this one https://www.google.com/amp/s/saturd...elieve-were-the-best-team-in-the-country/amp/
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Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
Okay. Now I'm officially worried. It's a trend.
And to piggy back on this, last yr Alan Griffin was suspended for stepping on a guy while prone, Damonte has been in an altercation or two-threw a guy down yesterday, Giorgi and Kofi (particularly Giorgi) are chirping a lot on the floor...there are most likely other instances that I am forgetting....this is the kind of thing he is referring to I think. When you are at the games and on the floor like Hummel, you hear and see the stuff going on. You don't see a lot of this on TV. Point is, if you are going to bark, you better have some bite.
illini80
- Forgottonia
I’m not saying it’s excessive but there’s been plenty of brash talk in various interviews. So far they aren’t backing it up so it’s bound to get called out.
You can not continue to fall behind by double digits in the Big 10 and expect to stage remarkable comebacks. There needs to be consistent play for 40 minutes.
The media gave us a lot of hype with 2 future draft picks coming back. That coupled with expectations for improved performance from returning players and 2 highly touted freshman gave many expectations that this team was a top 10 team and possible contender. That's what many media members, fans and coaches thought. I am sorry, but I have rarely seen "the" team that many imagined this year. I just don't see the lightbulb going on and suddenly we start playing like a top 10 team. What is worse for me is that I see a team next year that will struggle to be a .500 team in the Big Ten with Ayo and Kofi gone. To achieve .500 next year we would have to see dramatic improvement by returning players from what we saw this year.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Wow...the rationale for some of these hot takes is nuclear!
Several posters including me tried to pump the brakes on these pre season accolades. The same terrible rationale was being used to compare this years team to the '05 team.
Right. Now we should fire Brad Underwood if this team underachieves in what is....without any reasonable debate....the most awkward year in the history of college sports? No regular practices in the summer. No scrimmages. No tune up tourneys. No family contact. No holidays. No outside trips to blow off steam and adjust emotions. Just quarantine and play. Just the minimum preparation and go.
The hair trigger reactions are so unreasonable. Bench Trent. Bench DMFW. Start Curbelo. Start CoHawk. Fire BU...and on and on and on ad naseum.
Pump the brakes on these... just like we needed to pump the brakes before the season on comparing this team to '05.
Give them all a little leeway. Let them figure it out. I get frustration as a fan too, but I trust the coaches and the players to play through all of this and give it their best.
As for last year vs. this year...Feliz is so missed no doubt...but the big change in our season happened when Trent started running the offense and Ayo went to 2.
Look what happened! They ended up playing their best basketball in Feb. and March!
If the players can figure it out for a half like the NW game....they can figure this out. BU isn't going to give them as long a leash now. He said pre season, this is Ayo's team, he wants to prove he can lead a team...well, it looks like he needs some help getting them ready for games.
If it's fire BU talk now...after really only one bad loss and some questionable effort in a couple of W's...then when we play like a Final Four contender...why isn't the talk retain BU forever?
It says right on the front of our favorite jerseys......FIGHTING ILLINI.
Let em' fight.
Several posters including me tried to pump the brakes on these pre season accolades. The same terrible rationale was being used to compare this years team to the '05 team.
Right. Now we should fire Brad Underwood if this team underachieves in what is....without any reasonable debate....the most awkward year in the history of college sports? No regular practices in the summer. No scrimmages. No tune up tourneys. No family contact. No holidays. No outside trips to blow off steam and adjust emotions. Just quarantine and play. Just the minimum preparation and go.
The hair trigger reactions are so unreasonable. Bench Trent. Bench DMFW. Start Curbelo. Start CoHawk. Fire BU...and on and on and on ad naseum.
Pump the brakes on these... just like we needed to pump the brakes before the season on comparing this team to '05.
Give them all a little leeway. Let them figure it out. I get frustration as a fan too, but I trust the coaches and the players to play through all of this and give it their best.
As for last year vs. this year...Feliz is so missed no doubt...but the big change in our season happened when Trent started running the offense and Ayo went to 2.
Look what happened! They ended up playing their best basketball in Feb. and March!
If the players can figure it out for a half like the NW game....they can figure this out. BU isn't going to give them as long a leash now. He said pre season, this is Ayo's team, he wants to prove he can lead a team...well, it looks like he needs some help getting them ready for games.
If it's fire BU talk now...after really only one bad loss and some questionable effort in a couple of W's...then when we play like a Final Four contender...why isn't the talk retain BU forever?
It says right on the front of our favorite jerseys......FIGHTING ILLINI.
Let em' fight.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I wouldn't say it's that we "talk," it's rather that our players "look confident after big plays." And I agree with that. I think their take is a bit harsh, but whoever said to have it on loop in the locker room: YES. Lol, maybe this is what we need!
Frankly, guys, if we come out with consistent effort the rest of the year and see evidence that these two losses lit a fire in these players, we won't just win a lot more games; we will all completely forget about these last two losses. Maryland is young and erratic and has shown the ability to score huge wins (at Wisconsin), and OSU honestly might be a lot better than we all thought. These two losses will only spell doom for these guys if we let it become a trend. I'm as concerned as the next guy, but if we come out and beat PSU at home soundly and score a win at MSU, we are back to 11-5 (7-3), feeling confident and gearing up to give a top 10 Iowa team our best shot and see what happens. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Illini have an opponent they SHOULD beat at home in two days that would give them every opportunity to fix some of the mental issues, gain confidence and get right back on track. Let's hope they see it that way and capitalize!
Deleted member 11228
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I haven't heard any brash talk. Not to the level of 'Illinois is a lot of talk'.
This team is perplexing. When the numbers suggest the team should be controlling these games rather than struggling to catch up, I lean toward a lack of defensive intensity as an explanation. Do any other teams run that horse______ "Weber weave?"
