Penn State 90, Illinois 89 Postgame

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#553      
This is because my wife and I saw Matthew Mayer at the STL airport today. He was wearing a Baylor backpack. Bad juju all around today.

monster energy rainbow GIF
 
#554      
This is true and great perspective. I’ll add that losses like this was inevitable when we didn’t land a point guard coming into the season. Well maybe not quite like this one, but a poor luck score in general.

I do agree that Underwood needs to revisit his end game lineups. Ty should have been on the floor. This was a fluke and I’ll happily trade it to beat Purdue in a couple weeks.

Most importantly I’m not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Underwood has us back in the top 10-15 programs in the country. He’s showed a tremendous ability to adapt and learn from prior year. I still believe he has at least one final four in his future here. I just hope he lands a top tier PG in the next portal-go-round.
Why do you believe that? As a player or coach BU has been to the sweet sixteen once in 40 years, and hasn‘t done it when he had two all Americans plus an all-big ten player. What’s the missing piece?
 
#557      
I don’t even know how to process this- one of the worst collapses in college basketball history - up 7 with 39 seconds left

Goode shooting a 3 with 20 seconds on the shot clock, was the worst decision of them all, because it was completely unforced, if he doesn’t shoot the ball we almost certainly win, him shooting the ball was the only chance they had
 
#558      
So if we have 3 really good defenders in Coleman, Ty, and TSJ, and 2 decent defenders in Marcus and Quincy, anyone have thoughts on why we can’t play defense?
Coleman is terribly overrated defensively, sorry. He gets abused in the post and won’t even so much as to put a hand up on help defense if his teammate lets a player get into the paint.
 
#559      
Domask is one of the last things I would put the blame on ... We put A LOT on him ... Every single game ...

Coleman spent all week talking :poop: ... Then played like absolute :poop: tonight ...

Where has Quincy been? That dude has fallen off the face of the earth ... Has absolutely disappeared for like the last month ...

And we all know about the defense ...

Domask and TJ were the only reason we didn't lose by 20 tonight ... We didn't have a single other guy get double figures ...
I’m going to say it again and I know you’re probably annoyed by it at this point, but Brad needs to make a hard decision and let someone else like Chester take over the defense. Take that responsibility away from Hamer but it seems like Brad is too stubborn or doesn’t want to do it.
 
#561      
A disappointing loss for certain. But I look at things a bit differently than the "sky is falling crew". This team has always been vulnerable to two things...mindless blunders and poor FT shooting...and not from the usual suspects as DD was 2 for 2 and Ty did not shoot any. TSJr., Q, and CoHawk were 13/22. They also had 10 turnovers and MD added 4. Most of those were senseless blunders by our "old men" who know better. Big price to pay as the loss likely takes a B1G title out of range. Other than turns and throws, and some defensive lapses, there were many good minutes.

But what most Illini supporters do not consider is that the game the PSU TEAM played a great game and deserved the victory. They hit good shots and difficult shots and made a ton of great defensive plays. They are a solid B1G team full of athletes who play hard and to win. Sure, they do not have the experience or skills of our guys, but one has to know the "any given night" mantra that has been seen hundreds of times in every conference...none more than the B1G.

I am as chagrined as any Illini fan, but if weaknesses are identified, addressed, and strengthened, this game could be a catalyst for achievement instead of a death sentence. As an Illini fan for seven decades, I have witnessed hundreds of Illini disappointments. But this is one of the most talented and potentially great Illini teams of that time. All I have to say to them is believe in yourselves, learn, and get better as a team....you are as good as any, but the path to where you want to be takes focus and hard work. Get busy...the pieces are there.
Yep. Two tournaments ahead. The goal should be to prepare for and win both.
 
#563      

DICKnaggie

Champaign
And that was with Goode actually hitting a few threes, which he hasn't done in a hot minute.
 
#565      
I haven’t read the 19 pages but I hope there isn’t anyone trying to defend the staff at this point. This is one of the most poorly coached Illini teams I’ve ever seen. Loads of talent, but the way games start and end is on the coaching staff and this team does both poorly. How many years before we can reliably inbound the ball?
Inbounding I agree but the coaches are expecting the players to perform to their abilities. Hawkins stunk tonight far worse relative to his abilities than Goode. I would expect coaching to be based on what is expected based on their expected abilities but we don’t see practices. It sure seems Ty should be in more at the end of games so I would think the coaches should see it too. It’s harder to pull a stud like Hawkins when he is playing bad. You are hoping he gets his act together. Quincy wasn’t playing that well from what I saw so I could see him sitting. It would be hard to bench Hawkins but when he loses his focus then the team just isn’t as good with him on or off the court. The players need to be focused for every game and not take games off because of birthdays or just thinking that they are so much better.
 
#566      
I'm very thankful for what Underwood has done to bring us back to relevance, but I think it is about time to accept that we have a ceiling with him as the head coach. There have been far too many mistakes this year that a junior high coach does not make. There has been a trend the entire tenure of lack of adjustments, whether that is game to game, or within a game. We have our stuff, we run it, and hope it works. There's no plan B. Loyola? Ayo PnR all game, just like the entire season. Loyola shuts it down in the first half, so we continue to run it until the final minute of the season. The first two season? I remember after the Michigan game in BU's first year, saying this overplaying defense is insane and will never work. It took two full years of getting our butts kicked to adjust. Booty ball for three games against PSU last year, maybe throw a zone at Pickett for one possession out of 120 minutes? Never a thought.

There's no use of timeouts to stem momentum and get the players calmed down when we get sped up and start making mistakes and letting teams get back into games. The only use of time outs lately, besides end of game, has been after WE make a big basket, to stem our own momentum for some reason.

There's no adjustments on defense. Guess what? Teams have 25 games worth of film on us now. They know we switch everything. We continued to switch everything tonight. Guess what they did? Have Goode's man set screens, just like the last X number of games. Goode trying to guard a quick player will not end well for us most times. Why do we auto switch with Goode then? Change the dang coverage when Goode's man is screening. The stats in the Maryland game for Young when TSJ was guarding him vs. not were night and day... so why let them get a matchup they want? The coaching staff is putting Goode in a position to fail with this scheme.

Domask clearly struggles bringing the ball up the court. This is not MD's fault, but the fault of the coaching staff for not coming up with any other option to bring the ball up the court. Aside from when TSJ was fouled and turned it over during the press, the couple times TSJ got the ball, PSU backed off of him and did not pressure him. Anyone can see this, yet our coaching staff cannot? Others have suggested just letting CoHawk bring it up... also fine option most likely. Domask is best on the wing in the triple threat position, with the ability to back his man down, or do his little side to side ball fake and drive the ball. He has a quick first step, but not so quick after that. Let him play to his strengths.... additionally, walking the ball up gives us less time to actually run some offense.

I could not believe what I was watching tonight, when up by 2 and shooting a free throw, Goode was not subbed out of the game for Ty. That is 100% inexcusable to have your worst defender (at least of anyone that plays) in the game with 20 seconds to go and in a must-stop situation.

I unfortunately do not expect much in March this year. I expect us to get out coached in the game again, out schemed prior to the game, and go down dying on the same hill we laid on all year, rather than seeing what happens if we have plan B and C ready.
Brads a good coach. He’s a high floor but it appears his ceiling may be limited.

He’s also one of the most stubborn coaches I’ve ever seen with his lack of adjustments.
 
#569      
I just watched Brad's presser. He said, "we're playing with the wrong mentality" (i.e. all offense and no defense). 26 games into the season and he's just now figuring that out...and hasn't realized it BEFORE now? We're doomed, ha-ha!
 
#570      
I think overall the guys have given their all. If they are not preforming or giving excellent effort it should be a$& meet bench. When do we do that?
When the bench shows they can play a lick. When Goode and Harmon are on the floor, there's not one iota of defense that's played. We don't have to discuss Dain. Now, you're down to freshmen.

He tried to put TGL in a game before Harmon to prove a point(as you suggested) and it worked....for one game.

This is a senior dominated roster. These tactics, 26 games into the season, shouldn't be needed.
 
#572      
Domask is one of the last things I would put the blame on ... We put A LOT on him ... Every single game ...

Coleman spent all week talking :poop: ... Then played like absolute :poop: tonight ...

Where has Quincy been? That dude has fallen off the face of the earth ... Has absolutely disappeared for like the last month ...

And we all know about the defense ...

Domask and TJ were the only reason we didn't lose by 20 tonight ... We didn't have a single other guy get double figures ...
Quincy who ????
 
#575      
Also, if we in bound the ball to Domask in the last 35 seconds do you think we win? I do. Thats what is so annoying besides Coleman foul. Coleman shouldn't have touched the damn ball. He traveled to start with n got lucky
 
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