4-9 or whatever the record is against PSU is really unacceptable. I would imagine JW isn’t too happy about that.
Penn State 90, Illinois 89 Postgame
- Status
I want to address the Myth that Underwood says if you don't play defense you don't play for me. Tell me coach where in the hel---l is the defense when you constantly give up 80 +points to a cellar dweller. This team does not play good defense.in fact they don't play defense period. Their strategy is just to outscore you. How is that working out for you? They failed to locate the shooters in the last few seconds and LUNGED AT A 3 POINT SHOOTER only to lose your balance and fall into him.
As I have said over and over the paint is like a super highway with no toll. They allowed a freshman to get to the basket virtually untouched throughout the 2nd half. This team has given away 3 Big games because they quit playing down the stretch and choked. The ENTIRE TEAM and the coaching staff ought to suck on this for the rest of the season.
This is eaxctly why I don't have any confidence they will make a run in any tournament!
As I have said over and over the paint is like a super highway with no toll. They allowed a freshman to get to the basket virtually untouched throughout the 2nd half. This team has given away 3 Big games because they quit playing down the stretch and choked. The ENTIRE TEAM and the coaching staff ought to suck on this for the rest of the season.
This is eaxctly why I don't have any confidence they will make a run in any tournament!
"ten separate things" - for a veteran team, it doesn't seem like they knew or had a strategy on how to play the last X seconds of a game up N points or had studied/practiced end game situations. Execution was crap but decision making was poor. Up 8 with 125 seconds left, Goode shoots 3 with 20 sec left. Then we get Werner's big stop - up 7 with 64 seconds. If we drive lane at last second or just take a shot clock violation they cannot get quick transition points and we are up 7 with 34 left. Instead we shoot 3 at 43 left and PSU scores 3 a few secs later. Instead of instantly inbounding, we are slow and wait for PSU to set up their press. The rest of strategy, execution, and lack of effective inbound plays, has been well documented by others.
Aside from struggling in the areas of, passing, defense (especially interior), free throws, ball handling, inbounding the ball and overall clueless decision making the team is good and ready for tourney....
Brad probably needs to holler at the mirror some too.
Edit: I see I am not the only one to make this point.
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Where is Gonzaga ranked now?
Says me every season for the last 4 years.
I wish we could consistently be who we should be with this roster. We really can beat anyone this year. Unfortunately, we can also lose to just about anyone as well. I give our team a passing grade for creative ways to disappear at the end of games this year.
Is there coaching adjustments being made? Guaranteed we reference this again if not.
This would be a hilarious anecdote, if it was not spot on accurate. It remains to be seen if this can be repaired with 5 weeks left in the season and the BTT prior to the start of the NCAA tourney. However, these same o. same o end of game collapses and lack of in game strategic adjustments have to stop. I am a huge BU fan he has brought the program back to reverence, but this is a common recurrence with his teams he seems to have plateaued.as a coach.
in a defensive stance
Illini4Chief
- TENNESSEE
Guess Hawkins wont be wearin the Penn State T shirt post game?
QG and TR 15 and 16 minutes, respectively. LG and JH, 22 and 24. Should be the exact opposite with QG and TR getting the majority of the minutes, even with QG's recent struggles. Clearly. Epic, epic fail in lineup management to go along with all the other fails during this game. I don't think BU will ever be a coach who doesn't lose a handful of games that just can not be lost if you are an "elite" basketball team.
blackdog
- Champaign
The biggest problem I see with the defense is a complete inability to handle ball screens and no consistent strategy for how to they want to do it. Sometimes they switch, sometimes they try to fight through but it seems to go back and forth a lot which leads to confusion. They also just SUCK at fighting through screens and it seems like the positioning of the bigs is allowing guys to get all the way to the rim too easily. It's like they are told to be more concerned with the roll man than playing the ball so the guy chasing never gets to recover anyway. It leads to so many plays where the man supposed to be covering the ball in on their back instead.
The bolded is just not true. We have not beaten a really good team all season and with our defense, we will not.
I wish we could consistently be who we should be with this roster. We really can beat anyone this year. Unfortunately, we can also lose to just about anyone as well. I give our team a passing grade for creative ways to disappear at the end of games this year.
I can't see faulting Domask. He's been an awesome player, being asked to do way too much, due to a roster with a glaring hole. He's not a fleet-footed defender, but he covers up a ton of stuff on offense because he can just go make plays.
I will say this though, I'm not sure who is in charge of the press break, but they probably need to be flogged. Watching us leave Domask constantly on an island, especially late game, is maddening. Give the guy some help!!
I will say this though, I'm not sure who is in charge of the press break, but they probably need to be flogged. Watching us leave Domask constantly on an island, especially late game, is maddening. Give the guy some help!!
Final score on Saturday: 210-208
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
Yes, !!!! happened.
as awful as the defense was last night, it wouldn’t have mattered without the preposterously bad decision making and execution in the last minute and a half.
Likewise if we play defense, the decision making in the last 1.5 minutes doesn’t even factor in because we’re up by 20.
You beat PSU if you only have one of those weaknesses. You can’t have both.
For the X&O savants on here, is the defensive system just been scouted and weakness has been exposed, are teams hunting weak links, is it an execution/effort problem, or something else entirely?
Likewise if we play defense, the decision making in the last 1.5 minutes doesn’t even factor in because we’re up by 20.
You beat PSU if you only have one of those weaknesses. You can’t have both.
For the X&O savants on here, is the defensive system just been scouted and weakness has been exposed, are teams hunting weak links, is it an execution/effort problem, or something else entirely?
Fortunately I had to miss last night's game to attend my grandson's Jr. High basketball game, followed by my granddaughter's 6th grade basketball game. I did peek at the score in between games and saw the Beloved up by 7 (?) at the half. I didn't check again until I got home around 9 last night, only to see that we lost by one. I checked the box score and play by play on the ESPN, and decided that I didn't need to watch the turd that we laid in the last few minutes.
However, I the think that turd is dwarfed by the 29 pages of steaming, stinking fecal matter in this thread. Maybe unprecedented.
Like all, I'm, sad, hurt, depressed, whatever . . . But the amount of "hot" takes and downright idiotic comments here rivals the game threads . . . nay, EXCEEDS the game threads by a factor of oh, say, a million. According to various posters here, Brad should be fired; Luke, Marcus, Hawkins, Ty, Q, Dain, DGL, Moretti, Harmon all should be thrown out . . . I'm sure I missed some other stupid take . . .
Purdue lost to Ohio State (and Nebraska and Northwestern) . . . UCONN lost to Creighton . . . we lost. Fix the problems and on to the next game.
However, I the think that turd is dwarfed by the 29 pages of steaming, stinking fecal matter in this thread. Maybe unprecedented.
Like all, I'm, sad, hurt, depressed, whatever . . . But the amount of "hot" takes and downright idiotic comments here rivals the game threads . . . nay, EXCEEDS the game threads by a factor of oh, say, a million. According to various posters here, Brad should be fired; Luke, Marcus, Hawkins, Ty, Q, Dain, DGL, Moretti, Harmon all should be thrown out . . . I'm sure I missed some other stupid take . . .
Purdue lost to Ohio State (and Nebraska and Northwestern) . . . UCONN lost to Creighton . . . we lost. Fix the problems and on to the next game.
Goillinikobd
- Southeastern US
Accurate and devastating post mortem on last night
247sports.com
Player Grades: Plenty of blame to go around in meltdown at Penn State
Grading Illini player performances in the 90-89 loss at Penn State.
247sports.com
Agree with many on this post. There seems to be coaching errors both in terms of play design, defense, and personnel. I like Underwood but I’m not sure I believe in him. Our inbounding and press break is awful. Our defense against dribble penetration is non-existant nd getting burned three times in the same in bounds play is inexcusable. I like Goode but but he has no business being on the court in the last three minutes of a close game. Quincy has become increasingly less effective since TSJ returned. Harmon’ defense is suspect. I cannot fathom why Rodger’s is not on the floor in crunch time. I am very frustrated that Dane isn’t playing more. Did he egg Brads house or something ? I’ve rarely seen such a clear message to one player that he is unwelcome as the the one Brad is sending. These are coaching issues. Color me mixed up.
- Status