Pregame: Illinois at Michigan State, Thursday, January 7th, 8:00pm CT, ESPN
- Status
Soxfreak64
- Bloomington
Very winnable with today's effort.
Defensive glass will be the key. Need to try to gang rebound like they did in the second half today.
They will also need some hot shooting. I am encouraged by today's effort but this is a large step up in class..
Looking at the remaining schedule and the way we played today the optimist in me says we could go 11-7
@Msu W
Purdue L
Nebraska W
@Indiana L
@Minn W
OSU W
Wisconsin W
@Rutgers W
Iowa L
@Northwestern W
Rutgers W
@Wisconsin L
Indiana W
Minn W
@Maryland L
@Penn state W
Go I-L-L-I-N-I!!
@Msu W
Purdue L
Nebraska W
@Indiana L
@Minn W
OSU W
Wisconsin W
@Rutgers W
Iowa L
@Northwestern W
Rutgers W
@Wisconsin L
Indiana W
Minn W
@Maryland L
@Penn state W
Go I-L-L-I-N-I!!
Been drinking the kool-aid left over from the NYE party, haven't you?
Realistically 7-11 or better would be a mark of success for this injury-riddled team, barring an imminent return by MT. If MT returns before February and is effective, 9-9 or 10-8 are certainly possible.
During Saturday's game, it was reported that Valentine would be returning for the game on the 10th against Penn State.
IlliniRunIn07
- Tampa, FL
I love seeing the optimism in this thread, and I love the progress the individuals on this team are making. I'm so excited for next year, I think we will have a real nice squad. But this team is still very much broken, so I'm not exactly expecting a W here. If we can keep it within 10 a majority of the game, I'll be happy.
It's still early in the season, but anyone know what's up with DJW? I get he's a freshman, and I get his defense needs work. But as far as I could tell, the scouting report on him was he'd be a decent contributor this year with his length/skill set...I'm a bit disappointed.
I remember him making some pretty sweet plays this past summer in the euro trip and haven't really seen any of that carry over into the season :/
I remember him making some pretty sweet plays this past summer in the euro trip and haven't really seen any of that carry over into the season :/
DJW is a 3/4. There are certainly minutes available to him at the 4, given the injuries we've had on the front line but he's a pretty slender kid and needs some time to mature and get stronger before he's ready to do much there, IMO.
At the 3, he's competing with Hill, Nunn, JCL and Jordan. He's not good enough right now to get too many minutes against that group.
And things might not be much better for him next year given that a lot of those guys will be back. If he sticks around, though, I think he can be a big factor as a junior.
IllinoisFan733
- Chicago
Another ring to remember: A lot people were discussing DJW as a likely red-shirt candidate. That got scuttled this year due to the amount of injuries.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
That's probably as much openness as we can expect regarding MT and LB. And I do appreciate the comments. The content, not so much. Oh well, as has been said 1,000 times already, we're investing heavily in freshman development.
It would be difficult to match that effort and result every game. We are going to lay some eggs, all team do. Hopefully when we do we are playing a weak team who is also laying an egg that day. This team is not good enough to play poorly and win, the 2002 and 2005 teams were. I think 7-11 is more realistic and I'm one of the most optimistic posters.
Williams is the one who has been hurt the most by our injury situation. He is much less offensively developed than the other freshmen and he really could have benefitted from using this year as a redshirt year. With all the injuries, especially to the frontcourt, that just wasn't possible this year. If everyone comes back healthy next year (including Thorne), I am wondering if he can/will consider using next year for a redshirt year. The way things are, I don't see him getting much more than spot minutes per game this year. And with Black and Kipper in the picture for next year, I doubt he will get much more playing time then either unless he improves his offensive game substantially. I think that eventually he could develop into a productive player for us. I am just not sure when he will get that chance.
Hopefully in his red shirt sophomore season. I think he will be a great role player. A better offensive version of Bertrand.
I don't believe we win either this week, but if we do it will be because we shot well from three and were able to get the ball into transition. We need to turn MSU over a lot and get some runs going because state will have their own runs.
DJW always had a diverse set of skills. That said he was never a refined offensive player. His ranking was more based on potential than the average recruit. AJ on the other hand was a little more refined on offense that DJW but lacked the same upside so he had a lower ranking.
Leron Black
I am upset about the news on LB. 1. Was the surgery not done correctly? 2. Was he brought back too soon? 3. Has he had another procedure?
I am upset about the news on LB. 1. Was the surgery not done correctly? 2. Was he brought back too soon? 3. Has he had another procedure?
If Leron hasnt even been practicing, do we think he misses the rest of the season and gets a medical redshirt?
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
At this point I am almost hoping that is the case. Thorne on the other hand, I do want him to see him come back this season.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
If there's a chance Thorne could be back next year, I'd rather have both sit out the rest of the year and make a run next year.
Agree. Healthy Tracy, Leron and Thorne?? We'd be one physically tough team if nothing else.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Status