Believe me when I say that Michigan remembers what happen last year when Trent went off. They will be ready and smell blood. We have to bring it or they will hose us just like they did Purdue.
Yes, that…and of course padding the first half of the schedule with as many patsies as possible.Remember the Groce years when we hoped good teams would overlook us and we could steal a W. Good times, good times.
Crazy how things change. Every team has us circled on the calendar now.
OK; not true at all. Relative motivation, and habit of long lulls during otherwise competitive play not an issue. Ever. Got it.This is not true at all. First both teams are desperate. A less desperate team is going to play just as hard to win the game. I've seen plenty of desperate teams lose and not play hard when they needed to win.
Me too worried...We are 2-4 against teams with a top 20 offense. Losses against Purdue (x2), OSU, and Arizona. 1 win against Iowa very early in the season and against Michigan without Dickinson.
I am worried about this one and the Iowa game. Michigan and Iowa are both playing better than the last time we played them. They both have length at the guard/PF spots and that is our weakness. And it seems like, more often than not, when we start getting into a shootout, our offense falters and we fall behind. I know BU wants to get out and run, but IMO now is the time to slow it down and feed Kofi nonstop. We have enough shooters we can get a 3 pt look literally whenever we want. Feed Kofi first.
Most good teams that aren't on the bubble and aren't desperate don't go thru long lulls. That's why they're really good teams. Good teams still play hard and sometimes harder than the desperate teams. You are equating desperation to playing harder and that is not true at all.OK; not true at all. Relative motivation, and habit of long lulls during otherwise competitive play not an issue. Ever. Got it.
Ran across this today . . . it did improve my outlook just a little bit
What a classic he has....and I am not a Cubs fan!!!Juwan needs to learn how the big boys do it.
View attachment 15783
Good post. Hard to read, but pretty accurate. Any team as talented as the Illini, that relies so heavily on the three pointer, can beat anyone, lose to anyone, look great one day, look awful the next. If Dickinson is hitting that top of the key 3 pointer, as he has been doing lately, it will be tough for Kofi to defend and will dramatically reduce Kofi's rebound numbers. Fingers crossed, but this game will be a tough one.hard to pick Illinois on the road against a talented team which has, as of late, been playing much better (especially at home). sorry, but wake me up when Illinois brings intensity and effort for a full 40 minutes. they haven't done it yet and i don't see it happening tomorrow. they'll play a solid 30 minutes or so, but otherwise give up a 20-2 run and lose by 7.
i know i'm going to get flamed for this, but what has anybody seen this year to make them confident that this team can/will "bring it" for 40 mins? i love this team and coaching staff, and think the future of Illinois hoops is very bright, but there is just (at least to this juncture) something missing with this team. i realize some of that can be attributed to injuries and the inability for the team (and specific players groups/units) to gel, but that is not a good reason for their often disinterested play.
they certainly have the talent to "turn it on" and make a deep tourney run, but that's not all that easy to do, especially when they're a much lower seed because of having lost a handful of games they shouldn't have lost.
Honestly I believe that our issues are in line with the lack of the right rotational players. We need 2 real 4s, DMW is not that plays hard but he is undersized and typically overmatched against his man. If Hawkins would stand up and play to his potential this team is much better off. However when you start subbing we lack in scoring and defensive abilities... It is pretty simple to see.... If Kofi is out we are weak in the post as Omar just isn't cutting it.. We only have one above average guard sub at this point with AC... The freshman are good and there is talent there in the future but not right now. So if we sub out players one at a time we are not bad but when we sub out 2-3 from the starting lineup we are a below average team... Just my opinion and I love this team...hard to pick Illinois on the road against a talented team which has, as of late, been playing much better (especially at home). sorry, but wake me up when Illinois brings intensity and effort for a full 40 minutes. they haven't done it yet and i don't see it happening tomorrow. they'll play a solid 30 minutes or so, but otherwise give up a 20-2 run and lose by 7.
i know i'm going to get flamed for this, but what has anybody seen this year to make them confident that this team can/will "bring it" for 40 mins? i love this team and coaching staff, and think the future of Illinois hoops is very bright, but there is just (at least to this juncture) something missing with this team. i realize some of that can be attributed to injuries and the inability for the team (and specific players groups/units) to gel, but that is not a good reason for their often disinterested play.
they certainly have the talent to "turn it on" and make a deep tourney run, but that's not all that easy to do, especially when they're a much lower seed because of having lost a handful of games they shouldn't have lost.
i hope i'm dead wrong. this team has the ability to beat (or at least hang with) ANYBODY. but only if they bring maximum intensity for 40 mins. i believe they have it in them, i just hope the light bulb comes on in time for them to make a deep tourney run.Good post. Hard to read, but pretty accurate. Any team as talented as the Illini, that relies so heavily on the three pointer, can beat anyone, lose to anyone, look great one day, look awful the next. If Dickinson is hitting that top of the key 3 pointer, as he has been doing lately, it will be tough for Kofi to defend and will dramatically reduce Kofi's rebound numbers. Fingers crossed, but this game will be a tough one.
i think you're dead on. while this team has a lot of talent, it also has some glaring holes, which makes it even more necessary to bring maximum intensity for 40 mins every game. i also love this team and hope they can start putting it all together for 40 mins each game. if they figure that out, they'll be fun to watch in the tourney.Honestly I believe that our issues are in line with the lack of the right rotational players. We need 2 real 4s, DMW is not that plays hard but he is undersized and typically overmatched against his man. If Hawkins would stand up and play to his potential this team is much better off. However when you start subbing we lack in scoring and defensive abilities... It is pretty simple to see.... If Kofi is out we are weak in the post as Omar just isn't cutting it.. We only have one above average guard sub at this point with AC... The freshman are good and there is talent there in the future but not right now. So if we sub out players one at a time we are not bad but when we sub out 2-3 from the starting lineup we are a below average team... Just my opinion and I love this team...
Relative: a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on another thing. As in... one team is in the tourney for sure and needs to play at a certain level to win and get seed "n" as opposed to "n-1." It's opponent has to win, period, to get in the tourney, period. Oh, and that first team... it has a bad habit, even in high-profile games, of falling asleep for long periods.Most good teams that aren't on the bubble and aren't desperate don't go thru long lulls. That's why they're really good teams. Good teams still play hard and sometimes harder than the desperate teams. You are equating desperation to playing harder and that is not true at all.
Relative motivation?
Just move on man, you don't know what you are talking about.
You shouldn't take heat for this because it's been more than a trend now. It's who they are. They rely on the three and as you mentioned, they can look great(make shots) for 30 minutes, then not be able to throw it the ocean for 10 minutes. Not many(if any) teams can burn up the nets for a full 40. So, the term "let up" for this team probably isn't the right one because they do play hard. Offense always looks good when the ball is going through the net....like the first 10 minutes vs Ohio State when Plummer was on a heater. 4 of 15 from the rest of the group just doesn't make it sustainable. In the absence of great shooting is Kofi. He has to be efficient (not shoot 5 of 15). There are two kryptonites for this Illinois team. 1)A team with big, physical guards (Rutgers) and 2)A center with size and skill to take their game to 17-20 feet and have the ability to drive to the basket. Kofi doesn't have the foot speed to deal with either. Dickinson is going to be an incredibly tough matchup for Kofi. He does everything well that really puts Kofi in a bind. Now, if Hawkins can have a repeat performance, he's well more equipped to handled Dickinson.hard to pick Illinois on the road against a talented team which has, as of late, been playing much better (especially at home). sorry, but wake me up when Illinois brings intensity and effort for a full 40 minutes. they haven't done it yet and i don't see it happening tomorrow. they'll play a solid 30 minutes or so, but otherwise give up a 20-2 run and lose by 7.
i know i'm going to get flamed for this, but what has anybody seen this year to make them confident that this team can/will "bring it" for 40 mins? i love this team and coaching staff, and think the future of Illinois hoops is very bright, but there is just (at least to this juncture) something missing with this team. i realize some of that can be attributed to injuries and the inability for the team (and specific players groups/units) to gel, but that is not a good reason for their often disinterested play.
they certainly have the talent to "turn it on" and make a deep tourney run, but that's not all that easy to do, especially when they're a much lower seed because of having lost a handful of games they shouldn't have lost.
Great post. You pretty much hit their issues on the head.Good post. Hard to read, but pretty accurate. Any team as talented as the Illini, that relies so heavily on the three pointer, can beat anyone, lose to anyone, look great one day, look awful the next. If Dickinson is hitting that top of the key 3 pointer, as he has been doing lately, it will be tough for Kofi to defend and will dramatically reduce Kofi's rebound numbers. Fingers crossed, but this game will be a tough one.
There is no such thing as 'relative motivation' with how you are using it. Stop.Relative: a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on another thing. As in... one team is in the tourney for sure and needs to play at a certain level to win and get seed "n" as opposed to "n-1." It's opponent has to win, period, to get in the tourney, period. Oh, and that first team... it has a bad habit, even in high-profile games, of falling asleep for long periods.
Motive: something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.
It's not that complicated. Really.