I'm calling mini-ditkas by a field goal.
Pregame: Illinois at Purdue, Tuesday, January 17th, 6:00pm CT, BTN
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I'm calling mini-ditkas by a field goal.
Swanigan on a good night makes Purdue a FF type team.
I personally put our odds at 1000:1. Which is why I want to see Groce go with the TJL for at least 30 min. If at all possible, get DJW some tick off the bench.
Wiscy and Purdue on the road are my only sure-fire losses --not watching for a victory, just want to see us play well, not get disorganized when we're getting outplayed. A lot can be learned from playing a better team. I want some mental toughness, and I want to see these guys fight for 40 minutes.
This could get ugly, but it won't. And why? Thorne is well rested and ready to roll. :thumb:
Whoa...... Not gonna be that close people
Unless the wise guys heard rumors of an afternoon Illini coaching change
I'd like to see Tracy get fewer minutes. He's been awful on the road n both games at Maryland and at Indiana. Plus, he was useless in this past home game vs. Maryland. Clearly, something is amiss with Tracy. Maybe he doesn't have his legs right now. Would be understandable as he worked hard rehabbing his legs for the last two years.
Since this is an expected loss anyway, why not rest Tracy and keep him fresh for winnable and thus must winnable games. Let AJ and DJW loose on Purdue. Painter won't be expecting this and those two young guys would learn a lot which would help this team tremendously.
Since this is an expected loss anyway, why not rest Tracy and keep him fresh for winnable and thus must winnable games. Let AJ and DJW loose on Purdue. Painter won't be expecting this and those two young guys would learn a lot which would help this team tremendously.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
There probably is no good strategy for this game, so I like this one as well as most. What the heck
I agree Tracy has been in a funk, but if we believe that his non-con is his norm and this is a funk, we have to let him play himself out of it to some degree. It'd help a lot if we could run some sets to get him easy looks early in a game and build him back up, but we haven't been able to generate easy looks for anyone, really, with any consistency. Seems like a lot of it is mental for him right now, although there could be an unreported injury.
I wish we could believe non-con was his norm. Unfortunately, his recent play is very much in line with what you would expect looking at statistical trends for players coming back from Achilles injuries. 90-plus percent of players in their first year back from a torn Achilles nosedive in every usage and efficiency-related category. I was hoping that Tracy would prove to be an outlier, but it looks like he's a typical case.
I think he falls somewhere in the middle. I don't think what we saw in non-con is going to be his every game showing, especially the way he was getting into the paint, but his shooting regression -- which has been more of a falling off a cliff than a regression -- and some uncharacteristic turnovers and sloppiness feels like a funk to me. If he can be a combo 1/2 and knock down clean looks from 3, that would go a long way for us, and getting him comfortable and back to that role is key if we're going to have success in the remainder of the B10 slate. We really need some consistency scoring the basketball from the 1 and 2 positions. We're not having any problems getting points 3-5, but when 1/2 aren't doing much, we see what we saw in 2H of maryland where a simple post trap completely derails us offensively.
This would be unprecedented, but what if Groce rested Tracy for the next two games (so Tracy can get his legs back) and then played him in every other game for the rest of the year. It would help Tracy's efficiency. We have the depth to pull this off. There isn't much of a drop off either way. Tate can fill some minutes at the 1, AJ and DJW can fill in at the 2. I would rather have an effective Tracy for half the games, then a half-a-step too slow Tracy for every game.
If what FatGreg says about Achilles injuries above is correct, it might be a wise idea to think outside the box on this one.
If what FatGreg says about Achilles injuries above is correct, it might be a wise idea to think outside the box on this one.
John Groce @ Illinois is 9-24 in January.
So you're saying that this month's 2-2 record shows improvement....
Maybe Vegas is optimistic with the game on BTN. We're 5-0 this year lol.
Just curious, have you EVER posted anything even close to positive?
Not the poster, obviously, but have you seen much to be positive about the last few years?
Fully anticipating a loss, like most. But what I want to see is the team playing with hustle for a full 40, giving effort on D, and not turning the ball over too much. I'm expecting a 15-20 point loss.
Purdue -12.5 vs Illinois. Over/Under is 144 points.
Purdue is coming off a road loss to Iowa 83-78 a team they dismantled December 28
89-67.
Playing at home stinging from a Loss Purdue will be fired up. The Illini are also in a must win situation.
It pains me to say that Illinois has NO ANSWER for Purdue's inside game. The Illini will be forced to live and die by the 3 point shot.
Purdue 76 Illinois 60
Purdue is coming off a road loss to Iowa 83-78 a team they dismantled December 28
89-67.
Playing at home stinging from a Loss Purdue will be fired up. The Illini are also in a must win situation.
It pains me to say that Illinois has NO ANSWER for Purdue's inside game. The Illini will be forced to live and die by the 3 point shot.
Purdue 76 Illinois 60
I anticipate something like this happening as well. We can never get ahead of the .500 mark in the big ten.... and now begins our January slide.
I hope I am 100% wrong!
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