Pregame: Illinois at Rutgers, Wednesday, February 16th, 6:00pm CT, BTN

ChiefIllinois · Feb 14, 2022

20 turnovers in a game isn't going to win you many in the B1G. NW poor decision making down the stretch sealed that win for us.

That being said if we cut those TOs in half, we'll be fine moving forward. It was scary to see shades of earlier this year come back to haunt us.

Rutgers has been great as of late, especially at home, but if we are energized and active I don't expect a loss. Would like to see Kofi pass a bit more but I won't complain when he goes for 19/15

ugottabjoshinme · Feb 14, 2022

Crush1 said:
Honest question I've had forever: Kofi has to deal with two or three people hanging on him every time on offense. Touch fouls get called on guards. Is there something in the basketball rule book saying fouls in those two situations should be called differently?

It's not different in the rules. But with a physical presence like Kofi you can almost call some sort of foul on every play so there is a bit more leeway that goes into calls against big guys when they banging together every play.

Rocky · Feb 14, 2022

pruman91 said:
In my 70 + years on earth , I can't remember ever having lived through the same day syndrome being espoused here......Every day is different than others ....You might do SOME things the same , but at the end of the day it has had it's own unique moments.......Same thing as any sports event you watch or even participate in .......I had days playing baseball where it looks like a beachball coming to the plate and other days where it looked like a grain of sand.....

If we play like we did "" WHENEVER "" is so lame that it begs to be ridiculed as not worthy of commenting on............Every day has it's up's and down's ...Same as sports ....what was working today will or will not be working the next game or beyond.........

To get a better grasp on the present condition I would recommend approaching it as "" I'm so glad we got that crap outta our system and I know we won't play like that next game """.................

But that approach takes optimism and that trait is sorely lacking here sometimes .....not pointing any fingers at anyone , but again , why is it so handwringingly apparent that some here can't just enjoy a B1G win .....it doesn't matter to me if the win has warts all over it....

JUST WIN BABY !!!!!

Yell Fathers Day GIF by Summit Marketing

altgeld88 · Feb 14, 2022

doowink said:
Someone want to tell him he's got it wrong....roan not road

Actually, I think the OP got it right. The roan (a blue one in this case; I could only find a photo of a red, but not an orange one) can buck you hard. Nothing is guaranteed when out on the roan, particularly if you're riding w/o a saddle. Forewarned is forearmed.

BillyBob1 · Feb 14, 2022

Rocky said:
We absolutely owned Mulcahy last time. He's playing better obviously, but whoever had the D assignment on him last time will likely get it again. He plays the pick and role well with Omoruyi, who is much improved as well.

Remember the Krush booed him every time he touched the ball.

When I read your 3rd sentence, I read it as he plays the the prick role well!

jrichisamazing · Feb 14, 2022

This is the one. Find a way to win this and we will be the B1G champs. I think Rutgers is due for a loss. No way they beat 4 straight ranked teams, right???

IlliniKat91 · Feb 14, 2022

BillyBob1 said:
Remember the Krush booed him every time he touched the ball.

When I read your 3rd sentence, I read it as he plays the the prick role well!

Having been at that game, it wasn't just Krush booing

illini0440 · Feb 14, 2022

sacraig said:
What happens if we play like we did against Wisconsin? What happens if Piscataway gets 8 feet of snow? What happens if I win the lottery between now and the game (hint: 75 in OLED)?

Then you better fly me out west for some beers!

Rap47 · Feb 14, 2022

Rocky said:
Not to be picky, but Grandy is 6'6". RU is built fairly similar. And as we all know, rebounding is not just about height.

My response was to a quote that inferred we should out rebound everyone, it isn't going to happen with our lineup.

InDaAZ · Feb 14, 2022

Rocky said:
And the teams are all overplaying the weave. I really think it's just an exercise to keep us moving and not get stagnant, and to make the defense move. Not many quality shots from our weave ... if someone were to run the analytics.

I’ve seen a lot of posts decrying our weave action, but opposing coaches actually fear it. Dakich was interviewing one - Painter, I think - who was asked about Illinois’ weave. He said it’s so much faster in person than it seems on tape. There’s no way to replicate the speed and sharp cuts in practice. He mentioned Trent by name, and how effectively he is able to separate in that style of offense, and how it stresses the defense and creates mismatches.

Moral to the story: There’s a reason BU is on the bench at game time and we’re all on our couches (not to restart all the couch puns…).

Rocky · Feb 14, 2022

InDaAZ said:
I’ve seen a lot of posts decrying our weave action, but opposing coaches actually fear it. Dakich was interviewing one - Painter, I think - who was asked about Illinois’ weave. He said it’s so much faster in person than it seems on tape. There’s no way to replicate the speed and sharp cuts in practice. He mentioned Trent by name, and how effectively he is able to separate in that style of offense, and how it stresses the defense and creates mismatches.

Moral to the story: There’s a reason BU is on the bench at game time and we’re all on our couches (not to restart all the couch puns…).

Fair enough. I'll try to keep a more open mind about it as we continue Big Ten play. As for couches, I find myself standing for half the game like a nervous idiot.

sacraig · Feb 14, 2022

illini0440 said:
Then you better fly me out west for some beers!

I'll wire some money to "black shirt guy" if and when it happens.

jrichisamazing · Feb 14, 2022

Rutgers has been much more balanced recently. In the past, their wins usually came from Gio or Harper being unstoppable. Or their defense turns the game ugly and they win 50-49. But recently Mulcahy, McConnell, and Omoruyi haven been scoring more. And even when they aren't scoring they are still being aggressive and making it hard on the defense.

So it will be really interesting to see how BU matches up. I almost guarantee whoever Plummer is guarding will be told to be aggressive. We probably will put Trent on Gio, which means Plummer has to guard Mulcahy or McConnell. Both of those guys can bully Plummer.

If our shots are falling and our offense is humming then the defensive matchups aren't a huge deal, they don't have the offense to keep up. But if it's a grind it out game in the 50s or low 60s, BU might have to think about going big and winning the paint battle. That could mean having 3 of RJ/Grandi/Monte/Hawkins on the floor and only 1 of Trent/Belo/Plummer. Throwing Hawkins on Harper and Monte on Mulcahy would be the best defensive option IMO.

The good news is Rutgers bench is pretty much non-existent. They rely on their 5 starters to all get 30+ min. If we can stay aggressive offensively and maybe get them in foul trouble, then we should be able to pull away in the last 10 minutes.

LvilleILL · Feb 14, 2022

I expect to see more of the RJ and Coleman lineup going forward off the bench

Arrow 7 · Feb 14, 2022

We're tuning it all up and they're gonna come together all over the next 4 and make them rethink their profession !

logjam · Feb 14, 2022

Arrow 7 said:
We're tuning it all up and they're gonna come together all over the next 4 and make them rethink their profession !

Is that you Battle?

Joel Goodson · Feb 14, 2022

champaignchris said:
What Pickiell has done at Rutgers is really impressive. That was a dumpster fire of a program that he took over. Hadn’t had a winning season in a decade, had a Beckman-esque player abuse scandal. Was coming off a 7-25 season when he took over.

Now he’s got a third straight Tourney-worthy team and are one of the least comfortable teams to play in the league.

I’m hoping the analogy to our football program works out. If Rice was their Beckman and Fisher was their Smith, I’m hoping Bielema can be our Pickiell.

Not only that (and that's a ton, IMO), thought that Myles Johnson bolting would really set them back. For a lot of other schools, losing their starting center would be a major blow. Don't get me wrong, Johnson is definitely a loss, but his departure hasn't had nearly the impact I expected. Pickiell is a damn good coach.

InDaAZ · Feb 14, 2022

LvilleILL said:
I expect to see more of the RJ and Coleman lineup going forward off the bench

I really like what this means for our depth and minutes distribution. I know RJ is the flavor of the day (and deservedly so), but I smile every time Coleman enters the game. He has to earn his way back onto the court, but what he offers is offensive rebounding, shot blocking, and guard skills.

My smile turns into a frown every time he reaches on defense. But if he can clean that up and get back to playing less tentatively, I love the balancing out of playing time a healthy Belo, an emerging RJ, and a confident CoHawk means for the team down the stretch.

RockfordIllini · Feb 14, 2022

InDaAZ said:
I really like what this means for our depth and minutes distribution. I know RJ is the flavor of the day (and deservedly so), but I smile every time Coleman enters the game. He has to earn his way back onto the court, but what he offers is offensive rebounding, shot blocking, and guard skills.

My smile turns into a frown every time he reaches on defense. But if he can clean that up and get back to playing less tentatively, I love the balancing out of playing time a healthy Belo, an emerging RJ, and a confident CoHawk means for the team down the stretch.

Agree. And I really wish Brad would draw up a back screen or something else to get Coleman a lob, just to try and get him going a little bit.

Really enjoyed the RJ/Coleman/Payne lineup when it was out there. Hope to see more of that and if they can build rapport with Belo, could be lob city.

Rocky · Feb 14, 2022

jrichisamazing said:
Rutgers has been much more balanced recently. In the past, their wins usually came from Gio or Harper being unstoppable. Or their defense turns the game ugly and they win 50-49. But recently Mulcahy, McConnell, and Omoruyi haven been scoring more. And even when they aren't scoring they are still being aggressive and making it hard on the defense.

So it will be really interesting to see how BU matches up. I almost guarantee whoever Plummer is guarding will be told to be aggressive. We probably will put Trent on Gio, which means Plummer has to guard Mulcahy or McConnell. Both of those guys can bully Plummer.

If our shots are falling and our offense is humming then the defensive matchups aren't a huge deal, they don't have the offense to keep up. But if it's a grind it out game in the 50s or low 60s, BU might have to think about going big and winning the paint battle. That could mean having 3 of RJ/Grandi/Monte/Hawkins on the floor and only 1 of Trent/Belo/Plummer. Throwing Hawkins on Harper and Monte on Mulcahy would be the best defensive option IMO.

The good news is Rutgers bench is pretty much non-existent. They rely on their 5 starters to all get 30+ min. If we can stay aggressive offensively and maybe get them in foul trouble, then we should be able to pull away in the last 10 minutes.

Plummer on Mulcahy would be a mistake, just imho.

Arrow 7 · Feb 14, 2022

logjam said:
Is that you Battle?

Nope, but it does kinda remind you of something he'd say

Chad Fleck · Feb 14, 2022

I've watched the last couple Rutgers games. Mcconnell has been an absolute fiend on defense. I was quite impressed with their defense effort overall as well.

InDaAZ · Feb 14, 2022

Rocky said:
Plummer on Mulcahy would be a mistake, just imho.

Mulcahey is listed 6’6”… Rutgers starts four very big guards to go along with 6’11” Omoruyi. We sometimes have three 6-footish players on the floor together. Thus, the challenge.

We’ll probably see BU throw a lot of different combos at them, and stick with the one that’s working best.

Arrow 7 · Feb 14, 2022

Mulcahy has developed a cape and when he isn't the superhero anymore he is gonna fain and flop

Rocky · Feb 14, 2022

Chad Fleck said:
I've watched the last couple Rutgers games. Mcconnell has been an absolute fiend on defense. I was quite impressed with their defense effort overall as well.

I heard an announcer say he is a lock for All Big Ten Defensive Team.