Pregame: Illinois vs Cincinnati, Monday, November 22nd, 5:30pm CT, ESPNews

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#152      
Looking at the remaining schedule, there is a decent chance this team goes undefeated or maybe only loses one game all the way through the Minnesota game (3rd big ten game). Kofi and Hutch coming back is massive depth wise and for just overall scoring. This is a very good and talented team, everyone needs to trust in Brad. The loss tonight will help big time down the road.
Having flashbacks to Rutgers and Missouri 2020....
 
#153      

altgeld88

Arlington, Virginia
(OK, Boomer), I hope that Kofi is as inspired and motivated as Forrest Whitaker was portraying Charles Jefferson in Fast Times... Yes: I'm old but full of wisdom ;)

 
#154      
I can't believe the game is on ESPNews. I downgraded my Comcast package and don't get that channel anymore. I always thought ESPNews was just for showing the start of games postponed on another channel due to overtime in the previous game. I guess I'll be forced to go to a sports bar and drink on a Monday night. Sucks to be me? I think not.
Sign up for a free trial of Fubo.tv and watch from home. Just make sure you cancel before the seven days is up.
 
#155      
Last time I posted the model predicted we would win and cover. At one point we were up +12 but our turnovers killed us. In most other statistics however we really did seem to play well against what is proving to be a quality opponent. Expect a huge bounce back with Kofi coming back in the mix and an easier time with Belo on the pick and role. Our defense according to kenpom is still number 1 and should only get better with Kofi back as well.

ILL 75 84.4%
CINCY 63

Link to prediction:

 
#156      
The issue Monday was it CLEARLY wasn’t his night, it clearly WAS Trent’s night and yet we played/coached like the opposite was true. Seriously ONE fewer bewildering turnover, and we win. One.

You know full well people are not saying Curbelo should not shoot or that he should stay on the perimeter and make simple one-station passes. I do feel he should dial it back some and not always go for the highlight reel pass. I also think he can over penetrate too often, which has led to some bad shots and bad passes. To his credit though, it has also led to some great baskets.

In that situation being more a point guard means understanding the game is starting to get away from the Illini, you’re not having a good night, identifying who is and helping them win the game rather than trying to do it all yourself.
Appreciate the thoughtful replies. I think that there are people who want Curbelo to drastically simplify his game and frame it as “acting like a real point guard” or something. I just don’t know what else that would mean besides shooting less and moving the ball from more conventional spots on the floor.

As for finding the hot hand, I don’t disagree that Trent should have gotten more touches. I’d counter that if this team wants to be elite (sorry) things like creating shots for your shooters and trying to calm everyone down falls on five pairs of shoulders, not one. But Curbelo needed to take the blinders off. I was more surprised than anything because creating for others is the core part of his game, and I’m not sure where that went.
[…] I don’t want ‘Belo to stop being ‘Belo.

Some folks do, and that kinda just makes me sad.
 
#158      

IlliniRon

Illini Basketball Fan Forever
Ft Worth, Texas
Last year, Curbelo had the team’s third-best percentage on two-point shots (Kofi, Granderson) while taking the third most such shots (Ayo, Kofi, and 4.5x more than Granderson). It obviously wasn’t working on Monday but it’s ludicrous to say he’s not capable of scoring at decent volume and high efficiency.

I’m seeing a lot of people say they want him to be a “point guard” but am genuinely curious as to what that means. How does a point guard create offense in today’s game without breaking down defenses and disrupting rotations? And can he do that without being a credible threat to score himself? Defenses are way more sophisticated than they were even 10-15 years ago, and you can’t just pass the ball around the perimeter and back cut anymore.

I just don’t know what folks envision him doing when they say stuff like that. Not what he did on Monday, sure. But he’s got 30-plus games under his belt, most of which showed him to be effective at both scoring and creating. If he just stays on the perimeter and makes simple one-station passes, he’s literally taking his game away from the things that allow him to be valuable to this team.
Ok, Curbelo's 3 point shooting percentage at Illinois is 13%. From 3 point range this season, he is 0/7 in two games, similar to last season. He's great at penetrating on the dribble and has a very high percentage of 2pt shots, many of them layups last season.

Many point guards excel at creating assists and having few/minimal turnovers. Curbelo had 3 assists last game and 7 turnovers, not what you expect from any point guard.

If Curbelo improves his 3 point shooting this season, perhaps he becomes one of our shooting guards and someone else can play point guard. But tonight I hope the Curbelo from last season shows up, who was quite good at playing point guard.
 
#161      
As a (somewhat) side note, this tournament has four of the more underrated traditional basketball programs in the country, if you ask me (national ranks I/A)!

Winning Pctg. - #16 Cincinnati (.642), #19 Illinois (.639), #19 Arkansas (.639), Kansas State (.584)
Final Fours - #11 Arkansas (6), #11 Cincinnati (6), #12 Illinois (5), #13 Kansas State (4)
NCAAT Appearances - #15 Cincinnati (33), #15 Arkansas (33), #17 Illinois (31), #17 Kansas State (31)
AP Top 25 Finishes - #8 Illinois (28), #10 Cincinnati (25), #17 Arkansas (17), #18 Arkansas (16)
Total Weeks in AP Top 25 - #11 Illinois (472), #12 Cincinnati (434), #35 Arkansas (273), #43 Kansas State (221)

Pretty clear dropoff to KSU, and obviously Cincinnati has not always played in a "Power Five" conference, but Arkansas is a pretty good "peer" for us as far as overall tradition goes.
 
#164      
As a (somewhat) side note, this tournament has four of the more underrated traditional basketball programs in the country, if you ask me (national ranks I/A)!

Winning Pctg. - #16 Cincinnati (.642), #19 Illinois (.639), #19 Arkansas (.639), Kansas State (.584)
Final Fours - #11 Arkansas (6), #11 Cincinnati (6), #12 Illinois (5), #13 Kansas State (4)
NCAAT Appearances - #15 Cincinnati (33), #15 Arkansas (33), #17 Illinois (31), #17 Kansas State (31)
AP Top 25 Finishes - #8 Illinois (28), #10 Cincinnati (25), #17 Arkansas (17), #18 Arkansas (16)
Total Weeks in AP Top 25 - #11 Illinois (472), #12 Cincinnati (434), #35 Arkansas (273), #43 Kansas State (221)

Pretty clear dropoff to KSU, and obviously Cincinnati has not always played in a "Power Five" conference, but Arkansas is a pretty good "peer" for us as far as overall tradition goes.
Curious how much the current century factors into those statistics
 
#165      
what determines what time we play tomorrow? schedule says 6 and 8:30
 
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