Pregame: Illinois vs Houston, 9:05pm CT, TBS

Status
Not open for further replies.
#27      
TheGMan
TheFlyingIllini1317 said:
I've got two words for you Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic, must see TV! BEAT HOUSTON!
Click to expand...
Seth Meyers Lol GIF by Late Night with Seth Meyers
 
#28      
RockfordIllini
Ats123 said:
Biggest fear is Brad can’t find the right strings to pull in game to respond to how sampscum has gameplanned us. And then we have to hear that we didn’t get enough 50/50 balls.
Click to expand...
Agree. Biggest advantage of this year’s team over some of our prior teams is there are several different levers we can pull. My guess is we try and attack their blitzes with short rolls to Mirk. And as good as they are defensively, I do think there will be matchups we can attack with our superior size, and they tend to give up a lot of 3s. And from what I saw Arizona did have success against Houston running isos for Kharchenkov and Dell’Orso, so we might be able to do the same with Andrej.

So I hope Brad has a plan B, C and D because we will need it against this team. And I hope he isn’t too rigid and is willing to pivot (UConn was the better team, but I still maintain our refusal to pivot from the attack Clingan gameplan to a 5 out with Goode got us into our own heads and was more responsible for the 30-0 run than a discrepancy in talent). This really may the most in the lab game where we have to adapt and find what works that we’ve had all year. Hopefully Brad pulls the right levers.
 
#30      
Grandpa
Illiniforlife said:
How is the board feeling today about the game—on a scale from 1 to 10?

1 meaning we’re going to get beat by 30 and give up a 30–0 run

10 meaning we’re going to blow them out by 25+.

I’m probably at about a 3.5 to 4. I think their defensive aggressiveness could really cause us problems, especially if the officials let them play. Plus, how are we going to handle their quick guards? Do we keep playing drop coverage if Flemings is torching us in the mid‑range?

I just hope Brad isn’t too stubborn to make the necessary adjustments.
Click to expand...
8 or 9. Probably 8. Ill 78 UH 63
 
#31      
CoachHooleyHoo
My biggest concern is we try to match their aggressiveness and physicality and get into foul trouble. We can't let them suck us into a backyard brawl.
 
#32      
doowink
Face Off Fighting GIF by Top Rank Boxing
....this is pretty much what I expect tonight...with the Illini winning a close one 81-78...
 
#34      
PapaKvells
I’m cautiously optimistic about tonight. I think all things being equal, we are a pretty tough matchup for them. We have the size, our play style doesn’t demand that we drive to the lane every possession which would feed to their strengths defensively, we rebound. The big hesitation is this is a physically aggressive Houston team. How the game is officiated could have a big effect either way which makes it a bit of a wildcard. But for whatever reason, I was more stressed about us getting to the S16 than the E8. If this team is playing with confidence and joy rather than feeling the weight of the world, we’re going to pour on the points, lock down the boards and win. Houston will punch us in the mouth. We just need to be prepared and respond playing on our own terms, not theirs.
 
#41      
skyIdub
TBH I’m 60/40 Illini win.

This is a Final Four matchup in the S16.
Seeding gives and seeding takes.

Enjoy it for what it is.

But if we win, and then somehow lose to Iowa or Nebraska for a chance at the actual FF……which would be the absolute most Illinois thing to ever Illinois….I’m f’ing off to a Buddhist retreat in Asia.

(After I rob the bank to retain Mirk of course)
 
#43      
Illinidrew
Not to be overly simple about the game. But I really feel like our offense is awesome at generating good looks regardless of their defense. Why we are so scary is we really are a pick your poison style of offense and have answers for every style of defense. The real key is, do we HIT those open shots, and do we rebound enough to win the possession math battle.
 
#47      
Illiniguy13
Illinidrew said:
Not to be overly simple about the game. But I really feel like our offense is awesome at generating good looks regardless of their defense. Why we are so scary is we really are a pick your poison style of offense and have answers for every style of defense. The real key is, do we HIT those open shots, and do we rebound enough to win the possession math battle.
Click to expand...
All this is true, I'm mainly curious about our defense tonight. Can we hold them under their shooting percentages tonight and battle on the glass? Flemmings is going to get his in the mid-range game. We can live with that so long as we're not getting killed from behind the arc and on the boards.
 
#49      
ChiefGritty
Illiniguy13 said:
All this is true, I'm mainly curious about our defense tonight. Can we hold them under their shooting percentages tonight and battle on the glass? Flemmings is going to get his in the mid-range game. We can live with that so long as we're not getting killed from behind the arc and on the boards.
Click to expand...
I feel like this game, assuming both teams are able to play the way they want to, is a pure test of Moneyball.

Houston is more likely to score any given time they have the basketball than we are. The question is whether we can use the three point line, a foul/FT differential, and offensive rebounding to win the game anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back