Pregame: Illinois vs Minnesota, Thursday, January 30th, 6:30pm CT, FS1

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#76      

bombayIllini

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bombayIllini
RML said:
Um, isn't everybody's offense "better" than the best defense? :)
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Haha. :). True. True.

However, there is a lot to unpack in those numbers:

1) None of the rest has as good a D as us
2) IL and MSU are the only two B10 teams that have improved their D in B10. And, IL has a far bigger point differential than MSU. We are good on D
3) So, to #2, 12 other B10 team's D has actually regressed in B10 play
4) Check out the point differentials for each team. The first 5 teams have a +ve PD. Next 3 have mixed. Remaining 6 have -ve PD. We are 2nd in that category
5) .........................
6) ...................
..............


I actually have fairly similar stats (headache to maintain them) for home/away B10 games. IL is doing real good. No doubt they are on the top.

So, I sorta track IL progress, never any other team - I compare IL to other teams, but I never compare another team to other teams. So, yeah, I am sure there are very interesting factoids out there that I never discover.
 
#78      

Deleted member 4960

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Guest
Deleted member 4960
Kofi had an off night Because Michigan forced him to shoot jump shots. Kofi is affective when he can get someone on his hip and shoot layups. Get him past 8 foot and he doesn’t hit very many shots. Hopefully of being at home next week he’ll be able to get better positioning and more favorable calls from the refs
 
#79      

saukee

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saukee
Personally i hope we are underdogs in vegas, WHY MESS UP A GOOD THING
 
#81      

Illiniguy90

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Illiniguy90
This is one of 4 remaining games that may end up being less than Quad 1. Therefore this is a "MUST WIN" in my book.

Oturu is predicted to go top 10 in the 2020 NBA draft and is averaging 19.7 pts per game (including ~30% from 3). This is a great opportunity to see if Kofi can handle real NBA talent.

We don't need to completely shut down Oturu as long as he doesn't shut down our production inside the paint. If Ayo keeps being a 3 level scorer, Trent keeps hitting from deep, and Kofi slams it home down low I think Illinois can create offense. The key is going to be our defensive game plan. If Kofi can at least keep Oturu in check (under 20 points) without getting into foul trouble I would expect Illinois to avoid using a double and instead focus on shutting down the guards (Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur, and Payton Willis). I think this is a game where we're going to wish we had Alan Griffin on the floor.

PREDICTION: 72-69 ILLINOIS
 
#82      

PlayAZ

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PlayAZ
Griffin will be missed and TF will have to "D" up on Carr for this to be the difference. Worried a little about Oturu, but overall I think Kofi/Giorgi can negate his numbers (rebounding?)....

IF Carr doesn't go off for 20+, we win 71-63, IF Carr gets 20+, we might still win, but I would guess the other way around at 70-66. Loss
 
#84      

Hopingfor500

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Hopingfor500
PlayAZ said:
Griffin will be missed and TF will have to "D" up on Carr for this to be the difference. Worried a little about Oturu, but overall I think Kofi/Giorgi can negate his numbers (rebounding?)....

IF Carr doesn't go off for 20+, we win 71-63, IF Carr gets 20+, we might still win, but I would guess the other way around at 70-66. Loss
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I'm in the camp that believes Minnesota isn't very good. Carr is a decent player, Oturu is elite, but outside of that, they're....meh.

Good Guys. 74
Minny. 59

My only real concern is a letdown because we're at home.
 
#85      

Illinisteve25

Illinisteve25
Champaign
Illinisteve25
ILLINI 78 Minny 65 think this is a game where we light it up from 3... Hoping for a sell out, any word yet on that possibility?
 
#86      

oldschool51

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oldschool51
Hopingfor500 said:
I'm in the camp that believes Minnesota isn't very good. Carr is a decent player, Oturu is elite, but outside of that, they're....meh.

Good Guys. 74
Minny. 59

My only real concern is a letdown because we're at home.
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With the students being back i dont see us letting down 71-60 ILLINI
 
#87      

RedRiver24

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RedRiver24
Minnesota did not look good against MSU yesterday. This game doesn't scare me at all right now.
 
#88      

Ga65

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Ga65
RedRiver24 said:
Minnesota did not look good against MSU yesterday. This game doesn't scare me at all right now.
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They couldn’t shoot against MSU. Oturu will be a challenge for Kofi. Moves well but not a banger. Actually think Giorgi would match up better. This shouldn’t be a tough game but still believe we probably will lose one we shouldn’t and this one fits that category.
 
#89      

bombayIllini

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bombayIllini
Ga65 said:
They couldn’t shoot against MSU. Oturu will be a challenge for Kofi. Moves well but not a banger. Actually think Giorgi would match up better. This shouldn’t be a tough game but still believe we probably will lose one we shouldn’t and this one fits that category.
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IF they could not shoot against MSU, how are they going to cope with our D, at our place?

I heard their radio feed and, yes you are right, they did not shoot well. Despite getting good looks. Highly unlikely they get good looks at our place.
 
#91      

PtownIllini8

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PtownIllini8
bombayIllini said:
IF they could not shoot against MSU, how are they going to cope with our D, at our place?

I heard their radio feed and, yes you are right, they did not shoot well. Despite getting good looks. Highly unlikely they get good looks at our place.
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We're holding teams to 60 points/game in league play!
 
#93      

PtownIllini8

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PtownIllini8
Chathamillini said:
Kofi had an off night Because Michigan forced him to shoot jump shots. Kofi is affective when he can get someone on his hip and shoot layups. Get him past 8 foot and he doesn’t hit very many shots. Hopefully of being at home next week he’ll be able to get better positioning and more favorable calls from the refs
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He had multiple shots hit the rim softly 2 or more times and not fall in. Tough luck, good to see we can win in hostile territory without much from the Bigs.
 
#94      

hoopsfan47

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hoopsfan47
If you have seen the Gophers play, they have about as wide of a curve as any B1G team. They can be very, very bad when they are not hitting shots and they can beat anyone when they are and playing at a high energy level. What this game comes down to is it is very unpredictable....especially minus Griffin. This could very well be the fly in the ointment game of the B1G season and the start of an undoing if the glass lid shows up on the Illini hoop....and no one knows when or if that will happen....just that it can. I am still skeptical that this team's avg. game is better than most outside MSU, but time will tell. We have just seen too many sloppy turnovers, unsuccessful drives through heavy traffic, and poor shooting to feel cocky or even confident against any team. Maybe that is a good thing if the team knows this and is determined to prove themselves competent. Of course, if the team who played in West LaFayette shows up, it should be an comfortable win by the last 5 minutes. Unfortunately, I have seen Minny's guards along with their center play pretty well too often. I love what I have seen from this team, but in spite of my age, I vividly remember what I saw against Nicholls State, Miami, and Mizzou. Hope Georgi is ready to score big numbers, Kofi will not be denied on either end, Trent keeps putting it in the net and defending, and Ayo keeps rolling. First thing I would do is make Ayo into a perimeter shooter and keep a bligger guard tight on Frazier while bodying Kofi into a jump shooter. Easier said than done but pretty effective on making scoring tough for Illini. Hope our guys come to shut them out defensively,.... If they do not score, I think Illini win.
 
#97      

illinitiger

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illinitiger
hoopsfan47 said:
If you have seen the Gophers play, they have about as wide of a curve as any B1G team. They can be very, very bad when they are not hitting shots and they can beat anyone when they are and playing at a high energy level. What this game comes down to is it is very unpredictable....especially minus Griffin. This could very well be the fly in the ointment game of the B1G season and the start of an undoing if the glass lid shows up on the Illini hoop....and no one knows when or if that will happen....just that it can. I am still skeptical that this team's avg. game is better than most outside MSU, but time will tell. We have just seen too many sloppy turnovers, unsuccessful drives through heavy traffic, and poor shooting to feel cocky or even confident against any team. Maybe that is a good thing if the team knows this and is determined to prove themselves competent. Of course, if the team who played in West LaFayette shows up, it should be an comfortable win by the last 5 minutes. Unfortunately, I have seen Minny's guards along with their center play pretty well too often. I love what I have seen from this team, but in spite of my age, I vividly remember what I saw against Nicholls State, Miami, and Mizzou. Hope Georgi is ready to score big numbers, Kofi will not be denied on either end, Trent keeps putting it in the net and defending, and Ayo keeps rolling. First thing I would do is make Ayo into a perimeter shooter and keep a bligger guard tight on Frazier while bodying Kofi into a jump shooter. Easier said than done but pretty effective on making scoring tough for Illini. Hope our guys come to shut them out defensively,.... If they do not score, I think Illini win.
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I was excited reading Redriver24s opinion on this game "...(Minny) doesn't scare...". But Hoopsfan47, you are making me nervous:) although a little healthy "concern" on the team's part could help avoid a let down, ala Mizzou.
 
#99      

ChocolateThunder

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ChocolateThunder
Against the Spread.jpg
 
#100      

ChocolateThunder

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ChocolateThunder
RedRiver24 said:
YouTube suggested this for me this morning. I don't see why something like this couldn't happen again this year.

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Ayo is really skilled at creating shots and at making shots with people hanging all over him, been at long time since we have seen someone with those skill sets.
 
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