Pregame: Illinois vs Ohio State, Saturday, January 16th, 11:00am CT, FOX

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#26      

illinitiger

I
illinitiger
Interesting match up, since OSU doesnt start a true center...but still excel in rebounding.

Quick stat scan for OSU for year:

-Rebounding...3rd b10 ( ~40/game) 2d for OBs (11.5/game)

-2p %....2d b10. ~53%

-3p%....14th b10 ~29%

-Ft...1st b10 FTM (~16/game), 2d FTA (21/game)

All that said at Rutgers, they shot 10/24 from 3p (>40%) and 19/28 fts (<70%). They shot 60% 2p and won the rebound battle. Their overperform in shooting allowed them to beat Rutgers.

My take on illini Win strategy:
-win the boards (minimize OSU OBs)
-good D (keep them under 50% shooting)
-avoid fouls (shooting fouls)
-take advantage of Kofi size mismatch on Offense
 
#28      

Oldskoolkoach

O
Oldskoolkoach
CubsIlliniFan said:
This is where you start Cole. We need size and athletic ability. The Monte getting 30 minutes a game is over and needs to be over. We need more length, size and athleticism. Sorry, but we need to face facts.
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Not disagreeing we need Hawkins to get more tick, but not sure taking DMFW out of rotation is the answer.

I would like to see us working Hawkins in while Giorgi is in. Yes, we need to keep our best offensive guards in during this rotation to ensure we still have scoring late in the clock. Gives us two post defenders at the same time and CH can stretch it out and guard a wing as needed.

Also, it could stretch the offensive end if Giorgi ever gets to the point he is willing to take the 12 - 15' I think he can hit consistently.
 
#29      

LvilleILL

LvilleILL
LvilleILL
I think Ayo shows up for this game. Have a feeling we will come out very intense.

Illinois 76
Ohio State 67
 
#30      

Deleted member 747903

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Not particularly related to this game but I’m a bit surprised we haven’t more zone defense just to provide a secondary look when the opposing team goes on a run. We have the personnel for it. Coleman, Grandison and Giorgi all move decently well and have length. IMO none of those three are particularly great on ball defenders so playing some zone might showcase their strengths a bit more.
 
#31      

2qtslow

2qtslow
2qtslow
I am sure there are exceptions, but I cannot think of any time since I started watching in 1978-79 that any Illinois team played good zone defense. I've seen our offense go flat when many an opponent switched to zone to stop a run, but we don't seem to do unto others very well on that score.
 
#32      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
JFGsCoffeeMug said:
I'm in the same place. If we want to compete for a conference title and be in contention for the Final Four, we need to show we can win these kinds of tough games. Especially when we're playing at home.
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Yep, that is what has been so hard to take. We ARE a good team, and losses to the Mizzous, Rutgers' and Ohio States of the world - heck, even a fluke loss every now and then to a Maryland type! - doesn't change that or mean that we can't get hot come Tournament time, because we DO have the talent for that. Period.

What it DOES mean, however, is that "getting hot" might be making the Sweet Sixteen instead of the Final Four. And that would be a disappointment for this group. I know rankings aren't the end-all, but we have hardly ever left the top 16. The Sweet Sixteen is what should be EXPECTED of this squad. In order to go further, you just simply need to pile up on the Ws vs. good teams and avoid losses. If you don't, your seed come Tournament time will quite simply hold you back. None of this is to even address the goal of a Big Ten title.

We will need some help on the way from other teams, but the B1G is crazy this year, as is much of college hoops. If we can figure our OWN issues out, we will be just fine. If we come out and beat a very good OSU team on Saturday, I and most others will be right back on the hype train! It will show some real maturity and fight from these guys. The skills are there, and the coaching (IMO) is there. The toughness has shown itself to be there at times. All that's missing is finding an every-game routine that puts it all together. No one is expecting the second half of the NU game all the time, but we should hardly ever see the second half of the Maryland game, either. We need to bring an effort and competency comparable to the first half of the Rutgers game nearly every single half, with our "off halves" being MUCH better than the first half at NU or second half vs. Maryland, and our "on halves" being similar to when we worked Duke.

Just remember, we wouldn't be hard on these guys if we didn't know they had it in 'em. :) Beating OSU would be huge this Saturday, so let's go do it!!
 
#34      

illini80

illini80
Forgottonia
illini80
CubsIlliniFan said:
This is where you start Cole. We need size and athletic ability. The Monte getting 30 minutes a game is over and needs to be over. We need more length, size and athleticism. Sorry, but we need to face facts.
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I like Coleman’s potential, size, skill, attitude, etc. But against MD, DFW played tough defense, had 9 boards and 5 assists. I certainly would not advocate for another true freshman getting major minutes until he has shown a consistent ability to rebound, defend, and get buckets. Which he has not. I’m perfectly happy with the way Underwood has used CH so far.
 
#36      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
^ Our free throws have truly been shocking for me this year, especially in important situations ... we shot 72.8% from the line last year, and we are (SOMEHOW) shooting 68.7% this year. Not to pick on him specifically, as he's my favorite player, but Da'Monte has gone from a 70% shooter last year to a 56% shooter this year. :oops:

I mean, free throws literally cost us the game at Mizzou ... we shot 60% from the line. Hit our season average, and we win. Against Maryland, we shot JUST below our season average (so it might not have made a difference), but even make one more of those, and Ayo is going for a two to tie rather than a three at the end of the game, probably with more time on the clock. :( 11-2 (6-1) would look REAL nice right now, and without a plethora of silly turnovers and some missed FTs in clutch situations, we likely are sitting right at that record. This team has all the tools, they just need to figure it out.
 
#37      

illini 67

I
illini 67
illini80 said:
I like Coleman’s potential, size, skill, attitude, etc. But against MD, DFW played tough defense, had 9 boards and 5 assists. I certainly would not advocate for another true freshman getting major minutes until he has shown a consistent ability to rebound, defend, and get buckets. Which he has not. I’m perfectly happy with the way Underwood has used CH so far.
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The last two times Hawk got on the court he has rebounded, blocked a shot, stolen the ball., had an assist, made a shot and made free throws. Think we had a 3 in there recently too. We can't see consistency in any area of his game unless he plays more .
 
#38      

zentrails

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zentrails
illini80 said:
I like Coleman’s potential, size, skill, attitude, etc. But against MD, DFW played tough defense, had 9 boards and 5 assists. I certainly would not advocate for another true freshman getting major minutes until he has shown a consistent ability to rebound, defend, and get buckets. Which he has not. I’m perfectly happy with the way Underwood has used CH so far.
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I think DFW had a finger taped on his shooting hand as well, so that could explain why he didn't score against MD, added to the injuries BU says he is fighting.
 
#42      

illinitiger

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illinitiger
If there was a team that is worth trying a zone, OSU at <30% 3p (#14 in b10) is worth a try. Just can't sacrifice winning on boards.
 
#43      

Deleted member 747760

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Deleted member 747760
CentralILifer said:
Win home games. I don't care who the opponent is.

This is why I'm very annoyed with the MD loss.
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Conference champs hold court at home and .500 on the road. Dropping one at home to a bottom of the pack MD team without their best player / PG means we have a lot of work to do to win the B1G.. or we aren’t B1G champ worthy.. we’ll see what happens. Agree with the post 100%.
 
#44      

IllinoisssssssVarsity

I
IllinoisssssssVarsity
illinitiger said:
If there was a team that is worth trying a zone, OSU at <30% 3p (#14 in b10) is worth a try. Just can't sacrifice winning on boards.
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When we went zone last game it was a 3-2. Can’t remember if kofi was in but I know that is BU’s preferred zone per BU.

Doesn’t seem to mesh as well with kofi being in because I don’t really know if you want him closing out to the ballside corner for blow by purposes and taking him out of rebounding position.

A 2-3 where he can block to block seems more appropriate for him, but idk if ive ever seen us play a good 2-3.
 
#45      

BMoreIllini

BMoreIllini
Baltimore, MD
BMoreIllini
I love the armchair coaches here that see a solid 3 minute stretch of gameplay from Hawkins and say he's ready for starter minutes (over a 4 year player who is tops in the NCAA in 3pt percentage AND is widely known a lock down defender, even against guys with 4" on him) when the coaches see hours of practice each week. BU and the other coaches know what they're doing and know if he's ready for more playing time. I'm excited to see what Hawkins can do in the future as he gets his body and mind up to B1G level, in the mean time I'll put my faith in the coaches to get it right.

We have several big contributors (most of which are guards) who are still new to the program. The teams didn't get to workout over the summer together so it's not a typical season and things are going to click for us later than they normally would. We've seen flashes of what this team can do when things click, they just click inconsistently right now, in my opinion, due to only about 3-4 months of playing together.
 
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#46      

Deleted member 747903

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Deleted member 747903
BMoreIllini said:
I love the armchair coaches here that see a solid 3 minute stretch of gameplay from Hawkins and say he's ready for starter minutes (over a 4 year player who is tops in the NCAA in 3pt percentage AND is widely known a lock down defender, even against guys with 4" on him) when the coaches see hours of practice each week. BU and the other coaches know what they're doing and know if he's ready for more playing time. I'm excited to see what Hawkins can do in the future as he gets his body and mind up to B1G level, in the mean time I'll put my faith in the coaches to get it right.

We have several big contributors (most of which are guards) who are still new to the program. The teams didn't get to workout over the summer together so it's not a typical season and things are going to click for us later than they normally would. We've seen flashes of what this team can do when things click, they just click inconsistently right now, in my opinion, due to only about 3-4 months of playing together.
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We are sort of spoiled with DMW because he is pretty consistent with what he does. While I do notice that CH does a lot of nice things out there, his mistakes are actually VERY noticeable. On the other hand, I could go a full game without noticing anything DMW does on the defensive end because he is just solid.

I would give up a bit more offensive potential for being more consistent on D. That's what wins games down the stretch.
 
#47      

skyIdub

skyIdub
Winged Warrior
skyIdub
CubsIlliniFan said:
This is where you start Cole. We need size and athletic ability. The Monte getting 30 minutes a game is over and needs to be over. We need more length, size and athleticism. Sorry, but we need to face facts.
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GMAFB, we're back to the bench DMFW and start a freshman stupidity again? It really is sorry!

You mean facts like DMFW has a longer wing span than CoHawk? Is that the length you mean? Or maybe the FACT that he was the #1 3pt shooter...IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY...prior to MD?

Posts like this about benching DMFW after one bad loss are so clueless.
 
#48      

Gregjacksonfan

G
Gregjacksonfan
2qtslow said:
I am sure there are exceptions, but I cannot think of any time since I started watching in 1978-79 that any Illinois team played good zone defense. I've seen our offense go flat when many an opponent switched to zone to stop a run, but we don't seem to do unto others very well on that score.
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One of Kruger’s team played a really good 3-2. When the shot clock got to about 10 they would switch into it. It was very effective.
 
#49      

skibdaddy

skibdaddy
skibdaddy
Gregjacksonfan said:
One of Kruger’s team played a really good 3-2. When the shot clock got to about 10 they would switch into it. It was very effective.
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Kruger and Self did this and it was very disruptive to the opposing offenses. It's worth a try IMO. Giorgi can't guard anything right now, so a 3-2 with him and Hawkins on the blocks could help for a few possessions or parts of a few until we jump back to man.
 
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