We have that. Lee. He is the bull dog we need to not only play solid D but to fight to get a rebound. He needs double digit minutes.
Pregame: Illinois vs Tennessee, Saturday, December 6th, 7:00pm CT, ESPN
- Status
I agree. Petro needs to run the offense with Bam off the ball.
I'm really interested(as we all probably are) how the rotation is going to shake out going into this game. I see...
Starters:
Petrovic - our only true PG
Boswell - obvious
Stojakovic - Not as obvious as I thought it would be
Mirkovic - Needs to be a complementary piece, not a focal point. If he continues to shoot bad shots so much he hurts us more than he helps.
Tomi - finally started looking back to himself at the end of the UConn game
Off the bench:
Lee - Has to play for us to have a defensive presence outside of Kylan. Needs to be our primary sub for Petrovic and Boz
Wagler -versatile and can sub in for 3 positions...and honestly he might be better for "teamwork" to start instead of Stojakovic, but I'm seeing a decent reduction in his minutes.
Ben - Has looked like the most dependable sub. If you are a fan still whining about his playing time I honestly don't think you've watched the games. If you think the team hasn't looked great at times, I'm sorry to tell you but Ben is definitely not the reason. Has a pretty strong argument to take Mirk's starting spot honestly.
Big Z - Timeshare at the 5. Some games he'll be more needed than others, but his defense will be super important.
That's it. No one else needs to see the floor. Jake Davis is a hard worker but I don't see him being a difference maker. His plus minus I assume was good last game because when he was in he didn't force shots and we didn't force the ball to him. Basically he replaced a potential player out there who was hurting us. Playing Davis simply allowed us to keep the ball in the hands of people who should have it. If Ty comes back I would love to see another defender there and he probably takes a ton of Mirk and Ben minutes, but I don't know if that is going to happen for sure.
Starters:
Petrovic - our only true PG
Boswell - obvious
Stojakovic - Not as obvious as I thought it would be
Mirkovic - Needs to be a complementary piece, not a focal point. If he continues to shoot bad shots so much he hurts us more than he helps.
Tomi - finally started looking back to himself at the end of the UConn game
Off the bench:
Lee - Has to play for us to have a defensive presence outside of Kylan. Needs to be our primary sub for Petrovic and Boz
Wagler -versatile and can sub in for 3 positions...and honestly he might be better for "teamwork" to start instead of Stojakovic, but I'm seeing a decent reduction in his minutes.
Ben - Has looked like the most dependable sub. If you are a fan still whining about his playing time I honestly don't think you've watched the games. If you think the team hasn't looked great at times, I'm sorry to tell you but Ben is definitely not the reason. Has a pretty strong argument to take Mirk's starting spot honestly.
Big Z - Timeshare at the 5. Some games he'll be more needed than others, but his defense will be super important.
That's it. No one else needs to see the floor. Jake Davis is a hard worker but I don't see him being a difference maker. His plus minus I assume was good last game because when he was in he didn't force shots and we didn't force the ball to him. Basically he replaced a potential player out there who was hurting us. Playing Davis simply allowed us to keep the ball in the hands of people who should have it. If Ty comes back I would love to see another defender there and he probably takes a ton of Mirk and Ben minutes, but I don't know if that is going to happen for sure.
FightinIllini30
Future insider
I’ll feel good about this game if we hit shots, but I’ll feel even better if we miss shots and, I don’t know, TRY SOMETHING ELSE rather than continuing to stand still on the perimeter and shoot 100 3s. My 2 cents
Wagler has played efficiently, has good upside, is versatile, and plays smart. As a freshman, I'd expect some ups and downs, but I think he'll be important throughout the season and deserving of minutes.
I want to feel good about this one, but I'm still not sold on this year's team.
I hope I'm proven wrong, and we can start to gel - and hit some open shots.
I hope I'm proven wrong, and we can start to gel - and hit some open shots.
LouHenson
- Naples Florida
I think the “total” Euro game that Brad is trying is going to really struggle if we can’t shoot 35% from 3. We are going to get scored on, and our entire offense is based on pick and pop with the bigs. We put 5 shooters out there, which should work against teams that play conventionally at the 4/5, problem is our shooters (at least to this point) are not capable of 35%.
I think this team seems very similar to last year, with one exception. They are older, and maybe that helps come tourney time?
In the end, BU is like 63 years old, if not now when? Clearly we are on “the stage”, but do you feel we really can win it with this staff? I really don’t know? It sure would be nice to see one more 2005/1989 type season in my life?
I think this team seems very similar to last year, with one exception. They are older, and maybe that helps come tourney time?
In the end, BU is like 63 years old, if not now when? Clearly we are on “the stage”, but do you feel we really can win it with this staff? I really don’t know? It sure would be nice to see one more 2005/1989 type season in my life?
Was feeling good about this one before last night and Tennessee getting bumped off by Cuse. Will now get Vols’ best shot, just like we got Bama’s best shot after an underwhelming performance vs Purdue. Need to find our nasty quick, as Vols will most certainly be extra nasty on Saturday.
Even beyond this game, I’m really hoping this year isn’t another we make shots we win, we don’t we probably lose type season. Brad harps on being able to find a way to win when the ball doesn’t go it. Hasn’t been the case lately.
Even beyond this game, I’m really hoping this year isn’t another we make shots we win, we don’t we probably lose type season. Brad harps on being able to find a way to win when the ball doesn’t go it. Hasn’t been the case lately.
I get the overall point you’re making. But I’d realllly like to see us hitting shots soon.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Uconn was coming off a loss too to BYU. So this is now our 3rd straight match up against a top 15 opponent coming off a loss.
UConn beat BYU. It was the Arizona one they dropped previously without Reed and Mullins.
Fear not though! Reed was able to go against us before promptly being sat back down against Kansas the following game… can’t make it up
FightinIllini30
Future insider
Not like he did anything against us….
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I take your initial "Come on" and I raise you one! I'm obviously never giving up on the team, and I tune in for literally every single game ... just ask my family how flimsy my loyalty is to the Illini, haha. However, the goal for this program is to get back to the Final Four. We have had a great five years, and we have already achieved returning to top 25 status, regular NCAAT invites, multiple Big Ten championship banners and finally a Second Weekend trip in 2024; I think 99% of fans, the staff and the players agree the next mountain is the final weekend of the Tournament, and we all want to get there.
Does that mean I expect it and will disown the team if we can't reach that incredibly lofty goal?? No, of course not! However, it is totally reasonable to feel and express frustration when self-inflicted wounds (e.g., continuing to jack up threes when we are missing them or crapping the bed at the free throw line) could end up being a small but incredibly important difference between a "solid season" ala 2022 or a dream scenario NCAAT path where every game would be a home game in St. Louis/Chicago/Indy and we'd never have to get on a plane. It's not like a loss to an elite UConn team in their backyard is a problem ... but the way in which that loss transpired had way too many callbacks to last season (which was not a success by any reasonable measure for this program), and I think we all rightfully expected improvement from the issues of last year.
I'm not jumping off the bandwagon, and the players have my support ... I'll wake up on Saturday with renewed optimism and enthusiasm to get a big win. I also don't lack perspective ... from the time I was a freshman in high school (2007 season) all through my college years (2011 to 2014) and all through my post-college bachelor life (2015 to 2018), we were frickin' awful - aka, the years where it would have been the most fun for us to be good!! I'm incredibly thankful for where we are in the grand scheme of things. That is different, though, than forcing myself not to get worried about warning signs. No one is denying we are miles ahead of the Groce years, but honestly ... who cares? The standard has been raised, ideally PERMANENTLY!
This season is SO young, and if we actually address the issues and game plan hurdles that could cost us too many opportunities, we can still have an elite season! And all my real point was is that if we DON'T see a strikingly different effort in Nashville than we saw in MSG, it would say to me that the staff and players don't really see an issue with our current trajectory (other than they'd obviously prefer we win). Bottom line is we will not be a top 3 seed team this year if our strategy is to eventually start making threes ... that is as close to an objective fact as an opinion can be, haha. So, I'm praying someone on the team understands that, because this group can be really good and they have plenty of time to gel and keep improving. I'm cautiously optimistic it begins on Saturday, but obviously we've all been hurt before.
Agreed.
Z, T, and Ben have all had their toughness questioned, so shutting down one of the more physical and good bigs in the country probably deserves a shoutout
This is a thoughtful and good take. I agree we shouldn’t just merely accept making tournaments because the end of Weber and groce era was bad.
The only thing I push back on, not to continue harping it, is if we truly are talking final 4 here. We really do need to start hitting open 3s haha. All these other things will raise the floor, you’re right, but we need to make shots.
I also don’t really dig judging people on how much time and effort they spend rooting the team on, revoking fan cards, etc.
There’s always a few “I’m changing the channel” people when we get down by six points in the first half, or people who only show up here when bad things happen.
I’m cool with them not spending as much time here because I generally like hanging with people who are as looney as I am
There’s always a few “I’m changing the channel” people when we get down by six points in the first half, or people who only show up here when bad things happen.
I’m cool with them not spending as much time here because I generally like hanging with people who are as looney as I am
So 8 games in, we have some here that have already declared this team has no shooting, no inside game, apparently easily confused by lines on a court making them unable to shoot, not athletic, slow and the list goes on. To each their own, I am choosing to believe that what we have watched is a team that has had very little practice time together. Injuries, eligibility, illnesses, not to mention a completely different world and way of living for some. This week of practice is probably the first full week they will have every player able to practice at full speed. Some of these players have played a lot of very high level competition, but not with these teammates. Give them time, the team of today will not be the same team in March. Players and coaches learn each others weaknesses and learn to play accordingly. Coach is still learning, the players are still learning and we the fans are still learning. I hope our team shows more belief and fight for one another than some of our fans. I believe this week of practice comes at the perfect time. Illinois 84 Tennessee 77
Tennessee's Estrella was injured in the KU game (not sure it was that injury that kept him out against Syracuse tho.) It looked pretty brutal, and I was stunned when he returned to the game. He came down on someone's foot, and his ankle seemed to hit the floor (or close to it,) nearly at a right angle. When it happened, I thought it would keep him out for multiple games. I'm ok with it keeping him out of their next game.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Long post incoming ... skip to the end if you wish, but it helps to back up why I think this game on Saturday might be an essential indicator of the type of team we can be. I was critiqued for putting too much emphasis on a single game in early December, but ... hear me out.
I feel that in today's college hoops world, the stretch of games from mid-November to the New Year are more important and more testing than in a lot of previous eras. Teams often have a ton of new pieces they need to gel, programs are starting to feel that a tough non-conference schedule is worth it as far as NCAAT seeding, we now have two Big Ten games in December, etc. So, I wanted to look back at the previous three seasons to see if a pattern emerged for our successful seasons and our less successful seasons. I started after 2021 due to the weird COVID schedule, and I left off 2022 due to some of its less applicable characteristics (e.g., Kofi being out and playing a schedule that looks less like 2023-2026). I am only listing results vs. Power Conference teams, by the way.
2022-2023
Nov. 18 - W 79-70 vs. #8 UCLA (Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 20 - L 61-70 vs. #16 Virginia (Las Vegas, NV)
Dec. 2 - L 66-71 at #22 Maryland
Dec. 6 - W 85-78 in OT vs. #2 Texas (New York, NY)
Dec. 10 - L 59-74 vs. Penn State
Dec. 22 - L 71-93 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 9-4 (0-2) and unranked.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 20-12 (11-9) and unranked, which earned us a #9 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 20-13 (11-9) after a First Round loss to #8 seed Arkansas.
2023-2024
Nov. 14 - L 64-71 vs. #4 Marquette
Dec. 2 - W 76-58 at Rutgers
Dec. 5 - W 98-89 vs. #11 FAU (New York, NY)
Dec. 9 - L 79-86 at #17 Tennessee
Dec. 22 - W 97-73 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 10-2 (1-0) and ranked #9.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 26-8 (14-6), BTT champions and ranked #13, which earned us a #3 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 29-9 (14-6) after an Elite Eight loss to #1 seed UConn.
2024-2025
Nov. 20 - L 87-100 vs. #8 Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
Nov. 28 - W 90-77 vs. #19 Arkansas (Kansas City, MO)
Dec. 6 - L 66-70 in OT at Northwestern
Dec. 10 - W 86-80 vs. #20 Wisconsin
Dec. 14 - L 64-66 vs. #1 Tennessee
Dec. 22 - W 80-77 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 9-3 (1-1) and ranked #24.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 21-12 (12-8) and ranked #24, which earned us a #6 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 22-13 (12-8) after a Second Round loss to #3 seed Kentucky.
Every season is different, but I do have a couple thoughts...
1. In all three seasons, we both (A) picked up at least one "good win" vs. a non-conference opponent and (B) lost at least one game vs. a "good" non-conference opponent. I am not sure we can draw too much of a pattern there, as we are purposely signing up for high-profile matchups vs. good teams on big stages ... you win some, you lose some!
2. The Big Ten games are also somewhat difficult to compare. Sure, the 2023 team started 0-2, but they also played ranked Maryland on the road. Sure, the 2024 team was undefeated, but they only played one game. Sort of in the middle, the 2025 team picked up a somewhat worrying road loss at Northwestern, but to their credit they rebounded and beat a ranked Wisconsin squad at home four days later. So once again ... not sure the Big Ten record says all that much.
3. HOWEVER, there is one trend I will confidently state, while acknowledging this is a small sample size ... the perceived trajectory of our team heading into Braggin' Rights is very important. We can take losses vs. top non-conference opponents and learn from it ... Izzo has done it for years. Early Big Ten games can be fluky, and they are only 1-2 out of 20 league games. But come Braggin' Rights? I would argue we are going to have a pretty good idea of what we have on our hands here, folks...
---> Even after impressive wins vs. UCLA in Vegas or Texas at MSG, come Braggin' Rights the 2023 team looked to be falling apart at the seams ... and even after some random midseason rebound winning streaks, we pretty much could see by late December that maybe we didn't have the squad we thought. And a #9 seed and First Round exit awaited them.
---> Conversely, while the 2024 team might have frustratingly let a marquee win at home vs. Marquette slip away and lost another huge opportunity for a road win at Tennessee ... it really DID seem like we were continuing to get better, and that showed in a dominant victory vs. Missouri, and we were all feeling pretty damn good about this team's ceiling heading into Big Ten play (before the TSJ issue, of course). And even AFTER all of the drama and interruption of the TSJ situation, come March we had regained the quality we all saw on display in St. Louis, giving us our first Elite Eight in almost 20 years.
---> Once again sort of splitting things down the middle, the 2025 squad had some good wins and a heart breaking loss vs. an elite Tennessee squad, but by Braggin' Rights ... well, frankly, we looked like a #6 seed, and that's what we ended up becoming! We won a close game vs. Mizzou to sort of "tread water" as far as hopes for an elite season went, but the season already had sort of an "up and down" kind of feel ... there was no perception that we had a team ready to go on a hot streak or anything, simply a pretty good squad that could beat good teams but might lack consistency ... and that's exactly what we were.
So what about this year?
2025-2026
Nov. 11 - W 81-77 vs. #11 Texas Tech
Nov. 19 - L 86-90 vs. #11 Alabama (Chicago, IL)
Nov. 28 - L 61-74 vs. #5 UConn (New York, NY)
Dec. 6 - vs. #13 Tennessee (Nashville, TN)
Dec. 9 - at Ohio State
Dec. 13 - vs. Nebraska
Dec. 22 - vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
Well, to state the obvious ... we are sort of hanging in the balance. I get that some might think this pattern is a bunch of noise and not worth looking at, I do appreciate that it IS a long season and I also acknowledge this is likely the toughest schedule compared here. However, this is why I am so adamant that we sort of have to make a statement with a win in Nashville. A win vs. the Vols could give these guys the boost they need to sort of get hot, and all of a sudden you could be looking at a 2-0 start in Big Ten play and a nice 3-game winning streak heading into Braggin' Rights, with confidence and cohesion drastically improved. Lose to Tennessee, and the season could still turn out fine ... but the trajectory, at least for the moment, would look more like 2024-2025 than 2023-2024 ... and the latter is obviously what we want.
Maybe this IS the type of team that can gel late, be one of the hottest teams in the country come March and go on a deep NCAA Tournament run as an under-seeded #6 seed. But hey, why take the chance?? A win on Saturday puts us back on track to start stacking wins. The 2024 team learned from early non-conference losses, and they were better for it. The 2023 team just spun their wheels all year, and it ended in a fittingly bad way. The 2025 team (while admittedly facing unique injury / illness situations) sort of had a middle path. I think this team can achieve a lot more than last year's if we are able to gel and fix some unnecessary issues like the constant bricked threes ... but where I likely differ from a lot of folks here is that I think this Saturday's game is a lot more essential of an indicator if that is possible than others might think. So, I DO stand by my earlier "line in the sand" talking point, and I'm not taking it back. With that said...
Let's go get a W in Nashville and kickstart a great season!
I feel that in today's college hoops world, the stretch of games from mid-November to the New Year are more important and more testing than in a lot of previous eras. Teams often have a ton of new pieces they need to gel, programs are starting to feel that a tough non-conference schedule is worth it as far as NCAAT seeding, we now have two Big Ten games in December, etc. So, I wanted to look back at the previous three seasons to see if a pattern emerged for our successful seasons and our less successful seasons. I started after 2021 due to the weird COVID schedule, and I left off 2022 due to some of its less applicable characteristics (e.g., Kofi being out and playing a schedule that looks less like 2023-2026). I am only listing results vs. Power Conference teams, by the way.
2022-2023
Nov. 18 - W 79-70 vs. #8 UCLA (Las Vegas, NV)
Nov. 20 - L 61-70 vs. #16 Virginia (Las Vegas, NV)
Dec. 2 - L 66-71 at #22 Maryland
Dec. 6 - W 85-78 in OT vs. #2 Texas (New York, NY)
Dec. 10 - L 59-74 vs. Penn State
Dec. 22 - L 71-93 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 9-4 (0-2) and unranked.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 20-12 (11-9) and unranked, which earned us a #9 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 20-13 (11-9) after a First Round loss to #8 seed Arkansas.
2023-2024
Nov. 14 - L 64-71 vs. #4 Marquette
Dec. 2 - W 76-58 at Rutgers
Dec. 5 - W 98-89 vs. #11 FAU (New York, NY)
Dec. 9 - L 79-86 at #17 Tennessee
Dec. 22 - W 97-73 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 10-2 (1-0) and ranked #9.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 26-8 (14-6), BTT champions and ranked #13, which earned us a #3 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 29-9 (14-6) after an Elite Eight loss to #1 seed UConn.
2024-2025
Nov. 20 - L 87-100 vs. #8 Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
Nov. 28 - W 90-77 vs. #19 Arkansas (Kansas City, MO)
Dec. 6 - L 66-70 in OT at Northwestern
Dec. 10 - W 86-80 vs. #20 Wisconsin
Dec. 14 - L 64-66 vs. #1 Tennessee
Dec. 22 - W 80-77 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
---> Heading into our first January Big Ten game, the Illini were 9-3 (1-1) and ranked #24.
---> On Selection Sunday, we were 21-12 (12-8) and ranked #24, which earned us a #6 seed.
---> We would finish the season at 22-13 (12-8) after a Second Round loss to #3 seed Kentucky.
Every season is different, but I do have a couple thoughts...
1. In all three seasons, we both (A) picked up at least one "good win" vs. a non-conference opponent and (B) lost at least one game vs. a "good" non-conference opponent. I am not sure we can draw too much of a pattern there, as we are purposely signing up for high-profile matchups vs. good teams on big stages ... you win some, you lose some!
2. The Big Ten games are also somewhat difficult to compare. Sure, the 2023 team started 0-2, but they also played ranked Maryland on the road. Sure, the 2024 team was undefeated, but they only played one game. Sort of in the middle, the 2025 team picked up a somewhat worrying road loss at Northwestern, but to their credit they rebounded and beat a ranked Wisconsin squad at home four days later. So once again ... not sure the Big Ten record says all that much.
3. HOWEVER, there is one trend I will confidently state, while acknowledging this is a small sample size ... the perceived trajectory of our team heading into Braggin' Rights is very important. We can take losses vs. top non-conference opponents and learn from it ... Izzo has done it for years. Early Big Ten games can be fluky, and they are only 1-2 out of 20 league games. But come Braggin' Rights? I would argue we are going to have a pretty good idea of what we have on our hands here, folks...
---> Even after impressive wins vs. UCLA in Vegas or Texas at MSG, come Braggin' Rights the 2023 team looked to be falling apart at the seams ... and even after some random midseason rebound winning streaks, we pretty much could see by late December that maybe we didn't have the squad we thought. And a #9 seed and First Round exit awaited them.
---> Conversely, while the 2024 team might have frustratingly let a marquee win at home vs. Marquette slip away and lost another huge opportunity for a road win at Tennessee ... it really DID seem like we were continuing to get better, and that showed in a dominant victory vs. Missouri, and we were all feeling pretty damn good about this team's ceiling heading into Big Ten play (before the TSJ issue, of course). And even AFTER all of the drama and interruption of the TSJ situation, come March we had regained the quality we all saw on display in St. Louis, giving us our first Elite Eight in almost 20 years.
---> Once again sort of splitting things down the middle, the 2025 squad had some good wins and a heart breaking loss vs. an elite Tennessee squad, but by Braggin' Rights ... well, frankly, we looked like a #6 seed, and that's what we ended up becoming! We won a close game vs. Mizzou to sort of "tread water" as far as hopes for an elite season went, but the season already had sort of an "up and down" kind of feel ... there was no perception that we had a team ready to go on a hot streak or anything, simply a pretty good squad that could beat good teams but might lack consistency ... and that's exactly what we were.
So what about this year?
2025-2026
Nov. 11 - W 81-77 vs. #11 Texas Tech
Nov. 19 - L 86-90 vs. #11 Alabama (Chicago, IL)
Nov. 28 - L 61-74 vs. #5 UConn (New York, NY)
Dec. 6 - vs. #13 Tennessee (Nashville, TN)
Dec. 9 - at Ohio State
Dec. 13 - vs. Nebraska
Dec. 22 - vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
Well, to state the obvious ... we are sort of hanging in the balance. I get that some might think this pattern is a bunch of noise and not worth looking at, I do appreciate that it IS a long season and I also acknowledge this is likely the toughest schedule compared here. However, this is why I am so adamant that we sort of have to make a statement with a win in Nashville. A win vs. the Vols could give these guys the boost they need to sort of get hot, and all of a sudden you could be looking at a 2-0 start in Big Ten play and a nice 3-game winning streak heading into Braggin' Rights, with confidence and cohesion drastically improved. Lose to Tennessee, and the season could still turn out fine ... but the trajectory, at least for the moment, would look more like 2024-2025 than 2023-2024 ... and the latter is obviously what we want.
Maybe this IS the type of team that can gel late, be one of the hottest teams in the country come March and go on a deep NCAA Tournament run as an under-seeded #6 seed. But hey, why take the chance?? A win on Saturday puts us back on track to start stacking wins. The 2024 team learned from early non-conference losses, and they were better for it. The 2023 team just spun their wheels all year, and it ended in a fittingly bad way. The 2025 team (while admittedly facing unique injury / illness situations) sort of had a middle path. I think this team can achieve a lot more than last year's if we are able to gel and fix some unnecessary issues like the constant bricked threes ... but where I likely differ from a lot of folks here is that I think this Saturday's game is a lot more essential of an indicator if that is possible than others might think. So, I DO stand by my earlier "line in the sand" talking point, and I'm not taking it back. With that said...
Let's go get a W in Nashville and kickstart a great season!
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Oh for sure, lol. I'm operating under the assumption (an assumption I would argue is backed up by ample evidence...) that a quick fix to our bad shooting isn't exactly around the corner. So, while I agree it needs fixed to reach our ceiling, I don't want to rack up rack up losses at the rate of a #6 or #7 seed while we wait!
Excellent work as always! I would include the 20-21 team in this discussion though. They were 4-2 with both losses to unranked teams (according to the schedule I’m viewing) after the Missouri game, and actually were 9-5 with losses to 3 unranked teams as of mid-January and ended up a 1 seed.
I appreciate the time and effort you put into this site, your dedication is much appreciated and obvious. I would like to point something out about "quick fix to our bad shooting isn't exactly around the corner". Practice as a healthy and whole team should help and I stress should help as a quick fix to SOME of the shooting. In pocket passing is important and even more so if not blessed with great shooters. I also believe each teammate learns where each players "spots" on the floor are. IF Tomi hits 40% from the top but only 27% from the corner, I don't necessarily look for him when I see him in the corner. I understand the frustrations and maybe I'm wrong here, but practicing together as a healthy team can and could solve a lot of shooting issues. Sometimes the ability to hide everyone's weakness is just as important as exploiting each others strengths.
I will provide my unsolicited 2 cents.
Our backs are definitely against the wall as far as top 3 seed trajectory. We need the Nashville game badly. And we’ve lost far too many of these marquee non con games and been in this position far too often the past few years.
And you hate to make excuses, but I do think all of the injuries have put us behind where we would otherwise be, and there is some understandable clunkiness as we reintegrate players. Tomi and Mirk do similar things offensively so need to figure out how they fit together. Drej and Petro are talented offensive players but ball dominant. We are clearly having some communication and execution issues defensively etc. We just look like a team that hasn’t practiced together a whole lot.
It’s very unfortunate we are going through this clunkiness during our stretch of marquee noncon games. However, despite that clunkiness, if we could mishmash our FT and 3pt shooting for the Bama and UConn games (I realize we shot a very high FT % against UConn but what I’m really talking about is just an average shooting night from both places (~75% FT, 33-35% 3PT) we win both games. We really are close without being anywhere close to gelling as a team.
I think the last 8 days probably did the team a world of good. We will have another stretch after the Nebraska game (with finals but still, no game prep) and after Bragging Rights to focus on us. Think we will build rapport and take a leap. Brad’s teams usually do. And we are still counting on 2 FROSH to play big roles. They will continue to get better and I think the lightbulb will come on against HM opponents soon.
Last point I will make is I saw someone reference the 21 team that started 9-5 and wound up with a 1 seed. If we don’t pull out the Nashville game, we are fortunate in that the BIG will present us with several Quad 1A type opportunities this year like 21 when OSU, Michigan and Iowa were all top 10 so a high seed is still possible. But it would probably require us running the table @Purdue, vs. Michigan and @MSU.
Our backs are definitely against the wall as far as top 3 seed trajectory. We need the Nashville game badly. And we’ve lost far too many of these marquee non con games and been in this position far too often the past few years.
And you hate to make excuses, but I do think all of the injuries have put us behind where we would otherwise be, and there is some understandable clunkiness as we reintegrate players. Tomi and Mirk do similar things offensively so need to figure out how they fit together. Drej and Petro are talented offensive players but ball dominant. We are clearly having some communication and execution issues defensively etc. We just look like a team that hasn’t practiced together a whole lot.
It’s very unfortunate we are going through this clunkiness during our stretch of marquee noncon games. However, despite that clunkiness, if we could mishmash our FT and 3pt shooting for the Bama and UConn games (I realize we shot a very high FT % against UConn but what I’m really talking about is just an average shooting night from both places (~75% FT, 33-35% 3PT) we win both games. We really are close without being anywhere close to gelling as a team.
I think the last 8 days probably did the team a world of good. We will have another stretch after the Nebraska game (with finals but still, no game prep) and after Bragging Rights to focus on us. Think we will build rapport and take a leap. Brad’s teams usually do. And we are still counting on 2 FROSH to play big roles. They will continue to get better and I think the lightbulb will come on against HM opponents soon.
Last point I will make is I saw someone reference the 21 team that started 9-5 and wound up with a 1 seed. If we don’t pull out the Nashville game, we are fortunate in that the BIG will present us with several Quad 1A type opportunities this year like 21 when OSU, Michigan and Iowa were all top 10 so a high seed is still possible. But it would probably require us running the table @Purdue, vs. Michigan and @MSU.
Great point! I can't imagine the kind of chats here when that team was 9-5. Lol I'm guessing certain "fans" went from posting 20 times a day with negativity to hardly posting at all cause the team was winning and a 1 seed hahahaa
LouHenson
- Naples Florida
You’re spot on. We have never (I have been a fan since 1966) been much of a factor seeded really below the 3 we got with TSJ. Think about it? The 5 seed beat Cincinnati as a 4 seed badly, then lost to Duke pretty easily if my memory is correct? We won with TSJ as a 3 over a 2, but what else?
This game determines if we can be in what needs to be the top 3 seed lines. Or if we will be fighting for that 4 at best seed line? Which is a one way ticket home on day 2.
Don’t forget STL - CHI - INDY is also in play (maybe not as we clearly look below both scUM and Purdue already?), but that clearly is only happening by stacking wins?
This game determines if we can be in what needs to be the top 3 seed lines. Or if we will be fighting for that 4 at best seed line? Which is a one way ticket home on day 2.
Don’t forget STL - CHI - INDY is also in play (maybe not as we clearly look below both scUM and Purdue already?), but that clearly is only happening by stacking wins?
- Status