This is the problem. He doesn’t want to sound like a homer.
Purdue 96, Illinois 88 2OT Postgame
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That's not my argument in the least-it's the opposite of that. My argument is that BU thinks it will take some time before AC's conditioning is good enough for him to be "primary ball handler" whatever that means (position-less basketball, remember?) so we should temper our expectations. We're alone in first place in the BT with Trent as "primary ball handler" and I'm plenty happy with that.
And sure when AC's "better conditioned" he'll be able to play a lot more than 20 minutes a game and a lot of that will be driving to the basket. That is EXACTLY my argument. I don't think we will need that to beat Maryland, but MSU will be a different story, most likely. I don't really care who (of those two) will be "primary ball handler" in the future as long as we are still winning most of our games.
I agree. A qualityy coach with good perception. Very positive about Trent +
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
Whoa, whoa. I was just saying that it's my hope and expectation to protect the home court. I imagine that's what players on all listed teams expect as well. If I had followed that up with calling our team a bunch of bums or something, that would call for such a response.
Exactly.That's it, wow ok. Just that simple. Maybe Baylor, Purdue, Michigan St. UCLA, USC and Duke should win their home games too.
He’s also just not good as a color analyst. There’s a reason ESPN got rid of him.
I agree. As soon as i saw the replay I knew what the call would be. It was the correct call and a dumb move on Omar’s part. I wish BBV could make a FT and develop some offense. The rest of his game was stellar.
Sorry I almost recited Juice’s post verbatim and added a little about BBV. Juice! Get out of my head !
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This will be the first time and probably the last I take a shot at the refs, I normally hating blaming officiating for anything but that was just atrocious. Curbelo was amazing to come in and play in a tournament like atmosphere against a top 10 team after such a long layoff. Let's hope this continues. Verdonk, was a joy to watch. Let's hope this isn't a one time thing, I imagine he gained a ton of confidence after this performance. Another great sign was the lack of turnovers compared to where we were at early in the year. My only real criticism if I had to offer one is that I wish Plummer was a little better with shot selection. There are times he takes some bad shots at inopportune times. Not saying it’s why we lost or anything but every possession is crucial in a game like this.
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
In his defense, he did hit his first 2. But missed the next 2 in 2OT.
I was very disappointed that they didn't take Kofi out of the game after he got that third foul. You could tell that he was a little upset after the third foul, playing extra aggressive on defense. He lost his composure a little bit and the coaches should have saw that. He is an All American and the coaches showed confidence in him, but I wouldn't have at that early juncture of the second half.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Oh, absolutely. I'll have a steak, medium rare, at the Beef House with my Boilermaker on the way back to C-U from WL on the 10th.May I interest anyone in some roadkill on February 10th?
One more for the road here after sifting through some very polarizing posts:
My biggest issue is not with the refs blowing the whistle on Kofi (although a couple of those whistles were awful), my issue, and I imagine one shared by many, is that it didn’t go both ways. That’s reflected in the number of fouls called and the TYPE of fouls called on Purdue. They are, and always have been, an aggressive and physical team. So are we. So the foul disparity looms large in a game like this. Ivey shot more free throws than our entire team, and many of those trips to the line were of the bailout variety. He’s a star, he gets rewarded. Our star does not—game after game. Edey/Williams got to throw around their size with impunity, our star did not.
That’s my beef, and that’s why I will absolutely hold firm that it affected the outcome. Can you imagine for a moment if Kofi got the Garza treatment? Or, in the context of yesterday’s game, is there any doubt that if Ivey made the shot Plummer did to force 2OT that he’s on the line for an and 1?
On to the next one, but as some have alluded to, officiating in the B10 is a large reason why this conference doesn’t have a title in over 20 years. It’s never consistent, it’s often prejudicial, and it sets teams up for failure.
My biggest issue is not with the refs blowing the whistle on Kofi (although a couple of those whistles were awful), my issue, and I imagine one shared by many, is that it didn’t go both ways. That’s reflected in the number of fouls called and the TYPE of fouls called on Purdue. They are, and always have been, an aggressive and physical team. So are we. So the foul disparity looms large in a game like this. Ivey shot more free throws than our entire team, and many of those trips to the line were of the bailout variety. He’s a star, he gets rewarded. Our star does not—game after game. Edey/Williams got to throw around their size with impunity, our star did not.
That’s my beef, and that’s why I will absolutely hold firm that it affected the outcome. Can you imagine for a moment if Kofi got the Garza treatment? Or, in the context of yesterday’s game, is there any doubt that if Ivey made the shot Plummer did to force 2OT that he’s on the line for an and 1?
On to the next one, but as some have alluded to, officiating in the B10 is a large reason why this conference doesn’t have a title in over 20 years. It’s never consistent, it’s often prejudicial, and it sets teams up for failure.
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skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
Robert shared the definitive take on the refs over at IB. It is precisely what took place. They were protected. We weren't. At home.
One more thought on this game.. There have been a few posts referring to this game as a "moral victory", and I don't think that's fair or accurate.
This is far from the, "We lost but I'm proud of our toughness and togetherness against a superior team. Illinois shouldn't expect to win these games when we haven't been relevant for a decade. Fans have unrealistic expectations. It was a good loss." mentality from the living breathing participation trophy that was the Groce tenure.
Purdue is a team that many consider Final Four favorites and they gave us their best shot and barely beat us while we dealt with our worst case scenario - relatively cold shooting and no Kofi. *FTR, I don't give Purdue credit for our cold shooting. We got great looks all game long and just missed.
I agree that when you have two evenly matched teams of this caliber, the home team should win 7 out of 10 times. We lost and that's disappointing but nothing in that game made me question the ceiling or trajectory of this team. Nothing made me think that Purdue is the superior team and we were just fortunate to hang around with them.
That wasn't a moral victory. That was a warning to the B1G that we're more than just Kofi and the three point chuckers. Good luck gameplanning us.
This is far from the, "We lost but I'm proud of our toughness and togetherness against a superior team. Illinois shouldn't expect to win these games when we haven't been relevant for a decade. Fans have unrealistic expectations. It was a good loss." mentality from the living breathing participation trophy that was the Groce tenure.
Purdue is a team that many consider Final Four favorites and they gave us their best shot and barely beat us while we dealt with our worst case scenario - relatively cold shooting and no Kofi. *FTR, I don't give Purdue credit for our cold shooting. We got great looks all game long and just missed.
I agree that when you have two evenly matched teams of this caliber, the home team should win 7 out of 10 times. We lost and that's disappointing but nothing in that game made me question the ceiling or trajectory of this team. Nothing made me think that Purdue is the superior team and we were just fortunate to hang around with them.
That wasn't a moral victory. That was a warning to the B1G that we're more than just Kofi and the three point chuckers. Good luck gameplanning us.
pruman91
- interviewing new NL's daily....I really really am
If the fouls called on Kofi , and a larger extent . all of the Illini , had been called the same on purdont , Edey would not have played much in the second half and none of both OT's............................Edey just ran over the Illini with impunity and Kofi got called for being knocked down and then Edey fell on him ....The foul on Kofi ,I believe his 4th , on that Ivy drive for blocking was abhorrent ....Ivy jumped away from Kofi and there was NO contact at all....
I don't know if I will ever watch the replay of the game ....I have it in my DVD on Hulu but an Illini fanatic can only stand so much hypocrisy in the reffing of B1G games...
JMHO
I don't know if I will ever watch the replay of the game ....I have it in my DVD on Hulu but an Illini fanatic can only stand so much hypocrisy in the reffing of B1G games...
JMHO
In reply to a couple of posts above:
Whether "moral victory" is liked or disliked is not an issue with me....as people are glass half full or empty and says more about one personally. My lens sees "sustained level of play" as a floor for the team. That has been steadily rising all season. Don't spend a second in celebration of that fact....just keep chopping wood to ultimately keep it rising. But a nod of my head to all the Illini B1G warriors for there unselfish efforts to ultimately raise another banner or 3 in the original Assembly Hall.
Secondly, I will offer a little insight on Plummer's plight when, as an elite shooter, he shoots an air ball about 3 ft. short. The first important word is "short", which is always the result. Plummer is maybe 5'11" tall. He is usually guarded by a player who is 2-6 in. taller with a similar or higher vertical. He needs space to get his shot off and would likely not see the floor if he only shot push shots with a chest release like Grandison or Ayo. So he actually needs to shoot a genuine jump shot. But, at his height, even that is hardly enough to allow him to get a shot off against quick, athletic, and bigger defenders. As a result, he has developed a step back shot that clears enough space for him to shoot. Even that is not enough against an elite defender. His "step" therefore, at times becomes very forceful...and sometimes he just cannot go vertical, the result being he shoots with his eyes fading away from the hoop. Though he is very strong, when his step-back is so violent away from the hoop, he simply cannot release from 24 ft. and farther with enough force, and has not developed enough experience in that task, to get the ball to the basket. Maybe, with enough time and practice that could be accomplished. But it would take a lot of time and practice. In the meantime, he likely would be better off trying to be able to judge when that is needed and avoid it, moving on for another, better opportunity. With the shot clock in the final 3 seconds, a drive to draw a foul is 100 times a better choice anyway as a violent step-back will not produce a foul or even draw iron most of time.
Regardless, AP is as money as any Illini player I have ever seen and has improved his defensive effort and awareness considerably. What a piece of the puzzle he has grown into for this team!
Whether "moral victory" is liked or disliked is not an issue with me....as people are glass half full or empty and says more about one personally. My lens sees "sustained level of play" as a floor for the team. That has been steadily rising all season. Don't spend a second in celebration of that fact....just keep chopping wood to ultimately keep it rising. But a nod of my head to all the Illini B1G warriors for there unselfish efforts to ultimately raise another banner or 3 in the original Assembly Hall.
Secondly, I will offer a little insight on Plummer's plight when, as an elite shooter, he shoots an air ball about 3 ft. short. The first important word is "short", which is always the result. Plummer is maybe 5'11" tall. He is usually guarded by a player who is 2-6 in. taller with a similar or higher vertical. He needs space to get his shot off and would likely not see the floor if he only shot push shots with a chest release like Grandison or Ayo. So he actually needs to shoot a genuine jump shot. But, at his height, even that is hardly enough to allow him to get a shot off against quick, athletic, and bigger defenders. As a result, he has developed a step back shot that clears enough space for him to shoot. Even that is not enough against an elite defender. His "step" therefore, at times becomes very forceful...and sometimes he just cannot go vertical, the result being he shoots with his eyes fading away from the hoop. Though he is very strong, when his step-back is so violent away from the hoop, he simply cannot release from 24 ft. and farther with enough force, and has not developed enough experience in that task, to get the ball to the basket. Maybe, with enough time and practice that could be accomplished. But it would take a lot of time and practice. In the meantime, he likely would be better off trying to be able to judge when that is needed and avoid it, moving on for another, better opportunity. With the shot clock in the final 3 seconds, a drive to draw a foul is 100 times a better choice anyway as a violent step-back will not produce a foul or even draw iron most of time.
Regardless, AP is as money as any Illini player I have ever seen and has improved his defensive effort and awareness considerably. What a piece of the puzzle he has grown into for this team!
I think Plummer is a tough shot maker. I wish he took more not less! He can make tough shots at a good percentage that others can't. He is by far our best shooter and needs a ton of freedom to let them fly. He will open up more lanes for Belo and Trent to drive than anyone can. He also was fouled on one that wasn't called and still hit half his threes.
ChazzReinhold
Mom! The Meatloaf!
The box scores I've seen show 15 vs 23.
illini80
- Forgottonia
I completely agree. He was frustrated and out of control. He didn’t have to sit for 10 minutes, but he did need someone to calm him down and get his focus. That was a big mistake by the staff imo.
He sounds more like a homer to the other teams
Great game! Definitely one more game vs Purdue, but possibly 2 or 3 more.
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