I have coached High School basketball for 30 years and I am amazed at how few of sets we run on offense. Our game plan last night should have been to hammer them inside as they are very small on the interior instead we shoot 17 3’s in the first half. As many people have said on here Brad needs a x and o guy bad. One other thing is oour drop defense is causing a lot of our foul trouble. Teams know to run the pick and our guard will be in bad defensive position most of the time
Rutgers 82, Illinois 73 Postgame
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I definitely agree that the majority of the time, in fact, almost all the time, freshmen aren't considered leaders; however, I've noticed several times in the past few games when the team huddles together on the floor Morez is doing more talking and instructing. I'm just saying he's very impressive and the fact that we have almost all newcomers and youngsters could lead to him naturally becoming a leader. It's not like he's on a team loaded with upperclassman. Again, I'm not saying he's there yet, but I'm starting to see some things and I'd be all for him stepping into that role with this team due to how hard he plays. Not to mention he's a big dude so I think they'd listen
. All I know is we need someone to emerge before March.With the available players Maryland would win about every game with Illini. They have too much size with Tomi not playing.
Ehhhhhh you lost me here. The Groce era was marked by giving the ball to the guy under my username while everyone else stood around the perimeter. On the sidelines Groce would stick his bottom lip out and hunch over in a defensive stance. But we do not need to revisit that awful memory lane
DevILLDawg
- Meredosia, Illinois
We'll beat MSU. Maybe even Purdue... get our hopes up and not show up for the B1G tourney and maybe even the first round of the NCAA...Brad's 20 win streak is certainly in jeopardy and that is insane given we have more talent than 25+ teams that we've played.
Thanks for your comments on our guards. No comments regarding our fourwords, sinters, bentch plyers, couches, or traners?
Huck Finn is that you?
Rando thoughts:
* Would not be surprised if someone drops out soon and eventually ends up in the portal.
* Keeping BU of course, but there has to be changes to the staff after March. Open up the purse for at least 2 experienced coaches. And at the same time, keep OA and GA happy.
* Keep reminding myself, very young team. However, the older guys are not leaders as were Q, TSJ, Marcus, Harmon were last season. Funny how it sounds, keeping Luke and putting Ty on the floor would have maybe help this team in times like this.....even Sencire.
* Would not be surprised if someone drops out soon and eventually ends up in the portal.
* Keeping BU of course, but there has to be changes to the staff after March. Open up the purse for at least 2 experienced coaches. And at the same time, keep OA and GA happy.
* Keep reminding myself, very young team. However, the older guys are not leaders as were Q, TSJ, Marcus, Harmon were last season. Funny how it sounds, keeping Luke and putting Ty on the floor would have maybe help this team in times like this.....even Sencire.
Maybe but I think the criticism of the staff is warranted.
Neither Tyler or Hamer have done anything that would suggest they should be running the offense and defense for a Big10 program.
Have 5 assistant coaches and only 2 of them actually have credentials.
Yep...I told my wife that the only thing could have made it better is if one of the other officials had whistled him for a blocking foul
I understand wanting to be around your son though I think the morals of employing your unqualified son at a public are questionable.
With that being said I don't think it would be an issue if Tyler was just working as a video/scouting coordinator or even just was the 5th assistant coach. The issue is that he's coordinating the offense with nothing pointing towards him deserving that role and that issue is compounded by having two other unqualified assistants on the staff in Hamer and Jones with Hamer also coordinating the defense.
From Tyler's perspective, I get that he basically got a free ride to an awesome job that coaches spend decades working their way towards but I don't really understand why you would want to spend your 20s working for your dad with people questioning if you deserve to be there.
Richard Pitino worked as assistant for his dad but he had also already been an assistant coach for at 3 different stops before joining his dad's staff.
Tony Bennett also joined his father's staff but he had already played professionally(both in the NBA and internationally) and even coached for a year or two overseas.
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Definitely not a good sign of racking up these losses, but surprisingly from a NET standpoint (which is a major tool used by NCAA committee), only the USC loss could possibly be defined as a "bad loss" (Quad 2 loss). Every other loss is a quad 1 loss at this point (including last night). It feels like bad losses are piling up, but the NCAA Committee will not see it that way. Either way, the team needs to start playing better basketball consistently. The Illini might avoid the "bad loss" this year, but having a lot of "good losses" is also troubling in other ways...not getting wins.
The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
Any time we play like !!!! and lose a winnable game is a bad loss, and we've got no shortage of those.
Totally agree. And speaking of picks, our picks on the few offensive sets we do run are bad. The difference in how the D is able to navigate through our picks vs how we struggle to get over the top of picks when we are on D is stark. Both the pick being set and the ball handler using the pick are not great, with an exception maybe being KJ. I don't think we spend any time practicing setting or using picks, but if we do it needs to be more of a focus because it has been noticeable for a few years now.
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Illini in Italy
- Illini HQ, Florida Panhandle
This team is playing AWEFUL.
Here's my prediction for rest of the season.
- KJ mails in next 3 to 4 games, by end of Feb quits team and leaves school to focus on NBA prep. Doesn't get drafted at all and heads back to Europe to play Euro league
- Tomi out hurt for 4 games then takes 5 more games to get in playing shape. Follows KJ to euro league next year
- Will sleeps thru 1st half of every game, wakes up after halftime and ends up with 8 to 22 pts per game
- Morez plays hard, gets lots of rebounds but is out 1/2 of each game with foul trouble
- Kylan plays hard. Makes 3 more layups this year but misses 45
- Ben goes in and out of conciseness each game and ends up with 2 to 8 pts per game
- Dre plays hard and is only bright spot on team
- Tre and Carey ride bench for a few more games then do a sky clark and quit the team by end of Feb to focus on transfer portal
- Jake does whatever Jake does
- Ty relishes the fact he sat out this year and prepares for transfer portal
- Underwood is confused after playing a horrendously tough schedule why his young team has lost its confidence and fire
- Team wins 1 more game, barely makes big 10 tournament & loses 1st game, doesn't get in NCAA tournament, gets in NIT and loses 1st game. Shoot 15% from 3 for rest of year but take 40+ 3s a game. Average 16 turnovers per game.
I don't listen to or watch any more games to not waste my time on this team
I'll say it again....on a single game basis we have a high ceiling and a low floor. Right now we have been playing awfully close to the floor. But momentum is a funny thing. All it takes is one good game, we get everyone healthy, we start playing again with confidence and we could end up going into the postseason on a heater. This remains a very talented team and we shouldn't count them out yet
I would like to see you spend no more time posting on this board. Find a new hobby, and a new team.
Also, still think had Grandison not got hurt and Trent not got pink eye, that was an elite 8 te.
This has to be the most sensitive sports forum in all of America. If anyone states simple facts (e.g. "this team isn't very good" or "we deserve more from the 2nd highest paid coach in the Big 10 behind Izzo"), someone wants you to find a new hobby, or a new team. Loyalty to losing isn't a winning strategy. Especially, losing to teams the Illini should easily beat.
Groce and Weber had their loyalists. Where did that get the Illini? Underwood needs to produce at the same level he's being paid. He's not.
Groce and Weber had their loyalists. Where did that get the Illini? Underwood needs to produce at the same level he's being paid. He's not.
I miss Rayvonte Rice hero ball
DevILLDawg
- Meredosia, Illinois
Getting 1970s takes on the internet toward S&C being the causation of our shooting woes.
That was f*ck*n stupid if true
Big Jack
- Decatur
I really wish Morez would have shoved him or knocked him in Ace before he shot, but I am sure that would have been a foul on Morez
- Status