Last Year we witnessed a very strong offense approach by U Conn. I think they won something. We have quite a few options to take advantage of the same type of approach
Tennessee 66, Illinois 64 Postgame
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After a day of reflection, I am not going to re-hash all that has been said here. We have a young team that got beat by a better team despite having them on the ropes. The one glaring fail I see is the inability to put the ball in the basket when it counts. A lot of good shots were missed, including lay-ups. Our offense is irratic and this just can't be the case, especially at home.
5 brutal observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Tennessee
Illinois basketball had a golden opportunity to knock off the No. 1 team in the country but failed down the stretch. The Illini had some good moments on Saturda
writingillini.com
I mean, yeah. Why not.
(Brad stole the Spread offense from Johnny Orr. )Coaches are plagiarists…there ain’t no shame in it. Why not?
(Also, the staff came up with “Booty Ball” after getting Shrewed 3 times.) No shame in that either. Supposedly, Boeheim started running a 2-3 zone after getting destroyed by it many moons ago. They all do it.
I think we should be stealing anything and everything. I’m with ya. For example, Barnes likes likes Floppy-action & pin screens all night. Those actions translate to out of bounds…tweak and steal. Maybe an add little concealment, and there ya go.
But first we’ve gotta have dudes screening /exchanging/breaking…something.
if we had at least 2 available, open receivers we wouldn’t turn it over.
Robbie Hummel: (on our quirky press breaker that we never seem to vary)…” They have to be breaking…to get open” duh.
Robbie Hummel: (at the Tennessee game)…”Illinois’s OOB plays have been a disaster.”
* Robbie Hummel has a basketball mind that far exceeds that of the average YMCA coach.
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Enough of this and I'm just using your post to piggyback on to keep the flow going. Not directing this at you.
You can be John Wooden, but if you don't have playmakers who can execute, you'll get the same result.
We had TJ last year. Last year we win this game by probably 7-10 because he was a legitimate closer and he made winning place. Add Domask to that. They were programmed in knowing where they needed to be, when they needed to be there and how aggressive they needed to do it. We were 29-9, Big Ten Tournament champions and one game against one of the great teams of the last 40 years from going to a Final Four.
This year, we don't have a closer. We have guys that don't yet know how to make winning plays. KJ seems like he's off limits on criticism, but it was really his meltdown in the last two minutes that swayed this game. Look at the home for how it played out(don't remember the author). Turnovers, lazy inbounds pass and missed free throws. The ONLY reason that I bring that up is last year, that was TJ's role. He was an All American and KJ is a freshman.
Brad's ability to bring a team home isn't any different this year. There is no Ayo and there is no TJ. This is KJ's team and those mistakes can't happen. 2 assists and 7 turnovers, a couple that were crippling at the end, simply can't happen.
People are making yesterday WAY more complicated than it needs to be. You need great players(we have that), but we need these guys to execute, which is still a WIP.
Have to make layups, have to make hard cuts and strong passes to get the ball in and have to box out. None of these guys need to be coached that at this point in their careers.
Take it for what it is and flat out be better.
I'm not a basketball coach. Just a fan of the Illini and the game of basketball, so I definitely don't pretend to be an expert, so there must be something I'm missing. Please help me understand why playing Ben as much or more minutes as Morez gives us a better chance at winning this season?
sacraig
- The desert
Rees Woodcock warning5 brutal observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Tennessee
Illinois basketball had a golden opportunity to knock off the No. 1 team in the country but failed down the stretch. The Illini had some good moments on Saturda
He's a name I've gotten ... There's about 4 or 5 legit candidates at this point ...
I don't think he's elite ... And I think he can be extremely stubborn at times ...
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I understand that; however, I'm skeptical that this is an area in which we differ from other teams in a statistically significant manner. Don't have the data, of course, but also realize I'm especially critical of my own team and tend to discount/forget the boneheaded gaffes of opponents.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
"Clickbait" is not spelled "b-r-u-t-a-l."5 brutal observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Tennessee
Illinois basketball had a golden opportunity to knock off the No. 1 team in the country but failed down the stretch. The Illini had some good moments on Saturda
But hey... he got me to look so I really can't take him to task.
I think in the post game presser, Brad said he would like to see Riley take them open shots without hesitation. I think Riley has been forcing it lately trying to do too much. There are times where you just have to do the simple things. There was one sequence where Riley was on a transition fast break and it was to our advantage numbers wise and Riley went with a up and under that whiff. Later in the second half he beats his man and drove to the baseline and attempted yet another up and under that whiff badly. I'll think he will figure it out. He just has to adjust his game a bit and put more weight on him.
I think the missing ingredient is a reliable Robin to KJ’s Batman. We are too one dimensional on offense late in close games. Tre stood up against Wisconsin. We won. No one stood up against NW or TN to give us a lift. We lost nail biters.
I’m hopeful Riley will gets unlocked at some point, but he’s pressing right now. Tomi has been great early in games, but has a bit of a tendency to disappear late. Tre is trying too hard to fit in. When he gets aggressive and does Tre White things, he has helped us.
Someone else has to step up and want to shoot late.
TJ had Marcus. KJ needs someone to stand up with him. There are plenty of candidates.
Curious....what did you disagree with? Outside of wanting more Will Riley, I can't see an arguable point.
I like you and I like your posts. But I respectfully disagree. The first instance was similiar to the second instance…in that there was no movement. No v-cutting, no screening, no sealing, no breaking…in either instance.
For the record, I am absolutely tickled sh*tless we are where we are right now with these young bucks. We’re gonna do some damage in the months ahead. But Brad wants a championship…and wants to see this team to do their consummate best…and that requires better execution and organization in late game situations…and small details like OOBs plays. The staff has to be better.
It seems like when an inbounder throws a crummy pass…everybody always wants to blame the inbounder…but if no one breaks to get open…Whether it’s Goode against UCONN or this…its not just on the guy that ends up throwing the bad pass. It’s an issue that I have seen over and over with Brad’s teams.
(Robbie Hummel seems to think so…as I said in another post.)
KJ threw a lazy helium pass. But that wasn’t on KJ as much as it was no one trying to get open. If possible, go back and watch it. There was ZERO movement. In either instance.
It happened in both instances. I complain about this because Brad is too good of a coach for this to be so problematic. It is perplexing and it makes no sense…It should be an easy fix. I’m tired of seeing it. It’s so basic. This is not some angry villager rant. I bit my damn tongue about it forever. It’s a problem. It matters. I want it to matter to Brad.
What BLOB do we run 90% of the time?
4-across at the freethrow line…no movement…just get it in…lob it into the backcourt and hope for the best.
I see a lack of movement and breaking on nearly every OOB play we run. SLOB, BLOB’s and press breaks.
Yes we had the BLOB last year where Shannon snuck into the paint and made that little read. It was cool. This year we have one with a bit of misdirection and someone floats to the corner for a 3. I like that one too. See…I’m easy to please.
Credit where credit is due.
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I believe Kylan scored off an OOB play in the 1st half?
OOB plays have a tendency to have some emotional carryover to subsequent possessions too as the players don't enjoy screwing them up. Which, isn't good at the end of games where you are talking about there might 2, 3, 4 possessions left in the game. Sucks to feel deflated in crunch time while the other team is licking their chops.
EDIT: Bardo and his counterpart during the GT/NW game talking about how good Illinois is going to be as they learn to play with one another more.
OOB plays have a tendency to have some emotional carryover to subsequent possessions too as the players don't enjoy screwing them up. Which, isn't good at the end of games where you are talking about there might 2, 3, 4 possessions left in the game. Sucks to feel deflated in crunch time while the other team is licking their chops.
EDIT: Bardo and his counterpart during the GT/NW game talking about how good Illinois is going to be as they learn to play with one another more.
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We're too inconsistent. Boswell looks great in some games, and non-existent in others. White has his moments, but clearly not consistently. Ivisic is fairly consistent, but a strong post defender can give him problems. Riley is finding out, legit D1 competition is more difficult than high school. He'll find his way eventually.
I don't think we're missing a Robin, though that would be great. I think we're missing facets to our offense. Who breaks down the defense? Who can get to the rim, and finish? Who is our facilitator? Have we taken a single mid-range jumpshot? Thus far, 52% of our shots have been 3s. Last year it was 38%, 22-23 it was 42%, 21-22 it was 43%, 20-21 it was 31%. We're just chucking 3s, and if we're only going to hit 32.4%, it's going to be a struggle.
In our wins against Arkansas, we shot 48%. Against Wisconsin, we only shot 30.3%, but we did shoot 88% on 25 FTs. In losses against Alabama, Northwestern, and Tennessee, we shot 33%, 27%, and 17% respectively. If we're going to just shoot 3s, we need to get better at it.
Funny this is the topic rn consider the discussion in the summer of "who would be the best player... will there be a plyer who would average 15." The alpha is pretty clear but there's way too much pressure on him leading to TOs and bad execution. Offense stalls out late and someone has to step up and be a reliable option.
One of Jake or Ben was in there the entire game
I think that’s the issue… the answer to all of these questions is KJ.
Agree, plenty of blame to go around. I would just point out that while Will was 1/9, he did draw fouls and score at the free throw line (8 of his 10 points) and grabbed 5 rebounds. Obviously, 7 TOs is way too many for KJ, but he certainly contributes mightily in other areas. Ben, if he is not hitting shots, is really not contributing anything else with the exception, I guess, of defensive grade - able plays which are less observable to fans. Not arguing he doesn't contribute those things, just that they definitely are not as observable as Will's and KJ's. Bottom line, 30 minutes for those plays is too many compared to 20 for Will and 12 for Morez.
Ehhh....this happens too often to blow it off. Brad is very good at talent acquisition and he gets his team to play hard. I think he generally does a pretty good job of adapting to his personnel. On the negative side, he really is not a good in game coach - he's probably below average among P5 coaches. His offenses are hit or miss - when we can create favorable matchups like we did with TSJ last year or go against a passive defense we are very good offensively. against an aggressive or disciplined defense we struggle - very little movement and a lot of contested 3 pointers, kind of like what we saw yesterday. Similarly, a well run offense with a lot of movement will eat us alive and we don't adjust well in these situations.
We could use a bench coach with some real coaching chops to supplement what BU does well.
Our Beloved are 3-23 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams. This is a multi-generational mark of shame. It is not acceptable to the proud tradition of Illinois ball.
Yes, Number One teams are good. But so should the Illini be in that conversation.
Our Coach has done a remarkable job of putting the Illini back at or near the top of the Big Ten and restoring the great Illini legacy. We all appreciate his great efforts and passion for Illini ball.
But games like the Tennessee one are the kinds that can change the narrative and show that Our Beloved has raised its level to be right at the top with anyone else. Over the years, the Illini have had other opportunities to take that big step upward and get that big win and show the Ball World that They have a place among the elite.
There’s that word, Elite. The Illini need to be there... now and tomorrow. But only They can make it so. This is what Illini Nation craves. And the time is always right to make that move.
Being good is... good. Being great is -- better.
Yes, Number One teams are good. But so should the Illini be in that conversation.
Our Coach has done a remarkable job of putting the Illini back at or near the top of the Big Ten and restoring the great Illini legacy. We all appreciate his great efforts and passion for Illini ball.
But games like the Tennessee one are the kinds that can change the narrative and show that Our Beloved has raised its level to be right at the top with anyone else. Over the years, the Illini have had other opportunities to take that big step upward and get that big win and show the Ball World that They have a place among the elite.
There’s that word, Elite. The Illini need to be there... now and tomorrow. But only They can make it so. This is what Illini Nation craves. And the time is always right to make that move.
Being good is... good. Being great is -- better.
Speaking of that...can we have that 2d round game against Loyola Chicago in 2021 back?
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