UConn 77, Illinois 52 Postgame

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#26      

Sedino

Sedino
Sedino
Roundball Sage said:
The best thing about this game? That the Illini got here at all. As for the rest?

A Quick Game Recap:

The Illini got an initial punch and were down 9-0 at the first timeout. Then the Illini got settled and closed to being down just 15-13 at the 10-minute mark. U-Conn extended their lead to 19-13 at the third timeout as Illini offense stalled and did not score for four minutes. Foreshadowing for what was yet to come.

Shannon and Quincy and Hawkins got off to slow starts and the Illini got little from them in the half. Domask kept the Illini in the game and right on U-Conn’s tail. U-Conn led 23-21 at the fourth timeout. Another bucket from Domask and the Illini caught up to tie at 23. But he got no help from the other Illini.

Then, Illini offense went stone cold dead again and Huskies got the lead back 28-23 at the half. Illini shooting for the game had been terrible so it was fortunate the Illini were still that close. Shannon was kept under control by Huskies and the Illini were not draining their usual Threes. In general, not a great half offensively for the Illini except for the play of Domask. But Huskies were not dominating yet, either. The game was still on the table. But not for long...

Illini came out sloppy and cold in the second half and quickly got down 35-23 at the first TO of the second half. And the bleeding didn’t stop as Huskies then took a lead of 53-23. Nothing (except for Domask) was working for the Illini. Illini shooting was as cold as a Chicago winter. A nasty and unbelievable 30 to 0 run against. A total collapse by the Illini. And Huskies were killing the Illini in the paint.

The rout was on. At this point, the Huskies could name the final score.

A really bad taste to end with to what had been a magical season. The Illini had been blown out as many of the Eastern media had anticipated.

The worst thing about this game? The Illini did not play Illini ball. At all. And that the Illini don’t get to move on. There are lots of Illinois people now living in Arizona that would have loved to see the Illini in the Final Four... just as the rest of Illini Nation wanted to see. That won’t happen now.

The best thing about this season? That it happened – except for this final stinker of a game. And that we were here to share it all the way through.

Domask rose to the occasion. None of the other Illini did.

The Illini have much time now to figure out what went wrong. Losing to a ‘better’ team is one thing. But not playing anything like the kind of game you are capable of playing is something else. Thirty-point runs to your opponent should not happen from any team at any time. And playing that poorly as the Illini did is the toughest thing of all to deal with. Going down at your best you can live with. But going down at your worst is hard to swallow.

The Illini need to continue to build the program so that one day soon they can dominate an Elite Eight game just like the Illini were schooled in today. That is the standard to rise to.

Illini Nation... we are disappointed. Some will seem crushed. But we must keep our expectations high for this program. And if were fan bases that determined who gets into the Final Four... the Illini would be shoo-ins every year.
Click to expand...
I think you need a quick recap of what a quick recap is.
 
#29      

OrangeKrush1981

OrangeKrush1981
OrangeKrush1981
These one-game in-or-out tourneys are of course pretty tough. I believe we could have won, and I do not think we were longshots to do so. But it didn't happen.

That disappoints me, makes me hope our guys have better fortune in the future.

And I hope our program gets ********** tougher by next year and in the years thereafter.
 
#30      

Bleedorangeandblue44

B
Bleedorangeandblue44
Thanks for such a fun season. So many GREAT memories of the 2023-24 Illini.

Going to remember an elite offense, really strong 14-6 Big Ten season, 29-9 record, Big Ten tourney title run, finally getting back to the Sweet 16, an absolutely awesome win over Iowa State to get to the Elite 8.

And it made it more fun to share it with so many great posters on this site. This board is one of the things I look forward to every day.
 
#32      

BashCtIllini

BashCtIllini
BashCtIllini
Delhi Belly Poop GIF
 
#34      

IlliniWC

I
Mountain View, CA, United States
IlliniWC
Gotta respect what UConn brought this game, when combined with our shooting drought & resulting going to individual play instead of team play, we were not tough enough to make it a game in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Hope everyone enjoyed the ride, it was still a great season!
 
#46      

illinifan1987

illinifan1987
illinifan1987
Well...this has been an excellent season. I was only hoping for a second weekend at the start of the season. Making the Elite 8 is probably above everybody's expectations. I don't think that anyone is going to stop UConn. Tennessee seems to have the best chance. On to next year and the amazing class we have coming in, plus we have a shot with elite transfers now. Can AJ Storr be a TSJ 1.5? I sure hope so (y) There's no reason to be upset about losing to the best team. As long as the Puds don't win, I'm completely satisfied with this historic season for the Illini.
 
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