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Wisconsin 78, Illinois 69 POSTGAME
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<blockquote data-quote="CAIllini" data-source="post: 1373577" data-attributes="member: 6617"><p>Depressing...</p><p></p><p>Best I can describe this team is "shellshocked"...a combination of on-court-frustration/lack-of-confidence/culture-change-shock that is verging on depression for the guys (and coach) I imagine. There is still some fight there and they are trying hard (in spurts), but they aren't getting much payoff and that's got to be hard.</p><p></p><p>For players who were on the team last year this coach is so, so different. Go from "rah-rah, love-ya-buddy Groce" who was light on discipline, to a no-nonsense screamer with very high expectations and a short trigger for mistakes. You could say both approaches are too extreme, but being a player going from one to another has got to be rough. Expect some transfers. But how does that explain the freshman's issues? Underwood is old-school and seems to have one way of dealing with players which is harder to be successful today with for 17 year olds. Some guys need a hug and high five and others have thicker skin and can be pushed to the brink. Seem's Frazier's built in swagger is taking on the challenge, and Smith is second guessing everything. Damonte and Kipper seem to be something in between...either way the "culture" is causing problems in the locker room I sense. Can it be overcome with roster overhaul, or current kids buying in or gaining confidence? I guess time will tell.</p><p></p><p>That culture change is also tricky with the staff; BU has an entirely new staff and he's trying to get them to understand what he's doing. I don't have enough visibility there for the basketball side; but the recruiting needs to become more of a focus and we need to see some serious talent influx at a number of positions.</p><p></p><p>Secondly you look at the game plan. Heavy pressure defense this year vs. pack-the-line bend but don't break last year; another 180. The guys looked better at it earlier in the season which is hard to explain; against teams like WI that are smart and patient it really is a liability instead of a strength and I would have liked to see some flexibility there from Underwood. Same goes for the offense...I see glimpses of how his cuts might cause open layups, but they're not crisp cuts, and the pass virtually never is thrown. For a goal to score in 7 seconds, the guys need a green light and 100% confidence, and we only have one guys like that right now. We do get decent outside shots sometime, but miss so many of them, I don't get why that is other than some broken coach-player dynamic that may or may not get fixed with roster turnover. </p><p></p><p>Can BU find a bunch of tough !!! high flyers with swagger who can flourish with his coaching personality...hopefully as from what I can see with the current team the coaching demeanor & tactical strategy are not an ideal fit.</p><p></p><p>It all adds up to team that looks "shellshocked"...and if fans like us are losing patience I imagine the rank and file are already checked out which is scary given there is no relief on the football side right now either.</p><p></p><p>I think I'm "shellshocked" with Illini sports in general right now....damn.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CAIllini, post: 1373577, member: 6617"] Depressing... Best I can describe this team is "shellshocked"...a combination of on-court-frustration/lack-of-confidence/culture-change-shock that is verging on depression for the guys (and coach) I imagine. There is still some fight there and they are trying hard (in spurts), but they aren't getting much payoff and that's got to be hard. For players who were on the team last year this coach is so, so different. Go from "rah-rah, love-ya-buddy Groce" who was light on discipline, to a no-nonsense screamer with very high expectations and a short trigger for mistakes. You could say both approaches are too extreme, but being a player going from one to another has got to be rough. Expect some transfers. But how does that explain the freshman's issues? Underwood is old-school and seems to have one way of dealing with players which is harder to be successful today with for 17 year olds. Some guys need a hug and high five and others have thicker skin and can be pushed to the brink. Seem's Frazier's built in swagger is taking on the challenge, and Smith is second guessing everything. Damonte and Kipper seem to be something in between...either way the "culture" is causing problems in the locker room I sense. Can it be overcome with roster overhaul, or current kids buying in or gaining confidence? I guess time will tell. That culture change is also tricky with the staff; BU has an entirely new staff and he's trying to get them to understand what he's doing. I don't have enough visibility there for the basketball side; but the recruiting needs to become more of a focus and we need to see some serious talent influx at a number of positions. Secondly you look at the game plan. Heavy pressure defense this year vs. pack-the-line bend but don't break last year; another 180. The guys looked better at it earlier in the season which is hard to explain; against teams like WI that are smart and patient it really is a liability instead of a strength and I would have liked to see some flexibility there from Underwood. Same goes for the offense...I see glimpses of how his cuts might cause open layups, but they're not crisp cuts, and the pass virtually never is thrown. For a goal to score in 7 seconds, the guys need a green light and 100% confidence, and we only have one guys like that right now. We do get decent outside shots sometime, but miss so many of them, I don't get why that is other than some broken coach-player dynamic that may or may not get fixed with roster turnover. Can BU find a bunch of tough !!! high flyers with swagger who can flourish with his coaching personality...hopefully as from what I can see with the current team the coaching demeanor & tactical strategy are not an ideal fit. It all adds up to team that looks "shellshocked"...and if fans like us are losing patience I imagine the rank and file are already checked out which is scary given there is no relief on the football side right now either. I think I'm "shellshocked" with Illini sports in general right now....damn. [/QUOTE]
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Wisconsin 78, Illinois 69 POSTGAME
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