The difference is that Gard is a really good basketball coach with a great experienced staff. Wisconsin does not lose because they get out coached or schemed. That argument can not be made for Brad and his staff or quite frankly his schemes and philosophies. I think they have changed every single year. Gard has shown consistency over his tenure and Brad has not.
Wisconsin 95, Illinois 74 Postgame
- Status
Are we so sure that narrative is inaccurate ?
Feel like his game is a hybrid Jayden Epps and sophomore Andre Curbelo at the moment.
Rutgers has two freshmen who will be drafted higher than KJ, and that team is god-awful.
Cooper Flagg is a generational talent, and is supported by four other likely draftees. Two of which are upperclassmen. Not just good seniors, but likely second rounders.
No idea I don't follow the NBA in the least, only my 2 schools UIUC and Southern Miss
But I would have guessed that NBA management would not care what an agent has to say because they are salesmen whose only job is to sell their players and negotiate their eventual contracts.
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I remember that, last year, when I said I thought Greg Gard is in fact a good basketball coach. I was over-ruled on that, here. 
A question that needs to be asked at this point, where are the big donors at? When your employees are paid by someone else, you are beholden to them. We're going to have a lot of turnover, because people are not happy. I think 2 out of 3 years being not great is enough proof for me, you're not going to win big with heavy roster turnover. So, we're already screwed next year, to a degree.
But to try to have a big season next year, we're going to need players, and a lot of them. I'm guessing KJ, Riley, White, DGL, Humrichous, Booth, and Rodgers are gone. To bring in 7 guys, or more, is going to take money. Are our benefactors going to be willing to pony up that cash based on what we've seen this year? To me, Underwood made some bad player evals and has been a pretty bad bench coach this season. Do people want to throw good money after bad?
But to try to have a big season next year, we're going to need players, and a lot of them. I'm guessing KJ, Riley, White, DGL, Humrichous, Booth, and Rodgers are gone. To bring in 7 guys, or more, is going to take money. Are our benefactors going to be willing to pony up that cash based on what we've seen this year? To me, Underwood made some bad player evals and has been a pretty bad bench coach this season. Do people want to throw good money after bad?
High risk high reward, or at least it seems that way with so many good coaches faltering this season. Curious how the analytics guys going to take into account the impact of NIL. You pay over a mil and might get an AJ Storr as a complete bust, or Hawkins who has so many good qualities but on paper will never be worth the value, or you roll the dice with international guys or freshmen with an unknown learning curve. If you don’t get any of those three, you’re left with what? Developing players that flew under the radar, project players that you may hang on to for a couple of years, or you get lucky. We can pretend there’s an easy solution but these are uncharted waters in this era.
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Can't blame the coach for him only taking 3 shots. That is a KJ problem/issue
The problem I have is this year we have seem to gone away from culture guys, and gone for the glitz and glam. We have too much glitz and glam and not enough Nasty. DGL, Trent, Damonte, Ty, etc…. Program guys, winners. Even Harmon and Quincy were winners and knew their roles. Lot of guys on this team just try to get theirs
Here's us limping into the tournament
Don't get me wrong, this team is playing like 
right now. If you've been a fan long enough, you're already groomed for disappointment like this. It's just so much harder when we have a "likely" lottery pick freshman...among another freshman first rounder. The season isn't over yet...but...this may be the most disappointing season that I've witnessed in my 26 years of fandom . I'll never give up on the Illini, and will continue to watch every game, but this is getting ridiculous
right now. If you've been a fan long enough, you're already groomed for disappointment like this. It's just so much harder when we have a "likely" lottery pick freshman...among another freshman first rounder. The season isn't over yet...but...this may be the most disappointing season that I've witnessed in my 26 years of fandom . I'll never give up on the Illini, and will continue to watch every game, but this is getting ridiculous
Don't disagree with any of that outside of Flagg as generational talent. Have thought a good comp for him is Andrei Kirilenko. Amazing athlete and defensive player but doesn't have the full package on offense to be a featured player in the league.
As for Rutgers, and like you said yourself, you've got to surround them with something. Rutgers is Ace, Harper and a bunch of scrubs.
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Correct. Make them rest at home.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Bears fan? Cubs fan? Should be used to it by now.
Not "you" - rather the teams doctors/trainers (I assume there is more than one or two) make this recommendation and if Brad is ignoring their advice then he needs to get the Beckman treatment, IMO.
I totally agree with this point of view.
No practice, oxygen tents, Hyperbolic chambers, I'V antibiotics, etc. Watch tape, but secluded therepy for crying out loud. Kj, No Tape. Temple head massages.
I don’t disagree with this but with how bad of a flu season this has been I think it is more than likely it would have hit guys regardless with all the travel they have to do. I guarantee they have played against guys on other teams fighting through illness too. This isn’t the only team dealing with this. We are just hyper focused on our guys availability.
Yeah but that assumes they've been sick with the same thing the whole time. Unfortunately sometimes these things stack on top of each other. Earlier this winter my kid had strep. Before he was done with his course of antibiotics his fever came back so we took him in again and this time he tested positive for the flu.
That's not an excuse for the team's play of course, just saying I don't think you can necessarily draw a straight line between whatever sickness was going around a month ago, and what's happening now.
Curbelo experience x2 ... That's got to be something my friend ...
The disappointment in 12 & 13 was worse. Scheelyboi led us to 2 straight bowl games, only for *us* to the bed the next 2 years...
the bed the next 2 years...- Status