Illinois Post Game Thread

[willie99]

Wondering if Coach Underwood wakes up screaming in the night from 30-0 PTSD?

He is happy we're not in the B10

He's like "bring on Rutgers" baby

 

[dennismenace]

Reibe is no fluke. He's a baller.

Much further along and talented then most think.

 

[dennismenace]

Nice picture of Reed and Reibe.

Sounds like the name of a law firm. And they will be bringing their law to the paint this year.

 

[REB1094]

Underrated story of the night, we shut down 2/3 of their big 3, those guys are excellent scorers, credit to the team defense for really clogging the paint.

I actually didn’t remember anything about Stojakovic. Went back to the box score to see if he was injured or something

Nope. Played 24 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-7. UConn locked him up

 

[MrJoe]

it’s November ; relax . This is when you learn about the team as it is preparing for conference and tournament play. We have significant depth which means their are nights when some players aren’t major contributors but as long as others pick up piece we will be fine ( just need to not have a game where no one plays well - too many negatives in that sentence but you get the point) . What we know 1) point guard situation is a strength 2) lots of wings and we only need two or three to play well 3) Alex and Solo are the main pieces that everything revolves around but they don’t have to dominate ( alex’s 12-9-5 plus blocks good example while solo opens up a lot) 4) reibe way better sooner than expected probably even for coaching staff 5) with a solid seed we will be positioned well going into the second weekend of the tournament 6) 2024 was close to the perfect team don’t expect that but we can still win it all understanding that their will be a couple of 1-2 point games at the 4 minute mark where someone will need to make a play and we got a lot of someones

 

[Rocktheworld]

Now I’d love to see exactly what about this you “disagree” with. Or if you just want an argument lmao.

Your notion that we need to wring our hands over 20 point leads turning into 10 point leads, in a game of runs and high variability, played by 18-22 year olds, while invoking a team beating others by 40, while suggesting our “standard” is high; whatever exactly you meant by that. Do you have difficulty keeping up with your own posts like another person I dealt with in last post-game thread?

 

[OceanDoggie]

It's been remarkable improvement.

I know Hurley is saying it's mental, and it most likely is, but I am left wondering how the extra bulk may have affected his shot. Watching him live at MSG it's clear that the new guns and boulder shoulders are giving him confidence and power to finish near/at the rim--last year he missed so many layups it was comical.

 

[UCSouth]

When you post 500 takes a week you're bound to have some good ones and some bad ones. But just by the sheer number of posts he makes there are a relatively large number of bad ones and that's what stands out to many people.

The funny thing about @RuffRuff is that, even with him on ignore, the flow of the threads aren't impacted by missing his takes and opinions. I believe that more people should try it.

 

[REB1094]

it’s November ; relax . This is when you learn about the team as it is preparing for conference and tournament play. We have significant depth which means their are nights when some players aren’t major contributors but as long as others pick up piece we will be fine ( just need to not have a game where no one plays well - too many negatives in that sentence but you get the point)

Game 1 high scorer: Karaban, 19
Game 2: Reed, 20
Game 3: Solo, 23
Game 4: Karaban/Reed/Silas, 21
Game 5: Reibe, 15
Game 6: Reibe, 16
Game 7: Solo, 15

The scoring can come from anywhere. We have 4 guys that average 12+ PPG. And 1 of the guys that doesn’t has led us in scoring twice (Reibe). And all that is without Braylon

Team is DEEP

 

[TheShot1990]

My take is if the shot clock shows 18 seconds, that is what the players on the floor are going to rely on. It would hardly be fair to UConn to show that they have 18 seconds left and then call them for a shot clock violation

Spot on. In fact, maybe this should be the rule.
I recall last year the shot clock was wrong and the refs blew the whistle and told UConn to give the ball to the other team because THEY the officials had the wrong shot clock. Reeked of unfairness.

Currently the rule is (I believe) We accidentally tricked the players on UConn into thinking they had more time than they actually did with a phony shot clock that WE got wrong, so we hereby order them to turn the ball back to the other team.

 

[TheShot1990]

Underrated story of the night, we shut down 2/3 of their big 3, those guys are excellent scorers, credit to the team defense for really clogging the paint.

I was at the game and said to my wife "I'll bet Eric isn't use to constantly shooting over 7' 1" guys" By the end of the game I was saying "It looked like those 7' 1" guys aren't used to shooting over a guy like Eric."

 

[SixRings]

Question for the non-casuals; Is Solo being tasked with taking harder outside shots this year? Perhaps it’s only in my mind but I remember him taking more set three pointers last year where he had great form. This year he seems to be curling around a pick, catching, and shooting a lot more. That is a much harder shot to make and he’s off balance, kicking, chucking, etc. more than I remember in the past. Is this the progression a shooter has to make? Anyway, he’s a great player and has certainly has improved on his drive-dribble and pull-up shots. He also looks like a great teammate to be around. Hopefully he can work out his mechanics beyond the arc. Very happy he is on our team.

 

[willie99]

We used to be Wing U, I like that offense. Spinkled in with all our movement are pro curls, with guys coming off of screens and drilling 12 foot jumpers

Ray, Rip, Caron were three of the best

 

[ucp990411]

Game 1 high scorer: Karaban, 19
Game 2: Reed, 20
Game 3: Solo, 23
Game 4: Karaban/Reed/Silas, 21
Game 5: Reibe, 15
Game 6: Reibe, 16
Game 7: Solo, 15

The scoring can come from anywhere. We have 4 guys that average 12+ PPG. And 1 of the guys that doesn’t has led us in scoring twice (Reibe). And all that is without Braylon

Team is DEEP

And perhaps our best scorer has 2 points so far for the season

 

[freshler40]

I predict that our bench will become our identity, and a story line in every game. Quite honestly things get more exciting when our bench players subs in.

This may be our deepest team ever, we'll see.

Nine (9) UConn players had at least 10 minutes of play during this game. Nice depth!

 

[NJHusky]

Question for the non-casuals; Is Solo being tasked with taking harder outside shots this year? Perhaps it’s only in my mind but I remember him taking more set three pointers last year where he had great form. This year he seems to be curling around a pick, catching, and shooting a lot more. That is a much harder shot to make and he’s off balance, kicking, chucking, etc. more than I remember in the past. Is this the progression a shooter has to make? Anyway, he’s a great player and has certainly has improved on his drive-dribble and pull-up shots. He also looks like a great teammate to be around. Hopefully he can work out his mechanics beyond the arc. Very happy he is on our team.

Can’t answer your question but I hope your handle needs an update after this season!!

Doomed!

 

[RuffRuff]

Question for the non-casuals; Is Solo being tasked with taking harder outside shots this year? Perhaps it’s only in my mind but I remember him taking more set three pointers last year where he had great form. This year he seems to be curling around a pick, catching, and shooting a lot more. That is a much harder shot to make and he’s off balance, kicking, chucking, etc. more than I remember in the past. Is this the progression a shooter has to make? Anyway, he’s a great player and has certainly has improved on his drive-dribble and pull-up shots. He also looks like a great teammate to be around. Hopefully he can work out his mechanics beyond the arc. Very happy he is on our team.

He seems to be taking solid looks to me - usually in the flow of the offense. Here and there rushed, but I would qualify most as good looks. They just aren't going down. Form is there.

 

[Husky Alien]

Did you not watch Tarris last year? He was a beacon for inconsistency. He tends to be a bit moody out there at times, often when things are going his way. When he's on, he's an alpha.

The tribe that comes after you when you say one critical item.

Not ten, but multiple. Reibe, Malachi, AK, Ross........




Mullins looked great - he can get up. He's active, and aware. Doesn't look nearly as slight out on the floor. Can't wait to see him in longer stretches.

Tarris's injuries tend to set him back when he's been out for some time. As you can see against Illinois, he was not moving like he normally does and seemed a bit out of place. However we were not really looking for him from the start of the game. He needs to be engaged at the beginning of the game or else he seems to get a bit down on himself. Tarris is a monster when he is engaged and we need him healthy for us to contend for a ship.

 

[RuffRuff]

Tarris's injuries tend to set him back when he's been out for some time. As you can see against Illinois, he was not moving like he normally does and seemed a bit out of place. However we were not really looking for him from the start of the game. He needs to be engaged at the beginning of the game or else he seems to get a bit down on himself. Tarris is a monster when he is engaged and we need him healthy for us to contend for a ship.

Well said - his knock has been consistency as he tends to lose focus or play disengaged if he’s not feeling it. It’s why many of us lobbied to start him last year. Glad someone doesn’t have their head in the sand.

He clearly wasn't 100% yesterday, it's just that his body language expressed it in a way where you felt better having Reibe out there. He turned it over trying to take his man off the dribble on deep baseline one possession that almost felt like a frustration move.

 

[RJScootin]

I loved hearing the crowd go nuts when Mullins checked in. Shout out to everyone who attended!

Crowd was great today. Must have been some moment for Mullins having Garden erupt when he entered game. Also great job with highlight reels of Ray and Emeka before showing them in the stands. All around everything you hope for with UConn at Storrs South.

 

[microfich]

Fich bits:

"I"-opener for a lunch in November. Never tasted so good.

Demary will have to learn how to play with foul trouble. With his talent level he's gotta be aggressive to make an impact.

Reibe: I thought he needed more muscle to contribute at this rate this early. Glad to be wrong. Great skillset.

AK in NYC played like we were in Houston or Glendale. Likes the biggest stages.

So much chatter about a shot clock violation. Can we get a context ignore button? Maybe a 'tweezer' button to send them to a separate thread? lol!

 

[KingAG]

Your notion that we need to wring our hands over 20 point leads turning into 10 point leads, in a game of runs and high variability, played by 18-22 year olds, while invoking a team beating others by 40, while suggesting our “standard” is high; whatever exactly you meant by that. Do you have difficulty keeping up with your own posts like another person I dealt with in last post-game thread?

Who’s wringing their hands? You’re much more stressed about this then I am lmfao.

1. It went from 21 to 7.

2. Bringing up the 40 point win to point to the idea that it’s a realistic expectation to want your team to play a full 40 minutes of focused basketball. It’s not the giving up of the big leads alone. It’s how we do it. We lose focus, start fouling and turning the ball over.

Illinois didn’t go on an 11-0 run because they were just so good. We contributed to that. They cut the lead from 21-7 while shooting 2-16 from three. Everyone not named Boswell shot 11-44 from the field. Illinois didn’t “get back” in the game. We “let them” back in the game by playing a lousy 2nd half. It’s okay to admit that. They threw the half court trap at us and we started making bad decisions.

On top of that, our starting 5 is too good to go 15 minutes without a fg. From the 10:00 mark to the 5:18 mark UConn committed 5 shooting fouls and did not make a FG. That’s when you put the game away. That’s not variance. Before the miracle 4 point play Illinois was getting uncomfortably close. I’m sure Hurley and the team would prefer that not to continue to happen when we have control of a game. We want NC around here, not just regular season wins. To beat the best of the best when it matters will need to be able to put a full 40 minutes together. I have no worry or doubt we’ll get there. You on the other hand think there is nothing for the team to improve on. That’s your prerogative.

But to be clear, my standard is very reasonable. You keep invoking “18-22” year olds like we have seen “18-22” be great. At UConn we’ve seen it.

It’s funny. Some call me a homer. And here you are trying to spin me as negative. This place is hilarious.

On to Kansas

 

[Excalibur]

Did you not watch Tarris last year? He was a beacon for inconsistency. He tends to be a bit moody out there at times, often when things are going his way. When he's on, he's an alpha.

Oh my god! The goalposts — they moved!!

Stop pretending that your original comment was about inconsistency.

 

[Waquoit]

I actually didn’t remember anything about Stojakovic. Went back to the box score to see if he was injured or something

Nope. Played 24 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-7. UConn locked him up

He got two fouls pretty early.

 

[superjohn]

He got two fouls pretty early.

No he didn't, he had 1 foul for the entire game and it came in the second half.