UConn vs Illinois (Final Four) | Page 17 | The Boneyard

UConn vs Illinois (Final Four)

Iluvsuebird said:
Just re watched the first game vs Illinois. They have nothing for us. If we are competent from 3 we beat them by double digits. Rooting hard for Zona. I think the only team that dominates us is Michigan.
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Illinois is a completely different team from when we played them in November. Wagler was a bit piece then. UConn is also a totally different team than that game in November. Reed and Mullins didn't play that much and both had 2 points. I'm not sure how much you can get out of that game back in November.
 
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I forget how close Dusty was to getting blow out by us in the final. With the ball up 1 with 17 seconds to go. They were also in the 8-9 game in 2024 against NW, but lost.

 
auror said:
Their passing comes more in moving the ball to find a mismatch, then exploiting the mismatch in isolation. Their bigs are good passers in the post, but they tend to go with a Wagler mismatch iso more often.
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They like to ISO Wagler and Mirkovic. The latter concerns me more. AK will need to be on his Ps and Qs defensively and if it's true Jaylin is close to full recovery, he will have to be contributor and see some time on the floor.
 
gsmooth said:
They like to ISO Wagler and Mirkovic. The latter concerns me more. AK will need to be on his Ps and Qs defensively and if it's true Jaylin is close to full recovery, he will have to be contributor and see some time on the floor.
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Mirk has slow feet so AK should be able to stay in front of him and also use his length well to contest shots.
 
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HooperScooper said:
Illinois is a completely different team from when we played them in November. Wagler was a bit piece then.
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Wagler played 30 minutes the game before UConn and 34 and 39 the two games after. I mean I get what you're saying but it also feels like Underwood is bending over backwards - as I guess you'd expect - to make it sound like these two teams weren't actually on the court together.
 
RuffRuff said:
What is AK's tally over 18 games? He's got to be around 200, no?

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I think he is about 20 points shy of Richard Hamilton for all-time tournament points for a UConn player. It was around 200, though (I tried to find it, but -- obviously -- failed).
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
Wagler played 30 minutes the game before UConn and 34 and 39 the two games after. I mean I get what you're saying but it also feels like Underwood is bending over backwards - as I guess you'd expect - to make it sound like these two teams weren't actually on the court together.
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Wagler is a nice player - but he's still a freshman. He's not explosive, is savvy. Eveyone indexing hard on game 1 and the fact that they're a different team. Someone not named Wagler is going to have to have a really good game to win this one.

I've been listening to some of the Illinois view and they think the fact they don't foul is some sort of benefit. No one is breaking down matchups, style, coaching, F4 experience. Lot's of surface level break downs.
 
Just putitng this here:

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RuffRuff said:
Wagler is a nice player - but he's still a freshman. He's not explosive, is savvy. Eveyone indexing hard on game 1 and the fact that they're a different team. Someone not named Wagler is going to have to have a really good game to win this one.
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Wagler plays at a really funky pace. He's good at decelerating around the hoop to create space to finish - J. Ross is going to have to be locked in and not do a ton of reaching and selling out on ball fakes.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
Wagler plays at a really funky pace. He's good at decelerating around the hoop to create space to finish - J. Ross is going to have to be locked in and not do a ton of reaching and selling out on ball fakes.
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Yup - he's clever, and he's long. He's not strong or explosive. Stay in front of him, keep a hand in his face, make him work. And like you said, do not bite on the ball fakes and pumps. Jordan Scott on MSU held him to 2-16. He's 6'7" 200, sound familiar. Feel this one out - start Silas on him, see how that goes.
 
aceboon said:
Mirk has slow feet so AK should be able to stay in front of him and also use his length well to contest shots.
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Wear him down by chasing AK around picks/screens in our sets. Everyone talks about Illini offense-and they're good when they're hitting shots. But they have to defend us-probably not gonna turn us over and will let us run our sets. Will take its toll on their conditioning over course of the game. Can also see us picking up some quick baskets in transition-steals-deflections-long rebounds from missed threes- by beating their Bigs down the floor.
 
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Hamms30 said:
J Ross on Wagler? Or just let Silas do his thing?
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Both. Demary primary defender but I’m guessing Ross handles a lot of the responsibilities when he’s in the game to let Demary rest a bit.
 
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BigErnMcCracken said:
Wagler played 30 minutes the game before UConn and 34 and 39 the two games after. I mean I get what you're saying but it also feels like Underwood is bending over backwards - as I guess you'd expect - to make it sound like these two teams weren't actually on the court together.
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I hear you. I don't remember why he only played 15 minutes in the game against us.
 
HW611 said:
We have to be the only program in college basketball that seems to not celebrate their Final Four team too much.

We’re spoiled.
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… And arrogant. Don't forget arrogant.
 
BigErnMcCracken said:
Wagler played 30 minutes the game before UConn and 34 and 39 the two games after. I mean I get what you're saying but it also feels like Underwood is bending over backwards - as I guess you'd expect - to make it sound like these two teams weren't actually on the court together.
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It's done a complete 180 - at first it was like "don't just read the box score, these teams are different now" to now being completely exaggerated about how different the teams are, how you can't take anything from that meeting, how Wagler wasn't even a part of the team, etc.
 
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