Illinois thoughts

[bac2therac]

A hard fought folklore type game at the RAC tonight where it was a shame that anyone had to lose. Filled with drama and the Sanders miss, rebound and then swish of a 3 while falling flat on the ground to send the game into a second overtime was the most dramatic sequence at the RAC since the Gary Waters years. Trying not going to be negative tonight as far as touching on the fact that its another loss, 25 in a row against a opponent ripe for the picking. The team (well most of them) gave their best effort we have seen from them and they and the coaching staff have to be hurting over this one because it slipped though their grasp.

We saw one of the finest performances by a RU player ever at the RAC....numbers wise 39 points, 12 assists, 8 boards the guys on BTN Live say we haven't seen a performance like this anywhere in 6 years. Corey is the real deal. He tasted this one. He made some steals, played some great D and hit some money shots. Unfortunately too much in regulation down the stretch and in the overtime became too much Corey and while I understand ride the hot hand, it basically sealed our fate. RU had no one else to step up besides Laurent. I didn't realize that Daniels and Foreman were total 0 fers for the game until I got home. You cant have 5 guys just contribute and Eddie touched on that in the post game. Daniels is graduating but for Foreman to pull a no show is concerncing. Also RU was abused by Morgan who was unstoppable and had a career game tonight. RU needed to foul him out but couldn't and the guy made some dagger shots. Illinois simply got much more production as a team overall.

Yes Corey Sanders was the best player on the court today..when was the last time you could say that about an RU player in a game against a Big 10 team. Unfortunately Illinois teamwise was more structured in their offense and had more players contribute. That's the difference tonight. No injury,no depleted roster excuses. Illinois was as banged up or more than RU. I just thought Illinois held their poise and kept their cool even though they trailed RU most of the game. They seemed to hang around and hang around and timed their run right. Even with that RU was pretty good handling adversity. They fought and fought back and all it could have taken was one more free throw by Corey. But cant blame Corey at all because he is the reason RU was in the position to win.

So I don't think we can throw a party or parade from this game, its still a loss and it will mean nothing if RU goes to Nebraska and gets blitzed again. RU has to build off of this effort and compete at Nebby, they don't have to win but they have to compete which they didn't the first go around. There are some encouraging things we can take from this game thought. Sanders, Laurent, and Williams have improved and formed a nice core but is it good enough to win game, will it be good enough to win games when Freeman and Johnson come in. I dont know. I do know its tough to move from the bottom of this league to the 10 spot where Illinois resides right now. RU is still not on the level of Illinois overall. The team just has to continue to fight hard and get better at this point. It needs a win and badly. How it responds after a tough loss like this is the fork on the road, which way does the season go...does RU fight and win a few against winnable opponents or are they doomed to be a team that cant get over the hump and close out a game. Note RU had good leads on SJU and Wake before imploding. If it cant learn from these losses, its not going to break this losing streak.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Malcolm Hill was pretty good too. I loved the way Corey played for the 1st 30 minutes. He stopped sharing the ball after that and our half court offensive efficiency plummeted.

 

[T2Kplus10]

Another game, another loss. That's all that needs to be said. We can't even beat one of the two worst (excluding us) B1G teams at home. What is that, 26 B1G loses in a row?

 

[bac2therac]

Illinois is the better team even with injured guys on both sides. Sanders equalizes the game somewhat but Illinois is better overall. Their starters would start at every position but point guard

 

[ruman]

Another game, another loss. That's all that needs to be said. We can't even beat one of the two worst (excluding us) B1G teams at home. What is that, 26 B1G loses in a row?

Shhh.....

 

[T2Kplus10]

Shhh.....

Sorry! :)
Some posters think this is t-ball and winning/losing doesn't matter.

 

[ImBadRU]

Foreman and Daniels brought nothing last night. Foreman still can't finish a layup. Don't get it.

 

[G- RUnit]

The daily Daniels bashing is tiresome. Barely got minutes yesterday and it was Williams with the bad turnovers at inoppertune times plus fouling out that really hurt us. He gets a free pass.

Sanders performance was one for the ages.

 

[shields]

If TK won the lottery, he would be mad if wasn't more money.

 

[Duff366]

Winning and losing does matter.. but when your team pretty much puts up an "A-" effort on their home court against the 10th best team in the B1G and still lose, you readjust and reevaluate what you can expect from this team. You can accept the losing better if you have a little more objectivity, RU simply doesn't have the horses this year.

 

[jellyman]

The daily Daniels bashing is tiresome. Barely got minutes yesterday and it was Williams with the bad turnovers at inoppertune times plus fouling out that really hurt us. He gets a free pass.

Sanders performance was one for the ages.

But WHY did Daniels only get very limited minutes, and that in a Triple OT game? Because he was terrible last night, and Jordan could not rely on him ... so he was put on the bench.

Williams was very solid last night (a really good 1st half, an okay 2nd half). It is not necessarily his "fault" for fouling out. His 3rd and 4th fouls were bullsh*t calls, especially the 4th foul ... edit: And on that 4th foul, he was covering a 6'6" or 6'7" forward ... tough to do at 6'2" ... Williams was not the issue last night, not at all. His 5th foul was a requirement: He HAD to foul, as Illinois beat the trap, and the player to whom they got the ball either has an unimpeded layup, or runs the clock down and game over. Williams was the only RU player within 40 feet of that player.

But losing Williams definitely hurt in that 3rd OT: Not having an additional scoring option was a big deal, given how few true scoring options RU generally has.

 

[shields]

Daniels was in the game and threw two horrible passes. And he does not shoot the ball well either. People do bash Daniels because we need him to play better.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Daniels gets 1 more TO then the box score shows. He got Lewis an offensive foul driving before the screen was set.

I am not bothered when a player scores 0 points because it might not be all the players doing. It is a major issue when there is little to no defensive effort.

Bishop was beyond awful last night. He looks disinterested on the court. Eddie yells at him to be in the proper spot during Illinois free throw and he flat out refused.

He reminds me of a player from Jordan's 1st team and the name conveniently escapes me.

 

[MadRU]

I loved the way Corey played for the 1st 30 minutes.

Agree early on Corey made some great passes to get Laurent and Lewis layups. Also he was playing tough deny defense....others have to follow his lead. Options right now are limited, can't blame Corey for trying to take over, he is the best option.

Like that Laurent runs the court so well and gives Corey that option. With some outside shooting options we could really see Corey take off.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

you blame player and coach. Corey has to get us in sets. When he did penetrate in the end the entire team collapsed. Eddie and Corey have to recognize. Corey got caught up in the moment and is a frosh. Eddies job there is to get him grounded and to not ignore teammates.

 

[FAT MOON]

A hard fought folklore type game at the RAC tonight where it was a shame that anyone had to lose. Filled with drama and the Sanders miss, rebound and then swish of a 3 while falling flat on the ground to send the game into a second overtime was the most dramatic sequence at the RAC since the Gary Waters years. Trying not going to be negative tonight as far as touching on the fact that its another loss, 25 in a row against a opponent ripe for the picking. The team (well most of them) gave their best effort we have seen from them and they and the coaching staff have to be hurting over this one because it slipped though their grasp.

Can't put it past the comeback against Nova during Rice's first year with the 3/steal/3 sequence capped off by Mitchell's 4 point play to win. That game was an instant classic. But Cory's shot was a close second. Would have helped if we could have pulled it off in triple OT but just didn't happen.

 

[KnightTerrors]

Sorry! :)
Some posters think this is t-ball and winning/losing doesn't matter.

I'm not saying this to be a jerk but have you ever played a team sport?

These guys put up one of the most gutsy performances I have ever seen to bring that game into the 2OT and played three hours of great basketball in an arena that felt like a sauna with a depleted 7 man rotation. You had guys show unbelievable heart and a no quit mentality and had two true freshman put up a combined 62 points on a night where Daniels and Foreman had ZERO.

If you watched last nights game where they overcame a 7 point deficit in 29 seconds to force another OT and can only see that they lost then the program really doesn't need your support.

 

[T2Kplus10]

If TK won the lottery, he would be mad if wasn't more money.

If you got close to winning the lottery you would be thrilled, even though you got nothing. After 25 years, no moral victories anymore, ever.

 

[goru7]

you blame player and coach. Corey has to get us in sets. When he did penetrate in the end the entire team collapsed. Eddie and Corey have to recognize. Corey got caught up in the moment and is a frosh. Eddies job there is to get him grounded and to not ignore teammates.

He wasn't ignoring teammates. He gave the ball to Grier who missed 2 wide open threes. Daniels was sulking and decided not to play or even try and just handed it back to Corey. Corey was the only player that had the guts to take the shots,, playing with an attitude that I will not let me team lose tonight!!!That should be commended not criticized since we had hardly ever had a player on the Banks who put the team on his back and refused to lose.

 

[goru7]

If you got close to winning the lottery you would be thrilled, even though you got nothing. After 25 years, no moral victories anymore, ever.

You know nothing about sports or competition . Eddie did not cause the problems of the last 25 years, the administration and cheap BOG did. Go find another team root for, since you can see no positives in a game like last night's or the young players that played in it.

 

[T2Kplus10]

You know nothing about sports or competition . Eddie did not cause the problems of the last 25 years, the administration and cheap BOG did. Go find another team root for, since you can see no positives in a game like last night's or the young players that played in it.

Boo Hoo. EJ is a bad coach and he's not the leader we need to turn the program around. You can bury your head in the sand all you want, but we all know how this story will end. We might as well turn to the last page and get on with it.

 

[DHajekRC84]

A hard fought folklore type game at the RAC tonight where it was a shame that anyone had to lose.

Excellent overall post BAC. Very much agree.

Some good points overall in this thread as well. Jelly's remarks about Williams fouls. Danial's sulking . Too much Corey one on one but really not much options either.

 

[lester19]

I'm not saying this to be a jerk but have you ever played a team sport?

These guys put up one of the most gutsy performances I have ever seen to bring that game into the 2OT and played three hours of great basketball in an arena that felt like a sauna with a depleted 7 man rotation. You had guys show unbelievable heart and a no quit mentality and had two true freshman put up a combined 62 points on a night where Daniels and Foreman had ZERO.

If you watched last nights game where they overcame a 7 point deficit in 29 seconds to force another OT and can only see that they lost then the program really doesn't need your support.

I couldn't agree more! Our "fans" who take 20+ years of frustration out on this team don't deserve to have a team.

 

[RUChoppin]

I asked in the other thread, but it seems conversation has moved over here.

It seems from discussion above that Daniels just wasn't in the right headspace to be on the floor (and only saw 28 minutes) - but why did Foreman only get 17 minutes?

I wasn't able to see the game, but the box score shows 17 min, 0-3 shooting, 5 RBs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 TO, and only 2 fouls. I figured in a game where the other team also struggled with size, that we'd have seen more of him - especially in a game that went 55 minutes.

Did he get hurt, was it a similar headspace issue to Daniels, was it the turnovers, or was it something else?

 

[RU-ROCS]

3 things would have given RU the win:

1) UI doesn't shoot an incredible 88% from the FT line; 2) Foreman has even a decent game and doesn't blow 3 layups; Daniels has even a decent game.

 

[motel00]

3 things would have given RU the win:

1) UI doesn't shoot an incredible 88% from the FT line; 2) Foreman has even a decent game and doesn't blow 3 layups; Daniels has even a decent game.

Exactly. We got beat on the free throw line, got mediocrity from Foreman and another offensive horror show from Daniels, and they just had more talent spread around the court and a little more depth.
And if Sanders just makes that second free throw, even with all that, we still win.

 

[motel00]

Have to say, I have never seen a player like Foreman before. He plays like he has the smallest hands in the world, gets to the basket but is always off balance, is able to miss any shot no matter how close in. I love the guy but he really is offensively challenged and has to get much better at finishing around the basket.

 

[RUChoppin]

Was it just mediocrity that kept Foreman on the bench? The only person who saw fewer minutes was Goode - would have figured we'd have gone with a big set at points (Lewis/Foreman/Laurent) to allow a mismatch on the wing for Laurent and to give us more strength on the boards (Foreman would have been on pace for double digit rebounds).

 

[MadRU]

DJ needs to slow himself down, he is always twisting and spinning to the basket. It cause him to be off balance. Also brings the ball down low too much.

Would love him to go on Austin Johnson's path, get real strong, develop a nice lefty/righty hook around the basket and just slow his process down some.

He is one of the fighters on the team. Hope his development gets stronger, usually gives strong effort, would like to see him succeed.

 

[RUsojo]

A few thoughts:

1. Corey can become King on the banks in due time.

2. Mike Williams is the type of player the program has sorely missed. He will be a very important player as an upper classmen and will develop. Bad turnovers down the stretch though.

3. Can't wait for Daniels to graduate.

4. Eddie needs to get us in better set plays down the stretch.

5. Eddie had Daniels inbound instead of Corey for the first time all game in either OT or regulation and he turned it over. WHY!

6. Lewis stepped up inside and rebounded well.

7. It's nice to have a guard with a mid range jumper again - Grier.

8. Laurent is a great get and if he develops his technical skills in offense he will be very good.

9. Eddie pulled a recruiting miracle with this freshmen class that should not have been possible and I applaud him for it.

10. Johnson will be an upgrade for the guard position but we will be thin next year.

11. No qualms with foreman. Didn't finish around the basket on a night where everyone else could. It happens.

12. A strong off season workout regimen to improve physically will go a long way.

 

[RutgersJoe]

Another game, another loss. That's all that needs to be said. We can't even beat one of the two worst (excluding us) B1G teams at home. What is that, 26 B1G loses in a row?

If the wins are all that matter at this point, I don't understand why you are still even following the team? It's no secret that their record is going to be really, really bad this season. We all want to see the wins, but no reason not to be optimistic when we do play competitive games against some really good B1G teams, or seeing a performance like Sanders' last night and building off those types of games. Last night's loss sucked big time, but you honestly didn't have a good time watching that game?

 

[ru66]

remind me--who recruited sanders and laurent

 

[knights1212]

T2Kplus10 might be the most negative guy on our site. He sounds so miserable. Daniels made two horrendous passes that were lobs that were intercepted and turned into points on the other end. He should have played a lot less than 28 minutes last night. It seemed as if he was dis interested and that he just did not want to listen to Eddie last night. Personally I am looking forward to Nigel Johnson joining our guard rotation next year with Corey and Mike Williams. I also think the Dailey kid with his length will help. Tripp might help too with his length but I like what I've heard about Dailey. If Corey needs to rest we can put Nigel at the point. I just hope we can add one big man at power forward or center who can be athletic down low and score and rebound. Where is the next Brent Dabbs, James Bailey or Roy Hinson. I doubt we can get anyone of their ability but a guy who can get 8-10 points a game and about 7 rebounds would be really nice.

 

[Hope4RU]

A gutsy game by our kids and a SUPER game by Corey. Only negative I'd raise though is ... at crunch time, we had no offense other than having Corey dribble-penetrate. As great as he played, we have to have some offensive options beside that. (?)

 

[RUChoppin]

EJ did a great job with recruiting last year, landing both Sanders and Laurent (both of whom were McDonalds All American nominees) and Freeman (Top 20 JUCO player). Goode was a project, and Johnson didn't pan out. Overall, it was a strong year.

The problem is that it wasn't followed up this year. If the 2016 class was as strong or stronger than 2015, there'd be a lot more optimism for the future. While I hope Thiam/Dailey/Tripp/TBD all have great success here - unless we pull in an All American for that fourth spot, it appears to be a step back from the level of player we pulled in last year who ha smade an immediate contribution (Sanders/Laurent/Freeman).

We only have one schollie open for 2017 - if Freeman gets a medical redshirt, we have none (barring any transfers).

Recruiting is about consistency. Getting one great class can't change a program's fortunes - it needs to be followed up with continually improving classes, or you just get a flash of a good season or two before falling back to where the program was.

 

[RUtrumpet92]

He reminds me of a player from Jordan's 1st team and the name conveniently escapes me.

I am not saying I agree or disagree with you here, but I think you mean Jerome Seagears.

Foreman and Daniels had bad games last night. Laurent and Corey had heroic efforts yesterday. I thought Williams was strong overall and Lewis had one of his best games as a Knight. Some of those fouls on us late (like the Williams ones jelly mentioned above) were so ticky-tack. Billy Raf would've called them nickel-dimers. It was a tough loss but I am proud of the team's effort and intensity. They showed a ton of HEART.

 

[cyrock3]

I like this year's class better than last year. Tripp/Dailey/Thiam all look like intriguing depth pieces.

 

[bac2therac]

oh really you like them better than Sanders/Laurent/Freeman...lmfao

 

[NickyNewark51]

These are games that give life and hope for things to come....next yr can't come quick enough..

 

[G- RUnit]

Daniels only played 28 minutes and he is at fault and played poorly? In short time in as many rebounds as anybody out there. Turnovers no worse than those by the other guard which actually killed us even more so as at crucial time. Little bit of perspective please instead of witch hunt.