This won't be pleasant
Last night was a horrible game for the Illini. I came into the night thinking, well, the Illini probably won't win, but I at least hope they don't get blown out. And maybe for once this season we can start a game strong.
But I was wrong. We got down big early, down 15. And then I wouldn't really say the defense improved that much, but we did force a lot of bad shots and a lot of turnovers from a young team. Then, down the stretch, we let some Venezuelan dude take the game completely over. On three consecutive trips down the floor, he made a three, then made a three point play, then he made a shot and got fouled, only to miss the free throw.
And that's where the game turned around. Well, the second turnaround. The first was when Illinois actually came back to take the lead. We all know how the game ended, so I won't make anyone else relive it like I have to.
First, the good news. Trent Meacham appeared to have a much better game, and he wasn't so overmatched this game. He may have trouble guarding quicker guards, but he matched up well last night. Also good was seeing Warren Carter with the first-half double-double, including the three he made (which was awesome to see), and his energy was great. He doesn't really defend so much as try to block shots, but he was a huge part of the comeback last night. Also good to see was Pruitt's domination down low early in the second half. Seeing Carlwell's contribution last night was big too. It seems like he's going to become an important player off the bench this season, and I'm all for it.
Now, the bad news. I have no idea what was with Weber's rotation of players in the second half. Jamar barely saw any minutes. Who did see minutes? And a lot of them? Rich McBride. More on that in a second.
Also, where was Calvin Brock? I used to hate him, but I really like him now. Why? Because he rebounds. And he moves. It's great to have 4 players crash the boards, or at least three (Brock and Chester Frazier are always rebounding, which is going to help as this team gets better).
So, now to the black hole of the game. Bruce Weber said Rich McBride would have to earn his starting spot back when coming off of his suspension. Well, Rich was in the starting lineup last night, and I would say he did not deserve it. When McBride is in the game, he doesn't move on offense. At all. He stands in the corner, waiting to get the ball even though some dude is draped all over hiim. Kind of makes it hard to thrive in the MOTION offense when he just stands there. The only times he moves well are when he's getting picks set to put up a shot.
Which is another thing. Shitty shot selection from McBride. He had 3 important shots last night. He drained 2 threes when coming off of picks, which were good to see, and he had one ugly runner that he made. I'm not going to look up his numbers, but he missed plenty of wide open threes. His first shot of the night didn't even touch the rim. If he can't shoot, what is the point of having him in the game?
His defense isn't that great (he allowed guys into the lane in crucial moments) and he doesn't rebound on offense, largely due to the fact that it would require him to stop standing behind the three point line, and he has no interest in that.
The defense wasn't very good in general last night. But there was one moment in particular where I saw Calvin Brock defending someone who set a pick on McBride's man. The guy setting the pick rolled, and McBride followed him. But so did Brock, leaving some dude open to drain a 3.
So defense needs a lot of work. Rich McBride, a fucking senior, looks terribly out of place. Hopefully Weber decided to rest Smith for most of the second half, because I would have much rather had him out there, you know, defending and capable of making an important shot inside 3 minutes. McBride needs to get his ass in gear because in my opinion he does not deserve to be anywhere near the starting lineup.
Anyways, we definitely should have won that damn game. And now we have a tough test with Arizona, which is basically our first road game, and Arizona is one of the top scoring teams in the nation. That win last night would have been huge for us, and it would have looked great when the NCAA selection committee is deciding what seed we deserve.
So we need to go in and beat Arizona. Although, again, I'm just hoping our players actually defend and rebound, and hopefully we won't get blown out. Fucking Rich McBride.
But I was wrong. We got down big early, down 15. And then I wouldn't really say the defense improved that much, but we did force a lot of bad shots and a lot of turnovers from a young team. Then, down the stretch, we let some Venezuelan dude take the game completely over. On three consecutive trips down the floor, he made a three, then made a three point play, then he made a shot and got fouled, only to miss the free throw.
And that's where the game turned around. Well, the second turnaround. The first was when Illinois actually came back to take the lead. We all know how the game ended, so I won't make anyone else relive it like I have to.
First, the good news. Trent Meacham appeared to have a much better game, and he wasn't so overmatched this game. He may have trouble guarding quicker guards, but he matched up well last night. Also good was seeing Warren Carter with the first-half double-double, including the three he made (which was awesome to see), and his energy was great. He doesn't really defend so much as try to block shots, but he was a huge part of the comeback last night. Also good to see was Pruitt's domination down low early in the second half. Seeing Carlwell's contribution last night was big too. It seems like he's going to become an important player off the bench this season, and I'm all for it.
Now, the bad news. I have no idea what was with Weber's rotation of players in the second half. Jamar barely saw any minutes. Who did see minutes? And a lot of them? Rich McBride. More on that in a second.
Also, where was Calvin Brock? I used to hate him, but I really like him now. Why? Because he rebounds. And he moves. It's great to have 4 players crash the boards, or at least three (Brock and Chester Frazier are always rebounding, which is going to help as this team gets better).
So, now to the black hole of the game. Bruce Weber said Rich McBride would have to earn his starting spot back when coming off of his suspension. Well, Rich was in the starting lineup last night, and I would say he did not deserve it. When McBride is in the game, he doesn't move on offense. At all. He stands in the corner, waiting to get the ball even though some dude is draped all over hiim. Kind of makes it hard to thrive in the MOTION offense when he just stands there. The only times he moves well are when he's getting picks set to put up a shot.
Which is another thing. Shitty shot selection from McBride. He had 3 important shots last night. He drained 2 threes when coming off of picks, which were good to see, and he had one ugly runner that he made. I'm not going to look up his numbers, but he missed plenty of wide open threes. His first shot of the night didn't even touch the rim. If he can't shoot, what is the point of having him in the game?
His defense isn't that great (he allowed guys into the lane in crucial moments) and he doesn't rebound on offense, largely due to the fact that it would require him to stop standing behind the three point line, and he has no interest in that.
The defense wasn't very good in general last night. But there was one moment in particular where I saw Calvin Brock defending someone who set a pick on McBride's man. The guy setting the pick rolled, and McBride followed him. But so did Brock, leaving some dude open to drain a 3.
So defense needs a lot of work. Rich McBride, a fucking senior, looks terribly out of place. Hopefully Weber decided to rest Smith for most of the second half, because I would have much rather had him out there, you know, defending and capable of making an important shot inside 3 minutes. McBride needs to get his ass in gear because in my opinion he does not deserve to be anywhere near the starting lineup.
Anyways, we definitely should have won that damn game. And now we have a tough test with Arizona, which is basically our first road game, and Arizona is one of the top scoring teams in the nation. That win last night would have been huge for us, and it would have looked great when the NCAA selection committee is deciding what seed we deserve.
So we need to go in and beat Arizona. Although, again, I'm just hoping our players actually defend and rebound, and hopefully we won't get blown out. Fucking Rich McBride.
posted by Jtrouble at 9:35 AM
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