Wow, lets get ready for a LONG year after that loss. Did McBride basically cost IL the game by himself the last 3 minutes of the game?
Arrrgh, just finished watching the game via tivo. What a rollercoaster and disappointing end. I think that Dee Brown was the worst thing to happen to Chester Frazier. He is trying to be Dee, but it’s just not physically possible. He is so out of control and he can't run the point (toward the end of the game, Meacham came up to get the ball, Chester tried to wave him off and Weber practically stepped out on the court to tell him to pass.) McBride is just lazy. Everything about him is lazy. He runs lazy, walks lazy, hell he even stands lazy. He came out of the game after a turnover and was smiling. Also, is there no one else we could have put on Vasquez instead of "Old Man" McBride? We eventually switched to Fraizer, but the damage was done.
I don't understand why Meacham was pulled from the game late. He may not have the physical skills of Brock or Frazier, but his control, poise and game management are way ahead of those other two. I normally don't post to anything, but I had to vent especially after losing a game we should have won. I hope Weber runs McBride into the ground for that performance. Jamar and Brian, come back soon!
This game reminded me of the sad days of Lou Henson's B'Ball when our players were disorganized, nervous and confused...sad, really sad how we now are sinking lower and lower in basketball in addition to our football.
All I can say is thanks Mr. Guenther...you have accomplished both of your missions, i.e., your destruction of the ILLINI sports and your dumbing-down of the ILLINI fans.
This miserable AD of ours has to be fired...and soon.
I think we played good it was that dirty lil south american kid that whooped us in the last 1/4 of the game but we will learn and bruce almighty will have them back out in practice ready for arizona I am just glad to see a inexperenced team aside from pruitt and mcbride can stay with a nationaly ranked Maryland team I am not saying we suck but it is good to see some progression from the past two games we barely won. On another note this is just the begining of the season no reason to get down.
GDD -
What a pathetically miserable human being you are. The unranked Illini lost a close game to a ranked (and much better) team without its best player and with several key players hobbled by injuries.
What is sad is you and your Sad-Sack attitude. Do the Illini Nation a favor and go root for Kansas or Duke (both of whom lost to UNranked teams already this year).
Get a hold of yourself, Common Sense (common sense? you must be kidding us) as we don't want you to get a heart attack.
It is not the one game, but the systematic decline of our basketball program, pal. From the NCAA championship runner-up team in 2004 to last year's team which was worse than that team to this year's team which is worse than last year...and with our recruiting pip-line completely void of any top blue chip recruits coming in, the decline will continue unabated. The same thing happened to our football, ladies' basketball...so on and so forth...the men's basketball happens to be the latest casulty.
For your information, it just so happens that I don't blame any of these failures on these hard working and honorable coaches, but on our incompetent AD, Ron Guenther, who has destroyed our sports, dumbed-down our fan's expectation (take a look in the mirror, you know what I mean) and has generally established what many now call a "culture of losing" at IL. Heck, he even lost our beloved Chieff Illini...the guy is a loser and must be fired.
IL now is the butt of the jokes when it comes to major universities sports, pal...wake up and smell the coffee.
I am worried along the same lines as GDD. But I need help in understanding what Guenther has done to be the real cause of our recruiting problems. If you look at the improvments in recruiting Zook has brought to the program, (top QB and now top receiver) why can't we do the same in BB? I live in East Lansing and have come to appreciate Coach Izzo and his ability to both coach and recruit. I have no doubt the Bruce can coach. He has had some bad turns in recruiting (Gordon has to be at the top of the list), but what can Guenther do to change that? As for losing the Chief--That hurts!!!!
Thanks for any reply.
That game was hard to watch, seems like Bruce had 3 guards playing even though the bigs were doing all of the scoring. Why not put in more bigs and two guards for a change?
Carter is doing OK, but the other seniors McBride and Marcus Arnold need to either go on medical leave (if injured) or quit the team (if uninspired about playing). Seems like they need to quit.
Brock needs more playing time and Carlwell and Semrau too, since the "experienced guys" are letting us down.
I was at the game, and the end was very tough to watch. I thought for sure we were going to run away with the game. Down the stretch we just looked so frazzled, hesitant, and unsure. We gave them countless 3-point plays as a result of a bunch of ticky-tack fouls. In transition, and on the break, everyone was just so unsure and floating around in no mans land. Perhaps most frustrating was our inability to break the full court pressure.
A couple of player specific comments:
McBride: If the guy had half a heart, and more than a few braincells, you'd think he'd come out with a chip on his shoulder and playing his heart out after the whole DUI ordeal. However, he is back to his old lackadaisical old ways. It is just frustrating.
Carter: No doubt, this guy has lots of potential, and a good deal of natural talent. However, he needs to realize that he's not a guard. He's always floating around the perimeter and fading away from the basket. He needs to plant himself down low, and start going up stronger.
Pruitt: A tad unpolished, but I LOVE what he brings to the team. He's super aggressive and assertive down low and that is just what our often confused and unsure offense needs.
All that said, I'm happy that we were able to give a pretty good team a competitive game. We are a scrappy team that I think will be fun to watch down the stretch.
After watching Ohio State last night, how bad does our Illini look now? They are just in a different league. It made me realize we may hang in most games and win, but we will look like a junior high team playing an NBA team when we play them. I know this class most likely will turn pro next year, but their 2007 class is very good also. Michigan States class next year has to be in the top five. We are just not going to be able to compete with our recruits we are getting compared to the other programs.
I really believe Self got us what we had in 2004. I still dont believe he would have gotten us as far as Weber did. Weber is a better coach. I just see this program turning into a team that sneaks in the big dance and will be out in the first or second round.
North Carolina's bench could beat Illinois
Not a bad loss to UA, we looked like a decent team tonight. McBride played pretty well except for that one bonehead play. Frazier was much more in control. Carter was awesome and so was Pruitt, but they can't beat UA and the poor officiating. Horrible refs! Once Randle and Smith shake off the rust, I see us competing, which is a much better position to be then after the Maryland game.
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The losses to MD and AZ were disappointing to say the least. It is a bit encouraging that an under strength IL team can stay with these national ranked teams but clearly until they get Smith and Randle back, at best, they are just a middle of the pack team in the B10.
Even if they have Randle and Smith is still remains to be seen if they will have the stamina to play the game at 100% for 35 min. Also, I wonder how long it will take for the team to develop the type of chemistry needed to compete.
anyday now dude.... is this a blog or a blackhole.
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Big fan of Salukihoops.com! Don Ford is the next Kenny Mayne! This guy knows his stuff and knows how to spill it. His knowledge of the game goes well beyond that of the commonly watched Sports Center. Hours of research and determination to provide only the best and most accurate information make this guy a top prospect for anyone looking for a top tier full time sports analyst.
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