2007-2008 Fighting Illini Basketball Thread
 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...1/33870225.jpg

Will be a transitional year, with lots of young kids and question marks as to where scoring will come from. Seniors Pruitt and Randle will need to find ways to stay on the floor.

Hoping for a NCAA berth and maybe an upset first round win, but that's about it. Multiple consecutive mediocre recruiting classes will take their toll in earnest this year is my guess. That said, one thing Weber can do is coach a game, so I'm pseudo optomistic that things will not be as bad as they could be.

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I'm anxious to see what kind of role Chester Frazier is going to have. I haven't thought much of him as a ball handler since they brought him on, and I'd really like to see Meachem step up.

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I've been underwhelmed with Weber to be honest. The offense just looked real, real bad at times last year.

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I'm anxious to see what kind of role Chester Frazier is going to have. I haven't thought much of him as a ball handler since they brought him on, and I'd really like to see Meachem step up.

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I wasn't high on Frazier last year, but he looked real good to me last night. They need him on the court, in my opinion -- the offense didn't look nearly as crisp without him last night.

-McGee

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Trent is simply too slow.

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...and good news, only 79 days until February 7...

I guess MJ will be too classy to scream filthy things, but I know I'm not.

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Trent is simply too slow.

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I hadn't noticed that yet, I'll watch for it. I think they were counting so strongly on Eric Gordon that the point guard position is their weakest area. To whoever said Chester looked good: I'm glad; I still haven't caught a game.

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Illinois-Duke on ESPN right now. Look better than I thought.

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Never mind...

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Illinois-Duke on ESPN right now. Look better than I thought.

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thanks! I forgot

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I like seeing a Tar Heel at the top of the Illini thread. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Now go out and come back against those dookies.

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Weber's offense of just pointlessly passing it around the perimeter worked fine when we had three phenonemal college gaurds, but it just falls flat now. It seems lke we go stretches of just doing nothing at all, nobody cutting, nobody looking to penetrate, no screen. Just pass it around and settle for a crappy shot or turn it over.

Every possession needs to be inside to Pruit or Randle. Duke is playing a bunch of skinny ass white guys. Just pound it in there.

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Geral Henderson "so smoooooth again"

Duke pwns Illinois

go to hell Carolina, go to hell

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Duke looks pretty bad honestly, if they play this well all year they can't possibly be #10 in the country. We just suck.

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Duke looks pretty bad honestly, if they play this well all year they can't possibly be #10 in the country. We just suck.

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I think you're underestimating both clubs.

-McGee

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The problem is that our guys are getting open in the post and our guards aren't good enough to either read it on time, or deliver it on time. It's kind of sad.

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I think we will be OK this year, but I don't know about the NCAA tourney. Rodney Alexander has impressed me in the first two games, and Randle is actually showing up to play this year as long as he stays out of his chronic foul trouble.

Holdren can't pass and is struggling to make his own shot. Meachum can't do anything but occasionally shoot the 3. I think McCarney will develop nicely, but he is still a little inexperienced. Pruitt/Frazier/Brock will be solid.

IMO this team can do a little damage in the Big Ten simply because of their defense, but I can't see them winning any barn-burners.

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but I don't know about the NCAA tourney

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Assuming you mean "I don't know if we'll make the tourney", I agree.

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my boy Trent is hot tonight.

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"Randle, a 6-foot-8 senior who averaged 14.8 points over the first three games of the season, was injured seven minutes into the game when he was defending Oklahoma State's Marcus Dove on a drive to the basket. An Illinois spokesman said he suffered a left leg contusion and he never returned to the game, finishing without a point."

So much for Randle being injury free this season.

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My fears were correct, we suck.

Hoping for a tourney bid.

Stat of the night: 9/29 from 3pt land. WTF IS THIS BROKE ASS SHOOTING TEAM WITH NOT ONE GOOD SHOOTER ATTEMPTING TWENTY NINE THREE POINTERS FOR?????????????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

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WTF IS THIS BROKE ASS SHOOTING TEAM WITH NOT ONE GOOD SHOOTER ATTEMPTING TWENTY NINE THREE POINTERS FOR?????????????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?


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It's not like Pruitt made a compelling case tonight that he should be getting the ball more inside. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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My fears were correct, we suck.

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Yeah, it appears that the performance against Arizona St. in Maui was a little bit of fool's gold, with me (and Jay Bilas, who said in the studio tonight that Illinois "wasn't as good as I thought") playing the role of fool.

-McGee

Re: 2007-2008 Fighting Illini Basketball Thread
 

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My fears were correct, we suck.

Hoping for a tourney bid.

Stat of the night: 9/29 from 3pt land. WTF IS THIS BROKE ASS SHOOTING TEAM WITH NOT ONE GOOD SHOOTER ATTEMPTING TWENTY NINE THREE POINTERS FOR?????????????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

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yea you guys were sure huckin' em up there man. Randle knocked a few down and was your most consistent threat it seemed when I was watching at Comcast

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We have not a single player capable of shooting 3's consistently. Randle least of all.

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Randle knocked a few down and was your most consistent threat it seemed when I was watching at Comcast



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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Randle was 1-for-2 from deep, 2-for-8 from the field overall, and had seven points. You've gotta be thinking of someone else if you're talking about tonight's game.

-McGee

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Our stellar job of getting to the line (9 attempts) couple with our wondering foul shooting (4/9) will win some close games this year.

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Randle knocked a few down and was your most consistent threat it seemed when I was watching at Comcast



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[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Randle was 1-for-2 from deep, 2-for-8 from the field overall, and had seven points. You've gotta be thinking of someone else if you're talking about tonight's game.

-McGee

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Def was then, maybe his name came to mind because it reminded me of Ryan "Sleepy" Randle from UMD

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The only positive from tonight is that we really can't play any worse. So hopefully I don't have to sit through another horrid display of basketball ineptitude the rest of this year.

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one thing i didn't get from tonight's game was when they were making a point of how much illinois had to travel this year, but the distances going one way (like to hawaii) were different from the way back.

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We have not a single player capable of shooting 3's consistently. Randle least of all.

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I think if Randle can limit his foul trouble he is on the Bardo career path (assuming he is well spoken).

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The only positive from tonight is that we really can't play any worse.

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You did see this team play last year, *with* two legit offensive threats? I'm pretty sure we can play worse.

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I think if Randle can limit his foul trouble he is on the Bardo career path (assuming he is well spoken).


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Oh, god, I hope not. One Bardo is enough.

-McGee

Re: 2007-2008 Fighting Illini Basketball Thread
 

I missed this game and am now happy I did.

cliff's notes??? ANOTHER year of nobody hitting shots, especially at the foul line. An injured Randle consistently in foul trouble. Shaun Pruitt's strengths being overlooked and under-utilized.

[img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] great; not sure why Weber keeps getting the accolades he does. He recruited these guys, except for BR, I believe.

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hmm didnt really watch the game and this isnt sound reasoning at all but mizzou beat maryland and maryland beat u guys so maybe mizzou has a chance this year...it's been a a while

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one thing i didn't get from tonight's game was when they were making a point of how much illinois had to travel this year, but the distances going one way (like to hawaii) were different from the way back.

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yeah....didn't get that either...well, with Hawai'i it might be the travel to Oahu v the travel back from Maui


anyway, Chester played horribly in his trip back to his hometown...that sucks as he has been decent this year...just too many throw away possessions

Shaun forgot how to pass the ball back out

no one got to the line, which Illinois had been great at the rest of this year for about the first time ever

this whole team needs to get stronger with on-the-ball possession...Brock and Randle really suck with not turning it over and making intelligent passes inside. Frazier had been good, but had a huge blow-up last night. Alexander has replaced Warren Carter as the guy who can score, but will constantly blow defensive assignments. The team still shows a lack of understanding of the offense, especially at the wings. No one sets hard screens. No one seems to use the screens well.

all that said, I'm optimistic.
Mainly, it's because the Big11Ten sucks. I watched alot of it the last 2 weeks and it's not a very good conference at all. Too bad Illinois has the hardest conference schedule.

Secondly, this is the type of team Weber would overachieve with at Purdue with a bit more athleticism.

Unlike last night in Maryland, the Illini need to continue to attack and get to the line like they did the rest of this season. They need to get better at being strong on the ball on the perimeter. Defense has been good thus far and will hopefully get better. Alexander misses his assignments too much, but I expect that to improve. The fatal flaw on defense is that Meacham and Holdren are lost causes trying to defend Big11Ten talent. Too bad that with Jamar sitting out, both will have to share some minutes to bring the outside shooting threat.


my prediction right now--4th in the Big11Ten, which only gets 4 teams into the tourney

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Meacham with 20 in the first half??????!!!!!!!!

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6 Free Throws so far, we are SOOOOOO good at getting to the line.

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meh...unnecessary today