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Illinois Pre-Game Thread


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When: Saturday, January 27th 3 PM EST

Where: State Farm Arena, Champaign Illinois

TV: Fox

Our Hoosiers invade State Farm Arena in Champaign. Brad Underwood in his 7th year at Illinois (127-83) has his Fighting Illini at 13-4 (4-2 in Big 10 play with a game today at home versus Rutgers, and a Wednesday meeting in Evanston the face the Wildcats)

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The Illini are led by 6'6 senior transfer (Texas Tech) Terrance Shannon Junior, who hasn't played since 12/22 due to legal issues over a pending felony rape charge. Shannon was granted a temporary restraining order to rejoin the team last week. Shannon is a 3 level scorer who has improved hos 3 point game this year. 6'10 senior Coleman Hawkins mans the 5 spot at 11 ppg and 37% from 3. 6'6 senior transfer (Southern Illinois) checks in at 15 ppg and has been Illinois go to in Shannon's absence lifting his average to 21 ppg during that time though still in the 29% range from 3. 6'7 senior transfer (Oregon) Quincy Guerrier averages 11 ppg and leads the team in rebounding at 6 per game. 6'6 sophomore Ty Rodgers rounds out the starting 5 at the point, averaging 7 ppg and has not taken a 3 pointer all year.

Hoosier native 6'7 junior Luke Goode had been starting in Shannon's stead and averaged 8 ppg and 41% from 3. 6'4 senior transfer (Utah Valley) Justin Harmon (7 ppg 41% from 3) provides depth at guard as does 6'1 freshman Nico Moretti after coming off an injury. 6'9 junior transfer (Baylor) Dain Dainja provides frontcourt depth but is only seeing spot minutes this year.

Another tough road game. A shorthanded Hoosier squad embarrassed the Illini in their home arena last year, so I would imagine the team and their fans will be charged up for this "rivalry" :) game.

Maryland beat them by going inside to Julian Reese often and by Jahmir Young penetrating and scoring off the dribble.

If we have both of our bigs, and we force the issue in the paint, I think we can win this one. If Kel'el is still out, I think it'll be very tough.

Rebound, don't turn it over, and play tough...those are the keys to any Big 10 road game...Our senior leaders have to come out ready to play...

GO HOOSIERS!

 

Edited by IUFLA
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Hopefully Ware is back...

And it'll be interesting to see how the student section at Northwestern treats Shannon on Wednesday...They were pretty vulgar in their treatment of Miller Kopp, and all he did was transfer schools...

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35 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

Hopefully Ware is back...

And it'll be interesting to see how the student section at Northwestern treats Shannon on Wednesday...They were pretty vulgar in their treatment of Miller Kopp, and all he did was transfer schools...

I thought I read Ware might be a longer term thing, I hope that is wrong.  We need him. 
 

Shannon deserves whatever he gets. I’m glad we don’t have to face him his first game back. Sometimes guys in a game like that feel like they have something to prove the first time out. 
 

Saturday is as good a time as any to start turning this season back in a better direction. 

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45 minutes ago, Coach1K said:

Why do I think either Coleman Hawkins or Terrence Shannon will go off on us.

I think if it's not Shannon, it'll be Domask...He's legit...Not the best 3 point shooter, but he'll back you down and he has a great fadeaway once he gets you down there...Good dribble drive game as well...

Coleman I've always described as a billion dollar airport with a $5 control tower :) 

And maddingly inconsistent... 

Edited by IUFLA
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11 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

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Churchill had the United States enter the war effort.  Who we got swooping in and saving our season?  I wanna believe that "light switch" is gonna be turned on but my head says it ain't.

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6 minutes ago, rico said:

Churchill had the United States enter the war effort.  Who we got swooping in and saving our season?  I wanna believe that "light switch" is gonna be turned on but my head says it ain't.

The only people who can at this point are the players...

And I don't think they, or their coach, have given up yet... 

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I like Domask a lot.  Not sure how Wisconsin ever let him out of the state to So Illinois out of high school.  He’s out of central casting for a Wisconsin player.  

Tyson Walker.  Domask. Lance  Jones.  Mast and Williams at Neb.  Lot of mid major guys stepping up to the B1G and really thriving.  I don’t recall us being involved with any of these guys.  It’s easy to spot Ware.  Knecht. Those are easy.   We need to do a much better job of scouting.  We’ve got like 17 young guys in suits sitting behind the bench.  Get scouting.  Inexcusable to get out worked with that many bodies back there.   Fight complacency.  

Let’s be real.  The bottom 10-15% of major school players are probably mid-major talents and the top 10-15% of the mid majors can do well at big schools.  Get scouting and don’t let the competition run circles around you.  

Aside from the mid major follies, we have not scouted the state well for years.  It’s like we wait for the Indy Star to declare who the best players are. Get out there and scout.  Indiana State is far better than IU.   If IU had ISU’s guards, who are in-state guys, we’d be much more formidable.  That’s not where we are supposed to be.  

Scott needs to assert himself.  He’s the boss and make it clear.  Get involved in the minutia of what will improve.   What are each of the countless staff guys doing?    Not just the assistants.  

Edited by BobSaccamanno
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7 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said:

hard to imagine not losing this one by 15 +.  the question becomes will this derail us to the point where we have issues and don't right the ship for the home game vs Iowa?

Iowa is a 50/50 game at this point.  

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Just now, 5fouls said:

Iowa is a 50/50 game at this point.  

man, i don't necessarily disagree, but i think if we lose 3 straight games by 12 or more then lose a 4th at home vs Iowa the scoreboard needs to fall or we need to cancel the rest of the season or fire Woodson before he even gets to the locker room?  all joking aside i think that would constitute a complete meltdown.  

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20 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

Iowa is a 50/50 game at this point.  

I admit I haven’t got to watch as much college basketball outside of IU this season due to my son’s basketball season, so I’m not as knowledgeable about Iowa as I would normally be. My question is, do they still shoot the volume of threes they have in recent years?  If the answer is yes, that would worry me. 

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3 minutes ago, Parakeet Jones said:

I admit I haven’t got to watch as much college basketball outside of IU this season due to my son’s basketball season, so I’m not as knowledgeable about Iowa as I would normally be. My question is, do they still shoot the volume of threes they have in recent years?  If the answer is yes, that would worry me. 

Not really. They're in the mid 200s as far as attempts go while they were 90th last year...11th in conference play this year as opposed to 2nd last year

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Haven't watched much of Illinois this year.  Did I hear they are playing Hawkins as their big and not playing Dainja much?  Hawkins plays so much harder than Malik, it's not even close.  

Oh, they're 5th in the cou try in trb.  This one is over before it started.  Forget the refs, the fouls, the substitutions.   We get outrebounded by 10+ and turn the ball over 12+ times, hard to feel good about this one on the road.  Will the wheels come off is the question?

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2 hours ago, NotIThatLives said:

 Forget the refs, the fouls, the substitutions.   We get outrebounded by 10+ and turn the ball over 12+ times, hard to feel good about this one on the road.  Will the wheels come off is the question?

The only way we out rebound them is if they don't send anybody at all to the offensive glass. I haven't seen anybody but Sparks block out consistently. (credit Michael Lewis for that)

Edited by DWB
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