Illini Basketball 2024-2025
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The mid range should be in your game by accident if you are a complete offensive basketball player. However, building your offensive game around the midrange should NEVER be your primary focus.
Knowing Brad is deep into analytics, the 3 worst analytical shots in basketball, in order, are…
1. Foot on the line 2
2. Mid range pull-up
3. Floater
Every coach I ever played for, coached with, and watched in clinics, talked about the primary shot they want teams to take is the pull-up. If you watch the Illini defensively, a lot of the time we don’t even really contest mid range shots, because even hit at a high rate, teams don’t hit enough to win or risk fouling them.
Offensive games are built for guards from the outside-in. You need to be able to play on the 3 point line from the threat of your shot on the catch (Jay Wright’s words not mine), or the offense is playing 4 on 5. They will literally let you take a step or 2 up to shoot a pull-up while staying glued to their man to box out and not give up a kickout 3. This is modern basketball until there are rule changes or a 4 point line is added and the formula needs to be a reassessed.
Hope this game is in a neutral vacation site in Florida, Bahamas. Probably wouldn't draw great, maybe.
Trent fed the 5000. (So they didn’t go hungry.)
Has JK left the pizza hut parking lot? Hopefully in Champaign soon.
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
I'm not sure where to put this. Seems like Coleman needs his own thread. 
This was pretty good. A few nuggets:
1. KSU will be better than Illinois next season
2. He likes Hunter Dickinson
3. 2021 Illini team better than last year’s team
4. Matt Mayers not the problem with that underperforming team
5. Does not think TSJ’s jersey should hang
6. He was done at Illinois
7. Would have been drafted but concerned the rigors of summer league would not allow knee to heal
8. Is not highest paid NIL
9. Blames loss to UConn on lack of scheme change and creating advantages
10. Loves Illinois, but mentioned didn’t want the wrath of the crazy fans so played his cards accordingly
Nice summary. I watched also.
Part of me watched and thought about Coleman’s thoughts on coaching and schemes and such and thought it was kind of damning on our staff, BUT then I remembered that every player and fan ever has always blamed coaches, when the truth is that the coaches know full well everything we or Coleman or whoever has to say..the know all of it, and still went with whatever schemes for a reason.
They knew Coleman not being guarded by the 5 wasn’t ideal but still kept Ty in the game. Obviously, in their mind the benefits of Ty outweighs the benefits of either Goode, Dain, or DGL or whoever.
Ryllini
- Lombard
I know he is the hot topic, but what was the tone of not wanting TSJ's jersey up in the rafters?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Correct
In town with my 9 year old son who’s lived overseas his whole life…what are chances Ubben is open to viewing? @Indy Illini Fan @illini0440
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Correct with an *. It's highly arguable that without this TSJ nonsense we would have won at least 2 more games, possibly had a one seed, but at least a two, not drawn UConn, and had potential to make final four or nc game.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I'm not convinced myself. I think their ceiling (i.e., the crazy run from whooping #2 Michigan on the road without Ayo to winning the BTT) was some of the best basketball I have ever seen (including 2005...), so if that is what we mean it is very difficult for me to disagree. However, I think this year's team was more versatile in some ways and had less of an Achilles Heel(s) problem. JMO. I guess what I am saying is that I think it's fair to say 2021 "was better" in this sense, but I also think our 2024 team stands a much better chance of getting past Loyola on their off day.
That he was only there for 2 years
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
2021 record against KenPom top 15: 7-3
2024 record against KenPom top 15: 1-5
2024 record against KenPom top 15: 1-5
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This is as much effort as you'd give a rebuttal to what I said knowing how overrated our regularly played Big Ten opponents proved to be that year?
Midrange is every all-time scoring leaders forte and breadbasket..was there ever a skyhook from the three? How many turnaround 3s did Mike and Kobe make? I believe you need to make one or two 3s in college.His straight line speed,his post up passes and scores would be his bread and butter but 18 to 20 consistency would do wonders for him and the team...
Chad Fleck
- Eureka, IL
My struggle with 2021's run, is that lack of fans. Road games were easier. I can't settle on how much that matters.
Karl Malone, too. Made his living 15 feet-in.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Also, if we are actually playing Arkansas in the non-conference this year, that would be FIVE Power Five non-conference opponents without an automatic Gavitt or Big Ten/ACC Challenge game. That is awesome. For reference, these are our Power Five non-conference opponents excluding those two events and Braggin' Rights. I know that is not 100% fair because we had to play in those things, but the point is it is cool we went out and scheduled all of these.
2024-25: vs. Alabama (Birmingham), vs. Tennessee, vs. Arkansas (TBD), vs. Duke (MSG)
2023-24: vs. FAU (MSG), at Tennessee
2022-23: vs. UCLA (Vegas), vs. Virginia (Vegas), vs. Texas (MSG)
2021-22: vs. Cincinnati (KC), vs. Kansas State (KC), vs. Arizona
--- Skipping 2020-21 due to odd COVID scheduling ---
2019-20: at Arizona
2018-19: vs. Gonzaga (Maui), vs. Iowa State (Maui), vs. Xavier (Maui)
2017-18: None...
...
2004-05: vs. Arkansas (Little Rock), at Georgetown, vs. Oregon (Chicago) ... also played good Gonzaga and Cincinnati teams that technically did not qualify
...
2000-01: vs. Maryland (Maui), vs. Arizona (Maui), at Kansas State, vs. Seton Hall, vs. Arizona (Chicago), at Texas
I love this scheduling!
2024-25: vs. Alabama (Birmingham), vs. Tennessee, vs. Arkansas (TBD), vs. Duke (MSG)
2023-24: vs. FAU (MSG), at Tennessee
2022-23: vs. UCLA (Vegas), vs. Virginia (Vegas), vs. Texas (MSG)
2021-22: vs. Cincinnati (KC), vs. Kansas State (KC), vs. Arizona
--- Skipping 2020-21 due to odd COVID scheduling ---
2019-20: at Arizona
2018-19: vs. Gonzaga (Maui), vs. Iowa State (Maui), vs. Xavier (Maui)
2017-18: None...
...
2004-05: vs. Arkansas (Little Rock), at Georgetown, vs. Oregon (Chicago) ... also played good Gonzaga and Cincinnati teams that technically did not qualify
...
2000-01: vs. Maryland (Maui), vs. Arizona (Maui), at Kansas State, vs. Seton Hall, vs. Arizona (Chicago), at Texas
I love this scheduling!
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Just in general I place more weight on a full season of data over the randomness of one-off tournament games. If our Big Ten opponents were overrated does that mean we were too?
Would this even be a discussion if we hadn't had a disastrous 40 minutes against a team that had no business being an 8 seed?
I suspect this will be a long-running argument among Illini fans (the undercard for 89 vs 05), and I'm grateful for it, because 2024 needed to break our second weekend drought to even make it a discussion. But I'm Team 2021.
It's a fair point, but then imagine the sea of orange Loyola would have been dealing with.
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illiniswish09
- Northwest Suburbs
Don’t love that
I agree that the 2024 team was more versatile. I also think this year’s team would have probably got past Loyola…( stretching their D & sheer scoring punch etc.)
Loyola was well coached and better than advertised. Yet, we had two all-Americans; it’s a damn shame the 2021 team couldn’t adjust on either end….
UConn is super-well coached and is a juggernaut…they would have probably found a way against either team. I do think Kofi would have neutralized them inside of course. I feel like if 2021 really pushed the tempo…and Kofi and Ayo both had games they might have done it.
At the same time…I don’t see the 2021 team completely laying an egg against Penn State on a rec. league court. Nor, do I see them peeing down their leg like ‘24 did against MSU ball pressure late.
Fun exercise. But who the hell knows?
I am a little confused by #7. Wouldn't playing another year of college ball also not allow his knee to heal? Seems like the thing to do would be to take time to get his knee healed. I guess he would miss out on the NIL money but if his dream is to play in the NBA it just seems as if he should get that knee healed, although how long that would take I don't know and the NBA would still not be a sure thing after it is healed. But if he believes he would be drafted then a year or so without NIL money may be worth it in the long run. I guess he just has to decide what he wants more.
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