Illinois 112, Eastern Illinois 67 Postgame

#76      
Except Tatum's season high was only 28 during his one year.
What is interesting is that as good as JT has become, he was not a good shooter as a HS sr......but he was athletically impressive as much as any on the court at the Bass Pro T of C. My guess is that he has put up several hundred thousands of shots since then in an attempt to become an elite shooter from distance...and quite successfully. And he is still a physically elite athlete even in the NBA.
 
#77      
I missed the game because I was watching my granddaughter’s 8th grade team notch a win. (Sorry had to brag!) But am I reading the box score right? Our two leading scorers didn’t even start and the leading scorer is 17 years old? That can’t be right. Can it?
Oh it’s right my friend
 
#80      
Guys Will Riley is not 17… he turns 19 in three months. There’s a reason why he was able to reclassify and be a bucket getter so quick.

That being said, I agree with most people that the one suck from this game was KB. Luckily, we know what we can (and probably will) get with him. It may take a bit for him to adjust to a different role and system after being successful elsewhere but I believe in him.

Illinois basketball is in good shape. I feel good about this year, and it’s not just because we had a good game tonight. Future is bright
 
#81      
Guys Will Riley is not 17… he turns 19 in three months. There’s a reason why he was able to reclassify and be a bucket getter so quick.

That being said, I agree with most people that the one suck from this game was KB. Luckily, we know what we can (and probably will) get with him. It may take a bit for him to adjust to a different role and system after being successful elsewhere but I believe in him.

Illinois basketball is in good shape. I feel good about this year, and it’s not just because we had a good game tonight. Future is bright
Brad praised KB’s defense, so…. 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
#82      
That being said, I agree with most people that the one suck from this game was KB. Luckily, we know what we can (and probably will) get with him. It may take a bit for him to adjust to a different role and system after being successful elsewhere but I believe in him.
BamBam will be a great 6th man for us as the season progresses.
 
#84      
I’m going to disagree here. In terms of draft value, it’s crucial to strike while the iron is hot. He’s not going to play like he did tonight every game, but if he shows out at times throughout the year he may be a projected lottery pick considering his physical gifts & age. *If* that comes to fruition, it’s a no brainer, even if he doesn’t get much tick early in his NBA career. Now, if he’s inconsistent and just shows flashes and is a maybe possibly probably 1st rounder, then coming back makes sense.
It's going to depend on how he fares facing the length and athelicism that you don't find on EIU.

Adam Miller had a similar first game and now he's on year 4 and isn't sniffing the NBA(He's only 6'3 but still there is a lot of season left).
 
#87      
It was very evident Will does not like high pressure physical style defense. His handle is loose and he needs strength. Go back and watch the few possessions Eastern did this to him. He was very uncomfortable. When they backed off and gave him space he killed them.
I think he will adjust to this throughout the season and progress when we play tougher competition.
With that being said..does anybody remember someone making two 4point plays in the same game? Crazy...
Our freshman are really good!
 
#88      
It was very evident Will does not like high pressure physical style defense. His handle is loose and he needs strength. Go back and watch the few possessions Eastern did this to him. He was very uncomfortable. When they backed off and gave him space he killed them.
I think he will adjust to this throughout the season and progress when we play tougher competition.
With that being said..does anybody remember someone making two 4point plays in the same game? Crazy...
Our freshman are really good!
half*
 
#92      
Where did all of those points come from? The offense never seemed to really run smoothly. I don't want to see what it looks like when it faces any semblance of a real defense. (Oh wait, I've seen that.)

Overall an okay outing. The defense was pretty bad outside of DGL and Morez.

Boswell was underwhelming IMO. Early on he passed up several open 3s to drive right back into the traffic that generated the kickout. He made a number of bad passes. That isn't counting the no look passes, which had he looked, he would have seen that they were off. They were caught by good hands on the receiver, giving the defense time to correct. They were not good (or even fair) passes. He did not seem to do a good job starting the offense either. Game grade: C-. I would not be surprised if he was down to 5-7 minutes off the bench by mid season. DGL is outplaying him on both ends. KJ can slide over to the 1. (Though KJ needs to tighten his dribble. Several Big10 guards will have a feast if he tries to bring it up alone.)
 
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