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Kendrick Nunn led four players in double figures
with 21, Malcolm Hill chipped in 15, Ahmad Starks contributed 13 and
Leron Black added 12 to pace the Illini to victory. Kadeem Jack led
the Scarlet Knights with 17, and he is really a load, while Myles
Mack threw in 16 and is an accomplished senior in his own right.
When Rutgers finds a 3rd scoring option they will be even more
formidable. Though one thing I learned in my early days of coaching
is-nobody feels sorry for you…ever!
With the win Illinois finally reached the .500 mark at 5-5 in the
league with 8 games left to play. Let's remember what a stinky hand
the league office, in beautiful downtown Rosemont, IL, dealt the
Illini this season. In case you've forgotten, the Illinois slate
included 4 of the first 5 on the road. Are you kidding me? Nobody
wants to whine and as I said earlier no one feels sorry for anybody,
but, that seems excessive to me. In a league like ours, road wins
are even tougher than they are in other places throughout the
country-and they’re not easy there. So, it seems like you really
handcuff a team, by putting them in a huge hole to start their
conference season. I get that nobody cares, but it appears that has
been the story of our schedule the last few seasons. What is up with
that? [to top of second column] |
In the midst of all that, the Illini has ridden the storm out
and actually gone 5-3 since Rayvonte Rice went down with a
broken left hand in early January. Now the Illini have clawed
all the way back to even and have at least a chance to get into
the hunt and maybe into the mix. However they still need to make
more stops on defense, not let teams take the ball to the basket
so easily, and they need to limit teams to one forced, contested
shot per possession. Offensively, they need to execute better,
avoid too many empty possessions, and stay away from long
scoring droughts.
There usually isn't much of a silver lining when starters are
injured or suspended. But there sure has been in this case.
Hill, Nunn, Cosby, Starks and others have all stepped up their
game since Rice went down. That could bode well for Illinois
down the stretch. However, we need more of them to show up each
and every night. With all the injuries we can’t have guys
disappear-they all need to stand-up front and center!
Next up is a tough road tilt at MSU on Saturday. Some pundits
say that if Illinois goes 4-4 the rest of the way, which makes
winning at home and absolute must, the Illini could get into the
dance at 9-9. I hate playing with bubbles, but clawing,
scratching, grinding and jousting, may be our ticket in the
weeks ahead! [By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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