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 But I’m not going to sugar-coat it-it
was not what most fans were looking for. In many ways Illinois was
more than fortunate to come out a winner in this one. The stat sheet
will tell you that the Illini were safely in with a final score of
78-70, but the reality is this game came as close to getting into
the loss column as a game can get.
The Illini did take a 30-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.
But you didn’t feel as good about it as you’d like to. I know I need
to pump the brakes a little bit as this was only the first game, but
I just expect a little more from our guys with their experience. We
had a few more turnovers and breakdowns than I’m comfortable with.
On the other hand, as Illini color man Doug Altenberger said, it
takes time to develop a team.
The Good We Took Away
-Andres Feliz played like a senior and rescued this win from the
jaws of defeat. How ‘bout this for an opening night line=23 points,
11 rebounds, and 8-for-10 at the free throw line!
-Ayo Dosunmu had 21 points to go along with 7 rebounds.
-Giorgi Bezhanishvili tallied 11 points and hauled down 4 rebounds.
-Freshman center Kofi Cockburn looks like he’s what he was
advertised to be, a beast in the paint. Kofi went for a
double-double in his Illini debut with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2
blocks!
-Alan Griffin also had a nice game. He had 7 points with 5 rebounds
in only 16 minutes of action. His outstanding hustle plays made a
difference when he was on the floor.
-Trent Frazier did not have his best game with only 4 points, 4
rebounds and 4 assists. However, he hit the 2 crucial free throws
that sent the game to overtime to even give the Illini a chance to
escape. I can’t over-emphasize how big that was!
-Loved the rebounding margin! 53-23! That right there should’ve been
enough to put this game out of reach.
[to top of second column] |
The Bad We’d Like to Forget
-Way too many turnovers-23 to be exact. For a team that has good
guards with experience that is unacceptable. That number at a
minimum should be reduced in half. In fact, this team should be
able to keep that number in single digits. I’m not saying they
will, I’m saying they’re skilled enough to keep that number
down. Good thing I’m not manning a whistle at today’s practice.
-Too many lulls. One thing I’d like to see this team rid itself
of is going a few possessions without scoring. Not sure what
strategy they will employ. I like the one that calls for at
least a post touch every other trip down the floor. Some teams
have it every third trip. Some teams do that same thing with
attacking the basket every 2nd or 3rd trip. I’d just like to see
an intentional plan to keep from getting in one of those ruts.
Again, it is the first game and playing lots of players it is
sometimes hard to find a rhythm.
At any rate, the Illini somehow salvaged the win. And in many
ways that is the bottom line. We don’t want to overreact. We
don’t want to go overboard. And it is sometimes hard to see the
big picture during the first few games of the season.
Next up for the Illini is the wild west road trip. Illinois will
take on Grand Canyon University on Friday and then will tackle
Arizona on Sunday night. [By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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