Illinitalk: Can You Handle It?

Monday, January 07, 2008

Can You Handle It?

OK, Illini Nation, this is going to be one of those basketball seasons that separates the die-hard from the fair-weather fans. Three consecutive losses at the Hall -- unheard of in this era of Illini basketball. (Although I do remember when we were last in the Big Ten...)

Many of the pieces are there:

Great defense that allows us to hang in there with almost anyone. In fact, take Butler off the court, and the Illini were right there with tOSU.
Exciting rebounding -- even if it did disappear against Penn State.
A strong inside game. Shaun Pruitt has had some monster games, and Brian Randle has some shining moments, as well. In fact, Randle didn't even get a foul until the second half against the Buckeyes. And the freshmen are showing promise for the future.
An improving ability to drive inside. McCamey is starting to play this game better, as demonstrated in the effort to come back against the Nittany Lions.
Sharp passing and great ball movement, even against zone defense. The ball just doesn't always get inside.
Our outside shooting isn't as strong as hoped, but Meacham, Brock and McCamey have all had streaks where they were "on."

But the puzzle just isn't coming together as expected. So what's a fan to do?

In my opinion, a struggling team needs support from their fans more than frustrated criticism. I'll focus on the former and let let the coaching staff take care of the latter. This may not be an easy year to cheer for our boys, but they are still our boys. There is great promise for the future, and there are still guys that want to play for the Orange and Blue (like Luther's little bro).

So what about you? Are you a strong enough fan to hang in through this season? Can you take the heartbreaking losses? I hope you are. Don't wimp out on these boys -- they still wear our colors.

Go Illini!

Labels: Illini basketball

# posted by Alma Mater : 7:34 PM

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Monday, January 07, 2008

Can You Handle It?

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