Illinitalk

• Rebounding. This has come up several times, but the Illini just couldn't grab the ball. Western Kentucky out-rebounded the Illini 35-28, and had 9 offensive rebounds that were oftne converted to second chance points.
• Over-reliance on the 3. The Illini were 5 for 19 behind the arc. Shots weren't falling, but they didn't get inside where they had the size advantage.
• Finding the open guy. That's been the Illini calling card all season, but Thursday the Illini had assists on only 15 of 31 baskets. That's well below the assist average for the season. Much of this may have been due to Chester Frazier being out -- he was missed. But the Illini didn't have the flow we've seen much of the season.
• Cold shooting. The Illini did have plenty of the looks they wanted, but they were cold. And we've seen that happen to the whole team before, too. Not the best timing for everyone to struggle, though.

However, the Illini made the game interesting at the end, making a run based on suffocating defense that didn't show up until late in the game. There's no question that Chester's suffocating defense was missed, as Western Kentucky had too many open looks and drove inside much too easily. But the Illini didn't give up. Despite their struggles, they played hard.

The Illini play didn't merit moving on in the tournament, but then again, the Hilltoppers had their share of struggles, turnovers and miscues. But at the beginning of the season, we weren't sure if we had a team that would compete in the conference, let alone merit a tournament bid.

This team has been fun to cheer for all season (even if they were hard to watch at times). The seniors set the tone for teamwork and determination. The sophomores improved dramatically from their freshman year to allow the Illini to finish second in the Big Ten regular season. And this team proved that coaching and chemistry can make a team better than individual players.

So although the final game was painfully disappointing, thanks to the 2008-09 Illini team for a much better season than expected. Good luck to the graduating seniors, and to the rest of the team, we know you will work hard this summer. We look forward to next year...

Labels: Illini basketball

# posted by Alma Mater : 7:34 PM