Sunday, February 21, 2010

That's More Like It

Despite the loss, the Illini played much, much better at Purdue Saturday, especially compared to their performance against Ohio State before their week off.

Yes, the Illini left themselves plenty of room for improvement. Poor rebounding allowing the Boilermakers way too many second chance points. Inability to get to the free throw line skewed these stats heavily in Purdue's favor, as well. And turnovers hurt, too.

But, the Illini were playing one of the top teams in the country on the road, and they made a fantastic game of it. And don't forget that Matt Painter's team dominated the Illini during the second half of their game played in Champaign. This was a much tougher game for Purdue.

And because of that, there was plenty to like about the way Bruce Weber's boys played.
After the game, Coach Weber expressed his pride in the game his team played. It would have been a huge win, but Purdue, at full strength, is the class of the Conference. And perhaps the country.

As the Illini head into the home stretch of the conference season, they have a tough schedule. But if they play like they did this weekend, they can come into the conference tournament in strong shape.

Go Illini!

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# posted by Alma Mater : 1:18 PM


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