Thursday, March 18, 2010
Survive and Advance
The Illini visited Long Island and Stony Brook, and they walked into a classic trap game. And they looked like it.
Their disappointment at being in the NIT instead of the NCAA was palpable. And their travel schedule seemed to be a bit much for them. They essentially were sleepwalking through the first several minutes of the game.
Stony Brook, on the other hand, made the most of their first nationally televised game in school history. Their fans filled the gym and made plenty of noise. And the Seawolves played their hearts out. The America East conference champions are a solid team, with excellent shooting, sound rebounding and plenty of hustle.
The Illini were sloppy. With 17 turnovers, the assist-to-turnover ratio was 1. Mike Davis played well, and led the Illini in scoring. But he also had some lazy passes and turnovers that were hard to watch. Demetri McCamey ended with a strong night. Although his scoring was needed, his assists were perhaps even more important. Mike Tisdale hit some big shots, including a couple 3s. And D.J. Richardson also ended in double figures. But the whole team was out-hustled, and they had to work to get ahead and keep the lead.
But, it's March. And even if it is the NIT, the name of the game is still survive and advance. Ugly as it was, the with still means the Illini will play another game. So bring on Kent State. At home, as it should be for a 1 seed in this tournament.
Which reminds me, one of the highlights of the night, in my opinion, was the "Cirque du P.A." piece on SportsCenter that kicked the anchors out of their studio for the Illini NIT segment. A bit embarrassing to have the Illini made fun of like that, but it was a clever piece.
Ok, boys, you got the disappointment out of your system, I hope. You have what it takes to win this tournament. Prove it.
Go Illini!
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Their disappointment at being in the NIT instead of the NCAA was palpable. And their travel schedule seemed to be a bit much for them. They essentially were sleepwalking through the first several minutes of the game.
Stony Brook, on the other hand, made the most of their first nationally televised game in school history. Their fans filled the gym and made plenty of noise. And the Seawolves played their hearts out. The America East conference champions are a solid team, with excellent shooting, sound rebounding and plenty of hustle.
The Illini were sloppy. With 17 turnovers, the assist-to-turnover ratio was 1. Mike Davis played well, and led the Illini in scoring. But he also had some lazy passes and turnovers that were hard to watch. Demetri McCamey ended with a strong night. Although his scoring was needed, his assists were perhaps even more important. Mike Tisdale hit some big shots, including a couple 3s. And D.J. Richardson also ended in double figures. But the whole team was out-hustled, and they had to work to get ahead and keep the lead.
But, it's March. And even if it is the NIT, the name of the game is still survive and advance. Ugly as it was, the with still means the Illini will play another game. So bring on Kent State. At home, as it should be for a 1 seed in this tournament.
Which reminds me, one of the highlights of the night, in my opinion, was the "Cirque du P.A." piece on SportsCenter that kicked the anchors out of their studio for the Illini NIT segment. A bit embarrassing to have the Illini made fun of like that, but it was a clever piece.
Ok, boys, you got the disappointment out of your system, I hope. You have what it takes to win this tournament. Prove it.
Go Illini!
Labels: Illini basketball, NIT
# posted by Alma Mater : 10:09 PM
Monday, March 15, 2010
Next Illini Try: NIT
As the brackets were revealed I was very disappointed, although not totally surprised, that the Illini didn't make the NCAA. They had plenty of opportunities to secure a spot, but they couldn't get it done.
But for those who like to point fingers and blame others, I'd point to Michigan. Had they put more pressure on tOSU last Friday in the last 3.2 seconds, Evan Turner may not have gotten off the game winning shot. The way the Illini played Saturday, they likely would have been able to beat Michigan. That puts them in the Big Ten Championship. As far as the Committee is concerned, I think they have to put any team playing in that game on a line somewhere. They simply don't have time to make any changes between the end of that game (or even halftime) and the beginning of the Selection Show.
However, there were plenty of games that slipped away that could have put the Illini in long before this past weekend.
A #1 seed in the NIT isn't what the Illini had hoped for, but let's take it.
First up, Stony Brook. The Illini play Wednesday in Connecticut. (They could have hosted the game, but Assembly Hall is booked by Cirque du Soleil.) If the Illini play like they did at the Big Ten Tournament, they could make a strong run in the NIT. A trip to NYC isn't completely out of the question. But if they play like they did the last 2 weeks of the regular season, they could have plenty of time to enjoy spring break on some beach, somewhere.
Go Illini!
|
But for those who like to point fingers and blame others, I'd point to Michigan. Had they put more pressure on tOSU last Friday in the last 3.2 seconds, Evan Turner may not have gotten off the game winning shot. The way the Illini played Saturday, they likely would have been able to beat Michigan. That puts them in the Big Ten Championship. As far as the Committee is concerned, I think they have to put any team playing in that game on a line somewhere. They simply don't have time to make any changes between the end of that game (or even halftime) and the beginning of the Selection Show.
However, there were plenty of games that slipped away that could have put the Illini in long before this past weekend.
A #1 seed in the NIT isn't what the Illini had hoped for, but let's take it.
First up, Stony Brook. The Illini play Wednesday in Connecticut. (They could have hosted the game, but Assembly Hall is booked by Cirque du Soleil.) If the Illini play like they did at the Big Ten Tournament, they could make a strong run in the NIT. A trip to NYC isn't completely out of the question. But if they play like they did the last 2 weeks of the regular season, they could have plenty of time to enjoy spring break on some beach, somewhere.
Go Illini!
Labels: Big Ten Tournament, Illini basketball, NIT
# posted by Alma Mater : 7:35 PM
