The Day After

Northside Hawk

Well-Known Member
Having had 24 hours to digest all that went down yesterday, I hope people realize just how massive a win that was on all levels. And how gut wrenching it would have been to lose.

Emotion: There was plenty of it. You could feel it listening on the radio which I was forced to do. The emotion level was up there with the 2014 Wisconsin SAFO game, the 2016 game where Yogi Ferrell ruined senior night, and the OT game vs Sparty a few years back.

If you sense a common theme there, those were all close games we lost. We usually did in Fran's first seven or eight years. In fact he had a .309 win percentage in games decided by six points or less between 2011 and 2018 (Bo Ryan's was .604 by comparison and it goes a long way towards explaining why we were always looking up at them in the standings)

Crowd Support: Massive. And it undoubtedly affected the players, especially Perkins. It could also have affected Illinois late. Gotta pack Carver for games like and players will respond.

Coaching: Fran outcoached Brad. Calling time out to get Murray and Sandfort back on the floor and cut it to one at the half was a gem of a move. Nursing Kris' foul situation with the delicacy of a cake decorater was another. Mixing defenses, a little 1-2-2, he was a maestro on the bench.

Do NOT underestimate what was at stake yesterday. Those players went at it like Ali-Frazier III. They knew what was stake.. In terms of emotion and the urgency of the situation, that was as big a regular season win as we've had possibly in the Fran era.

Why? Because we need this team to make waves. I sense a huge drop off next year until those incoming freshmen can come up to speed unless we get help in the portal.

Looking to rest of this year, I hope Fran gives the team a day or two off just to detox. They need to come back down to earth and get ready to put the nose to the grindstone again. They just had three games in seven days, all against teams who were in second place when they played them.

This team is going to be a tough out. Let's enjoy it while we can.
 
You could tell this game meant a little bit more by how they responded afterwards. A lot of hugs and embraces that you normally don't see after regular season games. Lol, for a minute there I thought Ulis and Perk were going to start making out. Even Kris, who is basically dead inside, a robot, was fist pumping and showing emotion throughout the game.

The downfall will be facing a team with size in the NCAA tournament. Not many teams can go 6'10, 6'10 and 6'9 across the frontline the way Illinois does, but the effort on rebounding and the inability to do routine box out stuff is problematic.
 
Most Excellent Analysis, Northside

In my opinion this is certainly Fran's best coaching season by far

The Hawks are fine-tuned, leagues beyond the mindset of the opponents

They are so In Sync that the opposition hasn't a clue what to do

Sometimes I get rather irritated when we don't get the ball to Kris, but the team
plays well without the crutch of needing him

Everybody on the floor for the Hawks can score one way or another

How you gonna guard Tony Perkins or Aaron Ulis, nobody knows where they are gonna go at any
point in the game

Kris and Peyton are masterful getting their shots

Dix is a gamer and Can be relied upon

Filip plays like he is a foot taller, and his attitude certainly has affected the team

I am not worried about next season, other than finding replacements for KRIS and Filip

Aaron and Tony will be strong seniors, Peyton and Dix will be better and able to continue to carry the Hawks

The four incoming recruits should, hopefully, be able to play from Game One

This is a Very Talented Crew with the ability to contribute quickly

It Will Be All Good

Outstanding Post, Northside, perhaps your best among many others

Glad you are on our side

:cool:
 
I don't watch a ton of college BB but I do watch some, mostly other B1G games. I was thinking about this last night after the game, it was easily the most exciting game that I've witnessed all year. Even ESPN had a story on it on their college BB page and termed it a "thriller". Rare mention from them.
 
Most Excellent Analysis, Northside

In my opinion this is certainly Fran's best coaching season by far

The Hawks are fine-tuned, leagues beyond the mindset of the opponents

They are so In Sync that the opposition hasn't a clue what to do

Sometimes I get rather irritated when we don't get the ball to Kris, but the team
plays well without the crutch of needing him

Everybody on the floor for the Hawks can score one way or another

How you gonna guard Tony Perkins or Aaron Ulis, nobody knows where they are gonna go at any
point in the game

Kris and Peyton are masterful getting their shots

Dix is a gamer and Can be relied upon

Filip plays like he is a foot taller, and his attitude certainly has affected the team

I am not worried about next season, other than finding replacements for KRIS and Filip

Aaron and Tony will be strong seniors, Peyton and Dix will be better and able to continue to carry the Hawks

The four incoming recruits should, hopefully, be able to play from Game One

This is a Very Talented Crew with the ability to contribute quickly

It Will Be All Good

Outstanding Post, Northside, perhaps your best among many others

Glad you are on our side

:cool:
Don’t forget PMAC!
 
You could tell this game meant a little bit more by how they responded afterwards. A lot of hugs and embraces that you normally don't see after regular season games. Lol, for a minute there I thought Ulis and Perk were going to start making out. Even Kris, who is basically dead inside, a robot, was fist pumping and showing emotion throughout the game.

The downfall will be facing a team with size in the NCAA tournament. Not many teams can go 6'10, 6'10 and 6'9 across the frontline the way Illinois does, but the effort on rebounding and the inability to do routine box out stuff is problematic.
We gotta get something, ANYTHING, from Mulvey and Ogendule before postseason starts. Even if it is as simple as what Josh contributed vs Purdue in last years CCG.

If Fran thought Mulvey was ready, he would have been playing more when PMac was out. One poster noted that Josh may be back practicing.

In the meantime Fran is going to ride Rebraca like he's Man-o-War and hope he can stay on the floor. So far, so good. Fran is good at sensing when fouls could become an issue and buying some possessions by going zone. It is also more difficult to rebound/box out when in zone.
 
I just don't see it that the Hawks gave some mystical effort more than usual. Murray gives a lot.

I think it got down to this. CM got into foul trouble and set down in a critical time. He is a huge scoring liability. His shooting is close to watching Petras this last year with no line. CM didn't do much beyond 2 assists. Mostly he feeds the post well. Wasn't going to be a real factor against IL.

That gives minutes to Payton. That puts more on responsibility on Perkins. IL going big couldn't match Perkins. Perkins didn't have to compete against CM.

Not giving Payton all credit. But the game changes. Hawks are 7-1 in Big when he gets over 20 minutes. He would not have done that with CM not sitting during when the game transitioned. CM had 0 rebounds. Murray had 7. Payton had 6 in way fewer minutes.

If the game didn't transition during CM sitting on the bench it would have looked like another so so performance getting smoked on the boards
 
I just don't see it that the Hawks gave some mystical effort more than usual. Murray gives a lot.

I think it got down to this. CM got into foul trouble and set down in a critical time. He is a huge scoring liability. His shooting is close to watching Petras this last year with no line. CM didn't do much beyond 2 assists. Mostly he feeds the post well. Wasn't going to be a real factor against IL.

That gives minutes to Payton. That puts more on responsibility on Perkins. IL going big couldn't match Perkins. Perkins didn't have to compete against CM.

Not giving Payton all credit. But the game changes. Hawks are 7-1 in Big when he gets over 20 minutes. He would not have done that with CM not sitting during when the game transitioned. CM had 0 rebounds. Murray had 7. Payton had 6 in way fewer minutes.

If the game didn't transition during CM sitting on the bench it would have looked like another so so performance getting smoked on the boards
Disagree. Both teams knew what was at stake in that game and played like it. And trying to sneak in another CMac attack isn't gonna fly either. And comparing him to Petras is ridiculous. If you think Connor didn't contribute much beyond two assists then I don't know what to tell you. He is like a coach on the floor.

Peyton is critical, agree 100%. And it hurt when he had to sit. He is a matchup nightmare.

It was an instant classic in my opinion based on the perfect storm of Perkins' career game, solid free throw shooting, cooling Illinois off just enough the last ten minutes, and Fran having one of his best days ever as a bench coach.

A complete team win, and if we get anything less from anyone we lose. And that was one of the key points of my post. We found a way to win the type of game that so often in the past we've found a way to lose.
 
Disagree. Both teams knew what was at stake in that game and played like it. And trying to sneak in another CMac attack isn't gonna fly either. And comparing him to Petras is ridiculous. If you think Connor didn't contribute much beyond two assists then I don't know what to tell you. He is like a coach on the floor.

Peyton is critical, agree 100%. And it hurt when he had to sit. He is a matchup nightmare.

It was an instant classic in my opinion based on the perfect storm of Perkins' career game, solid free throw shooting, cooling Illinois off just enough the last ten minutes, and Fran having one of his best days ever as a bench coach.

A complete team win, and if we get anything less from anyone we lose. And that was one of the key points of my post. We found a way to win the type of game that so often in the past we've found a way to lose.
Not an attack. Bb is about matchups and little things not easily seen. CM zero points and a rebounds. Not an attack but critical observation.
Disagree. Both teams knew what was at stake in that game and played like it. And trying to sneak in another CMac attack isn't gonna fly either. And comparing him to Petras is ridiculous. If you think Connor didn't contribute much beyond two assists then I don't know what to tell you. He is like a coach on the floor.

Peyton is critical, agree 100%. And it hurt when he had to sit. He is a matchup nightmare.

It was an instant classic in my opinion based on the perfect storm of Perkins' career game, solid free throw shooting, cooling Illinois off just enough the last ten minutes, and Fran having one of his best days ever as a bench coach.

A complete team win, and if we get anything less from anyone we lose. And that was one of the key points of my post. We found a way to win the type of game that so often in the past we've found a way to lose.
Likewise Iowa doesn't do as well when He gets fewer than 30 minutes. About even when 35 or over.

I believe I said it was his shooting in the fb comparison.

The game turned when he sat. Iowa at that time needed scoring and rebounding down the stretch. Feeding the post wasn't going to work.

Payton passes to open spaces. CM feeds the post. CM s 3 shooting is awkward. No discussion. Payton spreads the D. Connor collapses the D which was an issue against IL. Perkins had more room.
 
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Not an attack. Bb is about matchups and little things not easily seen. CM zero points and a rebounds. Not an attack but critical observation.

Likewise Iowa doesn't do as well when He gets fewer than 30 minutes. About even when 35 or over.

I believe I said it was his shooting in the fb comparison.

The game turned when he sat. Iowa at that time needed scoring and rebounding down the stretch. Feeding the post wasn't going to work.

Payton passes to open spaces. CM feeds the post. CM s 3 shooting is awkward. No discussion. Payton spreads the D. Connor collapses the D which was an issue against IL. Perkins had more room.
His shooting will always be awkward, but he has made some daggers. He is close to automatic at the line. He feeds perimeter shooter's pockets as well as he feeds the post.

He will make IQ plays even when he doesn't stuff stat sheets. And when he's gone next year Peyton will combine what he learned from Connor with his own natural talent and probably be our best all around player. Dix won't be far behind.
 
Connor plays his role quite well, floor leader, master of psychological warfare, for instance;
getting into the opponent's heads BigTime, All the Time and he can nail threes

Free throws are an afterthought with him

He and Jordan were the Dynamic Duo

Peyton is a dynamo on the court and compliments team members quite well and when
he is on, his threes and floor play will lead to a Win

Everyone on the floor is a valuable component, seems like they all have been there for years
even more that they actually are
 
His shooting will always be awkward, but he has made some daggers. He is close to automatic at the line. He feeds perimeter shooter's pockets as well as he feeds the post.

He will make IQ plays even when he doesn't stuff stat sheets. And when he's gone next year Peyton will combine what he learned from Connor with his own natural talent and probably be our best all around player. Dix won't be far behind.
Payton will have challenges scoring when defended by tall lank defenders and short strong ones that take his feet away.
 
After this weekend's play, two games separate second place (double bye in the conference tournament) and eleventh place (playing on first day). Included in that is a six way tie for third, which includes Iowa

Buckle up, it's going to be a wild month of February. We're going to need some conference road wins to avoid slipping into the muck. Purdue and Indiana will be tough. Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin will be opportunities. Our 1-4 conference road record must improve

Five of our last eight are on the road. That's yet another reason why yesterday was so critical.
 
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Especially sweet since Iowa had lost like five consecutive times to the boys from Champaign.
 
You could tell this game meant a little bit more by how they responded afterwards. A lot of hugs and embraces that you normally don't see after regular season games. Lol, for a minute there I thought Ulis and Perk were going to start making out. Even Kris, who is basically dead inside, a robot, was fist pumping and showing emotion throughout the game.

The downfall will be facing a team with size in the NCAA tournament. Not many teams can go 6'10, 6'10 and 6'9 across the frontline the way Illinois does, but the effort on rebounding and the inability to do routine box out stuff is problematic.
"The downfall will be facing a team with size in the NCAA tournament." Or a small and very quick team. Iowa doesn't have a typical 'defensive stopper' at any position, and Sandfort, Connor, PMac -- and even Perkins & Uhlis to a lesser but very real extent -- are liabilities vs quick players. Illinois' guards were getting past each and every one of 'em and getting whatever they wanted on Sunday.
 
There are some really great takes here. There are also some bad ones.

Connor being compared to Petras? Worst take in a long time. Connor is not in there for offense, he is in there for everything else. But he has been efficient scoring. His back to the hoop turn around is effective a couple times most games, and he is shooting 36% from 3. He makes good shot selections and they go in statistically as much as you reasonably hope for. He is the best passer. Period. Petras? Really? Bad take.

Iowa does not have good defenders? Iowa can't compete with bigger teams? Nope. How are we winning all these games then? Our starting 5 are all plus defenders. They are not THE quickest out there, but they are all smart and move their feet and play good team defense. Flip is undersized, but holds his own. The defense gives up a lot of points because Iowa scores a lot of points. Its the opposite of Iowa football. But, when Iowa imposes its style of game on a team like it did against Illinois, it wins. Iowa wins track meets.
 
I'm willing to bet this team doesn't take a huge step back next season. Maybe a slight step back but I wouldn't bet on a bottom half conference finish since Fran's only done that 3 times in 13 seasons and 2 of those were his first. I don't know much, but I know that predicting anything other than a top half finish for this program is a bad beat. Iowa continues to compete regardless of what they lose, NPOY, early NBA exits, doesn't seem to matter when you have a coach that develops at the rate of Fran.
 
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