First Day Eye Test

W

WinOneThisCentury

Well-Known Member
Illinois may be the best team in the B10. They looked really, really good. I know it was a cupcake, but they have added a few pieces that are going to make them really hard to defend. They also play defense...and man are they athletic.

Iowa looked about what I expected. I was kind of surprised that their half court offense wasn't more in sync, but that usually comes with a few tune up games. Murray looked really good for a freshman. He looks like he can really shoot it...so that's a real positive. Garza looks huge...damn...he is so strong in the lower body...he just moves people with ease.

Michigan State will be tough...maybe not as punishing down low as in the past...but they can shoot it.

This is going to be a tough league.
 
Iowa will finish 4th in the B1G and around #17 nationally in my opinion. Our defense and point guard play just aren’t strong enough compared to the best teams in the country.
 
I'm also leary of our team defense. Maybe showed some improvement, but man, we got gashed at least 2 dozen times with drives to the hoop. Not good.
 
WinOneThisCentury said:
Illinois may be the best team in the B10. They looked really, really good. I know it was a cupcake, but they have added a few pieces that are going to make them really hard to defend. They also play defense...and man are they athletic.

Iowa looked about what I expected. I was kind of surprised that their half court offense wasn't more in sync, but that usually comes with a few tune up games. Murray looked really good for a freshman. He looks like he can really shoot it...so that's a real positive. Garza looks huge...damn...he is so strong in the lower body...he just moves people with ease.

Michigan State will be tough...maybe not as punishing down low as in the past...but they can shoot it.

This is going to be a tough league.
Click to expand...
Illinois now playing Chicago State, the significance of which Chicago State is coached by former Hawkeye Rodell Davis.
 
Nothing displayed last night should give people pause about the expectations of this team. They played well, efficient and were able to string together stops.
 
In fact I’m a little more encouraged because I thought Patrick and Keegan both looked really good. We’re gonna have a lot of good depth this season and I’m guessing we’re gonna need it.
 
Nice to see freshman for the first time. Agree that JE Murray looks good. I was really impressed how the freshman Perkins looked. He looks fast, athletic and confident.
 
Currently catching a bit of Nevada vs Nebraska which means old pal Steve Afford.

Alford looks pretty comfortable wearing that mask. He should; he's been wearing one since he robbed the Iowa basketball program.

EDIT: Looks like Craig Neal could be reunited with Alford. Either that or that's Nick Lowe on his bench.
 
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WinOneThisCentury said:
Illinois may be the best team in the B10. They looked really, really good. I know it was a cupcake, but they have added a few pieces that are going to make them really hard to defend. They also play defense...and man are they athletic.

Iowa looked about what I expected. I was kind of surprised that their half court offense wasn't more in sync, but that usually comes with a few tune up games. Murray looked really good for a freshman. He looks like he can really shoot it...so that's a real positive. Garza looks huge...damn...he is so strong in the lower body...he just moves people with ease.

Michigan State will be tough...maybe not as punishing down low as in the past...but they can shoot it.

This is going to be a tough league.
Click to expand...
Nice analysis. Can they get better as the season goes on?
 
atomicblue224 said:
Nice analysis. Can they get better as the season goes on?
Click to expand...
I watched the entire first game and part of their second. If Iowa is the number 5 team in the land, Illinois should be #1. They hit a school-record 17 three's in the first game and had a freshman score 28 points, another school record. Rolled up 122 points in the first game. Picked right up the same way in the second game, without a day off. They look like a National Champion caliber team as much as it hurts me to say. They are fast and quick. I really, really don't like the way we match up with them at all!! If we don't play perimeter defense, they gonna get 50 layups agin us!
 
Positives: Keegan and P-Mac...now we know why Fran was talking about an 8-9 player rotation this year and not 7.
Negatives: Guard defense has a Talking Heads vibe: same as it ever was. Ugh. Also didn't like to see NCC guards blowing by Toussaint -- supposedly Iowa's best on-ball defender. Fran really should have hired a defensive-minded assistant head coach when he had a staff opening a couple years ago.
 
Yeah...watched a little of Illinois again. Underwood's teams play defense...and they are athletic as hell and deep. Take from that what you want. They are going to rough us up at the guard position...lock down Bohannon so he gets no looks...and double Luka with whomever is guarding Weiskamp. Joe is going to have to hit shots.

Cofi isn't going to be able to handle Garza down low or on the perimeter...so we do have some advantages. I just don't think we have anyone who can guard their guards one on one.

I didn't expect Illinois to be as deep as they are...they just roll people off the bench that look the part. The other thing I noticed...they are in shape. Garza wore Cofi and Kashi down last year in both games...just exhausted them. They are in shape this year...they were both running their asses off and didn't seem winded.
 
Garza looks like he can just pick his #. I mean he is to the point where he has a move for anything a defender tries to do to him. Tell me if there's been a more unguardable one on one player in college basketball? You have to double him/prevent him from getting the ball. That's all you can do as the other team.

The great thing about this team is even if say one guy is cold shooting be it CM or JBo there's two or 3 other guys that will most likely be hot. CJ I don't think will have many cold games. I think we need to run more plays for him and get him more touches frankly. He's a weapon. JW however he probably got off to the most frustrating of starts. We'll need better overall games out of him and I'm sure we will
 
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