Rapid Reaction - Illinois

[Degaz-RU]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

 

[carmenst]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

Spot on !

 

[RUfanSinceAnderson]

Been saying this since game 1; we are a poor rebounding team. Today is showed up bigly.

 

[biazza38]

Minute distribution is off. Way off.
Williams needs to play more
Hyatt shoot less
Gavin get more PT
Not sure about Noah
Coach needs to figure out who the pg is because I have no clue.
I completely forgot about Derek Simpson
What else can we pile on to this

 

[read option]

This is not a tourney team. Period. At this stage of the program that’s really all that matters. 2024 will be exciting; this season won’t be.

 

[zappaa]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

Cliff is freighting with ball 10 feet from basket

 

[shields]

Cliff was horrible.

 

[Shell21]

i’m not sure why we start Wolf if he’s not going to rebound anyways and we r getting killed on the boards regardless. Might as well go with Gavin or someone else and just run and put more shooters on the court

 

[richthedentist]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

Agree 5 x over

 

[RU MAN]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

Good post. Cliff IMO has regressed. He doesn’t understand how to use the backboard to hit angles left and right.He tries to shoot without usind the backboard and either shoots over the basket or airballs it. He lacks moves and can’t hit a basic 7 foot shot.

 

[richthedentist]

i’m not sure why we start Wolf if he’s not going to rebound anyways and we r getting killed on the boards regardless. Might as well go with Gavin or someone else and just run and put more shooters on the court

Agreed we have scored 2 points in the first 4 minutes of each half with that lineup the last 2 games I wrote that that line up would put us in a hole and sure enough Pikell coaching has been god awful this year

 

[RU MAN]

As for Pike always stressing defense, why haven’t the kids learned to block out. Illinois had second, third and fourth chances at the basket.

 

[zappaa]

i’m not sure why we start Wolf if he’s not going to rebound anyways and we r getting killed on the boards regardless. Might as well go with Gavin or someone else and just run and put more shooters on the court

We all thought Wolf would be a very good rebounder at the 4

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

Good post. Cliff IMO has regressed. He doesn’t understand how to use the backboard to hit angles left and right.He tries to shoot without usind the backboard and either shoots over the basket or airballs it. He lacks moves and can’t hit a basic 7 foot shot.

Also, although he appears stronger, he often gets pushed around. Danga made him look like a rag doll today

 

[ScarletDave]

Still no offense plays. Just one-on-ones that are either drives to the hoop weak going up and get blocked by our tiny guards, throw inside to Cliff and he tosses it wildly at the hoop over his head, and an occasional pull-up mid range by Derrick or Hyatt or Gavin. That’s it. Not gonna win many games that way.

 

[RU MAN]

Another thing thing about Pike coached teams. Why do they ALWAYS come out so slow and cold??? After we came back at the end of the first half only down five l, I thought with getting the ball first we would come out with our hair on fire. Just the opposite. I think we scored 3, count ‘em 3 lousy points in the first 6 minutes. That’s how you lose.

Is Pike even capable of ever fixing that? And I say this because I love the guy. But this has to stop.

 

[higgins3]

Williams is in because spike needs rebounding guards. Problem is he is not that quick and struggles to breaks down defenders.

 

[RUskoolie]

We lost 4 starters from last year (including 2 who bailed on us after the portal window basically) and we replaced them with a couple of mercenaries and freshman (none of which are major impact guys at the moment). We look like a pick up team at the YMCA against similar or tougher competition.

IMO, keep your expectations low. I think this is a .500 team at best. No leadership, no dogs (like the way Williams plays). That was a total *** kicking and I don't think it will be the last.

 

[RUskoolie]

As for Pike always stressing defense, why haven’t the kids learned to block out. Illinois had second, third and fourth chances at the basket.

Our guards got eaten alive on the boards. Everyone watched the tournament and watched these little gnat guards dominate, so we traded out our 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 guards for 6-2, 6-3 and 5-11 and it shows. They are getting eaten alive on the glass.

 

[higgins3]

Just heard on nnightline average age of Illini is 24!!! Our team is young. They will get better when we have a rebounder or a couple emerge.

 

[Shell21]

We all thought Wolf would be a very good rebounder at the 4

and now we have enough of a sample size to say he’s not

 

[RU MAN]

Our guards got eaten alive on the boards. Everyone watched the tournament and watched these little gnat guards dominate, so we traded out our 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 guards for 6-2, 6-3 and 5-11 and it shows. They are getting eaten alive on the glass.

True, they are. But the rest of the team got *****-slapped too.

 

[Rufaninga]

I think we take our lumps early until Mag gets back. Some guys are getting more minutes & experience early & will benefit us as season goes on.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

Our guards got eaten alive on the boards. Everyone watched the tournament and watched these little gnat guards dominate, so we traded out our 6-4, 6-7, 6-7 guards for 6-2, 6-3 and 5-11 and it shows. They are getting eaten alive on the glass.

Not only that..but our big guards actually did rebound and hid the rebounding deficiencies of Cliff and Hyatt.

 

[G- RUnit]

Not only that..but our big guards actually did rebound and hid the rebounding deficiencies of Cliff and Hyatt.

And Woolfolk.

 

[Rutgers25]

Pike is not an offensive coach. Reminds me of a John Cheney type, which can work, but also can be brutal to watch. The rebounding issue is a function of roster make up. Disappointed in Wolf’s rebounding.

Gavin is very skilled offensively but gets bullied on D. His intensity level needs to go up and he needs to get stronger. With that said, he needs to be featured more on offense given how incompetent we are. I can’t believe Pike thinks a gameplan that starts with feeding Cliff in the post is a good one.

 

[kcg88]

I'm shocked to learn that forcing ten second calls against terrible teams doesn't translate to success in the Big Ten.

 

[Saint Puppy]

Just heard on nnightline average age of Illini is 24!!! Our team is young. They will get better when we have a rebounder or a couple emerge.

That can’t be true - they may have some older players, but 24 as an average is way off the charts.

 

[RUich]

Apparently, Rutgers is not into offense in our major sports.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

A few thoughts:

-We can‘t play more than one small guard at a time. Either Austin Williams or Gavin need to be on the court with any one of Fernandes, Simpson and JMike.
-We need to de-emphasize Cliff on offense. Get him some lobs, pick and rolls and otherwise make him a decoy.
-Our rebounding is atrocious, I don’t even have any ideas about what to do about this.
-We need to play Gavin 30+ minutes a game and feature him on offense. He is our only competent offensive player, and only guy who knows how to get off a good shot. If we continue to feature Hyatt and Simpson shooting 35% overall and in the 20s on threes, we will be hard pressed to beat any BIG teams.

 

[Degaz-RU]

A few additional points:

6. Austin Williams ignited the rally in the first half with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Outstanding half for AW.

7. But instead of adjusting the lineup for the second half to include the one guy who was producing, Pike goes back to the same starting 5 that spotted Illinois a 16-2 lead in the first five minutes of the first half. And Illinois proceeds to outscore us 17-6 in the first 7 minutes of the second half, which burgeoned to 23-6 midway through the second half.

8. If you combine the two Illinois runs at the start of each half, we were outscored 39-8 in those 15 or so minutes.

9. Pike has seemingly designed an offense focused on feeding Cliff in the post. But Cliff has NEVER proven — in 3+ years — to have a consistent offensive game in the post. This is a HUGE miscalculation by Pike. It NEVER works. The entry passes either lead to a deflection and TO, or Cliff yaks the shot. I’d like to see the stat showing the percentage of success when we attempt to feed Cliff in the post. It is most certainly low, VERY low. Pike needs to pivot away from this strategy and come up with something else. Or else this team is DOA before January.

10. Since Mag went down with injury, we have now lost four straight Big Ten games at the RAC dating back to last year, three of which were by double figures. In those games, we have scored 72 (against a poor Nebraska team), 45, 53, and today’s 58, for an average of 57 points. That stat speaks for itself. Our offense is just horrid.

11. This game was a measuring stick type of game. Illinois is a really good team, but they haven’t really been overwhelming this year, and we were at home. We failed miserably, and all of the flaws in this team were exposed for the world to see. Unfortunately, barring a significant change of fortune for this offense, it looks like we will be a bottom half of the Big Ten team, and we will probably be one of about six teams vying for a Bottom 4 finish.

 

[RUDiddy777]

I think we take our lumps early until Mag gets back. Some guys are getting more minutes & experience early & will benefit us as season goes on.

This is where I am. No sugarcoating today’s disaster. Shot poorly, rebounded even worse and pissed away a winnable game against a top 25 team. Forget it and move on. Lots of season left. Still time to figure it out.

 

[fatsam98]

A few additional points:

6. Austin Williams ignited the rally in the first half with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Outstanding half for AW.

7. But instead of adjusting the lineup for the second half to include the one guy who was producing, Pike goes back to the same starting 5 that spotted Illinois a 16-2 lead in the first five minutes of the first half. And Illinois proceeds to outscore us 17-6 in the first 7 minutes of the second half, which burgeoned to 23-6 midway through the second half.

8. If you combine the two Illinois runs at the start of each half, we were outscored 39-8 in those 15 or so minutes.

9. Pike has seemingly designed an offense focused on feeding Cliff in the post. But Cliff has NEVER proven — in 3+ years — to have a consistent offensive game in the post. This is a HUGE miscalculation by Pike. It NEVER works. The entry passes either lead to a deflection and TO, or Cliff yaks the shot. I’d like to see the stat showing the percentage of success when we attempt to feed Cliff in the post. It is most certainly low, VERY low. Pike needs to pivot away from this strategy and come up with something else. Or else this team is DOA before January.

10. Since Mag went down with injury, we have now lost four straight Big Ten games at the RAC dating back to last year, three of which were by double figures. In those games, we have scored 72 (against a poor Nebraska team), 45, 53, and today’s 58, for an average of 57 points. That stat speaks for itself. Our offense is just horrid.

11. This game was a measuring stick type of game. Illinois is a really good team, but they haven’t really been overwhelming this year, and we were at home. We failed miserably, and all of the flaws in this team were exposed for the world to see. Unfortunately, barring a significant change of fortune for this offense, it looks like we will be a bottom half of the Big Ten team, and we will probably be one of about six teams vying for a Bottom 4 finish.

7 and 9 are what I cant get my head around.

I'm sure it must have been mentioned in the game day thread, but how on earth did he go back to the original starting five coming out of the half?

 

[Nycrusupporter]

This is where I am. No sugarcoating today’s disaster. Shot poorly, rebounded even worse and pissed away a winnable game against a top 25 team. Forget it and move on. Lots of season left. Still time to figure it out.

Winnable game? This game was not even as close as the final score, it was not ”winnable”.

 

[G- RUnit]

This is where I am. No sugarcoating today’s disaster. Shot poorly, rebounded even worse and pissed away a winnable game against a top 25 team. Forget it and move on. Lots of season left. Still time to figure it out.

Another poor foul shooting game too.
AWilliams a nice game.
GG looked decent.
First half press and half court D nice.
Cliff and Woolfolk hurting us.
Sad when Oskar is a highlight.
Illini might be very good. Big and good shooters though might be vulnerable with great guard play like us in spurts or Marquette.
R rebounding was ridiculous. Woolfolk has to get rebounds. We know what Cliff is.
Poor foul shooting.
JMike plays great D but absolutely kills us with no O.
RAC was the RAC today. Shame.

 

[Scangg]

We cannot start Wolf at the 4. Your backup 5 starting at the 4 cannot have 1 rebound followed by 2 rebounds. We are getting doubled up on the glass. They had more offensive rebounds than we had defensive rebounds. Embarrassing.

We need Mag.

Slow starts every single game. Wolf starts every single game.

We don't run plays. We force it to Cliff who can't score. Gavin is the only effective legit offensive weapon and we don't use him

Williams showed heart and toughness

The RAC was DYING to explode. Team just can't start both halves doing absolutely nothing offensively

 

[FIJI'83]

A few additional points:

6. Austin Williams ignited the rally in the first half with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Outstanding half for AW.

7. But instead of adjusting the lineup for the second half to include the one guy who was producing, Pike goes back to the same starting 5 that spotted Illinois a 16-2 lead in the first five minutes of the first half. And Illinois proceeds to outscore us 17-6 in the first 7 minutes of the second half, which burgeoned to 23-6 midway through the second half.

8. If you combine the two Illinois runs at the start of each half, we were outscored 39-8 in those 15 or so minutes.

9. Pike has seemingly designed an offense focused on feeding Cliff in the post. But Cliff has NEVER proven — in 3+ years — to have a consistent offensive game in the post. This is a HUGE miscalculation by Pike. It NEVER works. The entry passes either lead to a deflection and TO, or Cliff yaks the shot. I’d like to see the stat showing the percentage of success when we attempt to feed Cliff in the post. It is most certainly low, VERY low. Pike needs to pivot away from this strategy and come up with something else. Or else this team is DOA before January.

10. Since Mag went down with injury, we have now lost four straight Big Ten games at the RAC dating back to last year, three of which were by double figures. In those games, we have scored 72 (against a poor Nebraska team), 45, 53, and today’s 58, for an average of 57 points. That stat speaks for itself. Our offense is just horrid.

11. This game was a measuring stick type of game. Illinois is a really good team, but they haven’t really been overwhelming this year, and we were at home. We failed miserably, and all of the flaws in this team were exposed for the world to see. Unfortunately, barring a significant change of fortune for this offense, it looks like we will be a bottom half of the Big Ten team, and we will probably be one of about six teams vying for a Bottom 4 finish.

Agree with everything you wrote. And it was so predictable that Pikell would rollout the same starting 5 to start the 2nd half - which can’t score at all - that began the game and let Illinois get off to a 14-2 run to begin the game. By doing so he closed the door on a competitive game. When it comes to strategizing and Xs and Os, Pikell is clueless.

 

[Saint Puppy]

1. Illinois is flat out a better team with better players. Period.

2. We had no answer for Terrence Shannon, Jr. or that Domask kid (where did HE come from??). And Illinois’ weave offense consistently got them open looks, whether getting downhill or passing out to open shooters.

3. We got MURDERED in the boards. As of this moment, we’re getting outrebounded 53-27, and Illinois has 18 offensive rebounds. Our starting PF has 2 rebounds after only getting 1 against St. Peter’s.

4. Cliff was AWFUL. He gets decent looks in the post but has zero dexterity or ability to finish inside 10 feet or at the rim.

5. We got exposed with our small players.

More later

We definitely played a better team today, BUT definitely a winnable game at the RAC - and NO WAY we should have gotten blown out the way we did.

Yes our rebounding was atrocious today - the eye test just said they were just the physically more imposing team - ESPECIALLY at guard. JMike, Noah and Derek just all small size and wide - literally looked like Men vs Boys at times. That being said when you are going against a monster team you must emphasize BOXING OUT - that was not happening today and it showed. Basic fundamental that would have helped us immensely against a great rebounding team like Illinois.

Cliff is a nightmare on offense if he's not dunking - unfortunately always has been. There should not be half court sets where he gets the ball, is backing his man down low and taking a hook (or whatever shot he is going to brick). He needs to pass out almost all the time - it is losing basketball having him try to take someone down low unless he can dunk.

Gavin needs minutes - he can't do this, he can't do that, etc.......what he can do is score! We need someone who can score.

Not a big Austin Williams fan, but it worked today he should have continued being out there. As a coach how can you take him off the floor after the way he played???? He should have been out there more today and that's simple.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Winnable game? This game was not even as close as the final score, it was not ”winnable”.

Definitely winnable…if we don’t shoot 20 for 60 or spot them 26 boards - yielding them 14 more shots. Illinois played well, we played horribly. Offense unwatchable.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Definitely winnable…if we don’t shoot 20 for 60 or spot them 26 boards - yielding them 14 more shots. Illinois played well, we played horribly. Offense unwatchable.

Yes, and if we shot 60% for the year, and 50% from 3, we would go undefeated and win the national championship . . . Except we will never do that. We haven’t shot well or rebounded well all year, and we finally played a good team and got smoked, and it wasn’t even as close as the score would indicate.