UI 64, Cornell 60: Just the facts
What happened
Despite a 16-point loss to UNLV on Saturday, Illinois stayed in the Top 25
polls Monday. Voters aren’t playing close enough attention. The Illini
haven’t looked like a Top 25 team since beating Gonzaga on Dec. 3. Their
struggles continued as Cornell built a 10-point lead and hung tough before
succumbing to the Illini’s superior athletes.
What it means
Opponents are figuring out what works against Illinois. UNLV switched
everything on defense. Cornell switched between zone and man-to-man
defenses. Both seemed to confuse the Illini decision-makers. "Our young
guys are not sure of what we’re doing yet (on offense)," Bruce Weber said.
Meyers Leonard had a career-high 16 rebounds.
What the Illini said
“Any time you get a team with local players – with all their family and
friends – they’re going to play at a high level.” –Weber on Cornell, which
had several players from the Midwest
What the Big Red said
“I know they had been shooting a lot of jumpshots. So we knew their
emphasis was going to be getting it inside (near) the basket.” –Coach Bill
Courtney
What’s next
No. 25 Illinois vs. No. 9 Missouri at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on
Thursday (8, ESPN2). The Tigers are looking for their first three-game
Braggin’ Rights winning streak since 1999. After a relative lull in the
series, both rivals will be ranked for their annual showdown for the
second straight season.
I agree that Thomas may already be looking around and have a coach in his pocket to replace Weber with come spring. Weber was handed a sweet deal with Self's players when he got here and the player's hunger and drive propelled them to great heights. But since then Weber has dragged down this basketball program to where Illinois has a mediocre 44-44 record in the Big Ten conference since 2006-07 (losing record of 35-37 since '07-'08). Thomas would look at that and say Illinois prides themselves on being a basketball school and that's the best Weber has been able to accomplish in 5 years --> NOT acceptable. Weber has run out of excuses. Next!!! Pull a winner out of your pocket, Mike!
Well said DaisyJ! Add Duke to that list too. I got this strange feeling we will be experiencing dejavu all over again with how this basketball season plays out - very similar to the football season; play a bunch of cream puffs, get in a signature win (Gonzaga as it was with AZ State), and finish .500 for the season. Hope I'm wrong! Prove me wrong Illini!
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