Illini grade vs. Missouri: B plus
Our take on the Illini's 78-74 loss to Missouri:
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Joseph Bertrand, Illinois
His career-high 19 points — on perfect shooting — almost rallied Illinois to an improbable victory. As it was, the News-Gazette All-Stater from Sterling guaranteed more playing time in the Big Ten.
BACKCOURT
Illinois B plus
Missouri B plus
The Pressey brothers had Player of the Game wrapped up until Phil went out of control. Illini were able to keep turnoves to a minimum but made some costly mistakes when the game was on the line.
FRONTCOURT
Illinois A minus
Missouri B
Bob Knight, who knows a thing or two about basketball, seemed puzzled that Meyers Leonard was not getting the ball in the first half. Maybe he talked to the team at the break.
BENCH
Illinois A minus
Missouri B plus
Without Bertrand, Illinois loses by 20. Without Michael Dixon, Missouri drops from the ranks of the unbeaten. The guard shoots free throws like Rick Barry (ask your parents).
OVERALL
Illinois B plus
Missouri B
Wow. Going to get lots of comments after this one. Many will be positive (JB). Many will be negative. Admitting I was ready to give up the ship more than once, it was an incredible comeback. Just wondering if it will EVER seem like we get to more loose balls in a tight game. Mizzou is as fast a team as you'll see. We struggled containing drives to the basket, but so have and will many others. For all those who point fingers at specific plays or situations that "cost us the game", just think of what Mizzou fans were saying when they had us by the throat and let us get back into the game with multiple poor possessions.
I know exactly what you mean. I still have no clue how these "grades" are calculated.
The Illini are give a B+, A-, A- and somehow end up with a B+. Based on the grades, shouldn't it be a A-?
Mizzou is given a B+, B, B+ and somehow end up with a B. Sure seems it should be a B+.
I was at the game. And I was pleased with our fight. But you can't give the Illini a B+ grade for the game. Yes, the expectations were low. But it was clear to everyone there that the quicker team who played better defense and had more open looks was Missouri. The reason the Illini comeback was so exciting is because we appeared to be outmatched. We had no quickness to defend them on the dribble. We had very poor help defense. We cannot create anything on offense because we operate a very slow and deliberate offense on the perimeter. At least Bertrand took it upon himself to go aggressive to the hoop and create some looks. With our athletes, we ought to be able to run the court better. The key word that needs to be yelled over and over again in practice is "RUN!!!!" And that goes for getting back on defense just as much as it does for pushing the ball up the court on offense. There were times when Missouri got easy baskets because they got down the court before the Illini were able to pick up their respective men on defense. If we're going to give the Illini an above average grade for the game, then I think it needs to be a B-. There were still way too many flaws in our overall game to make it sound like we were a fraction away from an A game. Nevertheless, I do think we grew up a little bit and that is what we needed to happen from this game.
NEWS GAZETTE: Sometimes the fans are out of line posting on these forums. Your editing is out of line here. Posts above deal with a mistake about back to back losses, which you obviously have erased from the article. Have the decency to acknowledge the error, or delete the reader posts that pointed it out. Don't leave the comments hanging without the original error in the article. You may then erase this comment as well.
ok, this thread may be dead by now, but I have to say a couple things. Everyone needs to calm down about the accuracy of the grades. These are subjective, and I think we can all assume they are based on relative expectations for each team. The overall grade may not be be an average of the individual grades, but may be an assessment of the teams performance as a whole. If the Mavericks were to play the Illini (scary thought) and win by one point, the Illini may get an "A" and the Mavs an "F".
Second, I like ol' Bruce, wish him nothing but success here, but I worry that his offensive system may not be conducive to winning. I think we all see it. Too much passing around the outside. Leanord spends as much time at the top of the key as down on the block. Not enough attacking the basket. It would be an interesting experiment to see the result if Missouri and Illinoi switched coaches and kept the same players.
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