That it did. I think State just had an off night, and if you have an off night on the road in the Big Ten you’re going to lose.
Ugh, you didn’t pick a good one to watch! I hate that place! Weird court, weird colors.
Losing by 13 to them at this stage of the season is pretty bad. It’s obvious how much the UK offense relies on Patrick Patterson’s presence in the middle to open everything else up outside. We are now in serious jeapordy of not making the tournament for the first time since the late 1980’s (and that was due to probation).
Damn. I’m a fan of a mediocre college basketball team, a fan of a crappy baseball team (Reds) and a crappy pro football team (Bengals).
The worm has got to turn for one of these teams sometime. UK was always reliably good, but not so much this season!
Penn State has snuck up on a few people this season and the Illini need to hold serve at home tonight and keep their end of the bargain. It’s the first of many meaningful, tense, strong match-ups to finish out the season.
An utterly shameful performance from the Illini tonight. It made be angry and sick to see that joke of a game. I’m not sure I’ll ever regain any confidence in Bruce Weber or that retard McCamey again. Down the stretch when the game was easily winnable they kept running stupid isolation situations for McCamey. McCamey, a guy who has never shown an ability to make even decent decisions let alone smart ones or get his own shot off the dribble. The Illini have built their system on the famed Motion Offense which predicates motion away from the ball, quick passes to reverse the floor and requires excellent spacing. Why Weber would repeatedly, following time outs no less, abandon that an ask them to do something completely opposed to that philosophy at the most important times is unfathomable.
One of two things is apparent. McCamey is selfish and completely ignores Weber’s coaching. Or Weber has zero faith in his own system and has some queer perception of McCamey’s abilities that evidence has repeatedly proven fictional. Based on the way the other players seemed to clear out and Weber’s lack of frustration on the sideline, the latter seems like the answer. This is such a egregious problem that he needs to be seriously criticized in the press and pressured to change or leave within the ADs office.
This team is not NCAA worthy.
I think that no team is as bad as their worst game nor as good as their best game. The Illini punched their ticket to the NCAA some time ago. Looks like PSU has earned their way in as well. Holding the Illini to 4 points in the last 10 minutes- wow.
I realize they are in, but they don’t belong. This wasn’t about a team being ice cold or sloppy and ill-prepared. The low score is forgivable and simply one of those things that happen in NCAA hoops. The ineptitude of the leadership however is indicative. The “plays” that were called in the closing minutes lack any semblance of coherence and forethought. It’s painfully obvious to anyone not named Weber that it was a losing proposition. Calling an isolation for McCamey isn’t just a “bad game”, it’s panic and cowardice and he did it 3 times in the final 4 minutes.
Gosh darn it. Pitt beats WVU in the regular season twice, then loses to them in their first game of the Big East Tourney. We definitely won’t get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament now, but the extra rest will be nice I guess…
Psst! We’re over here now 