Mike Cagley, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
February 7, 2023
The Illini killed themselves at the end of the first half with some poor judgment, poor game awareness and poor time management. Iowa even tried to help with some bad play of their own, but the Hawkeyes managed to score 6 points in the final 58 seconds to make it a one-point game at the half. This turned out to be huge at the end of the game. The Iowa loss is a story of missed opportunities for the Illini and made free throws for the Hawkeyes.
Exhibit A – Illini up 36-29 with 0:58 seconds to go in the first half.
Not trying a high-risk pass might’ve led to a 38-29 lead instead of a 4-point lead. Harris wasn’t really open, and the pass shouldn’t have been thrown. Rodgers has been much better with his turnovers on offense recently but not here.
Exhibit B – Illini up 36-32 with 37 seconds remaining in the half.
At this point, it may not be the time for RJ to break his shooting slump. The Hawkeyes were making the game close. With 18 seconds left on the shot clock, a better shot with someone who isn’t in a horrific slump might’ve been in order.
Exhibit C – Giving up a three pointer with 1 second left in the half.
Illini finish up by 36-35 at the half. The Illini had a turnover, two quick shots that were open, but their game awareness switch was off, and they inadvertently bailed the Hawkeyes out and allowed them six points that didn’t have to happen.
To win close games, you cannot give up six points with little or no thought. If those six points would’ve been prevented, this would’ve resulted in a four-point Illini win, despite the Hawkeyes going 22-25 from the free throw line in the second half. The Illini don't have a time machine to play the 58 seconds over, but they must learn from this near minute of action and use it to improve.
The game was the story of two differently officiated halves. In the first half, there were 14 fouls called and the two teams combined to shoot 9 free throws. It was a great game to watch.
In the second half, the officials apparently had had enough with the way they officiated the first half and decided that tight whistles were now the way the game would be called. They called 29 fouls and the two teams combined for 44 free throws.
The officials lost control of the game and turned it into a slogging mess for the television watchers. Whatever caused this change was immaterial. The Illini didn’t respond to it quick enough and in two instances, the Illini committed the fouls necessary for Iowa to creep back into the game twice (not once).
Exhibit D – Illini Up 47-39 with 15:45 left in the game.
At some point, the Illini needed to think about what was happening on the court and take a look at doing something differently when defending. How about not hand checking for a few possessions until the officials "calm down"? Collegiate officiating can be inconsistent on a bad night, on Saturday the Illini proved teams cannot afford to ignore it when the officials change how the game is being called.
Exhibit E – Illini Up 62-55 with 9:48 left in the game.
The Illini cannot turn the ball over so nonchalantly when they have a lead, they cannot put teams on the line to draw closer with the clock stopped and while the Illini dominated the boards, two offensive rebounds on one possession were proven to be deadly when the loss was only by two points.
The time is not now to burn down the house. The team is frustratingly close to being in second place in the conference standings. The team is capable of fantastic defense. They shot block very well. They rebound very well. They are excellent in the open court. What they’re not is a great shooting team. They can get hot upon occasion, but they’re going to outshoot many teams.
What does this mean?
This team is so close to becoming what Coach Underwood wanted them to be. Will they make it there? They can. College sports is all about the journey to keep improving, just ask last year's North Carolina team. Stay tuned, it promises to be an interesting ride.
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