Illini Zip

When Parrish completely blows a defensive assignment and his guy nails a wide-open three, being benched for awhile is a learning tool. Same when K-lac commits a stupid foul. With the roster being as thin as it is, if Cotton was excelling right now he would be starting and playing big minutes at the point. And Duvivier would slide over to the 2 spot much of the time. Not only is Cotton not starting, he is losing real minutes to a walk-on. Gbadebo has his limitations, but he plays within his role. He plays sound defense, brings the ball up the court, but most importantly he protects the ball and limits turnovers. And kudos on hitting the 3pter. We are way too late in the season for Groce to be "sending messages" to Cotton. It is my opinion that Cotton is half-way out the door. As the cool kids say today, Cotton needs to get woke. Players were given 2 years to prove their potential before being let go at Illinois, but I would not be surprised if Groce is aggressively recruiting over him. UAZip0510 introduced us to Neftali Alvarez just the other day. I like what I see. Note to Self: Hustle 1 is Lucas Smith and Hustle 2 is K-lac. Gbadebo is the Gwalk-on.

I told you all I had a feeling today. But to be perfectly honest, it was just gas from last night's chili.

Fear the Roo!!

Do...Not...Foul!!!!

Hustle 1 with the rebound.

K-lac's 5th foul looked pretty weak to me. Real nice spin move to the hoop, but has to finish that.

And all of a sudden the refs have taken over the game.

K-lac got lucky there, but I'll take it. He left his feet on defense again.

Come on Parrish, find your guy. Edit: And to the bench you go.

Lauren bounces back!

Just when I thought Fergie couldn't be out done this week.

Hustle 2 is in the house.

Brutal.

We survived their first run!

Hustle 1 with a much needed 3pter.

Clark and Blue & Gold make real good points, but I just feel the need to believe today. Good Vibes Tuesday.

This has to be our first road win, right here. I am feeling it. Go Zips!!

I'm looking at the same things. I really worry about Cotton. He has shown that he has the talent, but he is lacking somewhere; focus, motor, leadership, discipline...something. Hopefully it's just a maturity thing he can overcome. You showed us that Groce offered another true shooting guard. Perhaps Groce thinks after watching Hester for a year he can run the offense. I have a good feeling about Christian Jackson after watching a bit of his game film at Long Beach State, but we need another, bigger PG option next year. I predict in time, Toles will run the point periodically as well. All just speculation. Edit: Name change, thanks Hilltopper.

That's a nice observation. It took me a while to pick up on that and it is built into the design of the defense. Often the guards will end up with more rebounds then the bigs for this very reason. So don't let it drive you crazy.

I think this is one of those times Groce would say he had good reason to pull Parish for Smith, but now knowing the end result of that decision he would choose differently. Fans at Illinois would get angry at Groce all the time when he would pull the hot hand out of the game. The thing is a guy might be hitting his shots, but is showing real signs of fatigue on defense so Groce will get him a rest. Parish was back in the game pretty fast if I'm not mistaken, but damage was done no doubt. What's funny is when a player is sucking wind and dying for a breather and Groce pretends not to see him because he needs his production. So that actually goes both ways. Why the guards are not even looking at K-lac when he rolls to the rim is beyond me.

Just wait, watching Loren Jackson caught on a switch with a 7 footer will be even better.

I'm thinking the Big Ten needs a second team from Ohio! Who is with me?! No need to rehash on my account.

I understand and respect this concern, but I really don't think Groce will be so eager to leave Akron. At least I hope not. And I do believe he will succeed and will eventually have some tempting offers. While his ego might want to swing big again, he learned a lot about the nasty nature of P5 recruiting in those 5 years. As long as Akron is able and willing to grow right along with him (new or renovated stadium, etc.) I believe he is wise to stay put and build up his reputation/brand. If anything, I would advise jumping Akron to a larger conference when warranted. There is also the possibility if Groce did leave, his assistant Ford who knows the system, conference and NE Ohio could move up. Ford, unfortunately doesn't have a reputation as a great recruiter. Let's hope for success and see where it leads.

What, President Wilson is interviewing at Central Florida?! He can't leave, he hugged Cotton after a win and has his own Akron bobblehead!! Ahhh, I'm bummed.

I'm glad Illinois is doing something right this year.