Dave in Green Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 The Bobkitties are off to a decent start (6-2) without John Groce's coaching, and are playing a weak Oakland team in Athens today. But Illinois is off to an even better start with Groce now at the helm. How much of OU's recent success was due to Groce and how much of that success will transfer over to Illinois? The first big test for the #13 Illini comes tonight when they travel to Spokane to face #10 Gonzaga. Both teams are 9-0 for their best starts ever, presenting Groce with his biggest challenge since last season's NCAA tournament. Groce's energy gives Illinois new life Weekend Watch: Illinois-Gonzaga preview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 The Bobkitties are off to a decent start (6-2) without John Groce's coaching, and are playing a weak Oakland team in Athens today. But Illinois is off to an even better start with Groce now at the helm. How much of OU's recent success was due to Groce and how much of that success will transfer over to Illinois? The first big test for the #13 Illini comes tonight when they travel to Spokane to face #10 Gonzaga. Both teams are 9-0 for their best starts ever, presenting Groce with his biggest challenge since last season's NCAA tournament. Groce's energy gives Illinois new life Weekend Watch: Illinois-Gonzaga preview 10%, 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 I'll take Gonzaga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 I will wait to judge until we play them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 OU has a good record, but started off the season with a buffet of cupcakes. Now that they are playing better teams, they are not winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadszip Posted December 9, 2012 Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 I think it's safe to say that Groce was a big part of Ohio's success, and he can do some scary things at Illinois if he keeps the top Chicago kids in-state. And he recruited Chicago well (at least D.J. Cooper) while at Ohio. Fortunately, for the MAC overall, Jim Christian also had a lot of success in the league (even if was piggy-backing off of Waters and Heath). Hopefully, for the MAC's sake, Christian and Dambrot becomes the big rivalry in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 Looks like Groce is turning Illinois into a super OU after beating #10 Gonzaga in Spokane, 85-74. The Illini are now playing Bobkitty-style basketball, with a guard-oriented offense that's leading the NCAA with an average of 10.8 3-pointers per game. At 6-4, senior guard Brandon Paul is playing the role of a bigger D.J. Cooper. Paul dropped 35 on the Zags, hitting 10 of 16 field goals, including 5 of 9 3-pointers. He made 10 of 11 free throws, and added 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. As a team, the Illini had 9 steals and forced 16 turnovers while playing 3 or 4 guards most of the time. It appears that Groce has been able to instantly transfer his scrappy, clawing style of play to a team that may be deeper in talent than the one he left behind in Athens. The main question now is how much of what Groce taught the Bobkitties will remain with them as this season moves along and Jim Christian tries to mold them into his style of play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted December 9, 2012 Report Share Posted December 9, 2012 Looks like Groce is turning Illinois into a super OU after beating #10 Gonzaga in Spokane, 85-74. The Illini are now playing Bobkitty-style basketball, with a guard-oriented offense that's leading the NCAA with an average of 10.8 3-pointers per game. At 6-4, senior guard Brandon Paul is playing the role of a bigger D.J. Cooper. Paul dropped 35 on the Zags, hitting 10 of 16 field goals, including 5 of 9 3-pointers. He made 10 of 11 free throws, and added 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. As a team, the Illini had 9 steals and forced 16 turnovers while playing 3 or 4 guards most of the time. It appears that Groce has been able to instantly transfer his scrappy, clawing style of play to a team that may be deeper in talent than the one he left behind in Athens. The main question now is how much of what Groce taught the Bobkitties will remain with them as this season moves along and Jim Christian tries to mold them into his style of play. 10% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 OU started off all hot potatoes tonight, hitting 6 of their first 8 shots and taking an early 9-point lead over UMass on the road. By halftime, OU was still hitting 52% from the field (47% 3-pointers), but UMass was 48% from the field (55% 3-pointers) and OU was trailing, 48-40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Heckuva shootout at UMass. OU was shooting lots of 3s at the end, went cold, and lost, 85-76. UMass recovered in the second half from their incredibly poor first half rebounding effort, when the starting five players only snagged 3 rebounds, to come out about even with OU on rebounds. Final shooting numbers -- OU 29-64 from the field (12-30 3s) and UMass 26-54 (9-24 3s). UMass won it at the free throw line, hitting 24-35 to OU's 6-10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted December 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Groce's formula for getting Illinois to #10 finally fizzled on the road against a strong major as #12 Missouri beat them, 82-73, in St. Louis. Illinois was leading, 64-61, with a little over 6 minutes left in the game. But Missouri's defense stiffened up and the Illini went cold from the field. Illinois ended up hitting just 33.8% from the field and only 25% of their 3-pointers. They were destroyed on the boards, with Missouri outrebounding them, 51-29. Star Brandon Paul led the poor shooting with 5-18 from the field and 2-8 on 3s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted December 23, 2012 Report Share Posted December 23, 2012 Groce's formula for getting Illinois to #10 finally fizzled on the road against a strong major as #12 Missouri beat them, 82-73, in St. Louis. Illinois was leading, 64-61, with a little over 6 minutes left in the game. But Missouri's defense stiffened up and the Illini went cold from the field. Illinois ended up hitting just 33.8% from the field and only 25% of their 3-pointers. They were destroyed on the boards, with Missouri outrebounding them, 51-29. Star Brandon Paul led the poor shooting with 5-18 from the field and 2-8 on 3s. Anyone who found this post interesting will love this link Can't get enough Illinois basketball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Interesting dynamics. OU without Groce is now 8-5, with some really disappointing losses despite having played at full strength all season with no players missing games. Illinois with Groce has been suspect, even after the Illini won their first 12 games. Some said that Illinois relied too much on the three, and when they started missing, they'd fall apart. The Illini lost to Missouri. Then they lost their Big Ten opener to Purdue, and the word was that Illinois was back to normal. Then they destroyed Ohio State today, 74-55, while hitting only 8-27 threes. Just like the Groce-led OU, the Illini forced lots of turnovers and outrebounded tOSU despite playing three guards most of the game. To date, OU misses Groce more than Groce misses OU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Interesting dynamics. OU without Groce is now 8-5, with some really disappointing losses despite having played at full strength all season with no players missing games. Illinois with Groce has been suspect, even after the Illini won their first 12 games. Some said that Illinois relied too much on the three, and when they started missing, they'd fall apart. The Illini lost to Missouri. Then they lost their Big Ten opener to Purdue, and the word was that Illinois was back to normal. Then they destroyed Ohio State today, 74-55, while hitting only 8-27 threes. Just like the Groce-led OU, the Illini forced lots of turnovers and outrebounded tOSU despite playing three guards most of the game. To date, OU misses Groce more than Groce misses OU. Granted Marshall is mediocre this year at 7-8, but OU really smoked them 94-57 today at the convo with Cooper dishing out a team record 17 assists. So perhaps they're coming together in time for MAC play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Illinois blew up Ohio State today. Blow out win at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akronzips71 Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Granted Marshall is mediocre this year at 7-8, but OU really smoked them 94-57 today at the convo with Cooper dishing out a team record 17 assists. So perhaps they're coming together in time for MAC play? Ya think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted January 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 My mistake. I forgot to check OU's results today. They're now 9-5. The Bobkitties hit 65.3% from the field today, including 47.8% of their 3s. Marshall shot 35.1% from the field, including 15.8% of their 3s. Even with Marshall outrebounding OU 38-25, no team will ever make up that kind of shooting deficit, and no team will ever maintain that kind of shooting advantage for more than a game or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 First time I cared about Groce...I like him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Most of the Illinois basketball team members had regular bowel movements yesterday. No reports so far today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadszip Posted January 7, 2013 Report Share Posted January 7, 2013 Granted Marshall is mediocre this year at 7-8, but OU really smoked them 94-57 today at the convo with Cooper dishing out a team record 17 assists. So perhaps they're coming together in time for MAC play? For me, this doesn't change a whole lot for how I feel about Ohio ... a talented team that took care of business at home against a team they should've blown out. True, I wasn't expecting a 37-point win, but thought the Bobcats would win that game by 20-plus. It was kind of like the Cleveland State game for us, in that a good team took it to a bad team (that had a somewhat of a name cache). What that win confirms is that it is still all about Akron vs. Ohio in the MAC. Who has the advantage right now? I'm not sure. Akron should kill them in the post, where as OU has the ability to kill the Zips on the perimeter. While, having the post advantage is more ideal over the long haul, a team with good perimeter play conceivably is in a better situation in a one-game scenario. However, I think the Zips' guard play is potentially good enough to offset whatever advantage OU has there, compared to Ohio's disadvantage against Akron in the post. Unfortunately, the early-season struggles on both sides will prevent the MAC from being a two-bid league, even though if both are going at the end of the year, both are tourney-caliber teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OU Dude Posted January 8, 2013 Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 For me, this doesn't change a whole lot for how I feel about Ohio ... a talented team that took care of business at home against a team they should've blown out. True, I wasn't expecting a 37-point win, but thought the Bobcats would win that game by 20-plus. It was kind of like the Cleveland State game for us, in that a good team took it to a bad team (that had a somewhat of a name cache). What that win confirms is that it is still all about Akron vs. Ohio in the MAC. Who has the advantage right now? I'm not sure. Akron should kill them in the post, where as OU has the ability to kill the Zips on the perimeter. While, having the post advantage is more ideal over the long haul, a team with good perimeter play conceivably is in a better situation in a one-game scenario. However, I think the Zips' guard play is potentially good enough to offset whatever advantage OU has there, compared to Ohio's disadvantage against Akron in the post. Unfortunately, the early-season struggles on both sides will prevent the MAC from being a two-bid league, even though if both are going at the end of the year, both are tourney-caliber teams. As an Ohio fan I don't really know a whole lot about this team after 14 games. I know they can be lights out at home but I also know they have yet to go on the road and not look lost, confused, and out of sorts. 8-8 in conference? Who knows, nothing would surprise me at this point. I think OU and Akron will split their games with the home teams getting the wins but the big question is- can Akron go to Athens and keep it within 25? Next to last home game for seniors Coop, Baltic, Keeley and Offutt... you know they've already got that one circled! It's on a Wednesday but if there is anyway you can make the trip you should be there, it should be one to remember. I can see 10K in there easy, maybe more if both teams are battling for 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Illinois is starting to crumble, getting blown out of its own arena by Northwestern, 68-54. Groce started going ballistic on the refs and got a technical. But the refs haven't had a lot to do with the Illini hitting only 23% of their 3s and allowing their Big Ten opponents to hit 43% of their 3s. The OU blueprint may not translate well to Big Ten play. The Bobkitties, on the other hand, are starting to roll under Christian, performing in their last few games a lot like they did last season under Groce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jupitertoo Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Illinois is starting to crumble, getting blown out of its own arena by Northwestern, 68-54. Groce started going ballistic on the refs and got a technical. But the refs haven't had a lot to do with the Illini hitting only 23% of their 3s and allowing their Big Ten opponents to hit 43% of their 3s. The OU blueprint may not translate well to Big Ten play. The Bobkitties, on the other hand, are starting to roll under Christian, performing in their last few games a lot like they did last season under Groce. Groce looked ridiculous last night. When he sticks out his lower lip, he looks like an angry 4-year-old. I was never a fan. He's got a serious talent deficiency in Champaign, from what I saw last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 It appears the Illinois women's volleyball team has not played since their 3-0 win over Iowa on November 24, 2012. Can't get enough Illinois sports info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Zip Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Cooper on the verge of setting NCAA record per CBS Sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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