Illini beat Purdue at Mackey!!!

[12xu]

WOW what a game! Wagler explodes for 46 points with 9 of 11 treys! He set a Illini record for most points scored by a freshman, and also set a record for most points by an opponent scored at Mackey Arena. Illinois outrebounded the Boilers 33-19 with a 13-3 advantage on offensive boards.

[FrankTheTank]

It was their best all-around game this season, factoring in the opponent and being away. Wagler introduced himself very loudly to anyone that hadn't heard of him in the country.

[12xu]

Back in December, the Illini were struggling with their three point shooting, yet they kept firing away. I was very disappointed that the team offense was too reliant on shooting treys, when they did not seem very adept at it. However,
In the last 5 games they have shot over 35% from distance in every game and were an incredible 47% vs a very strong Purdue team today. Wagler made 9 of 11 treys today, and in the last few minutes, T. Ivisic, Mirkovic, and Davis made 4 consecutive threes to sink the Boilers.

[spfldan]

No doubt playing well. Michigan looks pretty good to me also.

[Rickster]

That was the most high-level game I've seen in a while...some top-notch shooting by both teams. Shooting and rebounding, shooting and rebounding, shooting and rebounding.

Perfect illustration of the convo I had with my b-in-law. This Illini squad is never going to be an elite defensive team, but with the size and shooting they have, the burden is going to be on any other team they play to figure out how to keep them below 80. Shooting can be streaky of course and any team can have a bad shooting night. But this team is fun to watch.

nitpicky complaint....it sure don't seem like Big Ten refs call charging consistently. I mean if you're going to call charging on Mirkovic every time he drives the lane, then you gotta call it on Smith every time he shoves away a defender to get off a shot.

[ChiefSTL]

Illinois with currently the #1 rated offense by Kenpom, and the highest rating an offense has ever had in Kenpom's history. Lots of people screamed about Tyler Underwood running the offense and complained about nepotism. All the kid has done is produce results with top 20 offenses almost every year since he took over. I'll admit that it's not the prettiest all the time. I'd rather see more off the ball movement and cutting. But it simply works and allows players to do things that they do best. Hope they can keep it up while Boswell is down.

[Rickster]

Illinois with currently the #1 rated offense by Kenpom, and the highest rating an offense has ever had in Kenpom's history. Lots of people screamed about Tyler Underwood running the offense and complained about nepotism. All the kid has done is produce results with top 20 offenses almost every year since he took over. I'll admit that it's not the prettiest all the time. I'd rather see more off the ball movement and cutting. But it simply works and allows players to do things that they do best. Hope they can keep it up while Boswell is down.

I admit I have been one of those belly-aching about the dirth of offensive sets and flexibility and just running the same pick and pop action over and over.

I also admit that a team putting up 1.39 pts per possession makes me look stupid for saying those things.

[ChiefSTL]

Illinois with currently the #1 rated offense by Kenpom, and the highest rating an offense has ever had in Kenpom's history. Lots of people screamed about Tyler Underwood running the offense and complained about nepotism. All the kid has done is produce results with top 20 offenses almost every year since he took over. I'll admit that it's not the prettiest all the time. I'd rather see more off the ball movement and cutting. But it simply works and allows players to do things that they do best. Hope they can keep it up while Boswell is down.

I admit I have been one of those belly-aching about the dirth of offensive sets and flexibility and just running the same pick and pop action over and over.

I also admit that a team putting up 1.39 pts per possession makes me look stupid for saying those things.

Haha, we've all screamed at the TV at times watching the same thing over and over. But it's working in the current basketball climate, and if you have capable shooters around you to space the floor. Wagler making 80% of his 3's, many of them contested step backs, can make a coach look really smart too.