Bob's buzzer beaters | There's a lot of work to be done
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Ask Illinois basketball fans what they value more: winning or playing good teams. The real answer is, of course, both.
But life is not that easy. So, when the No. 4-ranked team came to State Farm Center, there was solid chance the home fans wouldn't be happy with the final result.
Marquette looked like a Final Four contender, while Brad Underwood's team showed there is work to do before it can beat the big guys.
Close for sure. But that is not the same as a victory, which would have been huge for Illinois' early season confidence.
Despite the quality of the opponent, Illinois will likely fall from the Top 25.
Here are my thoughts after Marquette's workmanlike 71-64 victory against Illinois.
1
Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Luke Goode did all they could, combining for 52 points.
2
I can't imagine there will be a better visiting player at SFC this season than Marquette's Tyler Kolek. Though he was supposedly injured, the Rhode Islander was a force against Illinois, scoring 24 ponits,. The rest of the Big East will have its hands full with him. Kolek had 14 points in the first half, setting his team up time and time again.
3
Biggest non-basketball related applause of the night came during the first timeout in the second half when Illinois football hero John Paddock was shown on the scoreboard screens. He is coming off one of the best game-plus stretches in program history. Defensive tackle Johnny Newton got a similar reaction when he was shown later in the game. So did star receiver Isaiah Williams.
If I'm Underwod, I ask all of them back for the next important game.
4
Tuesday night, mid-November, temps in the high 40s. No place Illinois fans would rather be. The building filled up early as the sold-out crowd got into the spirit of it long before opening tip. Playing a Top 5 team helped. Especially one that Illinois lost to the last time they met in 2021. Illinois leads the all-time series 9-6. That isn't nearly enough games between the teams given the proximity of Marquette and the fact that both teams have big-time venues available for games.
5
Yes, the Kansas game was a big deal. A real big deal. Especially with the return of Bill Self to SFC.
But — and this is a very important but — that game didn't count. A nice win against a potential Final Four team, but a zero in the record book.
The final Illinois edition of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games goes into the permanent record.
6
Marquette lost 69-60 to Michigan State in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament March 19 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The team that beat eventual national champion UConn twice was no match for the Spartans.
I was there on my annual father/son basketball excursion. My presence didn't jinx the Big Ten that day. But that was not the case two days earlier, when we saw No. 1-seed Purdue lose in the first round to No. 16-seed Fairleigh Dickson. The first 16-1 upset we had ever seen. Sorry, Boilermakers.
7
Cool to see Shaka Smart roaming the State Farm Center sidelines. There was a time when he was considered a strong candidate to take over the Illinois program.
He seems to have found the perfect situation in Milwaukee. Smart was born in Madison so the return t the state after a so-so time in Texas made great sense.
Texas likes to be good in basketball, but football will always be the driving force. No such issue for Smart at Maruqette, which hasn't had football since 1960.
8
When old-timers like B.B. see Marquette, they can't help but think about the great Al McGuire. He won the NCAA title in his final season as coach in 1977 and went on to become part of the best broadcast teams in basketball history with Billy Packer and Dick Enberg. They worked the classic 1979 title game between Mchigan State with Magic Johnson and Indiana State with Larry Bird, which pushed the popularity of the sport to new heights.
9
The night got off to a rousing start with Lexi Tieffel's soulful rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Give Illinois credit for finding standout musicians to perform the national anthem.
Terrence Shannon Jr. destroys rims. @Sn1per_T x @IlliniMBB
: FS1/@CBBonFOX pic.twitter.com/6UA9p9kSgQ
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 15, 2023
10
Marquette's Oso Ighodaro gave the fans a treat less than two minutes into the game when he missed a pair of free throws. That meant free chicken nuggets from McDonald's for those at the game. Of course, they will have to go to a local store to pick them up. Until someone invents a nugget cannon.
Step on the floor at the State Farm Center for @IlliniMBB intros. pic.twitter.com/5sVUWca8Rf
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 15, 2023
Let's do that basketball. #Illini pic.twitter.com/sAUtyaom3v
— Scott Richey (@srrichey) November 15, 2023
Scenes from warmups. #Illini pic.twitter.com/9uTdD3sjB7
— Scott Richey (@srrichey) November 15, 2023
The @IlliniMBB welcome Marquette to the Farm tonight. Here is what to watch for. Big opportunity to take down a top 5 team at home. pic.twitter.com/A3nzxzkG1x
— Sean Harrington (@smharrington24) November 14, 2023
