[Oskee] Sigh

[Robert Mingee]

Talk about ending the regular season with a whimper.  Just when I feel like we've turned the corner and can finally close out tough games, we fall on our face like this.  I just knew Davis was going to blow that FT.  I like his skill improvement a lot obviously, but IMHO he's still got a ways to go in the area of mental toughness.  Even with a little help from the refs (basically 4 points spotted to us in a very short period) we just couldn't get it done.  I think at this point I'd have to agree with Lavin and give the nod to DeChellis as BT COY, but Bruce is a close second.

Overall, I'm thrilled with the way the season has turned out, because I'd have laughed at the idea of finishing top 3 in the conference at the beginning of the season, but it's still pretty clear that this team has limitations that will keep it from getting too far in the postseason.  We just don't have a reliable scoring threat who shows up every game, nor do we have a reliable person who can always create offense either for themselves or the rest of the team.  I guess that's to be expected when the core of your talent is still sophs.

Personally, I think Lavin was smoking crack thinking we had any shot at a 3 seed anyway -- we'd have had to beat MSU on our own floor and win out from there to have any hope of that, and even then it was a longshot, IMHO.  Clearly we've got a spot sewn up in the dance no matter what happens now, but in a lot of ways, I'd like to win the BTT to let these guys get a strong taste of winning acomplishment toward the end of the season, so that confidence and expectation of winning can carry over into next season and be instilled in the new guys coming in.  But I'm not really expecting us to win it, and I'm not expecting to last beyond the first weekend of the dance.  If we do, that's great, but my expectations for the season have been so far exceeded, wishing for more now just seems greedy :-).

It's all gravy from here!  Go Illini -- prove me wrong!

-- robert
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