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Nothing to be Ashamed of in Illini Loss to Miami

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Brandon Paul should be proud of his Tourney showing; Photo by Cary Frye

Brandon Paul should be proud of his Tourney showing; Photo by Cary Frye

It takes a few days for me to get over a tough loss, but I think I’m finally ready to talk about it. After a hard-fought struggle, Illinois was bounced out of the Tournament in a 63-59 loss to Miami Sunday night. Miami will move forward and face Marquette in the Sweet 16, while the Illini have already returned to a snowy home.

I’m sad the season is over, but I’m really, really proud of what John Groce and this team accomplished. They managed to scoot past Colorado to make it into a second game, and they gave the Hurricanes a scare. Being that close makes me happy, but it also makes me think that we had a solid chance to win and join the ranks of the Tourney darlings.
The Illini were present and in the game for both halves, and I didn’t have to sit through a signature drought. The score was tied twice, and there were two lead changes.  Miami never led by more than 7.
A free throw from Tracy Abrams with 1:24 left gave Illinois the lead, but Shane Larkin came back with a dagger 3-pointer on the other end. The Hurricanes were up two points when D.J. Richardson missed a 3, and the ball was knocked out of bounds by… someone.
Take a look at this replay, and you’ll see Miami touched the ball last. But, that’s not how the call went. With 44 seconds left, a two-point deficit and the ball, Illinois could’ve made something happen. Instead, possession went to the Hurricanes, and Paul was forced to foul Durand Scott, who made both shots.
Miami continued to make shots at the line, and Illinois couldn’t hold on.
It’s tempting to blame the refs for blowing that call. Even Kenny Kadji, who was the one that touched the ball last, implied that Miami got lucky. But, even if the ball had gone to the Illini, there is no way of knowing what would happen. The game could’ve ended in a different kind of loss for Illinois, but of course it also could have resulted in a win. Then again, if the lead had been larger, we wouldn’t even care about late-game blown calls.
Egwu had his first double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, which should get Illini fans pretty pumped for next year. Tracy Abrams, another representation of the future of the team, had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Our (four-year) seniors (mostly) made great impressions in their last game as an Illini. Paul led the Illini with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Tyler Griffey made 4 3-pointers, and finished with 12 points. Richardson was the only guy who maybe would’ve been happier with a different performance, as he finished with just 5 points and 3 rebounds.
Larkin was the key for Miami, with 17 points (3 from behind the arc). Kenny Kadji also had 10 points and 8 rebounds.
A key stat that stands out in the loss is that Illinois attempted just 7 free throws (and made an impressive 6). Miami shot twice as many attempts with 15.
Looking at the box score, I just have to repeat that Illinois has nothing to regret in Sunday’s game. They put their hearts on the floor, but Miami just had a little bit more of an edge. If these two teams played again, the results could be different.
Soon, I’ll give a wrap-up of the whole season, which was filled with some highs (Gonzaga win!) and lows (NU home loss), but I feel was a success overall. Thank you seniors (clap, clap, clap) and thank you John Groce. I’m always proud to be an Illini fan, but this year I was able to get some other people on board as well.
Thanks for the memories, Seniors!; Photo by Cary Frye

Thanks for the memories, Seniors!; Photo by Cary Frye

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