re: Alabama @ Illinois - FS1 8 CST

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but anybody else lose it when Allen was sent to inbound the ball? It was right after him having to call a timeout because he was hesitant to pass the ball which allowed him to get trapped on the worst possible spot of the court.

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Oats has a lot of trust in Allen and he’s mostly validated it. In a very critical spot in the game he also ran a set play for Allen to shoot a 3 from the top of the line. He missed and I remember thinking “wow that play could’ve gone to anyone”. But I think in these tight games early in the regular season he wants to get Allen that experience.

He knows what he has in the vets. Come tournament time we’re going to need him to be ready for big moments and last night helps a lot.

Gonzaga is going to be another tough matchup but they aren't nearly as big and long as Illinois or Purdue. Would be a great time for our 5s to make an imprint on a game. Bristow, Allen, and TBB are going to have a helluva time with Ike and Huff.

Would just like to say to be 3-1 with the schedule we’ve played and having some of our key contributors miss time….awesome start to the season.

There is not a single coach I would take over Nate Oats to be our coach.

I wasn't on here last night, so I'm sure it's been said, but Bristow is the piece we were missing. It would be nice to also have Collins healthy, but adding Bristow as a 4 with Sherrell, or a small ball 5 with Bol at the 4 makes this team much better against the Pudues and Illinoiseses of the world.

It wasn't a perfect game, but it was very encouraging to see the toughness and fight.

I really had doubts that we could win this game. It seemed like a repetition of the Purdue one. What a show we put on in the second half and how Philon came through.
Illinois is supposed to have 6 NBA prospects but we outdid ‘em all. So impressed with Holloway effort in every game, the guy has become a dynamo and he is a grenade that can unpin any moment. Love watching Bowen run the court . We have the makings of an outstanding team. Bristol and Allen are revelations and we still have Bethea to unveil. Mallette and Wrightsell are rock solid as our greybeards who will show up when we need ‘em most. We just need to develop a killer mentality. Hit the big shots when the opponent is flagging.

I love the tenacity that Bristow brings. He played as if that ball was HIS and no one else was allowed to play with it.

Allen is a heck of a player. Seems like a clear misevaluation by the recruiting services. He’s not an explosive athlete and I’m guessing that’s why he was a bit lower ranked, but what a perfect fit for this team.

This is a fun team. Super fast team when we’re a little smaller - Bristow, TBB, and Allen can all grab defensive rebounds and run

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Allen is a heck of a player. Seems like a clear misevaluation by the recruiting services.

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I think the 247 scouting report has been pretty spot on.

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Allen is a big wing with a good skill-set and well-rounded floor game. At 6-foot-6, he can dribble, pass, and shoot. He's a solid athlete with some toughness to him, and also has a high IQ and good feel for the game.

He's a consistent shooting threat with soft touch when he's in rhythm from behind the three-point line (41% in 3SSB play). He's also a very functional ball-handler within the flow of the offense. He's not necessarily going to blow by his man, but he's good with the ball, and may even be able to be a team's secondary ball-handler when he isn't facing too much ball pressure. Allen is also a heady passer and capable of reading the floor well.

Physically he has good size at 6-foot-6 and is a solid athlete in open space, but has relatively short arms (measured 6'7.75 wingspan in July of 2024) and doesn't always explode through contact in the lane of as a finisher. Defensively, he's competitive and smart, but not a super fluid lateral mover, and so he can be foul prone.

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He was under ranked because he's probably a 4 year college player without a ton of NBA upside because of his lack of elite measurables or athleticism, and even though they're supposed to be evaluating these kids for college ball they base a lot of their rankings on NBA potential down the road.

I asked this in another thread, but how good is Jalil Bethea and when can we expect him back?