Big L, I am pleased that you posted this thread, because I was going to give mine this same title, as I did after the NW loss in Evanston.
That was my thread, I stand by my words then, and I believe you nailed it regarding Tubby last night. He did, absolutely, 100% coach circles around Bruce Weber. And that is no mean feat!
Tubby saw what was workiing, and left it alone. He never pressed (which would have risked an uptemp, open-court game favoring Illinois' athleticism), never wavered from the man-to-man, and had us using clock and moving off the ball on our own possessions. Illinois' only chance, as the game unfolded, was for their guys to try and break us down 1-on-1, and they did this with some effectiveness in the 2nd half. (This, if you recall, is partially how we got back into the WI game in Madison). But it was already too late for them to make a real run. Their motion offense actually had the effect of burning shot clock time in the first 3/4 of the game, slowing things to our pace. Tubby gets major credit here for A). Devising a superb offensive strategy, using our "bigs" early on to great effect, and B). Leaving well enough alone of defense. I thought Clem's teams played hard, but WOW! These kids really get after it. I'm very proud.
