In a game like that there are always a lot of things one can look at and point to as a moment or incident that could have turned things around. One of those aspects was how the Bruins came out. They appeared to be too hopped up, too excited, too revved up. A lot of their shots were long, often bouncing off the back of the rim. a lot of those shots weren't bad shots, they were just too strong, too long.
That's often an indication that players are just too up for the game. It took awhile for the Bruins to settle down and start hitting their shots. By that time they had dug themselves into a hole and then they had to expend a lot of energy getting back in the game. I was thinking about that and wondering if being unaccustomed to playing in that kind of frenzied environment has anything to do with them being too amped up? If so, the more the Bruins play in front of very boisterous, hostile, sell-out crowds the better they will be handling the situation. Too revved up can be almost as bad as not being up enough for a game, although I believe adjusting down and calming oneself is easier then trying to get oneself up from not being up enough. At least that's been my experience. One would think that the Bruins are experienced enough to understand the issues at hand, but that sort of thing can happen to any team at any level. I don't think any team is totally and always immune to the effects of the environment and/or situation. I could see the Bruins beating this Illinois team at Pauley.
Anyway, I thought the Bruins had a good effort in Champaign. And in spite of the bad feelings that often come from a loss they have no reason IMO to hang their heads at all. I thought they gave a very good accounting of themselves. I thought they played well.