Garza has played with emotion and enthusiasm whenever he's enjoying success, or even if he's enjoying sustained floor time (meaning staying out of foul trouble). I've never felt like guys rallied around him. Tonight they did a bit more. But I actually thought tonight Kreiner was the guy that really inspired the team, that sparked a deeper belief.
Maybe I'm seeing what I want to see. I like Kreiner. I think his ceiling is higher than people realize. His year to this point has been disappointing — I suspect for himself more than any and all of us combined. I think he presses when he comes in, trying to make up for lost time, and gets ahead of himself.
He knows how to play, he's a right place at the right time kind of guy. Remember early season when he and Pemsl had this chemistry where one was regularly assisting another? Sure, the competition wasn't B1G, but those plays were being made because he understands how to play. Kreiner is a better defender than people think. Often he suffers from not getting the benefit of the doubt from the officials, because he gets called for fouls that are often not whistled for other guys. Sometimes he is just a hair late or a hair behind the play and pays the price with a foul. But more court time and he goes from a hair late to not being a hair late (like tonight).
I would like to see Kreiner play more, settle in, gain some lasting and sustainable confidence.
I also want to say that Maishe deserves a ton of credit tonight for taking the ball out of Bohannon's hands for long stretches. The way that Illinois was pressuring Jordan and denying the wings, forcing Jordan to dribble seemingly forever just to make the initial pass, I thought Jordan was going to collapse from exhaustion. I was tired just watching the damn thing. Maishe might have saved his damn life. Maishe sure seems to be believing in himself more and more as his role increases and he has more lead-guard responsibility. Now that he's gained Fran's trust that one mistake won't compound to two or three, he has revealed himself as real steady emotionally, not getting rattled.
Glad they got a win, glad they didn't quit after the rough start. I'm always intrigued by how a team reacts to and handles sustained adversity like this.