SDakaGordie said:

Speed kills, as do good shooters. We have always struggled against speedy point guards (who can also shoot, of course; at the P5 level, that is a given except for NU). Purdue has both of these; no weak spots. We don’t quite have great speed or great shooters this year, and we certainly have weak spots. We are typically toast if we can’t play defense. While we have other options on offense, we certainly were not likely to score as much as we did at PSU. So this was a bad matchup on a day we were more likely to have a rough outing.

Collins has two five-year guys (with him) who he’s not going to just drop quickly in favor of freshmen. He will eventually drop them as starters if things keep going as they are, but he will want to avoid this. Maybe the second half was a warning sign.

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I don't agree this was a bad matchup. Loyer is not quick at all. Smith is considerably faster but not faster than several other guards in the league (though he is considerably more skilled). On top of that, they are not physical dudes, not the kind that used to bump Boo out of his lane. If we struggle to contain guards, which we do, with the Purdue backcourt, unlike let's say the Dayton backcout, there is the advantage they don't pose as many problems on the defense as others do.

I just think it was a terrible day overall. Deflated by the officiating and a second "could have definitely won" loss on the road? Getting used to life on the road? No idea, it happens. Like I said, I don't think it was necessarly lack of prep.

Crucial is to win the next one. At home, weekend, students need to be as rucous as if we were playing Purdue the last couple of years. If we lose we put a ton of pressure on every subsequent game.

PurpleWhiteBoy said:

I re-watched the game and I saw effort and confusion from the players.

I also saw a lack of preparation, a lack of useful adjustments and a lot of frustrated looks from the head coach.

The inability of anyone on our team to defend Braden Smith is cause for concern - because it is clear that Leach and Berry aren't quick enough to defend quick point guards. We saw the exact same situation against Dayton. From a defensive perspective, thats why we lost so badly - it wasn't due to lack of effort.

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As a fan, I will very rarely question effort and won’t do it in this game. As a disclaimer, I will admit i tuned out after the first half. The game was over at the half. Teams have good and bad games, they happen every year. Purdue isn’t the first team that tried to double Barnelli. We’ve seen it plenty, so no idea why we were so inept Sunday. Pretty much the entire unit looked out of sync but confusion can often be attributed to lack of execution versus suddenly being unprepared for something that was hardly a novelty.

As far as sitting Berry and Big Matt, good for CCC. He had to do something. I would have been fine if he sat Martinelli and Leach to make his point that the starters need to be better, but IMO he picked the right guys. Why? Berry was doing nothing to alleviate the doubles and we know what we have with Big Matt. Neither were helping the offense and neither was playing well. We needed offense and the Freshman do have the potential to bring that. The Freshman’s lack of defensive prowess but that isn’t much of a problem when you are already chasing 25. I don’t see it as CCC “blaming” Ty and Big Matt, he just realized he couldn’t sit in his hands and do nothing so he made what to me was a logical change.

It’s becoming pretty apparent that in these B1G games we need Berry to contribute. Generally, If Ty plays well we win, if he plays poorly we lose.

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EvanstonCat said:

Notre Shame for sure. I hate them almost as much as I hate the Bucks. As a Catholic I hate that they try to claim an entire religious base. I hate their pompous nature.

Penn State, I have no hate for. I don’t think JoePa knew what was going on. He was from a different era where such behavior was incomprehensible, and when he realized what happened, it probably killed him. I also don’t think it’s fair to for us to get in our high horse about PSU and Sandusky when we are so ready to sweep the car washes under the rug in our own house. I’m not saying they are equivalent, but what happened at NU was a culture problem involving rituals that if not nearly as heinous, were still sick and twisted, while what happened at PSU was more isolated to the criminal actions of a sick and twisted individual pedo.

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Not interested in rehashing the whole Penn State fiasco, but I feel you are trying to sweep an awful lot under that rug there.

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Who’s this guy? Mt Carmel standout, 4 yrs eligibility, HS QB but listed as ATH. Maybe another Ebert or Peterman type WR?

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NUCat320 said:

Rashada is back in the portal after serving as Georgia’s third stringer this year.

He transferred when ASU brought in someone to compete with him (Sam Leavitt, MSU, same class) and now is transferring because he’s behind Stockton at Georgia.

It’s a shame that so many kids don’t want to compete for a role. He could’ve spent a year handing to Skattebo, getting better as the year went on, and playing in the CFP. (Leavitt was…fine this year. Rashada could’ve competed and won, unless he was ‘asked to leave’ for being me-first.)

Oh well.

He’s gotten lots of bad advice. I still hope he wins his lawsuit.

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They might be OK with competing but so many "competitions" winners are already pre selected, Not much point if you only gotta year

Chitownjazz said:

I agree completely. In a weird way, I think it would help Ty Berry as well, since I don’t think he thrives with pressure being on him. Perhaps knowing that somebody else is being counted on for scoring will actually enhance his game.

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At this point the spot he takes is probably Berry cause hard to think of him getting Barnhizer or Martinelli off the the floor. Other possibility is getting some minutes from Leach but gotta imagine they will be few and far between

JournCat said:

Your analysis is spot-on ... which is why I think CC needs to try Angelo a lot more, see if he can keep shooting threes in the high-30s (currently 46.7% with very low attempts), and live with the growing pains on defense.

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He also has to stay out of foul trouble. And he probably isn't strong enough yet. but he also has an inside game somewhat similar to Martinelli to go with that 3 pt shooting, Lotta versatillity in his game, Gotta hope Berry gets his O game back but at this point Chello is getting to be a descent alternative

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catcrazy said:

Yeah but I really think the swindling of a potential victory at Penn State affected the team more then you think. When they look at the tape they will see clear bias and all of those reds should be suspended without pay

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Travel to and from PSU is also one of the toughest trips followed up but the trip to W Lafayette so quickly after makes it really tough. Probably the toughest travel all year.

FanatiCat said:

I have an idea. NIL money should be placed in more of a trust/deferred compensation and/or vesting situation that incentivizes athletes to stay. Also because how can you expect an 18-19 year old to understand and know how to handle that kind of money and contract. These kids are already getting a full ride inclusive of living expenses and health coverage. They could get the new revenue sharing money as a stipend for those who need more travel money for themselves or families, those small % who have kids or want to help other family. But the rest of the large NIL sums should be handled differently.

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This is where the NCAA dropped the ball. Something like this could well have worked before all the horses left the barn. (I suggested something similar when NIL was looming but of course NCAA wasn't mining the Rivals Boards then and your idea will also likely be left wafting in the wind.

Notre Shame for sure. I hate them almost as much as I hate the Bucks. As a Catholic I hate that they try to claim an entire religious base. I hate their pompous nature.

Penn State, I have no hate for. I don’t think JoePa knew what was going on. He was from a different era where such behavior was incomprehensible, and when he realized what happened, it probably killed him. I also don’t think it’s fair to for us to get in our high horse about PSU and Sandusky when we are so ready to sweep the car washes under the rug in our own house. I’m not saying they are equivalent, but what happened at NU was a culture problem involving rituals that if not nearly as heinous, were still sick and twisted, while what happened at PSU was more isolated to the criminal actions of a sick and twisted individual pedo.

Interesting that Gronowski committed to Iowa. I’m sure glad we got Wilde as it was rumored that they visited Iowa City together.

CappyNU said:

Rodriguez didn't get the job at West Virginia until 2001, he was at Clemson 1999-2000.

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And Woody Dantzler was the QB running the spread at Clemson I believe.

On the subject of WR, I hope that either we get another proven transfer, or Mike Wright (a sort of internal transfer) surprises by showing his potential was at WR all along. And maybe Lausch too…

Evanstonian said:

I’d take North Dakota State’s leading WR, Bryce Lance. No idea if he’ll go into the portal.

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He was huge in championship game

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Palindrome said:

Really agree. Getting shafted in a Thursday road game where just about the only statistic re: losing was the FT disparity (and an “inadvertent” goaltending whistle) is enough to give these guys a hangover. I cannot say I was surprised by them looking/feeling dispirated. I think days off followed by a home game will be the tonic they need to get back on track. They’re kids.

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Palindrome, seriously? On 01/06/2025? 5

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