2-4. Big win. Need to get to 11-9.

[catcrazy]

When we beat you in Rantoul you will be complaining about something. Take a hike

 

[Davidgolds5]

No, because your NET ranking stinks so unless we win by a significant margin, it will be a drag on our own ranking and that won’t prompt much dancing from me.

Also, these threads are garbage already. I can’t believe how little action you guys have on here, and those are participate are mostly 55+.

Why is this guy on here? Nothing better to do with your life than to go on someone else chat thread and be a jerk?

 

[clarificationcat]

Why is this guy on here? Nothing better to do with your life than to go on someone else chat thread and be a jerk?

It’s sad. He’s a loser and I would feel bad for him but he still pisses me off (which is what he wants).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

No, because your NET ranking stinks so unless we win by a significant margin, it will be a drag on our own ranking and that won’t prompt much dancing from me.

Also, these threads are garbage already. I can’t believe how little action you guys have on here, and those are participate are mostly 55+.

Cappy, do your job!

 

[Hungry Jack]

Cappy, do your job!

Didn’t Cappy send Vassarline to his room a few months ago?

 

[hdhntr1]

There is an underlying belief by Maryland fans that they should be an elite program and win all but the bluest of blueblood games. The truth is the history is good but not that good, particularly in the last decade - but hope springs eternal. Losing the last three to NU? Big time unacceptable. However, I don't think Willard is on the hot seat. They had a great class and have a ton of talent.

They were one but have not really been one for 5-10 years

 

[hdhntr1]

You dont finish in the top 3 of the B1G in back to back years without having at least top half of conference talent. Pundits don’t know jack about NU.

We had a top half of the conference TEAM but we really did not have top have top half of the conference talent. Coaching and how they played together made a huge difference. Also that was the last couple years (there were also a couple pretty good guys that were part of those teams who are no longer here). We have a similar team but it has not totally gelled yet, There weren't many teams we had more overall talent than then and there definitely are not now. What we did have was a solid TEAM, We have that potential again but we have not pulled it together yet

 

[hdhntr1]

Agree to disagree. They are the more athletic team for sure. Doesn't mean they are the more talented or better basketball team.

Reese is a great player for sure, and he's really improved his FT stroke that was impressive. Gillespie 0 is also very quick and tough to guard. I wasn't terribly impressed by Queen last night he seemed sort of like a bull in a china shop at times but clearly he's had better games when you look at his season stats. I still am not convinced they are a better team than us. But obviously our 2-4 conference record thus far would suggest that we have a lot of work to do haha.

They are more talented, We play better as a team and teams win. But it is hard to find teams in the BIG that we really have more talent than and MD definitely is not one of them. We also beat IL and we definitely don't have the talent that they do

 

[hdhntr1]

Agree to disagree. They are the more athletic team for sure. Doesn't mean they are the more talented or better basketball team.

Reese is a great player for sure, and he's really improved his FT stroke that was impressive. Gillespie 0 is also very quick and tough to guard. I wasn't terribly impressed by Queen last night he seemed sort of like a bull in a china shop at times but clearly he's had better games when you look at his season stats. I still am not convinced they are a better team than us. But obviously our 2-4 conference record thus far would suggest that we have a lot of work to do haha.

They have more talent. We have a better team

 

[clarificationcat]

They have more talent. We have a better team

We shall see. We barely beat them at home and they have a better record. I hope you are right.

 

[hdhntr1]

Right. We finished 2nd in the Big Ten two years ago and 4th last year. We have talent AND coaching.

Just because guys don’t have 4 or 5 stars next to their name doesn’t mean they don’t have talent. Basketball is very different developmentally, then say, football.

No one said we don't have talent, Just that that talent level is not in the top half of the conference. Probably not in the top 2/3s, But we do have a good team that plays well together and wins.

 

[hdhntr1]

Barney and Mart have to score for us - no one else except typically Leach can regularly score for us. (Berry - please join this group, but we also know who he is by now). It’s largely why their numbers are so high.

We don’t have the top-end offensive talent (one All Big Player in how many years?), and as PPD said, it’s also about depth of talent, and we fall short there too.

You don’t trust the pundits but any average Joe / JoAnn who watches NU and other teams play basketball can also see we have less talent. It’s better than it used to be, for sure, but it’s generally less than our competition.

Our excellent defense offsets our offensive limitations. We are rated highly on defense because our DC is great and HC gets the players to do their best to buy in.

I love our guys, but I call it like most see it - our coaches generally get more out of our players than other coaches get out of theirs (be it developmental or in-game).

D is about effort and our guys have bought in and put in that effort, It gives us an an advantage that is not respected by fans for its importance.

 

[hdhntr1]

Just being logical, it is really hard to argue that NU's talent the last 3 years has been below the middle third of the conference.
It is easy enough to argue that this year's team is less talented than last year's team.
We lost Buie and Langborg. We got Leach. (Preston vs Fitzmorris is TBD I guess)
Admittedly we picked up two talented freshmen in Windham and Ciaravino, but you can only play 5 at a time.
The current team probably has better depth than last year, in my opinion.

Sorry but it has been, What is not accounted for is that D is much more about teamwork and effort and our guys have bought in and put in that effort

 

[hdhntr1]

We can agree to disagree on the level talent, but let’s not kid ourselves—if you're not in the top half of the Big Ten in terms of talent, you're not finishing in the top three. That's just the reality. Now, I’ve seen enough from this program to know that the talent at NU over the last few years has been at least competitive, and in some cases, I’d argue it's been as good or better that at least half of the teams in this league.

Last year’s offense was a perfect example. When healthy, those guys could flat-out shoot the ball. We’re talking about a squad that was dangerous from behind the arc in Berry and Langborg. An all-American talent in Boo Buie. And all big ten player in Brook Barnhizer. Depth is down a little this year, I’ll admit that. But the fact they’re still competitive with a defense that's keyed in on three main players well, that’s a testament to the coaching and the system and the talent of those 3 players.

Now, let’s talk about Collins as a coach. I’ve been a fan of his offensive sets and defense since day one. People slept on it, but I’ve always seen the value. The defense has been good to great no matter who the assistants are (roster dependent), and that comes down to his philosophy and how he gets guys to buy in. It’s not just X’s and O’s, it's about getting guys to understand that, it takes athleticism (talent) and a high basketball IQ to lock teams down.

And let's not forget about recruiting. Collins is bringing in B1G-level talent to NU who would get minutes anywhere (Boo, Audige, Barnhizer, Martinelli, Langborg, Nance, Law, BMac, Pardon, etc.) and he’s done that consistently. We’ve seen some guys in that list who would start for any of the other teams in this conference. So, no, NU isn’t the most talented team in the B1G this year, but they’re competitive. The talent’s been at least in the top-half in the last couple of seasons.

You are kidding yourself. Talent is closer than it was in the past but it is still not really better than all but a couple teams, But what we do do is play better as a team, Not beating ourselves with turnovers and mistakes, We also have a team that has bought into Defense. Defense is mostly about effort and hard work and the team has bought in and puts in that effort and that gives us an advantage

 

[hdhntr1]

Maybe, but if you fear Minnesota you have to fear every single B1G team. That of course, is historically what NU fans do. Fear everyone and point out our own weaknesses.

Our margin of error is really thin so we do need to be concerned with every BIG team

 

[hdhntr1]

It's going to be very tough to beat Minnesota on their home court

It is hard to beat any BIG team on the road