Another conference win.

[ricko654321]

Every single one of those is tough to come by and critical. It’s much more fun to post after wins so here’s a few comments.
- I loved today how different players stepped up at different times. Overall we went on a huge run in late H1 and then early H2. We were down 25-22 and then up 63-40, that’s a solid 41-15 stretch.
- in short, Ty staked us to a big lead and we never even really considered giving it up.
- Ty was hot but for the most part I thought he continued taking reasonable shots and had a couple nice passes. He didn’t go heat check he just continued playing smart
- I liked that in the H2 we managed to find a few stretches of rest for Chase and Boo and our offense didn’t totally collapse
- our D struggled the first 15 mins to defense Tominaga (who was great) and in marking people in transition. But we settled down after that which enabled us to build a large lead.
- there was a stretch where they briefly threatened to come back toward the end and Chase just stepped up and slammed the door with the follow oop and then a great dive cut that Ty found him for
- Even Martinelli was solid when he got in. I love how we fight for every 50/50 ball. Martinelli was in on it and had a couple smooth floaters.
- The commitment and focus from Boo on D is awesome. One of my favorite plays was when he tore away a rebound over their big guy. Would never have seen that the last couple years. Love the effort Boo.
- it’s nice when we have many complementary players and they seem to support each other at different times and in different roles.
- Defense is our foundation but we looked impressively competent on offense for stretches of time today. A few too many turnovers but a lot of nice looking possessions and shots

Most importantly, we went 1-0. I told myself I would refuse to think about the full season implications until we get halfway (10 games) through conference season. But I have to say it’s starting to enter into my thoughts. Rest up, and bring on Minnesota. No win in this conference is easy. I’m 100% sure they will be excited to go for the upset. No easy day.

 

[Alan Smithee]

Yep, a good day. We had areas that for stretches were really subpar, and grounds for some ass-chewing by Collins, and plenty of film work to clean up. Yet we were very clearly the superior team and won by 15 on the road anyway. Contributions by nearly everyone, even those without much scoring. Beran for example didn’t score a point, but I’m fine with that given he took only 3 shots; the hot hands were elsewhere tonight.

 

[hdhntr1]

Every single one of those is tough to come by and critical. It’s much more fun to post after wins so here’s a few comments.
- I loved today how different players stepped up at different times. Overall we went on a huge run in late H1 and then early H2. We were down 25-22 and then up 63-40, that’s a solid 41-15 stretch.
- in short, Ty staked us to a big lead and we never even really considered giving it up.
- Ty was hot but for the most part I thought he continued taking reasonable shots and had a couple nice passes. He didn’t go heat check he just continued playing smart
- I liked that in the H2 we managed to find a few stretches of rest for Chase and Boo and our offense didn’t totally collapse
- our D struggled the first 15 mins to defense Tominaga (who was great) and in marking people in transition. But we settled down after that which enabled us to build a large lead.
- there was a stretch where they briefly threatened to come back toward the end and Chase just stepped up and slammed the door with the follow oop and then a great dive cut that Ty found him for
- Even Martinelli was solid when he got in. I love how we fight for every 50/50 ball. Martinelli was in on it and had a couple smooth floaters. The commitment and focus from Boo on D is awesome. One of my favorite plays was when he tore away a rebound over their big guy. Would never have seen that the last couple years. Love the effort Boo.
- it’s nice when we have many complementary players and they seem to support each other at different times and in different roles. Defense is our foundation but we looked impressively competent on offense for stretches of time today. A few too many turnovers but a lot of nice looking possessions and shots

Most importantly, we went 1-0. I told myself I would refuse to think about the full season implications until we get halfway (10 games) through conference season. But I have to say it’s starting to enter into my thoughts. Rest up, and bring on Minnesota. No win in this conference is easy. I’m 100% sure they will be excited to go for the upset. No easy day.

That next stretch will be the hardest 2 days off to MN, 2 days off to IA then 1 day off to Mich . Really tough stretch when we are shorthanded. Need Roper back ASAP

 

[NJcatsfan]

“Just like football!” chant only applies to this game, this season. Nice easy win on the road, despite the exhaustion. BEAT MINNESOTA at home & then we’ll really be cooking…

 

[Medill '03]

That next stretch will be the hardest 2 days off to MN, 2 days off to IA then 1 day off to Mich . Really tough stretch when we are shorthanded. Need Roper back ASAP

Minnesota is 1-7 in B1G play, so that would be nice if it's our hardest stretch! I understand that it's a lot of games in a short amount of time. But as Carmody used to say, come on, these guys are 21 years old!

 

[ricko654321]

Minnesota is 1-7 in B1G play, so that would be nice if it's our hardest stretch! I understand that it's a lot of games in a short amount of time. But as Carmody used to say, come on, these guys are 21 years old!

Every conference win is difficult. I like our chances against Minn, but by no means will it be easy.

Mon Weds Sat
Tues Thurs Sun

6 games in 13 days. We will see how it goes.

 

[hdhntr1]

Minnesota is 1-7 in B1G play, so that would be nice if it's our hardest stretch! I understand that it's a lot of games in a short amount of time. But as Carmody used to say, come on, these guys are 21 years old!

Sorry but 6 games with only one or two days off between them and being shorthanded is what makes it tough, Especially since we are D focused. And everything gets a lot harder as soon as we are done with MN game. IA at IA, MICH and then WIS again in Madison. Sorry but that is a tough stretch, no matter how you cut it.

 

[hdhntr1]

E

Every conference win is difficult. I like our chances against Minn, but by no means will it be easy.

Mon Weds Sat
Tues Thurs Sun

6 games in 13 days. We will see how it goes.

specially since it gets a lot harder after MN

 

[IGNORE2]

Every single one of those is tough to come by and critical. It’s much more fun to post after wins so here’s a few comments.
- I loved today how different players stepped up at different times. Overall we went on a huge run in late H1 and then early H2. We were down 25-22 and then up 63-40, that’s a solid 41-15 stretch.
- in short, Ty staked us to a big lead and we never even really considered giving it up.
- Ty was hot but for the most part I thought he continued taking reasonable shots and had a couple nice passes. He didn’t go heat check he just continued playing smart
- I liked that in the H2 we managed to find a few stretches of rest for Chase and Boo and our offense didn’t totally collapse
- our D struggled the first 15 mins to defense Tominaga (who was great) and in marking people in transition. But we settled down after that which enabled us to build a large lead.
- there was a stretch where they briefly threatened to come back toward the end and Chase just stepped up and slammed the door with the follow oop and then a great dive cut that Ty found him for
- Even Martinelli was solid when he got in. I love how we fight for every 50/50 ball. Martinelli was in on it and had a couple smooth floaters.
- The commitment and focus from Boo on D is awesome. One of my favorite plays was when he tore away a rebound over their big guy. Would never have seen that the last couple years. Love the effort Boo.
- it’s nice when we have many complementary players and they seem to support each other at different times and in different roles.
- Defense is our foundation but we looked impressively competent on offense for stretches of time today. A few too many turnovers but a lot of nice looking possessions and shots

Most importantly, we went 1-0. I told myself I would refuse to think about the full season implications until we get halfway (10 games) through conference season. But I have to say it’s starting to enter into my thoughts. Rest up, and bring on Minnesota. No win in this conference is easy. I’m 100% sure they will be excited to go for the upset. No easy day.

There was so much to like tonight. No Roper meant shorthanded. Berry matched the energy and production from 30. Our D keeps showing up - just being in the right position. That Boo rebound was epic. The lobs to MN were pretty good too.

I hated the two possessions where chase and barn chucked up circus threes early in the clock - glad to see the timeout.

But the guys managed the game start to stop. They locked it down at the end. And held composure in some crap call situations (I hated Nance whining - these guys forget quickly - respect that - refs should too).

Still bummed Mother Nature kept me out. This was a great game and I wish I had been there. I think this team will play post season. Absent a trip out of country, I will be there. I find these guys to be the hardest working team I have ever followed. They have my heart.

 

[DaCat]

There was so much to like tonight. No Roper meant shorthanded. Berry matched the energy and production from 30. Our D keeps showing up - just being in the right position. That Boo rebound was epic. The lobs to MN were pretty good too.

I hated the two possessions where chase and barn chucked up circus threes early in the clock - glad to see the timeout.

But the guys managed the game start to stop. They locked it down at the end. And held composure in some crap call situations (I hated Nance whining - these guys forget quickly - respect that - refs should too).

Still bummed Mother Nature kept me out. This was a great game and I wish I had been there. I think this team will play post season. Absent a trip out of country, I will be there. I find these guys to be the hardest working team I have ever followed. They have my heart.

Hey Bob, save some kool-aid for the rest of the class. I like this version of you better.

 

[NUCat320]

Every single one of those is tough to come by and critical. It’s much more fun to post after wins so here’s a few comments.
- I loved today how different players stepped up at different times. Overall we went on a huge run in late H1 and then early H2. We were down 25-22 and then up 63-40, that’s a solid 41-15 stretch.
- in short, Ty staked us to a big lead and we never even really considered giving it up.
- Ty was hot but for the most part I thought he continued taking reasonable shots and had a couple nice passes. He didn’t go heat check he just continued playing smart
- I liked that in the H2 we managed to find a few stretches of rest for Chase and Boo and our offense didn’t totally collapse
- our D struggled the first 15 mins to defense Tominaga (who was great) and in marking people in transition. But we settled down after that which enabled us to build a large lead.
- there was a stretch where they briefly threatened to come back toward the end and Chase just stepped up and slammed the door with the follow oop and then a great dive cut that Ty found him for
- Even Martinelli was solid when he got in. I love how we fight for every 50/50 ball. Martinelli was in on it and had a couple smooth floaters.
- The commitment and focus from Boo on D is awesome. One of my favorite plays was when he tore away a rebound over their big guy. Would never have seen that the last couple years. Love the effort Boo.
- it’s nice when we have many complementary players and they seem to support each other at different times and in different roles.
- Defense is our foundation but we looked impressively competent on offense for stretches of time today. A few too many turnovers but a lot of nice looking possessions and shots

Most importantly, we went 1-0. I told myself I would refuse to think about the full season implications until we get halfway (10 games) through conference season. But I have to say it’s starting to enter into my thoughts. Rest up, and bring on Minnesota. No win in this conference is easy. I’m 100% sure they will be excited to go for the upset. No easy day.

It’s really wild.

Everyone chases loose balls (but intelligently — there was the scatter court situation after the Martinelli air ball where, someone drifted to the wing to hit the buzzer beater but only because he saw a teammate sprinting from mid court).

These guys are passing up an open shot for a better shot.

Everyone hits the boards (8 for Barney, 6 for Chase).

Chase and Boo have become more aggressive to the bucket (especially in these past two games), which leads to Nicholbombs, made floaters, 6 for 6 from the foul line for the crew.

Did Esch dunk as much as Nicholbomb does? Big Matt will average 10 and 10 in two seasons.

 

[phatcat]

Sorry but 6 games with only one or two days off between them and being shorthanded is what makes it tough, Especially since we are D focused. And everything gets a lot harder as soon as we are done with MN game. IA at IA, MICH and then WIS again in Madison. Sorry but that is a tough stretch, no matter how you cut it.

I suspect their may also be some lingering COVID fatigue, and we are not a deep team. What we could really use is for Beran to actually appear for 3 or 4 games in a row. I know it's asking a lot, but it would be nice.

 

[ricko654321]

I suspect their may also be some lingering COVID fatigue, and we are not a deep team. What we could really use is for Beran to actually appear for 3 or 4 games in a row. I know it's asking a lot, but it would be nice.

If we can get a win against Minnesota on Sat, then take even just 1 of the 3 in the following week that would be nice. Going 4-2 over 6 games in 13 days would be a pretty impressive outcome I think and leaves us at 7-5 heading into the home stretch. The schedule on the last 8 games coming home is very tough, but at least we get normal rest between games. And while there are no easy games at all, I don't think there are any we can't win. We catch Purdue at home which will still be very tough but who knows, and then the other 7 games are all in the mushy 2-12 clump of the B1G - where everyone is between 6-3 (Rutgers) and 3-6 (OSU) and the other 3-11 all have 4 or 5 wins, so anyone can take any given game.

 

[Max_Power]

“Just like football!” chant only applies to this game, this season. Nice easy win on the road, despite the exhaustion. BEAT MINNESOTA at home & then we’ll really be cooking…

Sadly one of the great chants in sports has no place the remainder of the season

 

[CappyNU]

We have 12 games left in the season, and only 2 opportunities for a bad loss. Apologies to Styre, but here's how it breaks down:

Must-win games:
Minnesota (Quad 4)
Michigan (Quad 3)

Probably need to win (Quad 2):
Iowa
Penn State

Resume boosters (Quad 1):
@Wisconsin
Indiana

Gravy (Quad 1-A):
@Iowa
@OSU
Purdue
@Illinois
@Maryland
@Rutgers

Seems like 5 more wins will get us on the verge of the play-in round and 6 is probably needed to be assured of a berth depending on who those wins come against, with likely at least 1 win in BTT needed as well.

 

[GatoLouco]

I suspect their may also be some lingering COVID fatigue, and we are not a deep team. What we could really use is for Beran to actually appear for 3 or 4 games in a row. I know it's asking a lot, but it would be nice.

I personally see the recovery from Covid as a much bigger deal than the lack of depth. I am, of course, heavily influenced by my own Covid experience: it was super easy, 1 day of feeling fluish, one day of feeling a bit crummy, and feeling normal after that. Except I felt tired super easily, for like 3 weeks, doing very meaningless stuff.

The depth problem is real, of course. But we still have 7 on rotation, the magic number for me to be able to sustain being competitive. One interior and one exterior player off the bench.

On top of this, it's not like we are going up against super healthy teams. Or teams that, while healthy, have a deep rotation. I don't want to go into a rabbit hole of digging up who is injured in other teams. Or what teams, just never rotated more than 7. But, from memory:

1) Indiana - 2 starters were out, 1 is back, yesterday used 29 bench minutes
2) MSU - Hall has played very little, still rotates 3 players
3) Minny - top scorer is out, used 2 players off the bench yesterday, one for just 5 minutes
4) Rutgers - Really only heavily uses 1 bench player, not deep
5) IL - using 2 players heavily off the bench, not deep
6) IA - using 2 players heavily off the bench, not deep
7) MD - using 2 players heavily off the bench, not deep
8) WI - using 2 players heavily off the bench, not deep
9) UNL - 2 injured

That leaves, with minimal problems or a having a deep roster use:
1) Purdue
2) MI
3) PSU
4) OSU

This is a superficial analysis and there's probably stretches there. But my point is that, yeah I'd rather have Roper and Hunger available, but this is what (close to) what every team is going through and goes through every season.

 

[Sec.112]

... What we could really use is for Beran to actually appear for 3 or 4 games in a row. I know it's asking a lot, but it would be nice.

I'm in the same ballpark.

I agree it's a bit much to expect him on both sides of the ball in three or four games in a row. But I'm thinking after Minnesota, the Cats need him to have that ONE unexpected performance like Berry had last night. They just need that one game against Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois ... anyone.

 

[EagerFan]

it seems more possible in a game where the oppo feel they need to really shut down boo, berry, and chase, instead of just boo and chase, or just chase. robbie isn't a guy creating his own shots, but if he's open he's pretty good, yeah? what i'd like to see a bit more of from him is successful slashes to the basket for a bucket or free throws. he can do it, he just doesn't, and that would create some extra space for him if they have to respect that threat.

 

[rwhitney014]

Beran

• May have had Covid and could be recovering just like anyone else
• Has been the starter at one position
• Until last night, the primary backup for a couple weeks at another, physically demanding position
• Is getting to the line at nearly triple the rate he has for his career, which means he's getting fouled more
• Is blocking more shots and rebounding more misses than he has before, which means (as the result of the above) he's down low scrapping more often

So let's maybe give him a break that he's not also shooting 7-9 from 3 every night right now too? He's completely irreplaceable on this roster and playing a very unusual role to boot. He'll have his nights. I hope we can keep him around 24 minutes again on Saturday. Another major opportunity for Verhoeven to step up and soak up those minutes, as he did yesterday.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

You are correct than Beran is our most important player - meaning that we don't have a good way to replace him. He was +25 last night (in 24 minutes), while doing very little in the box score. He did have 3 assists, which is almost unheard of for Beran.

My guess is that he has finally matured on the defensive end and is essential to ball movement on the offensive end. I can't recall too many instances this year where Beran was late or clueless on defense. Last year it happened at least once (often several times) every game. He's also fouling less frequently.

 

[ricko654321]

You are correct than Beran is our most important player - meaning that we don't have a good way to replace him. He was +25 last night (in 24 minutes), while doing very little in the box score. He did have 3 assists, which is almost unheard of for Beran.

My guess is that he has finally matured on the defensive end and is essential to ball movement on the offensive end. I can't recall too many instances this year where Beran was late or clueless on defense. Last year it happened at least once (often several times) every game. He's also fouling less frequently.

Yeah he's developed into a very good defender that can defend multiple positions (3,4,5, can even hold his own against most guards on switches). His offense is inconsistent game to game but he seems to bring plus defense almost every time out. I wouldn't be surprised if he does have a breakout offensive game at some point too like Berry did last night.

 

[hdhntr1]

I suspect their may also be some lingering COVID fatigue, and we are not a deep team. What we could really use is for Beran to actually appear for 3 or 4 games in a row. I know it's asking a lot, but it would be nice.

Let us start with one. I think his D is underated as he has been pretty versatile in guarding everyone from guards to centers. That said, sure would be nice if he could get more consistent with his O

 

[phatcat]

You are correct than Beran is our most important player - meaning that we don't have a good way to replace him. He was +25 last night (in 24 minutes), while doing very little in the box score. He did have 3 assists, which is almost unheard of for Beran.

My guess is that he has finally matured on the defensive end and is essential to ball movement on the offensive end. I can't recall too many instances this year where Beran was late or clueless on defense. Last year it happened at least once (often several times) every game. He's also fouling less frequently.

He's gotta contribute on offense too. This team isn't good enough to have a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin on the floor for 25 mins a game. Plus, he's shown he can do it (IU, Mich). So JFDI

 

[rwhitney014]

He's gotta contribute on offense too. This team isn't good enough to have a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin on the floor for 25 mins a game. Plus, he's shown he can do it (IU, Mich). So JFDI

He's averaging 9.1 ppg, which is good for 4th on the team and 50th in the conference.

Of Big Ten players who are their team's 4th-leading scorers, Beran is ahead of:

McDaniel (Michigan) by 2 ppg
Furst (Purdue) by 1.9 ppg
Payne (Minny) by 1.9 ppg
Bates and Kopp (IU) - Bates is actually their 3rd-leading scorer and Beran is .8 ppg ahead of him
Wynter (PSU) by .6 ppg
Akins (MSU) by .5 ppg

He's behind:

Essegian (UW) by 1.8 ppg
Reese (MD) by 1.4 ppg
Sandfort (Iowa) by .9 ppg
McNeil (OSU) by .7 ppg
Hawkins and Epps (Illinois) by .6 and .5 ppg
Gary (UNL) by .4 ppg
Hyatt (RU) by .3 ppg

So, Beran is literally the mean 4th-leading scorer in the conference, while again playing a crucial defensive role in the frontcourt, 2nd-leading rebounder, 2nd-leading shot blocker, lowest turnover rate of anyone playing 20+ minutes, and 83% from the FT line (which means he's HUGE for closing out games because he's a big you can keep on the floor). Yes, it would be nice if he were shooting 40% from 3 as well; that would mean he'd be making 1.4 per game out of his 3.6 attempts rather than 1.2 per game.

Labeling Beran "a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin" is insulting to both him and Lumpkin, because their roles within the rosters aren't straight comps and because both are proving, in their senior years, to be very good at those roles!

 

[phatcat]

He's averaging 9.1 ppg, which is good for 4th on the team and 50th in the conference.

Of Big Ten players who are their team's 4th-leading scorers, Beran is ahead of:

McDaniel (Michigan) by 2 ppg
Furst (Purdue) by 1.9 ppg
Payne (Minny) by 1.9 ppg
Bates and Kopp (IU) - Bates is actually their 3rd-leading scorer and Beran is .8 ppg ahead of him
Wynter (PSU) by .6 ppg
Akins (MSU) by .5 ppg

He's behind:

Essegian (UW) by 1.8 ppg
Reese (MD) by 1.4 ppg
Sandfort (Iowa) by .9 ppg
McNeil (OSU) by .7 ppg
Hawkins and Epps (Illinois) by .6 and .5 ppg
Gary (UNL) by .4 ppg
Hyatt (RU) by .3 ppg

So, Beran is literally the mean 4th-leading scorer in the conference, while again playing a crucial defensive role in the frontcourt, 2nd-leading rebounder, 2nd-leading shot blocker, lowest turnover rate of anyone playing 20+ minutes, and 83% from the FT line (which means he's HUGE for closing out games because he's a big you can keep on the floor). Yes, it would be nice if he were shooting 40% from 3 as well; that would mean he'd be making 1.4 per game out of his 3.6 attempts rather than 1.2 per game.

Labeling Beran "a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin" is insulting to both him and Lumpkin, because their roles within the rosters aren't straight comps and because both are proving, in their senior years, to be very good at those roles!

The point that the rosters aren't comparable is exactly my point! This team cannot afford a "defense only " guy. We dont have enough offensive weapons, and they are all streaky. And since we are northwestern geeks, I'd like to see the standard deviation around his average. Zero last night and 16 against Mich is an "average" of 8. In games that matter [I left out 3 v Brown] He's had games of zero , two, five and five. He can't disappear like that. He's a 4 year starter.

Finally, since you mentioned FTs, his FG % is 22% worse than last year (but none of these guys are sharpshooters)

 

[PURPLECAT88]

Labeling Beran "a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin" is insulting to both him and Lumpkin, because their roles within the rosters aren't straight comps and because both are proving, in their senior years, to be very good at those roles!

Phatty insulting our players. Don't act surprised. That and hating Michigan is his entire schtick.

 

[Alan Smithee]

Phatty insulting our players. Don't act surprised. That and hating Michigan is his entire schtick.

I think the Lumpkin comparison is apt in at least one respect. Lumpkin didn’t take many shots, but he took almost no bad shots. And he was under-appreciated. If some others have a hotter hand, I’ll be happy with a starter who finds other ways to contribute. I’ll take the guy who gets 0 points on three shots occasionally vs the guy who finishes with 5 points on 2-10 shooting.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I think the Lumpkin comparison is apt in at least one respect. Lumpkin didn’t take many shots, but he took almost no bad shots. And he was under-appreciated. If some others have a hotter hand, I’ll be happy with a starter who finds other ways to contribute. I’ll take the guy who gets 0 points on three shots occasionally vs the guy who finishes with 5 points on 2-10 shooting.

Beran was +25 in 24 minutes.
Not sure how anyone can complain.

As far as I can tell, its still a team game, where the team that scores more points is declared the winner.

 

[hdhntr1]

He's averaging 9.1 ppg, which is good for 4th on the team and 50th in the conference.

Of Big Ten players who are their team's 4th-leading scorers, Beran is ahead of:

McDaniel (Michigan) by 2 ppg
Furst (Purdue) by 1.9 ppg
Payne (Minny) by 1.9 ppg
Bates and Kopp (IU) - Bates is actually their 3rd-leading scorer and Beran is .8 ppg ahead of him
Wynter (PSU) by .6 ppg
Akins (MSU) by .5 ppg

He's behind:

Essegian (UW) by 1.8 ppg
Reese (MD) by 1.4 ppg
Sandfort (Iowa) by .9 ppg
McNeil (OSU) by .7 ppg
Hawkins and Epps (Illinois) by .6 and .5 ppg
Gary (UNL) by .4 ppg
Hyatt (RU) by .3 ppg

So, Beran is literally the mean 4th-leading scorer in the conference, while again playing a crucial defensive role in the frontcourt, 2nd-leading rebounder, 2nd-leading shot blocker, lowest turnover rate of anyone playing 20+ minutes, and 83% from the FT line (which means he's HUGE for closing out games because he's a big you can keep on the floor). Yes, it would be nice if he were shooting 40% from 3 as well; that would mean he'd be making 1.4 per game out of his 3.6 attempts rather than 1.2 per game.

Labeling Beran "a poor man's Sanjay Lumpkin" is insulting to both him and Lumpkin, because their roles within the rosters aren't straight comps and because both are proving, in their senior years, to be very good at those roles!

The issue with his O is more one of consistency. A lot of games he pretty much disappears and others we see his potential. It is nice to see when he he is willing to go to the basket on occasion and have to feel it helps his game in other ways.

That said, his versatility and willingness to play D is what really keeps him on the floor

 

[hdhntr1]

Every single one of those is tough to come by and critical. It’s much more fun to post after wins so here’s a few comments.
- I loved today how different players stepped up at different times. Overall we went on a huge run in late H1 and then early H2. We were down 25-22 and then up 63-40, that’s a solid 41-15 stretch.
- in short, Ty staked us to a big lead and we never even really considered giving it up.
- Ty was hot but for the most part I thought he continued taking reasonable shots and had a couple nice passes. He didn’t go heat check he just continued playing smart
- I liked that in the H2 we managed to find a few stretches of rest for Chase and Boo and our offense didn’t totally collapse
- our D struggled the first 15 mins to defense Tominaga (who was great) and in marking people in transition. But we settled down after that which enabled us to build a large lead.
- there was a stretch where they briefly threatened to come back toward the end and Chase just stepped up and slammed the door with the follow oop and then a great dive cut that Ty found him for
- Even Martinelli was solid when he got in. I love how we fight for every 50/50 ball. Martinelli was in on it and had a couple smooth floaters.
- The commitment and focus from Boo on D is awesome. One of my favorite plays was when he tore away a rebound over their big guy. Would never have seen that the last couple years. Love the effort Boo.
- it’s nice when we have many complementary players and they seem to support each other at different times and in different roles.
- Defense is our foundation but we looked impressively competent on offense for stretches of time today. A few too many turnovers but a lot of nice looking possessions and shots

Most importantly, we went 1-0. I told myself I would refuse to think about the full season implications until we get halfway (10 games) through conference season. But I have to say it’s starting to enter into my thoughts. Rest up, and bring on Minnesota. No win in this conference is easy. I’m 100% sure they will be excited to go for the upset. No easy day.

As you say, win or lose, this team is fun to watch. They play hard and are scrappers and starting to get an identity, Something that has not been able to be said for a while. Our level of talent is generally lower than other programs in the BIG so we have less margin for error. People have to understand and be ok with that. And bring in a new coach and sorry but I do not see the talent level improving and I could see us going South in a hurry.

 

[rwhitney014]

The point that the rosters aren't comparable is exactly my point! This team cannot afford a "defense only " guy. We dont have enough offensive weapons, and they are all streaky. And since we are northwestern geeks, I'd like to see the standard deviation around his average. Zero last night and 16 against Mich is an "average" of 8. In games that matter [I left out 3 v Brown] He's had games of zero , two, five and five. He can't disappear like that. He's a 4 year starter.

Finally, since you mentioned FTs, his FG % is 22% worse than last year (but none of these guys are sharpshooters)

Not that the rosters aren't comparable. That the roles of the two players aren't comparable. Lumpkin was the 5th option offensively. Maybe even 6th behind Brown, who when on the floor was there to handle the ball and try to penetrate to the rim.

And the flaw of your argument is that Beran is *not* a defense-only guy. Other teams have to account for him on the interior and the perimeter. They have to fight through his screens. They have to box him out so he doesn't get a rebound/putback/free throws. And in looking at points alone, he's literally the mean producer for 4th options on Big Ten! He's averaging 13% of the team's points while playing 15% of the available minutes per game. And he's doing it at two different positions!

Advanced stats? CBB Reference has his win shares at 2.2, tied with Berry for second on the team behind Audige's 2.7. And while I don't know exactly how it's calculated, Audige is up there because of defense.

Last night's game was an aberration, in that one player went bonkers in the first half and two others paced the scoring in the second half. You know what would have been bad? Beran taking shots in that first half away from Berry! I swear, the expectations of college players sometimes are way overheated. Yes, we need scoring, yes, we need more consistency, yes, we'd like every player to make every shot every time. But the other stuff all counts too. I shudder to think what would happen if Beran weren't available for even one game.

 

[TheC]

Sadly one of the great chants in sports has no place the remainder of the season

Well.... it might... we just won't like it

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

As you say, win or lose, this team is fun to watch. They play hard and are scrappers and starting to get an identity, Something that has not been able to be said for a while. Our level of talent is generally lower than other programs in the BIG so we have less margin for error. People have to understand and be ok with that. And bring in a new coach and sorry but I do not see the talent level improving and I could see us going South in a hurry.

Our talent level is pretty good. Roper, Audige, Buie, Beran, Nicholson, Barnhizer and Berry are all "Big Ten rotation" or better players. I think Hunger is definitely in that category and suspect that Martinelli will be eventually.

Last year's talent was even better.

We made 2 coaching changes last year (McIntosh and Lowery) and I think the positive impact of that is undenable.

 

[hdhntr1]

Our talent level is pretty good. Roper, Audige, Buie, Beran, Nicholson, Barnhizer and Berry are all "Big Ten rotation" or better players. I think Hunger is definitely in that category and suspect that Martinelli will be eventually.

Last year's talent was even better.

We made 2 coaching changes last year (McIntosh and Lowery) and I think the positive impact of that is undenable.

Our talent level is reasonable for us. But you are kidding yourself if you think it is above the bottom third in the conference. What has us where we are right now is we have a more experienced team with both BB and CA being Srs, healthy and having played a lot together so they are making fewer mistakes. We have a good mix as the guys are buying in and that is making them fun to watch.

 

[DaCat]

Last night's game was an aberration, in that one player went bonkers in the first half and two others paced the scoring in the second half. You know what would have been bad? Beran taking shots in that first half away from Berry! I swear, the expectations of college players sometimes are way overheated. Yes, we need scoring, yes, we need more consistency, yes, we'd like every player to make every shot every time. But the other stuff all counts too. I shudder to think what would happen if Beran weren't available for even one game.

This is a very good point. Hopefully Beran will pick up the offense in some of the upcoming games when needed.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Our talent level is reasonable for us. But you are kidding yourself if you think it is above the bottom third in the conference. What has us where we are right now is we have a more experienced team with both BB and CA being Srs, healthy and having played a lot together so they are making fewer mistakes. We have a good mix as the guys are buying in and that is making them fun to watch.

If you can provide some sort of analysis to support your claim, I'd look at it.

Otherwise I think we are midpack in talent, especially talent that we didn't bring in via transfer portal.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

If you can provide some sort of analysis to support your claim, I'd look at it.

Otherwise I think we are midpack in talent, especially talent that we didn't bring in via transfer portal.

I mean you argued against at NU’s top talent level position being “two of the better guards in the conference”. So I don’t get how that equates to mid pack talent assuming Buie and Audige aren’t “two of the better guards in the conference”.

I would argue we have bottom 3rd talent but the experience and the fact our top 3-4 players are seniors makes up for that. Our top 5 players are juniors or above. So that helps too.

Edit: I think last year had the talent to be a bubble team and I think this year has the talent to be a bubble team. The B1G is just a darn deep conference.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I mean you argued against at NU’s top talent level position being “two of the better guards in the conference”. So I don’t get how that equates to mid pack talent assuming Buie and Audige aren’t “two of the better guards in the conference”.

I would argue we have bottom 3rd talent but the experience and the fact our top 3-4 players are seniors makes up for that. Our top 5 players are juniors or above. So that helps too.

Edit: I think last year had the talent to be a bubble team and I think this year has the talent to be a bubble team. The B1G is just a darn deep conference.

Maybe I misread what you wrote about Buie and Audige, but I thought you said something like "they're both in the top x percent" or "top 4" or something like that.
I'd rate them both "above average" for Big Ten starters.

I just think we go 7 deep with Big Ten calibre players and that Hunger and Martinelli will also be up to that standard. I think Buie is better than Audige, just not as much as last year, because Audige is playing better.

People tend to overlook how good Berry, Roper and Barnhizer are - and obviously Nicholson's limitations are easy to complain about. But they all make significant contributions on both ends of the floor.

 

[Katatonic]

Edit: I think last year had the talent to be a bubble team and I think this year has the talent to be a bubble team. The B1G is just a darn deep conference.

Deep when it comes to bubble/NIT caliber teams, but lacking in really good teams (that threaten to get to the FF) aside from Purdue.

But hey, the timing works out great for this team where several players are peaking.

 

[clarificationcat]

I think the Lumpkin comparison is apt in at least one respect. Lumpkin didn’t take many shots, but he took almost no bad shots. And he was under-appreciated. If some others have a hotter hand, I’ll be happy with a starter who finds other ways to contribute. I’ll take the guy who gets 0 points on three shots occasionally vs the guy who finishes with 5 points on 2-10 shooting.

I think the Lumpkin comparison is apt in at least one respect. Lumpkin didn’t take many shots, but he took almost no bad shots. And he was under-appreciated. If some others have a hotter hand, I’ll be happy with a starter who finds other ways to contribute. I’ll take the guy who gets 0 points on three shots occasionally vs the guy who finishes with 5 points on 2-10 shooting.

I have to disagree with you. At least on these boards, Lumpkin is hardly under-appreciated. He's almost legendary. It's easy to only take 2 or 3 shots when your teammates have the burden of scoring. It's a luxury that only a few starters enjoy. If Audige and Buie decide they are only going to take wide open shots, we are going to score under 50 points in a lot of games. Lumpkin was one of those guys who was praised when he played well and ignored when he played poorly. Your stars never get that kind of free pass. In our biggest game of the tournament season against Michigan, Lumpkin had 2 points, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 4 rebounds and no steals or blocks in 26 minutes. If Beran did that last year, he would have gotten ripped. Having said all that, he brought toughness to the team, could guard smaller players on switches, and definitely contributed to the tournament team. And he seems like a really good guy. I always thought he would have made a great tight end on the football team.