Grab a rebound!!! Nicholson had so many chances to grab the ball. Don’t bat at it. Use both hands. And box out. I already accept they can’t finish around the rim. And they miss a bunch of free throws. Do your job.
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Big Matt has been awful this year but oddly he made a few big plays against MSU and Penn State down the stretch. Go figure. But yeah he’s gotta be much better for all his minutes.Grab a rebound!!! Nicholson had so many chances to grab the ball. Don’t bat at it. Use both hands. And box out. I already accept they can’t finish around the rim. And they miss a bunch of free throws. Do your job.
Not just him. In 35 minutes, our centers combined for 3 defensive rebounds.Big Matt has been awful this year but oddly he made a few big plays against MSU and Penn State down the stretch. Go figure. But yeah he’s gotta be much better for all his minutes.
It almost takes a special talent to be one of the biggest players on the court and avoid the ball like that.The Bigs don't have to get the rebounds, but they definitely need to box out and make sure the team gets the rebounds. Unfortunately, our guys don't seem to do too much of that either.
In many cases their role is not to rebound but to block out so others can get the RBsNot just him. In 35 minutes, our centers combined for 3 defensive rebounds.
Interesting. So all the good centers are not doing their job when they grab a bunch of rebounds?In many cases their role is not to rebound but to block out so others can get the RBs
You’re right. Just an observation from few moments of frustration.Hey guys, we won.
I don't think there is one person among us who isn't disappointed with Nicholson's play so far this season.You’re right. Just an observation from few moments of frustration.
I really was commenting on all of our big men. They need to do a much better job on the boards. At both ends.I don't think there is one person among us who isn't disappointed with Nicholson's play so far this season.
I thought for sure the coaches would be able to teach him some post moves. I thought for sure he would learn more about rebounding. I thought for sure our offense would include deliberate touches in the paint. None of that happened for Matt... but I do think he has been better the last couple games. Not giving up on him.
He was a liability again in the first half but after he came out for awhile he came back and he was last year big Matt again. A nice oop flush from Boo and some good boards and impacting lots of shots around the rim.Big Matt has been awful this year but oddly he made a few big plays against MSU and Penn State down the stretch. Go figure. But yeah he’s gotta be much better for all his minutes.
I think Nicholson does have the size that impacts parts of the game especially against other Bigs that may not always show up in the stats sheet but have an impact on the game. Having a couple of good Bigs has been beneficial to keep them from being tired or in foul trouble and the team has benefitted this yearGrab a rebound!!! Nicholson had so many chances to grab the ball. Don’t bat at it. Use both hands. And box out. I already accept they can’t finish around the rim. And they miss a bunch of free throws. Do your job.
What makes it more baffling for me is that he is a decent ball handler and passer for a big man. The fact those skills don’t translate into post points is very frustrating.I don't think there is one person among us who isn't disappointed with Nicholson's play so far this season.
I thought for sure the coaches would be able to teach him some post moves. I thought for sure he would learn more about rebounding. I thought for sure our offense would include deliberate touches in the paint. None of that happened for Matt... but I do think he has been better the last couple games. Not giving up on him.
This is correct. They need to box out effectively and eat space to allow others to clean up the board. Would be happy w zero C rebounds and zero O rebounds by the other team.The Bigs don't have to get the rebounds, but they definitely need to box out and make sure the team gets the rebounds. Unfortunately, our guys don't seem to do too much of that either.
He is slower so while he is highly effective in certain circumstances, in others he has troubleI think Nicholson does have the size that impacts parts of the game especially against other Bigs that may not always show up in the stats sheet but have an impact on the game. Having a couple of good Bigs has been beneficial to keep them from being tired or in foul trouble and the team has benefitted this year
They have a deep rotation, but the roles are set.The immediate question is how well with Matt, and the others, stack up against Crowl on Saturday? Matt has 30 pounds on him, but that could be a positive or a negative at this point.
It looks like the Badgers rotate a decent amount as only one of their guys sees more than 29 minutes on the court on average, and I don't know how Crowl's backup is/are.
I think he does better later in the game because the game itself slows down more than he does. He seems to get in foul trouble early which I think has to do with not being able to keep up with the frenetic pace of the early minutes. That would be a reason to start Hunger and save Matt for later, which Collins seems to be doing. It also allows Matt to keep out of foul trouble and be more aggressive later when he can keep up.He is slower so while he is highly effective in certain circumstances, in others he has trouble
Well that sounds like a problem with Matt on the court. Maybe we see more Hunger.They have a deep rotation, but the roles are set.
A few keys as I see it: 1) Can't let Crowl get hot from outside - he's shooting 60% from beyond the arc this season.
Yeah I've gone from hoping he'd get some All B1G votes to "just try to be close to as good as last spring"A few more pounds and MN's offensive rebounds are down 50% from last year. He is more foul prone and less of a lob threat.
He's still a valuable member of this team. Hella important! Just frustrating he not only failed to improve over the last season, but also regressed.
We played a good stretch without any of our 3 bigs during the second half. I don't think it was Collins who initiated it, it was matching Wahab sitting down and no big for PSU. The ginger guy was guarding Martinelli for quite a while and I thought we would set Nick up deep to get the ball against him. We did it maybe once.
Very accurate scouting report - well done. I will add that:They have a deep rotation, but the roles are set.
Crowl's backup is Nolan Winter, a skinny 6'11" freshman who in theory can shoot the 3, but is much less of a threat than Crowl.
Same with Wahl, his backup is Carter Gilmore, who is invisible on offense.
Their wings/off-ball guards are AJ Storr, a transfer from St. John's, who is a very high-volume shooter though not particularly efficient, Max Klesmit, a typical Wisconsin recruit who can get hot from 3 but generally is the 5th option on the floor, Connor Essegian, who played a lot more last year as a freshman 3-point specialist, and John Blackwell, a freshman who has contributed immediately.
Chucky Hepburn is the PG, who is rarely spelled by Kamari McGee. With the addition of Storr, Hepburn isn't forced to be as much of a scorer and is having a better season being more of a distributor on offense, while being a ballhawk on defense.
A few keys as I see it: 1) Can't let Crowl get hot from outside - he's shooting 60% from beyond the arc this season. 2) Need to figure out how to handle Wahl - Barnhizer and Martinelli are both giving up multiple inches and pounds, and Wahl is excellent at getting to the line where he's an 80% shooter, along with being an excellent rebounder. 3) Hepburn is the weak link in their depth. Iowa was able to stay close because he got in foul trouble and only played 25 minutes, though the Badgers eventually pulled away. Can we do anything to get him off his game? 4) We need to take advantage of Wisconsin's poor 3-point shooting defense.
Good thing is Collins knows how to win at the Kohl center and our guys remember winning there last year.
- Hepburn was injured in the groinal regions
Nicholson only committed 16 fouls in our last 10 games last season.I think he does better later in the game because the game itself slows down more than he does. He seems to get in foul trouble early which I think has to do with not being able to keep up with the frenetic pace of the early minutes. That would be a reason to start Hunger and save Matt for later, which Collins seems to be doing. It also allows Matt to keep out of foul trouble and be more aggressive later when he can keep up.
I really was commenting on all of the bigs. I went back and watched some of the second half. The Penn State center went right over Preston and MH for offensive rebounds. The first led to a basket. The second didn’t hurt us because our guards stripped him. Both times our bigs had position. They were just lazy about backing their guy away from the basket. And Nicholson should have grabbed a bunch of offensive rebounds. It’s a matter of effort.I really was commenting on all of our big men. They need to do a much better job on the boards. At both ends.
A player like you? I'm sure you had many!How many groinal regions does one have?
Ah, congratulation for pointing out a misused plural...How many groinal regions does one have?
I thought maybe it was a Driftless thing--regional dialects, like we have in Northwest Indiana (Da Region).Ah, congratulation for pointing out a misused plural...
why do you suppose our coaches "tolerate" bad rebounding technique?I really was commenting on all of the bigs. I went back and watched some of the second half. The Penn State center went right over Preston and MH for offensive rebounds. The first led to a basket. The second didn’t hurt us because our guards stripped him. Both times our bigs had position. They were just lazy about backing their guy away from the basket. And Nicholson should have grabbed a bunch of offensive rebounds. It’s a matter of effort.
I don’t know. They don’t have a lot of options. But I hope they made a point of it after the last game.why do you suppose our coaches "tolerate" bad rebounding technique?
I don’t know. They don’t have a lot of options. But I hope they made a point of it after the last game.
My issue last game is that even when they had position they did not move the defender away from the basket. Rebounds generally don’t pop straight up so having position a foot away from the basket is not ideal. Watch Matt on offensive rebounds, in particular. I think if he worked harder at engaging the defender he could get a lot more. He is often guarded by much smaller guys (like the red headed kid on PSU). In 4 conference games, Matt has had 2, 2, 1 and 2 rebounds. I know his minutes have been down but we need more from him on the boards.