Big Matt and next year's defense

[Hkjb]

Watching the Ohio State game I noticed Robbie Hummel describing Nicholson as the "anchor" of our defense. Though I never thought about it in quite that way, he is right in terms of Nicholson being key. I hope our defense is great next year - but I am worried about how we defend without a maestro like big Matt. Defensively he does so many little things very, very well. Eager to hear if anyone else has this concern?

 

[SmellyCat]

I think it's why everyone who is talking about portal additions is hoping for a quality big man in the offseason. Nicholson, for all his limitations, in my opinion is outstanding defensively, and NU is going to miss him next year. Hunger/Bennerman are nowhere near going to be able to fill his shoes, and they might not even be able to fill Fitzmorris' shoes, who NU will also miss as a non-stiff big man off the bench (those are valuable too).

 

[EagerFan]

Did I hear my name?

I am concerned and I am confident the coaching staff will find a solution built around whatever talent they bring in for next season.

 

[Hungry Jack]

What Smelly said. Matt is an elite defender and his presence will be greatly missed. Only God knows what the portal will bring, but recent yields of Fitz, Preston and Tydus tells me we are going to have to pony up some NIL to find a decent center.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

What Smelly said. Matt is an elite defender and his presence will be greatly missed. Only God knows what the portal will bring, but recent yields of Fitz, Preston and Tydus tells me we are going to have to pony up some NIL to find a decent center.

Yep, we are in trouble at the 5 if we don’t bring in one or even two capable players.

 

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Northwestern's defense under Chris Collins (and most defenses) starts and ends with whoever is protecting the paint. Throughout Collins' tenure at NU, the three best teams have all featured a strong defensive post presence, players like Pardon and Nicholson. They anchored the defense, creating an impenetrable wall against opposing players. The post traps, when executed properly, played directly to these anchors' strengths as defenders and were really fun to watch.

Matt's struggles on the offensive end have been well-documented, but his growth on the defensive side of the ball was crucial to NU's success. His improvement allowed the team to perform at an elite defensive level. His emergence contributed to one of the best defensive units I’ve seen in a while. Coupled with a healthy Audige and a gritty Barnhizer, the team’s defensive tone shifted significantly. The addition of a defensive-minded assistant coach certainly didn’t hurt either.

At the core of it all was Nicholson’s presence in the paint. We’ll miss his impact on that end of the floor. Defense is often the last thing people notice or evaluate accurately due to ball-watching and the lack of stats that measure it properly. Nicholson, though, was an exceptional defender and unquestionably earned the title of anchor. We will miss him next year, even more so without an adequate replacement.

 

[CappyNU]

Collins and our defensive ratings over the years:

2014 - 23rd nationally, 4th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.5 mpg, Nikola Cerina - 8.8 mpg
2015 - 151st nationally, 13th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.4 mpg, Jeremiah Kreisberg - 6.5 mpg, Gavin Skelly - 7.2 mpg
2016 - 87th nationally, 8th in B1G. Alex Olah - 23.8 mpg, Dererk Pardon - 16.5 mpg, Joey Van Zegeren - 11.6 mpg
2017 - 32nd nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 30.8 mpg, Barret Benson - 7.8 mpg
2018 - 90th nationally, 11th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 32.4 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.7 mpg
2019 - 19th nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 33.0 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.5 mpg
2020 - 150th nationally, 13th in B1G. Ryan Young - 25.8 mpg, Jared Jones - 10.2 mpg, Pete Nance - 4.4 mpg (at C)
2021 - 37th nationally, 6th in B1G. Pete Nance - 20.6 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 19.8 mpg
2022 - 73rd nationally, 7th in B1G. Pete Nance - 19.5 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 17.4 mpg, Matthew Nicholson - 3.8 mpg
2023 - 22nd nationally, 3rd in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 21.0 mpg, Tydus Verhoeven - 15.8 mpg, Robbie Beran - 3.5 mpg (at C)
2024 - 54th nationally, 7th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 22.4 mpg, Luke Hunger - 12.7 mpg, Blake Preston - 10.3 mpg
2025 - 52nd nationally, 12th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 24.2 mpg, Luke Hunger - 13.0 mpg, Keenan Fitzmorris - 10.1 mpg

 

[macarthur31]

Collins and our defensive ratings over the years:

2014 - 23rd nationally, 4th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.5 mpg, Nikola Cerina - 8.8 mpg
2015 - 151st nationally, 13th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.4 mpg, Jeremiah Kreisberg - 6.5 mpg, Gavin Skelly - 7.2 mpg
2016 - 87th nationally, 8th in B1G. Alex Olah - 23.8 mpg, Dererk Pardon - 16.5 mpg, Joey Van Zegeren - 11.6 mpg
2017 - 32nd nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 30.8 mpg, Barret Benson - 7.8 mpg
2018 - 90th nationally, 11th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 32.4 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.7 mpg
2019 - 19th nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 33.0 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.5 mpg
2020 - 150th nationally, 13th in B1G. Ryan Young - 25.8 mpg, Jared Jones - 10.2 mpg, Pete Nance - 4.4 mpg (at C)
2021 - 37th nationally, 6th in B1G. Pete Nance - 20.6 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 19.8 mpg
2022 - 73rd nationally, 7th in B1G. Pete Nance - 19.5 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 17.4 mpg, Matthew Nicholson - 3.8 mpg
2023 - 22nd nationally, 3rd in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 21.0 mpg, Tydus Verhoeven - 15.8 mpg, Robbie Beran - 3.5 mpg (at C)
2024 - 54th nationally, 7th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 22.4 mpg, Luke Hunger - 12.7 mpg, Blake Preston - 10.3 mpg
2025 - 52nd nationally, 12th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 24.2 mpg, Luke Hunger - 13.0 mpg, Keenan Fitzmorris - 10.1 mpg

Thanks for putting this together, Cappy. When I look at our best defensive teams during the Collins era, I see a veteran post player and a strong on-ball perimeter defender combo:
2014: Alex Olah and Sanjay Lumpkin
2019: Dererk Pardon and Vic Law
2022: Matt Nicholson and Chase Audige

With regards to next year, gonna need Luke Hunger to really level up defensively. (What he's got going for him is familiarity with Lowery's system, but so far in his career he hasn't shown alot of evidence that would validate making that bet.). Or, Collins finds a strong post-defender in the portal (likely a grad transfer which assumes they have the physical maturity and game experience to execute in role).

In terms of wing defender, hopefully Mullins can step into that role.

 

[Hkjb]

Northwestern's defense under Chris Collins (and most defenses) starts and ends with whoever is protecting the paint. Throughout Collins' tenure at NU, the three best teams have all featured a strong defensive post presence, players like Pardon and Nicholson. They anchored the defense, creating an impenetrable wall against opposing players. The post traps, when executed properly, played directly to these anchors' strengths as defenders and were really fun to watch.

Matt's struggles on the offensive end have been well-documented, but his growth on the defensive side of the ball was crucial to NU's success. His improvement allowed the team to perform at an elite defensive level. His emergence contributed to one of the best defensive units I’ve seen in a while. Coupled with a healthy Audige and a gritty Barnhizer, the team’s defensive tone shifted significantly. The addition of a defensive-minded assistant coach certainly didn’t hurt either.

At the core of it all was Nicholson’s presence in the paint. We’ll miss his impact on that end of the floor. Defense is often the last thing people notice or evaluate accurately due to ball-watching and the lack of stats that measure it properly. Nicholson, though, was an exceptional defender and unquestionably earned the title of anchor. We will miss him next year, even more so without an adequate replacement.

Great points - a lot of food for thought there. Makes me rue that we were not able to get a younger center learning from Matt in practices. For whatever reason, Hunger doesn't seem to have picked up the same gifts/intensity defensively.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Collins and our defensive ratings over the years:

2014 - 23rd nationally, 4th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.5 mpg, Nikola Cerina - 8.8 mpg
2015 - 151st nationally, 13th in B1G. Alex Olah - 29.4 mpg, Jeremiah Kreisberg - 6.5 mpg, Gavin Skelly - 7.2 mpg
2016 - 87th nationally, 8th in B1G. Alex Olah - 23.8 mpg, Dererk Pardon - 16.5 mpg, Joey Van Zegeren - 11.6 mpg
2017 - 32nd nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 30.8 mpg, Barret Benson - 7.8 mpg
2018 - 90th nationally, 11th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 32.4 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.7 mpg
2019 - 19th nationally, 4th in B1G. Dererk Pardon - 33.0 mpg, Barret Benson - 9.5 mpg
2020 - 150th nationally, 13th in B1G. Ryan Young - 25.8 mpg, Jared Jones - 10.2 mpg, Pete Nance - 4.4 mpg (at C)
2021 - 37th nationally, 6th in B1G. Pete Nance - 20.6 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 19.8 mpg
2022 - 73rd nationally, 7th in B1G. Pete Nance - 19.5 mpg (at C), Ryan Young - 17.4 mpg, Matthew Nicholson - 3.8 mpg
2023 - 22nd nationally, 3rd in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 21.0 mpg, Tydus Verhoeven - 15.8 mpg, Robbie Beran - 3.5 mpg (at C)
2024 - 54th nationally, 7th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 22.4 mpg, Luke Hunger - 12.7 mpg, Blake Preston - 10.3 mpg
2025 - 52nd nationally, 12th in B1G. Matthew Nicholson - 24.2 mpg, Luke Hunger - 13.0 mpg, Keenan Fitzmorris - 10.1 mpg

I spot checked your list against Torvik and he has the 2023 team ranked #18.
Are you using KenPom or something else?
(Always helps to list your source)

 

[Jonny2TheP]

What Smelly said. Matt is an elite defender and his presence will be greatly missed. Only God knows what the portal will bring, but recent yields of Fitz, Preston and Tydus tells me we are going to have to pony up some NIL to find a decent center.

I don't even think God knows. The portal is that unpredictable.