Big Matt

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Except the majority on the board do not go along with your thinking. Then there are the coaches who seem to agree with our board members.

There are a few holdouts. Many of those who disagreed have come around on most of my major points... Others felt the same as I did all along.

To review, here are some of the things I have harped on since the beginning of last season...

1) Young should have been starting with Nance. Verdict - 100% true. The Duke transfer proved this, not to mention the disastrous results our coach spearheaded last season.
2) Nicholson is not a stiff and should have been coming off the bench for Young to help him develop. Verdict - Most agree.
3) Collins is a below average coach in everything except recruiting. The vast majority have come around to this perspective after defending Collins for too long.
4) Beran and Audige were not deserving of their minutes. Most would agree.
5) Buie is an average to above average Big Ten point guard. Most would agree.
6) Collins use of the talent last year was poor, along with the notion that he had two separate teams of 5. Majority agrees.

Obviously there has been a lot of other stuff discussed, but feel free to point out what I have gotten wrong repeatedly.

 

[NUCat320]

Your initial statement is false. You should take a logic course!

Then you compound your blunder by saying "nobody buys what he is saying here" when all I'm saying is that Nicholson is not a stiff, that he is a legitimate college basketball player who should be a significant (possibly even good) player for NU this season. Some want to disparage Nicholson. I counter those silly statements with facts supporting him.

With the usual caveats about Collins not having a solid handle on how to use traditional "back to the basket" post players.

Arguing that he’s at least good enough for the top third of Division One is a weird argument. That’s all. Like, he’s possibly good enough for Northern Kentucky or Florida Gulf Coast or UCSB — time for a parade!

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

There are a few holdouts. Many of those who disagreed have come around on most of my major points... Others felt the same as I did all along.

To review, here are some of the things I have harped on since the beginning of last season...

1) Young should have been starting with Nance. Verdict - 100% true. The Duke transfer proved this, not to mention the disastrous results our coach spearheaded last season.
2) Nicholson is not a stiff and should have been coming off the bench for Young to help him develop. Verdict - Most agree.
3) Collins is a below average coach in everything except recruiting. The vast majority have come around to this perspective after defending Collins for too long.
4) Beran and Audige were not deserving of their minutes. Most would agree.
5) Buie is an average to above average Big Ten point guard. Most would agree.
6) Collins use of the talent last year was poor, along with the notion that he had two separate teams of 5. Majority agrees.

Obviously there has been a lot of other stuff discussed, but feel free to point out what I have gotten wrong repeatedly.

7) You’ve got serious issues. Majority agrees.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

7) You’ve got serious issues. Majority agrees.

Oh, we all know what kind of tool you are... Not a sharp one.
Just once, try discussing things with class, instead of going to the personal attacks.

I still haven't seen anything from you that shows any insight or serious thought.
Boooring!

Although I hear you're a legend over on The Rock, echoing the consensus.

Thanks for starting the Nicholson thread though...

 

[SDakaGordie]

There are a few holdouts. Many of those who disagreed have come around on most of my major points... Others felt the same as I did all along.

To review, here are some of the things I have harped on since the beginning of last season...

1) Young should have been starting with Nance. Verdict - 100% true. The Duke transfer proved this, not to mention the disastrous results our coach spearheaded last season.
2) Nicholson is not a stiff and should have been coming off the bench for Young to help him develop. Verdict - Most agree.
3) Collins is a below average coach in everything except recruiting. The vast majority have come around to this perspective after defending Collins for too long.
4) Beran and Audige were not deserving of their minutes. Most would agree.
5) Buie is an average to above average Big Ten point guard. Most would agree.
6) Collins use of the talent last year was poor, along with the notion that he had two separate teams of 5. Majority agrees.

Obviously there has been a lot of other stuff discussed, but feel free to point out what I have gotten wrong repeatedly.

Since I’ve had you on ignore (with few exceptions, like this one), I may not know about all of your posts since last season. That being said, your above posts are not all totally unreasonable when viewed from a lens that is just offense. But, notwithstanding your well-documented over-reliance on +/- stats, I think your opinions should be reevaluated in light of adding defense to your considerations.

 

[hoosboot]

Since I’ve had you on ignore (with few exceptions, like this one), I may not know about all of your posts since last season. That being said, your above posts are not all totally unreasonable when viewed from a lens that is just offense. But, notwithstanding your well-documented over-reliance on +/- stats, I think your opinions should be reevaluated in light of adding defense to your considerations.

Defense definitely needs to be included in the assessment of any player. How do you propose quantifying that assessment in the NU roster?

 

[SDakaGordie]

Defense definitely needs to be included in the assessment of any player. How do you propose quantifying that assessment in the NU roster?

Observation and team stats (Torvik, KenPom) are a few ways.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Defense definitely needs to be included in the assessment of any player. How do you propose quantifying that assessment in the NU roster?

Watch 10 minutes of a game. Two guys jump out as the best defenders. Both had offensive limitations. A few guys were good offensive players, a couple were clearly defensive liabilities. I am not Red Auerbach, but I don’t need some +/- player combo to show me that.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Observation and team stats (Torvik, KenPom) are a few ways.

Gordie, I don't have access to much in advanced defensive metrics. I know the "defensive Performance Rating" (DRtg) that you can find on sports-reference.com is so limited that it really is only indicative in a handful of instances.

It would be great if somebody had an army of employees who could watch each game with a keen eye, noting how often, for example, the player Robbie Beran was guarding took a shot nd how often he made it, or how often each player fought through a screen and ruined the opponents play, or how often a guy got lost on defense and the guy he was supposed to be guarding scored on a wide open shot, but I don't have access to that. Even stuff like "how often did the guy Beran was trying to box out get the rebound?" It seems like a ton of work, so if that info is out there, it won't be cheap (I'm assuming). Otherwise, we are just relying on people's observations and (certainly biased) opinions.

Because I don't have the detailed stats, I think "+/-" is quite useful, since we are talking about basketball, a team game, where one guy's offensive and defensive abilities affect the team's performance, over time, and the number of players is limited.

Even things as simple as "Buie's shooting percentages" are affected somewhat by realities like "he has the ball a lot and when our offense stalls, he ends up shooting in near-desperation." It would be a mistake to ignore that and just rely on the raw numbers.

If I can get better stats, I will use them to inform my opinions.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Gordie, I don't have access to much in advanced defensive metrics. I know the "defensive Performance Rating" (DRtg) that you can find on sports-reference.com is so limited that it really is only indicative in a handful of instances.

It would be great if somebody had an army of employees who could watch each game with a keen eye, noting how often, for example, the player Robbie Beran was guarding took a shot nd how often he made it, or how often each player fought through a screen and ruined the opponents play, or how often a guy got lost on defense and the guy he was supposed to be guarding scored on a wide open shot, but I don't have access to that. Even stuff like "how often did the guy Beran was trying to box out get the rebound?" It seems like a ton of work, so if that info is out there, it won't be cheap (I'm assuming). Otherwise, we are just relying on people's observations and (certainly biased) opinions.

Because I don't have the detailed stats, I think "+/-" is quite useful, since we are talking about basketball, a team game, where one guy's offensive and defensive abilities affect the team's performance, over time, and the number of players is limited.

Even things as simple as "Buie's shooting percentages" are affected somewhat by realities like "he has the ball a lot and when our offense stalls, he ends up shooting in near-desperation." It would be a mistake to ignore that and just rely on the raw numbers.

If I can get better stats, I will use them to inform my opinions.

Thanks for this reply, PWB. Sounds like a plan. In the interim, without further information for half of the game, I believe your data-driven opinions to-date are not as informed as needed to safely rely on them.

 

[hoosboot]

Watch 10 minutes of a game. Two guys jump out as the best defenders. Both had offensive limitations. A few guys were good offensive players, a couple were clearly defensive liabilities. I am not Red Auerbach, but I don’t need some +/- player combo to show me that.

Shorter PPD, "Why do I need advanced analytics when I have eyes?"

"Best" defender is a lot harder to quantify because different people's eyes tell them different things and most people don't understand how defense is played on a collegiate level to begin with. So, very often, eyes lie to us.

+/- combos can't tell you everything, but they provide a lot of useful information if you spend some time with them.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Shorter PPD, "Why do I need advanced analytics when I have eyes?"

"Best" defender is a lot harder to quantify because different people's eyes tell them different things and most people don't understand how defense is played on a collegiate level to begin with. So, very often, eyes lie to us.

+/- combos can't tell you everything, but they provide a lot of useful information if you spend some time with them.

Basketball defense is kind of like the offensive line in football. It has to tie together to be effective. If one guy blows an assignment, someone tries to cover, and often that is the guy getting blamed for the flush. Chase and Roper were the only two guys that could straight man up there guy, most everyone else was relying on help.

To me, one of the only way to put statistics to defense is to analyze every possession. You assign a primary area of responsibility, for each basket and each stop. Some are attributed to the team, some to the individual player. Of course, there is subjectivity and potentially bias when doing a review like this.

so I don’t have any real reliable “stats” to back up my assertion that Chase and Roper are plus defenders. My eyes, my opinion. +/- certainly doesn’t give us a view into any players defensive capabilities. If you want to use +/- as a start then it must be used as a start for overall game, since 50% of the stat is based on offense. As most know, I am not a fan of +/- as an indicator of players ability, but to each his own.

 

[rogerkim]

1) Young should have been starting with Nance. Verdict - 100% true. The Duke transfer proved this, not to mention the disastrous results our coach spearheaded last season.
2) Nicholson is not a stiff and should have been coming off the bench for Young to help him develop. Verdict - Most agree.
3) Collins is a below average coach in everything except recruiting. The vast majority have come around to this perspective after defending Collins for too long.
4) Beran and Audige were not deserving of their minutes. Most would agree.
5) Buie is an average to above average Big Ten point guard. Most would agree.
6) Collins use of the talent last year was poor, along with the notion that he had two separate teams of 5. Majority agrees.

Obviously there has been a lot of other stuff discussed, but feel free to point out what I have gotten wrong repeatedly.

Here is my opinion on your summary above. I will not pretend to assert that I am in the majority in any of these opinions, just stating my thoughts:
1) Agree, with the caveat that I don't think it mattered if they were starting together, as long as they were playing significant minutes together.
2) Partially agree - Whether Nicholson is a "stiff" remains to be seen. Too small a sample size to make that determination now. I agree with the second half of the sentence - he should have gotten more minutes/opportunities to develop last season.
3) Disagree. I think he is average in terms of clock management (I can't recall many times when I was frustrated at him not calling a timeout, for example). Above average in terms of player motivation/morale - over his tenure, the vast majority of the players seem to enjoy playing for him, and not quitting even when things were going bad. (Yes, I recognize that this off-season has had transfers that are hard to stomach. But I would assert that lesser coaches would have "lost their teams" much earlier.) Above average for recruiting, especially being at NU. Below average for player development. Below average for Xs-and-Os. Below average for in-game roster management.
4) Partially agree - Agree on Beran. But as it was infuriating to watch, I have to disagree on Audige - his issue is not his minutes, but on not being reined in enough on the offensive side. His defense, particularly in comparison to replacement options, warranted the minutes he got.
5) Partially agree. Buie is a solidly average Big Ten PG, but not above average. Too inconsistent for me to consider him above average.
6) Agree. In game roster management has been puzzling at best.

PWB - I won't speak for the others on this forum. I have generally enjoyed reading your takes, statistical analysis, and opinions. Whether I agree with them or not, I believe you generally have presented them in a thoughtful manner. I think the reception you have received on the forum is largely due to your pre-occupation with Matt Nicholson. Yes, size cannot be taught, and he certainly has the potential to be a good player. I respect that you may have seen something in him that caused you to be such a huge fan. However, I certainly have not see it myself, and your insistence on discussing him on such a frequent basis feels somewhat irrational at times, particularly when the regulars on the board are all well aware of your opinion on the matter.

I do also feel that some on the board have not been fair in discussions with you and some of the criticism and attacks you have received have bordered on inappropriate. I hope that all involved will be able to maintain some civility, as befitting Wildcat fans. I, for one, would like to think of us as more civilized than some of the other Big Ten fan bases.

I will step down from my soapbox now. I sincerely hope that I have not added fuel to the fire.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Here is my opinion on your summary above. I will not pretend to assert that I am in the majority in any of these opinions, just stating my thoughts:
1) Agree, with the caveat that I don't think it mattered if they were starting together, as long as they were playing significant minutes together.
2) Partially agree - Whether Nicholson is a "stiff" remains to be seen. Too small a sample size to make that determination now. I agree with the second half of the sentence - he should have gotten more minutes/opportunities to develop last season.
3) Disagree. I think he is average in terms of clock management (I can't recall many times when I was frustrated at him not calling a timeout, for example). Above average in terms of player motivation/morale - over his tenure, the vast majority of the players seem to enjoy playing for him, and not quitting even when things were going bad. (Yes, I recognize that this off-season has had transfers that are hard to stomach. But I would assert that lesser coaches would have "lost their teams" much earlier.) Above average for recruiting, especially being at NU. Below average for player development. Below average for Xs-and-Os. Below average for in-game roster management.
4) Partially agree - Agree on Beran. But as it was infuriating to watch, I have to disagree on Audige - his issue is not his minutes, but on not being reined in enough on the offensive side. His defense, particularly in comparison to replacement options, warranted the minutes he got.
5) Partially agree. Buie is a solidly average Big Ten PG, but not above average. Too inconsistent for me to consider him above average.
6) Agree. In game roster management has been puzzling at best.

PWB - I won't speak for the others on this forum. I have generally enjoyed reading your takes, statistical analysis, and opinions. Whether I agree with them or not, I believe you generally have presented them in a thoughtful manner. I think the reception you have received on the forum is largely due to your pre-occupation with Matt Nicholson. Yes, size cannot be taught, and he certainly has the potential to be a good player. I respect that you may have seen something in him that caused you to be such a huge fan. However, I certainly have not see it myself, and your insistence on discussing him on such a frequent basis feels somewhat irrational at times, particularly when the regulars on the board are all well aware of your opinion on the matter.

I do also feel that some on the board have not been fair in discussions with you and some of the criticism and attacks you have received have bordered on inappropriate. I hope that all involved will be able to maintain some civility, as befitting Wildcat fans. I, for one, would like to think of us as more civilized than some of the other Big Ten fan bases.

I will step down from my soapbox now. I sincerely hope that I have not added fuel to the fire.

Roger:

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts. You're right about Audige - it isn't that he is playing too much, its that he is taking too many bad shots and tends to play solo on offense. He is certainly a good defender when his man is in front of him. He gets a good number of steals and is disruptive. But we don't know how often he leaves his guy to try to steal the ball and the opponents scores because of it. (Attempted steals is a stat I haven't seen yet). Thats one example of why the catch-all "+/-" appeals to me - it aggregates everything, including all the intangibles. But if Audige can't stop trying to be the hero on offense, you have to cut his minutes!

I don't think Collins really has a good relationship with most of his players. Winning, of course, is a great team chemistry builder. Losing is the opposite. Its all pretty subjective. I just know for certain that my daughter told me in January that one of the players told her "everybody is expecting Coach Collins to get fired at the end of the season" with general commentary about him being a nice enough guy, but... If you look at Northwestern diploma(s) as the draw (like I do) then the coach is actually secondary. I think it is safe to say that Chase Audie and Robbie Beran like playing for Chris Collins - they have their diplomas and will return for another season. I think there are just as many or more who don't or didn't enjoy having Chris Collins as their coach.

Anyhow, I'm not obsessed with Matt Nicholson personally! I just think Coach Collins (badly) misused him (and Ryan Young) last year and, consequently, hurt the team. Maybe Big Matt is the poster boy for my feelings in that area. Obviously I place value on having a really big guy to physically bang with the biggest post players in the Big Ten. I think the "Stretch 5" is like chasing Bigfoot when it comes to college basketball - total waste of time. Guess we're (finally) going to find out what Nicholson can do. That is, unless Collins.... oh never mind.

 

[IGNORE2]

Thanks for this reply, PWB. Sounds like a plan. In the interim, without further information for half of the game, I believe your data-driven opinions to-date are not as informed as needed to safely rely on them.

Ultimately, win / loss. If not winning, try something else. We didn’t win and didn’t try anything else.

 

[IGNORE2]

Shorter PPD, "Why do I need advanced analytics when I have eyes?"

"Best" defender is a lot harder to quantify because different people's eyes tell them different things and most people don't understand how defense is played on a collegiate level to begin with. So, very often, eyes lie to us.

+/- combos can't tell you everything, but they provide a lot of useful information if you spend some time with them.

Don’t trust your lying eyes, we aren’t in a recession and the protests are all very peaceful.

 

[IGNORE2]

Basketball defense is kind of like the offensive line in football. It has to tie together to be effective. If one guy blows an assignment, someone tries to cover, and often that is the guy getting blamed for the flush. Chase and Roper were the only two guys that could straight man up there guy, most everyone else was relying on help.

To me, one of the only way to put statistics to defense is to analyze every possession. You assign a primary area of responsibility, for each basket and each stop. Some are attributed to the team, some to the individual player. Of course, there is subjectivity and potentially bias when doing a review like this.

so I don’t have any real reliable “stats” to back up my assertion that Chase and Roper are plus defenders. My eyes, my opinion. +/- certainly doesn’t give us a view into any players defensive capabilities. If you want to use +/- as a start then it must be used as a start for overall game, since 50% of the stat is based on offense. As most know, I am not a fan of +/- as an indicator of players ability, but to each his own.

Or try different players, different combinations, different schemes.

 

[cats2017]

I can't believe that Collins decided to put Matt's feet in cement. 🙄

 

[EvanstonCat]

That video pretty much explains why Nicholson doesn't play. He's a complete stiff on D. That was Brooks Barnhizer who just blew by him. Haven't seen someone that immobile in an NU uniform since Dan Kreft.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

That video pretty much explains why Nicholson doesn't play. He's a complete stiff on D. That was Brooks Barnhizer who just blew by him. Haven't seen someone that immobile in an NU uniform since Dan Kreft.

Then you know nothing about basketball and haven't been watching.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I can't believe that Collins decided to put Matt's feet in cement. 🙄

View embedded media

Maybe Collins will give Barnhizer a chance this year.
I like his aggressiveness.
Barnhizer, not Collins.
He's bigger than Audige and more of a natural Big Ten small forward - something we were sorely lacking last year - in part due to the coach's desire to play Audige, Simmons and Roper in that spot after Kopp bailed.

 

[hoosboot]

I can't believe that Collins decided to put Matt's feet in cement. 🙄

View embedded media

I'm curious why anyone is pondering a defense where a center is asked to contain a guard at the top of the key with no help defense anywhere. I'd be more concerned if Brooks couldn't blow past a 7-footer guarding him at the top of the key.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Maybe Collins will give Barnhizer a chance this year.
I like his aggressiveness.
Barnhizer, not Collins.
He's bigger than Audige and more of a natural Big Ten small forward - something we were sorely lacking last year - in part due to the coach's desire to play Audige, Simmons and Roper.

Maybe Audige, Simmons, and Roper saw the floor more than you would have liked because they were the only players on the team that had a “chance” on the defensive side of the court. Maybe Robbie as well and I think we all know your thoughts on him.

 

[GatoLouco]

Pretty amazing the amount of conclusions being made from one (5 seconds/practice) video!

My conclusion is that Barnhizer is shooting 100%

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Maybe Audige, Simmons, and Roper saw the floor more than you would have liked because they were the only players on the team that had a “chance” on the defensive side of the court. Maybe Robbie as well and I think we all know your thoughts on him.

I like Roper. He deserved to play. We will need him to improve on offense. I think he will.

Simmons left, so thats a different issue entirely. His lack of strength was a problem because we played such a small (soft) lineup last year, but he obviously had talent. If you're going to play Nance with Beran and Simmons, you are guaranteed to get eaten alive - and we did.

Barnhizer is a physical, strong kid who plays aggressively. He did not shoot well last year, but scored a lot in high school, so I am hoping he blossoms this season. He appeared very frustrated last year and tried to do too much whenever he saw the court.

Audige was a liability on offense and did a very good job guarding some good players - guys bigger than him - no one knocks him for his effort on the defensive end. I am less confident in his defensive performance when it came to switches and the team aspect of defending, but there is no questioning his desire.

Beran was not good enough last year and should not have been starting. However, he is not a hopeless case and improved a bit last year. He can shoot the ball but seems to lack the passion of some of his teammates, in my opinion. Needs to be tougher and willing to battle inside. Overrated as a defender because he gets lost in the defensive scheme more than anyone on the team.

 

[rogerkim]

Not being able to see the entire clip, this appears to be a 2-on-2 drill. I surmise that before the clip started, this was set up with a pick and roll, with the defenders switching, resulting in the speedier Barnhizer guarded by Nicholson.

 

[CappyNU]

Well, at least Big Matt and Brooks will get some playing time next week:

Barnhizer and Nicholson to Play on European Tour - Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern men's basketball sophomore Brooks Barnhizer and junior Matthew Nicholson will participate in Select Team Basketball's Europe Goodwill To...

nusports.com

 

[willycat]

Well, at least Big Matt and Brooks will get some playing time next week:

Barnhizer and Nicholson to Play on European Tour - Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern men's basketball sophomore Brooks Barnhizer and junior Matthew Nicholson will participate in Select Team Basketball's Europe Goodwill To...

nusports.com

Where are they transferring to?

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

 

[elgatoloco]

View embedded media

Yeah, D Zone guy. Doesn't know basketball and is a complete turd but has a big platform and gives lots of love to players.

 

[EagerFan]

Did he travel with all those hops? Hard to tell...

 

[salukicat]

Any word on how the GSA Select team fared in recently completed European tour?

 

[CappyNU]

Any word on how the GSA Select team fared in recently completed European tour?

There appears to be zero information anywhere online about the tour. I saw some tweets from DJ Byrd (former Purdue player) who's one of the coaches that just had some pictures from their travel, nothing about the actual basketball. Big Matt is easily the tallest player on the team, for what it's worth.

 

[EagerFan]

Based on the GSA twitter, the team went 5 - 0, but I haven't found anything like a box score.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

The answer is “Matt Nicholson”

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Looking forward to seeing Big Matt. Hoping the hard work and coaching this off season pays off in a big year for him.

 

[ballerog711]

That play in the redeem team doc where kobe ran over gasol. Would love to see BIG Matt run over somebody in the first game and set the tone for the year.

Not hurt the player, but show the NU is going to be pushed around this year

 

[NUera]

Bigs often develop late. I wouldn't give up on Nicholson yet.

I said the same thing about Adam Robinson… (IYKYK)

 

[NUCat320]

I said the same thing about Adam Robinson… (IYKYK)

Couldn’t even get off the bench at SDSU!

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

BIG Matt!