Binghamton Thoughts

[ThatkidfromHolland]

Binghamton hit some difficult shots in the beginning, while NU displayed a significant amount of careless and sloppy play. They took advantage of NU's errors, and deserve recognition for their efforts. Leaving with a victory in a game of this nature is crucial. The positive takeaway is that there are numerous areas to improve upon and it is feasible to do so. They played solid defense minus some lapses and sloppy play. There’s lot to clean up on during practice, time to shift focus towards the upcoming match against Dayton.

In my opinion, Barnhizer did quite well as a secondary ball handler. He possesses great ingenuity both offensively and defensively. When it comes to defense, he’s an absolute wrecking ball, wreaking havoc on his opponents and leaving opposing fans frustrated. He is positioning himself for a highly productive season and is undeniably the most versatile player on the team. Although his shooting may have been off, he compensated with numerous impactful defensive plays, rebounds, and still managed to show up in the scoring column. It’s a very good sign when a player shoots poorly to still affect the game in such a positive way.

I am impressed by Mullins' potential. He possesses a raw talent that is undeniable. His quickness and athleticism are remarkable. However, he needs to exercise better judgment and play within himself. Unfortunately, his early turnover led to him being benched. He needs to clean that up to get more minutes.

Preston demonstrates great touch when it comes to scoring near the basket. Although he may not consistently score in droves, he is highly efficient and a dependable finisher. These qualities make him an ideal backup center. Additionally, he showcased his defensive skills with some excellent plays. His agility is noteworthy. He’s a solid pick up for the backup position.

Langborg possesses a swift release and fearlessly takes shots. He has the potential to provide instant offense this season. He showed some good defensive instincts and makes valuable contributions on that end of the court. Not only that, he displays some impressive dribble drives to the basket throughout the game. Good to see him get back in after rolling his ankle.

Clayton shows promise in his defensive abilities. However, he presents a hesitancy on the offensive side of the game. While he managed to limit his turnovers, he displayed timidity in his plays. Overall, as a freshman, he had a very solid game. He played within his abilities and earned his minutes on the court.

Buie serves as the driving force behind the team's performance yet again. Nicholson, a formidable defender, showcased remarkable positioning on both offensive and defensive ends of the court. These individuals consistently deliver their level play, embodying the team's identity. In general, the defense appears to be a notable strength once more. It brings me great satisfaction to witness the players actively using their hands to disrupt passing lanes. However, NU must improve their defense in transition. Furthermore, it is crucial to establish better positing in rebounds and box out and minimize any errors early . Binghamton managed to stay in close contention by converting some challenging shots. It is imperative that Buie and Barnhizer receive more opportunities to make an impact early in the game. During the first half, the team displayed hesitancy and needed to focus on executing simple passes. Despite a rather sloppy game, NU emerged victorious. Let us put this performance behind us, learn from it during practice, and turn our attention to the upcoming game against Dayton on Friday. Go cats.

 

[IGNORE2]

I did not see the game. Having read everything I can digest, I have some uneducated thoughts:

1. Really don’t want to see Boo and BB playing heavy minutes esp in blowout. Increase chance of injury and we need their legs later in the season.

2. Boo, BB and MN should only be on the floor together in these low level games. Yes, they have a season together but they need to learn how different guys will gel under game pressure in the five set. And those guys need to learn how these three main cogs like to work. Love seeing MN expand his stat sheet - let’s see some short jumpers. Love seeing BB take scorer mentality.

3. I would like to see Lang and Berry counter each other. Find a four not named BB This and let Berry start for now, but let Lang get his backup minutes plus the minutes he loses for not being good. Maybe light a fire under Berry’s arse that Lang may start soon on his place.

4. I hope Mart gets healthy. He needs this early time to develop and establish if he is to be that four.

5. Love Clay time, but worried about pressing his bad knee. I hope he is healthy and the brace is preventative post injury. Otherwise, limit his minutes too. He could be very important as backup PG.

I’m not bummed at all about the MN points. I hope CCC has a different game planned for P6 and B1G play that flows through MN and he is holding back to limit opponent scouting opportunities.

Obviously disappointed in Berry, and team’s, 3 pt percentage. FT didn’t look to hot outside BB. Go work on D and finish practices w FT shooting. Hope the 3s will work themselves out.

Intrigued by the Preston / RY comparison. I really want to see a game. Hope my flights home allow it Friday.

 

[GatoLouco]

Here are some of my thoughts:

The opponent

Last year, we struggled against Purdue Fort Wayne or Brown. It was tempting and we saw folks here saying those were good teams, they were not.

The same way, Binghamton is not a good team, which is not to say they are bad either. They might have appeared as a good one in the beginning of the game, but they are not. They were a middle of the pack American East team last year, they are likely a middle of the pack American East team this year.

They appeared good because they put up 27 points in the first 10 minutes. That's 2.70 pts per minute, a ridiculous 108 pts per 40 minutes. Rest of the game they put up 34 pts in 30 minutes, or 1.13 per minute, a pace of 45 pts per 40 minutes.

I watched my fair share of mid majors in person. Some of those teams are just what we saw with Binghamton. They have a few athletic players, there's an argument that outside our big men, they were more athletic than us, they run a lot, they look legit if they get hot. Problem is, they are not particularly skilled, they don't make great decisions, and they are not particularly organized as a group. That's what I saw from them. They had a great start, they made some legitimately tough shots, they took advantage of our brain farts on defense and general sloppiness. They are the type of team that will lose to way less athletic but organized teams.

Ultimately I prefer to see us getting challenged than getting blow outs. Gives us a lot more pointers on what to clean up and focus on how to be more cohesive.

Our team

Buie - was Buie on offense, which is to say pretty darn good. On defense though, I hope his effort improves

Barnhizer - what a legit player he is. He was bad from the field. And he still put up a very impressive stat line. That's a bona fide star, even when it looks bad, it ain't bad. Big plums is by far the most well rounded player we have

Matt- was Matt, I hope the few moves we saw from him means a lot of summer work and will give us some points here and there

Langborg - I really like the kid, he has a lot of hear. Quick release, fearless, not one dimensional in his game. And gives us all he's got on defense. If he's not better on defense you won't blame it on lack of effort

Berry - Hope he finds his shooting, his aggressiveness looking for it is there. Anyway, I think we can't underestimate how important he will be on the defensive end. He is the guy that brings energy, hand clapping, excessive celebrations on defense, all the little things that made us good last year

Preston - What he seems to clearly bring over Verhoeven is that he seems a lot more mobile, which leads to a steal and a block here and there we did not get last year. For now, that's what I see

Mullins - lots of potential, less excited after last night than they previous game, but man lots of potential

Martinelli - Not much to say, he was not himself, he was not aggressively looking to be a part of the offense. Coming off injury. TBD

Clayton - Looks like he has a better than usual body for a freshman that can gives us some minutes while not being physically abused out there. Also seems to be poised with his dribble, demonstrated by being on the court at the end. Which means CC trusts him to stay poised. It was at the end in the sense of "we are up, they will press and foul, so we need to beat the press and make free throws". I doubt he would be on the court if the game was tied back and forth and no fouling or full court press. Still a positive. Offensively I have no idea, he was not aggressive, the couple of shots he put up were timid.

Lots to work in practice by 🧙‍♂️ and non 🧙‍♂️ alike. But I think we have the raw material.

Go cats.

 

[GatoLouco]

Intrigued by the Preston / RY comparison. I really want to see a game. Hope my flights home allow it Friday.

I can answer that one. Whoever made that comparison is on crack.

Preston is fast for a big man, RY is not.

Preston has no post moves, it's all hustle points, RY is finesse.

They are both white, 6'9 to 6'10, and start on the bench for us. That's the similarity

 

[Max_Power]

Binghamton hit some difficult shots in the beginning, while NU displayed a significant amount of careless and sloppy play. They took advantage of NU's errors, and deserve recognition for their efforts. Leaving with a victory in a game of this nature is crucial. The positive takeaway is that there are numerous areas to improve upon and it is feasible to do so. They played solid defense minus some lapses and sloppy play. There’s lot to clean up on during practice, time to shift focus towards the upcoming match against Dayton.

In my opinion, Barnhizer did quite well as a secondary ball handler. He possesses great ingenuity both offensively and defensively. When it comes to defense, he’s an absolute wrecking ball, wreaking havoc on his opponents and leaving opposing fans frustrated. He is positioning himself for a highly productive season and is undeniably the most versatile player on the team. Although his shooting may have been off, he compensated with numerous impactful defensive plays, rebounds, and still managed to show up in the scoring column. It’s a very good sign when a player shoots poorly to still affect the game in such a positive way.

I am impressed by Mullins' potential. He possesses a raw talent that is undeniable. His quickness and athleticism are remarkable. However, he needs to exercise better judgment and play within himself. Unfortunately, his early turnover led to him being benched. He needs to clean that up to get more minutes.

Preston demonstrates great touch when it comes to scoring near the basket. Although he may not consistently score in droves, he is highly efficient and a dependable finisher. These qualities make him an ideal backup center. Additionally, he showcased his defensive skills with some excellent plays. His agility is noteworthy. He’s a solid pick up for the backup position.

Langborg possesses a swift release and fearlessly takes shots. He has the potential to provide instant offense this season. He showed some good defensive instincts and makes valuable contributions on that end of the court. Not only that, he displays some impressive dribble drives to the basket throughout the game. Good to see him get back in after rolling his ankle.

Clayton shows promise in his defensive abilities. However, he presents a hesitancy on the offensive side of the game. While he managed to limit his turnovers, he displayed timidity in his plays. Overall, as a freshman, he had a very solid game. He played within his abilities and earned his minutes on the court.

Buie serves as the driving force behind the team's performance yet again. Nicholson, a formidable defender, showcased remarkable positioning on both offensive and defensive ends of the court. These individuals consistently deliver their level play, embodying the team's identity. In general, the defense appears to be a notable strength once more. It brings me great satisfaction to witness the players actively using their hands to disrupt passing lanes. However, NU must improve their defense in transition. Furthermore, it is crucial to establish better positing in rebounds and box out and minimize any errors early . Binghamton managed to stay in close contention by converting some challenging shots. It is imperative that Buie and Barnhizer receive more opportunities to make an impact early in the game. During the first half, the team displayed hesitancy and needed to focus on executing simple passes. Despite a rather sloppy game, NU emerged victorious. Let us put this performance behind us, learn from it during practice, and turn our attention to the upcoming game against Dayton on Friday. Go cats.

NU was not playing hard enough on defense in the first half. Binghamton has some very nice players (4 of them) and they made some shots -- they were getting way to many open shots in the first half. Their guard No. 23 had himself a half and was chirping up and down the floor as he matched Buie point for point - in the first half. In the second, the Cats made adjustments and took him out of the game.

The Cats really played how I expected them to play in the second half, especially on defense.

Was very concerned when Langborg twisted his ankle as he was having a moment at the time. We were joking that they must have shot pain killers into his ankle as he looked like he was done and then 5 minutes latter was back on the floor. Langborg is player to like and this is a very likeable squad.

Overall, in game one, the Cats look like a team that could make the NCAA provided they bottle their performance in the second half.

And for anyone concerned about the overall performance, that's fair but realize that other teams had rough opening nights - especially the first half. This game could easily have been a late 17-20 pt win but Binghamton hit 3 threes in the final minutes and they had one crazy three fall in the first half. NU had zero ball luck on rebounds in the game and the Big10 crew did them no favors as there were a number of no calls on drives that impacted the game.

 

[Max_Power]

Here are some of my thoughts:

The opponent

Last year, we struggled against Purdue Fort Wayne or Brown. It was tempting and we saw folks here saying those were good teams, they were not.

The same way, Binghamton is not a good team, which is not to say they are bad either. They might have appeared as a good one in the beginning of the game, but they are not. They were a middle of the pack American East team last year, they are likely a middle of the pack American East team this year.

They appeared good because they put up 27 points in the first 10 minutes. That's 2.70 pts per minute, a ridiculous 108 pts per 40 minutes. Rest of the game they put up 34 pts in 30 minutes, or 1.13 per minute, a pace of 45 pts per 40 minutes.

I watched my fair share of mid majors in person. Some of those teams are just what we saw with Binghamton. They have a few athletic players, there's an argument that outside our big men, they were more athletic than us, they run a lot, they look legit if they get hot. Problem is, they are not particularly skilled, they don't make great decisions, and they are not particularly organized as a group. That's what I saw from them. They had a great start, they made some legitimately tough shots, they took advantage of our brain farts on defense and general sloppiness. They are the type of team that will lose to way less athletic but organized teams.

Ultimately I prefer to see us getting challenged than getting blow outs. Gives us a lot more pointers on what to clean up and focus on how to be more cohesive.

Our team

Buie - was Buie on offense, which is to say pretty darn good. On defense though, I hope his effort improves

Barnhizer - what a legit player he is. He was bad from the field. And he still put up a very impressive stat line. That's a bona fide star, even when it looks bad, it ain't bad. Big plums is by far the most well rounded player we have

Matt- was Matt, I hope the few moves we saw from him means a lot of summer work and will give us some points here and there

Langborg - I really like the kid, he has a lot of hear. Quick release, fearless, not one dimensional in his game. And gives us all he's got on defense. If he's not better on defense you won't blame it on lack of effort

Berry - Hope he finds his shooting, his aggressiveness looking for it is there. Anyway, I think we can't underestimate how important he will be on the defensive end. He is the guy that brings energy, hand clapping, excessive celebrations on defense, all the little things that made us good last year

Preston - What he seems to clearly bring over Verhoeven is that he seems a lot more mobile, which leads to a steal and a block here and there we did not get last year. For now, that's what I see

Mullins - lots of potential, less excited after last night than they previous game, but man lots of potential

Martinelli - Not much to say, he was not himself, he was not aggressively looking to be a part of the offense. Coming off injury. TBD

Clayton - Looks like he has a better than usual body for a freshman that can gives us some minutes while not being physically abused out there. Also seems to be poised with his dribble, demonstrated by being on the court at the end. Which means CC trusts him to stay poised. It was at the end in the sense of "we are up, they will press and foul, so we need to beat the press and make free throws". I doubt he would be on the court if the game was tied back and forth and no fouling or full court press. Still a positive. Offensively I have no idea, he was not aggressive, the couple of shots he put up were timid.

Lots to work in practice by 🧙‍♂️ and non 🧙‍♂️ alike. But I think we have the raw material.

Go cats.

On Clayton, Collins does not play guys he does not trust. He has clearly earned his minutes as NU has more than enough (I cannot believe I wrote that given the typical lack of depth plaguing all NU hoops teams) at guard.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Here are some of my thoughts:

The opponent

Last year, we struggled against Purdue Fort Wayne or Brown. It was tempting and we saw folks here saying those were good teams, they were not.

The same way, Binghamton is not a good team, which is not to say they are bad either. They might have appeared as a good one in the beginning of the game, but they are not. They were a middle of the pack American East team last year, they are likely a middle of the pack American East team this year.

They appeared good because they put up 27 points in the first 10 minutes. That's 2.70 pts per minute, a ridiculous 108 pts per 40 minutes. Rest of the game they put up 34 pts in 30 minutes, or 1.13 per minute, a pace of 45 pts per 40 minutes.

I watched my fair share of mid majors in person. Some of those teams are just what we saw with Binghamton. They have a few athletic players, there's an argument that outside our big men, they were more athletic than us, they run a lot, they look legit if they get hot. Problem is, they are not particularly skilled, they don't make great decisions, and they are not particularly organized as a group. That's what I saw from them. They had a great start, they made some legitimately tough shots, they took advantage of our brain farts on defense and general sloppiness. They are the type of team that will lose to way less athletic but organized teams.

Ultimately I prefer to see us getting challenged than getting blow outs. Gives us a lot more pointers on what to clean up and focus on how to be more cohesive.

Our team

Buie - was Buie on offense, which is to say pretty darn good. On defense though, I hope his effort improves

Barnhizer - what a legit player he is. He was bad from the field. And he still put up a very impressive stat line. That's a bona fide star, even when it looks bad, it ain't bad. Big plums is by far the most well rounded player we have

Matt- was Matt, I hope the few moves we saw from him means a lot of summer work and will give us some points here and there

Langborg - I really like the kid, he has a lot of hear. Quick release, fearless, not one dimensional in his game. And gives us all he's got on defense. If he's not better on defense you won't blame it on lack of effort

Berry - Hope he finds his shooting, his aggressiveness looking for it is there. Anyway, I think we can't underestimate how important he will be on the defensive end. He is the guy that brings energy, hand clapping, excessive celebrations on defense, all the little things that made us good last year

Preston - What he seems to clearly bring over Verhoeven is that he seems a lot more mobile, which leads to a steal and a block here and there we did not get last year. For now, that's what I see

Mullins - lots of potential, less excited after last night than they previous game, but man lots of potential

Martinelli - Not much to say, he was not himself, he was not aggressively looking to be a part of the offense. Coming off injury. TBD

Clayton - Looks like he has a better than usual body for a freshman that can gives us some minutes while not being physically abused out there. Also seems to be poised with his dribble, demonstrated by being on the court at the end. Which means CC trusts him to stay poised. It was at the end in the sense of "we are up, they will press and foul, so we need to beat the press and make free throws". I doubt he would be on the court if the game was tied back and forth and no fouling or full court press. Still a positive. Offensively I have no idea, he was not aggressive, the couple of shots he put up were timid.

Lots to work in practice by 🧙‍♂️ and non 🧙‍♂️ alike. But I think we have the raw material.

Go cats.

Good analysis and I think you are right on about your review of the NU performance. I will say I thought Berry could be more aggressive, but CCC had a quick hook in this game when mistakes were made. I thought he made an intentional point to bench pretty much ever player after a mistake in an effort to set the tone for future games.

As far as Binghampton, I have a higher opinion of them than you. Most of their guys looked like they were in their 30’s. Of course, they aren't P6 level or even the top tier of the mid-majors, but their was a ton of experience out there and they never panicked. The team is littered with graduate transfers and I think they will be better than their squad last year based on the experience. I didn’t see the disorganization you saw. All in all a good opponent for your first game because they could do enough to expose some things that the 🧙‍♂️ can address before the Dayton game , but they couldn’t do enough to beat you.

 

[freewillie07]

I did not see the game. Having read everything I can digest, I have some uneducated thoughts:

1. Really don’t want to see Boo and BB playing heavy minutes esp in blowout. Increase chance of injury and we need their legs later in the season.

2. Boo, BB and MN should only be on the floor together in these low level games. Yes, they have a season together but they need to learn how different guys will gel under game pressure in the five set. And those guys need to learn how these three main cogs like to work. Love seeing MN expand his stat sheet - let’s see some short jumpers. Love seeing BB take scorer mentality.

3. I would like to see Lang and Berry counter each other. Find a four not named BB This and let Berry start for now, but let Lang get his backup minutes plus the minutes he loses for not being good. Maybe light a fire under Berry’s arse that Lang may start soon on his place.

4. I hope Mart gets healthy. He needs this early time to develop and establish if he is to be that four.

5. Love Clay time, but worried about pressing his bad knee. I hope he is healthy and the brace is preventative post injury. Otherwise, limit his minutes too. He could be very important as backup PG.

I’m not bummed at all about the MN points. I hope CCC has a different game planned for P6 and B1G play that flows through MN and he is holding back to limit opponent scouting opportunities.

Obviously disappointed in Berry, and team’s, 3 pt percentage. FT didn’t look to hot outside BB. Go work on D and finish practices w FT shooting. Hope the 3s will work themselves out.

Intrigued by the Preston / RY comparison. I really want to see a game. Hope my flights home allow it Friday.

No offense, but if you didn’t watch the game, why bother with these thoughts off the box score? You do you but in these early games it really comes down to the “eye test.”

I didn’t watch either, so will just thank TKFH’s consistently excellent write ups.

 

[Sec.112]

On Clayton, Collins does not play guys he does not trust. He has clearly earned his minutes as NU has more than enough (I cannot believe I wrote that given the typical lack of depth plaguing all NU hoops teams) at guard.

And does not play them as much as Clayton played last night. That was my surprise for the night.

 

[Sec.112]

As far as Binghampton, I have a higher opinion of them than you. Most of their guys looked like they were in their 30’s.

The lead (??) guard, #24, played at Marquette and Syracuse. They had some size and length. They weren't great, but they weren't an awful team.

 

[Sec.112]

Did I miss a mention of Preston's defense in the second half? There were four consecutive possessions where he got his hands on the ball and was involved in turnovers.

I don't expect that to happen regularly against B10 big men, but it was the absolute change in this game.

 

[SmellyCat]

I found the substitutions in this game and the McKendree game interesting. Not to say bad, but I feel like Collins is doing something we may not be able to see very well. I liked the comment above about Clayton being a key player when NU is up, but not necessarily when it's a tie game and a freshman turnover could be disastrous.

Against McKendree, it seemed like the starters were all together for too long, but it was important to gel. Against Binghamton, players were yanked more quickly. Seems that maybe Collins is playing more of a long game instead of pushing to win this one game or that one game. Not sure what it means yet, but I guess it was nice to see our new toys get plenty of run.

Also: I think Preston is going to be a huge fan favorite this year.

 

[PURPLECAT88]

Like most, I was very impressed with Preston. Looks to be a significant upgrade from TVH. He had three impressive put-backs although only two of them counted. Has a nose for offensive rebounds.

Impressed with Clayton on the defensive end and handing the ball. I would like to see more aggressiveness and scrappiness on offense, but he plays like a stereotypical prep school kid, which makes sense.

Great to see Brooks be such a positive when he just couldn't get his shot to fall. Drew fouls (and made the shots), passed well, usual pesky defense. I am not worried about him at all.

Looks as if Berry will get the same treatment from CCC as last year. If his shot is falling, he plays. If not, he sits. Still love his attitude and his defense.

Langborg is a solid vet who can do a lot of things. But we will learn a lot more about his value once we step into B1G competition. I have hope that he will succeed at this level.

Mullins didn't get much time. He's like the anti-Clayton. More scrappy and aggressive, but less reliable. It's good to have this kind of balance on the team.

Mart is still recovering. On a "pitch count" as Coach said post-game. I did see a noticeable improvement from him in his defensive footwork. Let's hope he has his offensive game back when he's fully healthy.

Not much new from Buie and MN. They are who they are, and I like it.

I don't expect much this year from Hunger, Strauss and Barkley. Hope they develop as well as former benchwarmers MN and Brooks.

 

[benoitdenizetl]

Did I miss a mention of Preston's defense in the second half? There were four consecutive possessions where he got his hands on the ball and was involved in turnovers.

I don't expect that to happen regularly against B10 big men, but it was the absolute change in this game.

Preston was awesome last night. Excited about what he can add this year.

 

[benoitdenizetl]

Like most, I was very impressed with Preston. Looks to be a significant upgrade from TVH. He had three impressive put-backs although only two of them counted. Has a nose for offensive rebounds.

Impressed with Clayton on the defensive end and handing the ball. I would like to see more aggressiveness and scrappiness on offense, but he plays like a stereotypical prep school kid, which makes sense.

Great to see Brooks be such a positive when he just couldn't get his shot to fall. Drew fouls (and made the shots), passed well, usual pesky defense. I am not worried about him at all.

Looks as if Berry will get the same treatment from CCC as last year. If his shot is falling, he plays. If not, he sits. Still love his attitude and his defense.

Langborg is a solid vet who can do a lot of things. But we will learn a lot more about his value once we step into B1G competition. I have hope that he will succeed at this level.

Mullins didn't get much time. He's like the anti-Clayton. More scrappy and aggressive, but less reliable. It's good to have this kind of balance on the team.

Mart is still recovering. On a "pitch count" as Coach said post-game. I did see a noticeable improvement from him in his defensive footwork. Let's hope he has his offensive game back when he's fully healthy.

Not much new from Buie and MN. They are who they are, and I like it.

I don't expect much this year from Hunger, Strauss and Barkley. Hope they develop as well as former benchwarmers MN and Brooks.

I’m a huge Brooks fan, but I wish he’d keep his head up more often when he decides to take it one on one, or when he’s backing down a defender in post. He missed some open teammates because when he decides he wants to shoot, there’s no Plan B.

 

[EagerFan]

He missed some open teammates because when he decides he wants to shoot, there’s no Plan B.

That's what I saw as well. It seemed like several times he went one on three in the post and took a shot when he had two open guys on the perimeter to pass out to. I am assuming he was just trying to draw fouls, which worked, but I think that will go badly for him against stronger competition.

 

[TheC]

I found the substitutions in this game and the McKendree game interesting. Not to say bad, but I feel like Collins is doing something we may not be able to see very well. I liked the comment above about Clayton being a key player when NU is up, but not necessarily when it's a tie game and a freshman turnover could be disastrous.

I thought Collins' point was the opposite, actually. I thought his point was that when they were up by a little bit and the other team was really pressing hard to get catch up, he liked having Clayton in there because he gave them some more ball handling and didn't turn the ball over.

 

[EagerFan]

I thought the Cats looked pretty good in general. The defense was not great, but that's to be expected at the very start of the season and with so many new faces on the court trying to produce at game speed. I expect it will tighten up a lot over the next few games.

Boo looked pretty tired by about 12 minutes in the second half. It seems to me we have enough ball handlers this year to be able to rest him more so he's in form to close out tough games.

I liked how well Langborg boxed out and was generally well-positioned defensively. His play in general raises my expectations for his contribution this year. He rushed a couple of shots that I think he normally makes.

Preston impressed me with cleaning up the backboard on offense and movement on defense. I'm hopeful. He seems pretty quick and has good body control for a big guy, which bodes well. I recall Verhoeven impressed me early before having a hard time in the middle.

Mullins and Clayton both seemed comfortable handling the ball against pressure, which suggests we might go into conference play with five ball handlers. That's something we definitely did not have last year.

One of the things the Bearcats managed against us last night was having five guys score at least ten points each. I'd like us to have that fourth guy putting up at least ten every game. Last night we had the MN/Preston duo do it as a pair so maybe that counts.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

On Clayton, Collins does not play guys he does not trust. He has clearly earned his minutes as NU has more than enough (I cannot believe I wrote that given the typical lack of depth plaguing all NU hoops teams) at guard.

This was the biggest takeaway for me last night. Collins believes in Clayton. And a Collins team requires a trustworthy lead guard. To have someone play valuable minutes this year and step into that role next year will be huge to avoid a substantial post-Buie dropoff.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

Matt- was Matt, I hope the few moves we saw from him means a lot of summer work and will give us some points here and there

MN didn't score a lot but he stuffed the stat sheet with blocks and assists, while limiting turnovers.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

If you listen to Chris Collins, its pretty clear that he knows (or believes) that he needs Martinelli as sub #1.

Since Nicholson (who is suddenly listed at 280 lbs) and Preston will probably not be on the floor at the same time, we will need the option of Martinelli at the 4, with Barnhizer at the 3. Langborg or Berry would have to come out. It is important to have that flexibility in the rotation. I think Collins has individuals that enable him to play different lineups without a big drop off. (Mullins and Hunger TBD)

Barnhizer struggled to score in the paint, so if he's the 4, there will be games like that (like the UCLA game). He is determined, relentless and crafty, but he's not consistently going over or through Big Ten power forwards. We'll see how things pan out, but (to me) he is a prototypical small forward who can play the 4 because Nicholson is so imposing.

Clayton as Buie's back up at point guard seems like a real possibility after seeing him last night.

 

[ballerog711]

I would do

(5) - MN/Preston/Martinelli against a small ball team.
(4) - Brooks/Martinelli
(1,2,3) - Boo/Berry/Lanborg/Clayton/Brooks rotate. All can play multiple spots.

Mullins and Hunger have to figure out the defensive rotations, if they do can revisit.

Martinelli/Clayton should get better as the foot/knee get better and they get confident in recovering from the injury. Plus they probably missed a couple of weeks with the injuries. Did a good job considering.

Clayton is thinking to much on offense right now. Freshmen transition to running all the sets.

 

[hdhntr1]

I did not see the game. Having read everything I can digest, I have some uneducated thoughts:

1. Really don’t want to see Boo and BB playing heavy minutes esp in blowout. Increase chance of injury and we need their legs later in the season.

2. Boo, BB and MN should only be on the floor together in these low level games. Yes, they have a season together but they need to learn how different guys will gel under game pressure in the five set. And those guys need to learn how these three main cogs like to work. Love seeing MN expand his stat sheet - let’s see some short jumpers. Love seeing BB take scorer mentality.

3. I would like to see Lang and Berry counter each other. Find a four not named BB This and let Berry start for now, but let Lang get his backup minutes plus the minutes he loses for not being good. Maybe light a fire under Berry’s arse that Lang may start soon on his place.

4. I hope Mart gets healthy. He needs this early time to develop and establish if he is to be that four.

5. Love Clay time, but worried about pressing his bad knee. I hope he is healthy and the brace is preventative post injury. Otherwise, limit his minutes too. He could be very important as backup PG.

I’m not bummed at all about the MN points. I hope CCC has a different game planned for P6 and B1G play that flows through MN and he is holding back to limit opponent scouting opportunities.

Obviously disappointed in Berry, and team’s, 3 pt percentage. FT didn’t look to hot outside BB. Go work on D and finish practices w FT shooting. Hope the 3s will work themselves out.

Intrigued by the Preston / RY comparison. I really want to see a game. Hope my flights home allow it Friday.

This was definitely not a blowout. FTs were ok in second half, Mart was in but did not know he was dinged up. Limited minutes and don't remember a shot MN did attempt a bit of a hook

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Preston was awesome last night. Excited about what he can add this year.

👀

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

👀

View embedded media

Wait...+/- is not a perfect stat?!?

 

[IGNORE2]

Wait...+/- is not a perfect stat?!?

Only one perfect stat - W / L. The rest try to explain how you got or get there.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Only one perfect stat - W / L. The rest try to explain how you got or get there.

Hardly perfect. Says too little about competitiveness, which matters as you are building a program.

 

[IGNORE2]

Hardly perfect. Says too little about competitiveness, which matters as you are building a program.

Only in the world of participation trophies. The goal is to win the game.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Only in the world of participation trophies. The goal is to win the game.

There’s a difference between teams who have the same W/L record where one team gets blown out a lot and the other team loses in very close games. Focusing solely on W/L does not tell you about that or team chemistry or player development, etc.

 

[IGNORE2]

There’s a difference between teams who have the same W/L record where one team gets blown out a lot and the other team loses in very close games. Focusing solely on W/L does not tell you about that or team chemistry or player development, etc.

That’s great participation trophy material. Win games, will playoffs, actually win trophies.

Those other things may help explain how you accomplish success. But the notion of a good loss Idea a loser mentality.

 

[SDakaGordie]

That’s great participation trophy material. Win games, will playoffs, actually win trophies.

Those other things may help explain how you accomplish success. But the notion of a good loss Idea a loser mentality.

So Collins made continuous reference in years prior to last year that they were making progress (and the W/L records even showed it, despite what people believed, as I have shown) but were frustrated they did not win more. In other words, those were better losses than otherwise (as evidenced by the Luck rating). Was that adopting a loser mentality on his part?

 

[wocka]

Dayton should be a great test for Big Matt. Their best player by far is DaRon Holmes who is a 6'10 bruiser, currently projected as a second round pick by most sources

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

That’s great participation trophy material. Win games, will playoffs, actually win trophies.

Those other things may help explain how you accomplish success. But the notion of a good loss Idea a loser mentality.

Hey Bob, should we play teams that challenge us in the preseason or should we play cupcakes?

Nobody wants to lose, not even the enablers. However, any one that has ever played sports understands that a loss can be beneficial in the long run if you improve on what caused that loss. Maybe not in swimming, but surely in BBall.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Just to be clear "+/-" is a statistic that tells you whether a team scored more or fewer points than their opponent when an individual was in the game.

It is "perfect" as a number that tells you that information. Unlike opinion, algebra is not flawed.

Like any statistic, it can be mis-applied or misinterpreted.

In team sports where a limited number of players are in the game at one time, they play offense and defense as a unit and substitutions are fairly common, it has value. Basically basketball and hockey.

It is silly to ignore it as it often points out who regularly makes little winning plays and who makes little losing plays.

 

[SmellyCat]

I love +/- in basketball and can't believe it took so long for it to get close to mainstream. Like you said, it's not perfect, particularly in many blowout situations, but overall it's a nice number, and in a close game, seeing someone at a +7 and another at -7 can be telling. Like without knowing the numbers, I would expect Preston to have had a nice +/- from Monday because the team seemed to play well when he was playing. Conversely, Ty Berry would not, as many of his minutes were in the first half when the team was struggling. Am I close?

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I love +/- in basketball and can't believe it took so long for it to get close to mainstream. Like you said, it's not perfect, particularly in many blowout situations, but overall it's a nice number, and in a close game, seeing someone at a +7 and another at -7 can be telling. Like without knowing the numbers, I would expect Preston to have had a nice +/- from Monday because the team seemed to play well when he was playing. Conversely, Ty Berry would not, as many of his minutes were in the first half when the team was struggling. Am I close?

Player	Possessions	+/-
Langborg	62	14
Preston	23	13
Barnhizer	67	12
Martinelli	15	10
Buie	64	5
Mullins	15	5
Clayton	30	3
Berry	31	0
Nicholson	43	-7

Nicholson is rarely negative, but he was in the season opener... Hopefully thats just a fluke... but he is now listed at 280 lbs which seems a bit heavy for all that running...

Martinelli must have demon eyes or something, because when he plays, the other team just seems to melt.

 

[SmellyCat]

PWB - I look forward to seeing your lineup numbers this year. I know they're not for everyone, but I enjoy seeing all the permutations and learning something I can't necessarily see with my own eyes.

 

[IGNORE2]

So Collins made continuous reference in years prior to last year that they were making progress (and the W/L records even showed it, despite what people believed, as I have shown) but were frustrated they did not win more. In other words, those were better losses than otherwise (as evidenced by the Luck rating). Was that adopting a loser mentality on his part?

Yes

 

[IGNORE2]

Hey Bob, should we play teams that challenge us in the preseason or should we play cupcakes?

Nobody wants to lose, not even the enablers. However, any one that has ever played sports understands that a loss can be beneficial in the long run if you improve on what caused that loss. Maybe not in swimming, but surely in BBall.

You know I played other sports too. Actually began college career w baseball. Finished in law school w rugby. But you digress.

Schedule what will get you to the promised land. I think only Booby Knight had a team run the table. There will be losses. And that’s what they are - losses.

If I’m the scheduler, I start light and mix in some challenges building up to B1G. I’m among those that think we should play a big healthy dose of Chicago every year - DePaul, uic, Loyola and throw another scrub team or two like chicago state.

Build a schedule to warm up the squad and get you to the post season. Then win as many games as you can. When you lose, it’s ‘we lost, we need to do better, we will learn from this experience.’

Good losses are for announcing teams to fill dead time on TV. Have no place in a coach’s mouth or locker room.

 

[SDakaGordie]

Yes

Glad I supported that loser; shame you didn’t.