+/- for the invigoration in Indiana

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Player	Minutes	NU Pts	IU Pts	Raw +/-	Player +/-	Game +/-
Nicholson	31.5	65	54	+9	+14.1	+16.3
Langborg	40	76	72	+8	+8.0	+8.8
Smith, Blake	12.5	22	18	+4	+1.0	+1.8
Martinelli	38	74	71	+3	-2.6	-2.0
Mullins	18	31	27	+4	-4.5	-3.7
Hunger	7	11	16	-5	-2.9	-3.9
Buie	28	53	55	-2	-5.35	-5.75
Barnhizer	24.5	48	45	+3	-7.7	-7.10
Preston	1	0	2	-2	-0.05	-0.45

Matt Nicholson and Ryan Langborg carried the Wildcats to victory over the hapless Hoosiers.
Boo Buie only played 28 minutes after picking up 2 first-half fouls. He and Brooks Barnhizer sat for the last 6 minutes of the first half, while the lineup of Nicholson/Martinelli/Langborg/Smith/Mullins
outplayed the Hoosiers 14-10. This was Langborg best stretch of the game (He played 40 minutes) and he was the primary ballhandler and shot-taker.
Indiana only forced 3 turnovers - their inability to apply defensive pressure was glaring.

It is a good indication of where IU stands right now when NU can beat them with poor efforts from Buie and Barnhizer and nothing at all from Ty Berry.

Blake Smith and Justin Mullins played about 12.5 and 17.5 minutes respectively. Neither did much, but they didn't turn the ball over.
Mullins missed all 3 of his field goal attempts. Smith made one of two free throws.

The starting lineup (Nicholson / Martinelli / Barnhizer / Langborg / Buie) got outscored 40-37 in about 18.5 minutes of action.
Much of that is attributable to late scoring by Indiana, when NU was just trying to close out the game.

Brooks Barnhizer is 9 for 39 from the floor since Ty Berry started missing games. Hopefully we can get past Michigan and then re-group physically in the 5 day break that follows.

Still waiting for Luke Hunger to get minutes at power forward, alongside Blake Preston.... but Smith, Mullins and Clayton will probably have to foul out before we see something like that.
Its a great way to rest Nicholson and Barnhizer or Martinelli without getting killed on the boards.... just sayin'... again.

 

[EagerFan]

I'm pretty happy with how Nick handled 38 minutes on the court. He's stepping up nicely (as I hoped and expected).

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I'm pretty happy with how Nick handled 38 minutes on the court. He's stepping up nicely (as I hoped and expected).

Definitely handling the sharp increase in minutes, but his effectiveness has dropped a bit, I'd say.
Much of that is people are being told how to defend him.

 

[EagerFan]

That's to be expected and the challenge will help make him better.

But if I read the box score correctly, he went 4 of 8 from 2 (and 4 of 5 from the line) so the inefficiency was really 1 of 5 from three. I'm not excited about three fouls, but if it comes with 13 rebounds I think I'll get over it, and the zero turn overs is always good (unless they're apple turn overs and then I'd like a few).

Still a small 'high minutes' sample size, but it bodes well.

 

[No Chores]

In my opinion Boo was really a clutch performer in this game when it counted, with the back to back long threes and the shorter floater late.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

That's to be expected and the challenge will help make him better.

But if I read the box score correctly, he went 4 of 8 from 2 (and 4 of 5 from the line) so the inefficiency was really 1 of 5 from three. I'm not excited about three fouls, but if it comes with 13 rebounds I think I'll get over it, and the zero turn overs is always good (unless they're apple turn overs and then I'd like a few).

Still a small 'high minutes' sample size, but it bodes well.

My preference would be to have Martinelli get a little more rest, if we can find decent minutes from the bench.
Not sure we can though.

Concern is that he too starts to wear out.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

My preference would be to have Martinelli get a little more rest, if we can find decent minutes from the bench.
Not sure we can though.

Concern is that he too starts to wear out.

It’s a very very very good time to only have one game, at home, in nine days.

 

[ballerog711]

Hunger just needs to find minutes to play and grow.

 

[SmellyCat]

I want Martinelli to be the first man off the bench and then part of the closing lineup, but that's because I want him to win Sixth Man of the Year. I wonder how many starts will make him ineligible.

In all seriousness, he's been ok as a starter (bad against Rutgers, pretty good against Indiana). He's adjusting too, and I wonder if you'd ask him if he'd rather start or come off the bench if he's still getting 30+ minutes a game. I know "players want to play," and most would rather start, but to some it doesn't matter. As long as the best players are on the floor when it matters, it doesn't really matter to me.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

It would probably be worth another look to see what NU was doing on both ends of the court when Buie and Barnhizer sat on the bench for the last 6 minutes of the first half.

It was Nicholson, Martinelli, Langborg and two guys who never played before Ty Berry got injured.

And yet NU outscored IU 14-10.

Would have been rotation players #4, #5, #6, #10 and #11 before the Berry injury.
And yet, there they were, for 6 solid minutes.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

It would probably be worth another look to see what NU was doing on both ends of the court when Buie and Barnhizer sat on the bench for the last 6 minutes of the first half.

It was Nicholson, Martinelli, Langborg and two guys who never played before Ty Berry got injured.

And yet NU outscored IU 14-10.

Would have been rotation players #4, #5, #6, #10 and #11 before the Berry injury.
And yet, there they were, for 6 solid minutes.

It frankly helped quite a lot that Indiana is absolute trash at shooting the ball and was confused and ineffective defensively for much of that stretch.

 

[mickbula]

Is MN near tops in field goal efficiency is BIG? Does he make like 90% of his shots? Most are dunks??

 

[Hungry Jack]

Is MN near tops in field goal efficiency is BIG? Does he make like 90% of his shots? Most are dunks??

His smash rating is 25.6 SAR — smashes above replacement. He’s elite.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Is MN near tops in field goal efficiency is BIG? Does he make like 90% of his shots? Most are dunks??

In conference play Matt is 2nd place in FG% (67.2%) behind Owen Freeman of Iowa (67.3%).
Nicholson gets 3.9 field goal attempts per game to Freeman's 6.7. Freeman is a freshman.

Matt is 26 of 30 on dunks against "top 125" teams
He is 15 of 35 on other shots. (according to Torvik)