The rude jerk is, of course, the moron who kicked Ryan Langborg out of a basketball game for trying to get out of a double-team and accidentally slapping a defender's crotch with his hand.
Accidental, incidental contact is normally not a foul, much less a flagrant foul, but it was last night, with NU leading 17-7.
I'd bet my life that ref had somebody's betting interests at heart or was trying to screw Chris Collins.
Hard to imagine NU would have lost if Langborg hadn't been kicked out.
Anyhow, it was an interesting game, with a few questions answered and a few new ones to ponder.
This was the most minutes (39) Nick Martinelli has ever played in an NCAA game and it was his worst performance by a wide margin.
He scored both of his baskets in the first 5 minutes of the game. Then he missed 7 straight shots.
He only had 2 rebounds. Three turnovers. He was pretty bad in the 2nd half. He played tired.
Brooks Barnhizer didn't shoot the ball well, but tried to make up for it with 13 rebounds.
Thats a 4 for 15 shooting effort on the heels of a 3 for 15 performance since Ty Berry has been unavailable.
Zero steals for Brooks is a sign of fatigue. Hopefully this isn't the same sort of thing as Chase Audige went thru last year, where he just couldn't make a shot after playing heavy minutes all season.
Boo Buie did what he could to win the game for NU. Yet another strong performance, though he too faded a bit down the stretch.
If I counted right, NU went 5 of 21 from the floor with 6 turnovers after taking a 42-31 lead with 17 minutes to play.
Matt Nicholson made a significant impact on the defensive end. Somebody needs to talk to him about when to dunk and when to try a left handed layup.
Enjoyed watching him battling with Omoruyi - thankfully the refs let them play. Nothing sucks like a whistle-happy ref.
Blake Preston provided some decent minutes slugging it out in the mosh pit.
As for Justin Mullins - well he was something of a revelation. He appeared to have hit the weights and put mass on his athletic frame since showing up at NU.
Why Jordan Clayton was getting opportunities ahead of him will be one of life's mysteries. Why Mullins has been glued to the bench for a few months is another.
Guy went 3 for 3 from the field and had 3 blocked shots. Clearly unfazed by playing on the road in the Big Ten.
Looked like the best athlete on the team.
Some guys play a lot better in games than they do in practice. Hopefully Mullins is the answer to our rotation's deficiencies.
If he can provide productive minutes in relief of Barnhizer and Martinelli at Indiana, a big problem has been addressed.
I'm hoping this is a repeat of last season's Martinelli story, where an injury to a teammate provided an opportunity for a young player to open his coach's eyes a little.
Jordan Clayton did not play well.
Accidental, incidental contact is normally not a foul, much less a flagrant foul, but it was last night, with NU leading 17-7.
I'd bet my life that ref had somebody's betting interests at heart or was trying to screw Chris Collins.
Hard to imagine NU would have lost if Langborg hadn't been kicked out.
Anyhow, it was an interesting game, with a few questions answered and a few new ones to ponder.
| Player | Minutes | NU Pts | RU Pts | Raw +/- | Player +/- | Game +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buie | 39 | 58 | 63 | -5 | +10.0 | +9.0 |
| Mullins (who?) | 26.5 | 43 | 48 | -5 | +6.7 | +5.7 |
| Preston | 6 | 9 | 7 | +2 | +1.1 | +1.5 |
| Langborg | 10 | 17 | 9 | +8 | -0.3 | +1.3 |
| Nicholson | 30.5 | 49 | 52 | -3 | +0.3 | -0.3 |
| Hunger | 3.5 | 2 | 4 | -2 | -0.3 | -0.7 |
| Barnhizer | 36 | 58 | 56 | +2 | -4.6 | -4.2 |
| Clayton | 9.5 | 7 | 17 | -10 | -2.9 | -4.9 |
| Martinelli | 39 | 57 | 59 | -2 | -10.1 | -10.5 |
This was the most minutes (39) Nick Martinelli has ever played in an NCAA game and it was his worst performance by a wide margin.
He scored both of his baskets in the first 5 minutes of the game. Then he missed 7 straight shots.
He only had 2 rebounds. Three turnovers. He was pretty bad in the 2nd half. He played tired.
Brooks Barnhizer didn't shoot the ball well, but tried to make up for it with 13 rebounds.
Thats a 4 for 15 shooting effort on the heels of a 3 for 15 performance since Ty Berry has been unavailable.
Zero steals for Brooks is a sign of fatigue. Hopefully this isn't the same sort of thing as Chase Audige went thru last year, where he just couldn't make a shot after playing heavy minutes all season.
Boo Buie did what he could to win the game for NU. Yet another strong performance, though he too faded a bit down the stretch.
If I counted right, NU went 5 of 21 from the floor with 6 turnovers after taking a 42-31 lead with 17 minutes to play.
Matt Nicholson made a significant impact on the defensive end. Somebody needs to talk to him about when to dunk and when to try a left handed layup.
Enjoyed watching him battling with Omoruyi - thankfully the refs let them play. Nothing sucks like a whistle-happy ref.
Blake Preston provided some decent minutes slugging it out in the mosh pit.
As for Justin Mullins - well he was something of a revelation. He appeared to have hit the weights and put mass on his athletic frame since showing up at NU.
Why Jordan Clayton was getting opportunities ahead of him will be one of life's mysteries. Why Mullins has been glued to the bench for a few months is another.
Guy went 3 for 3 from the field and had 3 blocked shots. Clearly unfazed by playing on the road in the Big Ten.
Looked like the best athlete on the team.
Some guys play a lot better in games than they do in practice. Hopefully Mullins is the answer to our rotation's deficiencies.
If he can provide productive minutes in relief of Barnhizer and Martinelli at Indiana, a big problem has been addressed.
I'm hoping this is a repeat of last season's Martinelli story, where an injury to a teammate provided an opportunity for a young player to open his coach's eyes a little.
Jordan Clayton did not play well.
