Game Thread: Northwestern vs. Penn State
- Thread starter mshelton33
- Start date
Good thing free throw was not reviewable. Weirdly he did not step over the line before it hit the rim
Probably the gutsiest win I’ve seen this team pull off. We really clamped down in the second half. Hats off to the boys.
Feels like NU stole one, but they shot great tonight and the team as a whole played well together. Clean up the turnovers though guys.
Some nice adjustments by CCC and staff! Great fight by the team! Way to go Cats!!!
Giving Big Matt big minutes in the second half was a key adjustment. PSU scored at will in the paint in the first half, not so much in the second.
Yes, but NU was not athletically outmatched. They encountered a well coached and motivated press from highly capable defenders. Berry faced difficulties in advancing the ball up the court, whereas Langborg attempted to force plays excessively, resulting in a higher number of turnovers. When Langborg was subbed out in the second half, it enabled the offense to find a rhythm and improve ball movement, which ultimately allowed NU to make a comeback. Barnhizer taking charge of ball-handling duties also helped conserve Buie's energy for offensive plays. Last night, NU demonstrated their superiority as the better team.
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Penn State forced turnovers, many of which were due to 1-1 defensive pressure. I think that has something to do with athleticism. Langborg (and at times Barney) forces things when he gets under pressure; this would not be a problem against lesser athletic individuals. I do like the idea of giving Buie some relief in bringing up the ball, but the results were obviously mixed. I don’t disagree we are the better team, but were it not for our great shooting and their poor shooting, we easily could have lost that game in large part because PSU was just more athletic. Kudos to the players for making the shots to win!
I am not calling PSU unatheltic. They are athletic. I think you are discrediting the level to which they are coached and disciplined on the press and under valuing NU’s athleticism. Yes, you need a level of athleticism to pull of the defensive effort they had. NU was athletic enough to keep up with it. Buie is athletic enough for any team. Barnhizer is a complete mismatch athletically a very good blend of size, strength, and quickness. Berry is an athletic defender. Langborg is sneakily more athletic than most would think as well.
Frankly, there were just some over drives that lead to bad passes or traps and some passes that put teammates in no win situations. Credit to the tenacity of PSU in forcing that. Good defense is a blend of athletic play and smart disciplined positioning. Would you have said NU out athleted teams last year because they forced so many turnovers one on one? Or would you have said they were extremely well coached?
I think the perception of athleticism came more from them doing full court man to man than any disparity in speed, hops or size. I was glad their two guards were quite short, 5'11 and 6'1.
PSU was clearly quicker afoot. They pressured the ball very well. They gave up very few dribble drives, and generally made our guards work very hard all night (which I think helps account for some of the late free throw misses).
We got into trouble when we were drawn into more uptempo play. We were best in the half court, spreading the floor, and creating passing lanes to find better matchups. Our outside shooting certainly helped.
PSU’s defense also took a toll on its offense. I think there was some fatigue in the second half that showed on their late possessions. They subbed, but their bench is not nearly as good. They seemed to run out of gas late.
We got into trouble when we were drawn into more uptempo play. We were best in the half court, spreading the floor, and creating passing lanes to find better matchups. Our outside shooting certainly helped.
PSU’s defense also took a toll on its offense. I think there was some fatigue in the second half that showed on their late possessions. They subbed, but their bench is not nearly as good. They seemed to run out of gas late.
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One thing I'd like to clean up is the guys coming up behind to poke the ball out. Barnhizer seemed particularly susceptible to that last night, but Boo and others as well. Those are so frustrating because even if it doesn't cause a turnover, they take NU out of their offense.
I was thinking I had never seen so many pick pocket steals in one game before. It was infuriating to me because it seemed like it happened often enough that NU should have seen it coming and made some adjustment.
Fair points and I agree PSU was coached well on the press. It seemed to me there was a lot of disruption 1:1 in the backcourt, though they certainly double-teamed at times too. But 18 turnovers by a team that averages 8 suggests to me we did not keep up with it very well. Our defense forces turnovers largely by good positioning in the front court, not by 1:1 pressure in the backcourt.
Ace Baldwin had 8 steals. He is a great defender. Very quick hands and feet.
For historical reference, Chase Audige had one game with 6 steals.
Clary was also athletic/quick for Penn State.
Beyond those two - not so much - mostly spare parts from other teams.
For historical reference, Chase Audige had one game with 6 steals.
Clary was also athletic/quick for Penn State.
Beyond those two - not so much - mostly spare parts from other teams.
Another component is effort. I think one thing we all know from playing and watching enough sports is that it's impossible to always give the same effort every game. A good athlete strives to give a consistent effort, but sometimes it's just impossible due to motivational issues or how your body feels, etc...
I think last night Penn State was playing very hard. They were at home, probably feeling like this was a good chance for a win. And they showed real intensity. I'm not saying we didn't play hard, but I just felt PSU certainly did and that made their press more effective. Good pressure defense can be disruptive no matter how athletic or well coached you are. But pressure defense really relies on the defenders providing maximum effort. PSU was on their game.
The good news is that we still won. That is the mark of a good team.
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