Game Thread: Northwestern vs. UIC
- Thread starter mshelton33
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Mullins on back-to-back possessions getting it done after NU breaks the press.
Believe it or not, NU is up to 50% from the field this game. 17-for-29 in the second half.
Martinelli with three 25+ games in a row - first time for NU since Shurna.
Fortunately the 11 missed free throws (including an uncharacteristic five from Martinelli) didn't come back to haunt NU. UIC wasn't particularly good at it either.
Even on rebounds in the second half. Final TO tally was 20-9. Cats were a bit sloppier when the press game. Gotta keep an eye on that this year.
Windham didn't score, but he did a lot of other good things tonight. Mullins filled the box score again - just one field goal, but five points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals (and a turnover right after one of those steals).
Leach, after a terrible first half, was excellent in the second half. Not just looking more confident shooting but really with everything he was doing.
Even on rebounds in the second half. Final TO tally was 20-9. Cats were a bit sloppier when the press game. Gotta keep an eye on that this year.
Windham didn't score, but he did a lot of other good things tonight. Mullins filled the box score again - just one field goal, but five points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals (and a turnover right after one of those steals).
Leach, after a terrible first half, was excellent in the second half. Not just looking more confident shooting but really with everything he was doing.
Interesting stats. Bench scoring was pretty even (NU 19, UIC 17), but NU's bench had a whopping 21 rebounds (UIC had 15 as well, also not too shabby). Mullins had a team-high seven and Blake Smith, according to the box score I'm looking at, had six. Not sure when that happened. That can't be right, can it?
Also, 11 assists from our bench. When the starters are struggling, look who is there to pick them up! Gotta be thrilled with the bench tonight.
Also, 11 assists from our bench. When the starters are struggling, look who is there to pick them up! Gotta be thrilled with the bench tonight.
Mullins had good all around game
Per kenpom, Nick Martinelli is the best 3FG shooter in the country . 7-7, 100%. (Minimum 40% min played and 2 shots per game to qualify) Considering he went 27.1% from 3FG last year, this is really a serious level-up.
Like I said...it couldn't be right, but that's what the box said. I wonder how much else is fiction in that box score.
Ok, lesson learned. I didn't think Smith was in the game long enough to get that many boards, but it looks like his line (at the time I looked) was pulled out of thin air. A much more normal line now (3 minutes, one missed shot, nothing else).
All in all a pretty decent ballgame against a good opponent. Leach really stepped up the 2nd half and we need him to be aggressive all game long.
Mullins is very athletic and can play some D. Looked good when he broke the press and knew what to do with it.
Berry trying to get the rust off which is understandable but hit a couple of threes in the second half and can't wait for him to get back to last years form.
NM is the man. What an improvement from where he was when he first set foot on campus. He is an all around ball player.
BB sounds like he is almost ready. Hope he gets back sooner than later and into basketball shape and this not a bad team at all.
The rest of the guys MN , LH can get the job done and AC is a good looking prospect also. So something to look forward to this season.
Mullins is very athletic and can play some D. Looked good when he broke the press and knew what to do with it.
Berry trying to get the rust off which is understandable but hit a couple of threes in the second half and can't wait for him to get back to last years form.
NM is the man. What an improvement from where he was when he first set foot on campus. He is an all around ball player.
BB sounds like he is almost ready. Hope he gets back sooner than later and into basketball shape and this not a bad team at all.
The rest of the guys MN , LH can get the job done and AC is a good looking prospect also. So something to look forward to this season.
Looking at the box score, quite a few players played. Definitely different than Collin's approach during Big Ten play last year where he wore the starters out. I suppose he will tighten up when conference play begins but right now his willingness to use a lot of players against a decent team is a good sign of depth.
Right now, you have to play Mullins (who was great tonight) and Hunger (who was...not), and the freshmen have made enough contributions already that it seems like they'll be in the rotation. But somebody has to be benched when Barnhizer is back and Berry is good enough to play 25-30 minutes. Blake Smith is the obvious guy who likely won't see the floor when NU is at full strength, but Barnhizer probably takes minutes mostly from the two freshmen and maybe Leach. Leach showed enough tonight that as a senior, he should stay in the starting lineup. It seems like Windham is probably the one who has the most to lose when Barnhizer and Berry are fully healthy.
I like the idea of Windham being a guy who can come off the bench and maybe score some points while the seniors rest, and I like it when Mullins and Windham are on the floor together (though I'll wait to hear from PWB about their +/- playing together).
Would be far more natural for Windham to come off the bench as a spark and go hard for 12-15 mins a game. This early experience going 28 mins a game and testing himself physically and mentally will be very valuable.
Yes, it looks like his biggest value at this point is catch and shoot. Definitely limping last night. I'm worried about him. Nick Martinelli is a revelation. I think Brooks is a better ball handler and defender, but I have to say Nick is a better shooter and inside scorer. It should be interesting when Brooks is back to see which guy becomes the focus offensively when the game is on the line.
Lots of good observations on the game thread.
I'm glad that several people noticed Mullins out there.
He's a good defender and had another "glue guy" performance.
Collins is clearly aware, so no concerns about that either.
Nobody really mentioned how he stands out as a rebounder.
Has good timing, good length and jumps quickly (and high).
Not really surprised Nicholson got no love. The big guy had a nice game. Forced at least 5 turnovers, which won't show up in his box score. Shut down most of the UIC guards coming into the paint. Set a dozen screens to get guys wide open looks. Obviously I'd like to see him get more (some) paint touches, but he seems to be doing what the coaches want him to do on both ends.
I'm glad that several people noticed Mullins out there.
He's a good defender and had another "glue guy" performance.
Collins is clearly aware, so no concerns about that either.
Nobody really mentioned how he stands out as a rebounder.
Has good timing, good length and jumps quickly (and high).
Not really surprised Nicholson got no love. The big guy had a nice game. Forced at least 5 turnovers, which won't show up in his box score. Shut down most of the UIC guards coming into the paint. Set a dozen screens to get guys wide open looks. Obviously I'd like to see him get more (some) paint touches, but he seems to be doing what the coaches want him to do on both ends.
PWB - I feel like you and me are going to be co-chairs of the "Seriously, Matt Nicholson is a really good 5" committee. Agreed that he could stand to get more paint touches - not necessarily to work the low block, but because he's become better at kickouts for catch and shoot 3s. However, when he's on the court, he anchors the defense and his effective hedging and rim protection is effective in ways that the usual stats miss.
I’d like to be a member as well! The team is so good defensively when he’s playing and I agree that most of what he does well doesn’t show up in the box score (including just being a THREAT to receive a lob).
I don't know that Matt's a really good 5 in general, but he is a good 5 for Northwestern. Meaning Collins/Lowery have made defense a priority and we're a half-court meat grinder now. He anchors the defense. It is really noticeable on that end of the floor when he exits and Hunger enters. But, as much as I want Nicholson to be able to post up and score (and draw fouls on the opposing big) it just doesn't seem to have happened. Part of that is the head coach's philosophy toward offense, part of that is the technical coaching ability of our assistants, most of that is Matt's skill set and possibly even his work ethic. I don't want to be too harsh, its just that Nicholson should have made positive strides as a scorer, and he hasn't. It isn't all Matt's fault.
I'll stop there.
Good points. I won't comment on work ethic, etc., because I'm sure his work ethic is fine. I think one thing many have noticed is that he's just not great at catching passes, and I know this as a terrible pick-up player that no one passes you the ball once they've figured out it you can't catch well, because it's far less likely the team will score. It would be nice if he were better at offensive boards, but I think that's where the team philosophy comes in.
Honestly, I really don't need him to be much more than he already is, other than maybe 5-10 more minutes on the floor every night.
In the half-court, he pretty much alters everything that happens in the paint on defense. He stops penetration, disrupts passing lanes, and alters shots. He's like a giant door with a beard. I saw a lot of that last night.
If Matt hadn't gotten injured, I imagine he could have been working the whole offseason on his offensive game, but he was just trying to get healthy. He is who he is going to be at this point. Hunger is a nice change of pace on offense, but is not a good inside defender.
I'm not sure there's a single Cats fan who underrates how excellent and impactful Matt is defensively... and how infrequently we've had a guy like that.
Offensively... he is what he is. You take the few buckets you get, you applaud him for generally being smart about not forcing opportunities for himself and staying efficient, and you accept he needs somebody else to create everything for him.
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