The guys played out of their minds during the epic winning streak, especially for that magical week of Pur/IU/Io_a. Then the wheels came off the cart in the second half at Illinois, blowing a big lead and losing (which they almost did against IU until Boo saved the day). Today at Maryland was just ugly. They hit everything, especially from 3 (64%!) and NU was out of sorts. The second half got really out of hand. Again.
It’s time for another gut check. The ‘Cats have earned themselves a spot in the tourney, but the question is whether they will limp into March Madness. I’m willing to chalk up the MD game as a “flush it” loss against a tough team on the road. But I am worried that three of our last four second halves have been abysmal. The team seems to have misplaced their hard-nosed defensive identity, getting lit up by multiple opponents in the second frame. If you can stomach it, go look at the point totals allowed (especially after halftime) lately. Teams are adjusting & we aren’t responding.
Now: Penn state at home would seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered. A chance to get home, get right, and re-establish some confidence. It’ll be a packed purple sellout. But I’m nervous. PSU gives us problems in basketball and things look disjointed right now. Wednesday looms large, in my opinion, and I’m not overly confident about how that game will go. Both of our remaining games are winnable. Both are losable. This group is capable of special things, but so much of college hoops is about momentum and confidence. I believe this team has earned our confidence to go out and win *at least* one of the last two regular season games. But if they play like they have in the second halves of IU/UI/MD, they can absolutely drop both. I hope CC & co have a plan to address and overcome this adversity, because it has definitely arrived.
It’s time for another gut check. The ‘Cats have earned themselves a spot in the tourney, but the question is whether they will limp into March Madness. I’m willing to chalk up the MD game as a “flush it” loss against a tough team on the road. But I am worried that three of our last four second halves have been abysmal. The team seems to have misplaced their hard-nosed defensive identity, getting lit up by multiple opponents in the second frame. If you can stomach it, go look at the point totals allowed (especially after halftime) lately. Teams are adjusting & we aren’t responding.
Now: Penn state at home would seem to be exactly what the doctor ordered. A chance to get home, get right, and re-establish some confidence. It’ll be a packed purple sellout. But I’m nervous. PSU gives us problems in basketball and things look disjointed right now. Wednesday looms large, in my opinion, and I’m not overly confident about how that game will go. Both of our remaining games are winnable. Both are losable. This group is capable of special things, but so much of college hoops is about momentum and confidence. I believe this team has earned our confidence to go out and win *at least* one of the last two regular season games. But if they play like they have in the second halves of IU/UI/MD, they can absolutely drop both. I hope CC & co have a plan to address and overcome this adversity, because it has definitely arrived.
