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This team could be the one

DaCat

DaCat

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May 29, 2001
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This team has a different feel to it. Blowing out the teams we should beat, and nearly taking down Butler and ND, they're playing with confidence and poise. I can't remember the last time we jumped out to nearly 40 point leads like we did against DePaul and New Orleans. If we can avoid any more injuries this season, this team is a legitimate 12 win team in the B1G.
 
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One constant with this team is terrific man-to-man defense with a lot of great "help" and switching. Had a decent New Orleans team totally off its game. Will need Pardon back however to make some serious noise in the BIG that is stronger at the bottom this year, with the top very good but not great. The PSU and MSU road games to start the conference season loom large. Need to get off to a decent start.
 
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As a 91' NU alum, I think this team is the best that I've seen at NU. The only player that I thought had more talent as an individual was Rex Walters- who transferred to Kansas and went to the Final 4 with them. This team- with the 9/10 players that make the unit are as good or better than any I've ever seen at NU. When I was a student and NU's teams were losing 33 games in a row and whatnot, I was afraid our AD and Pres. Weber would wuss out like Uof Chicago and just drop to Division 3. That would have really sucked bigtime. I never could have imagined we'd qualify for what like 14 bowls and a handful of NIT appearances. But with success, brings higher expectations. I want to go to the NCAATourney. Will we make it this year? Maybe. Next year- I expect the victories to come- especially if we get a few studs from tranferring to NU. CC- please make it happen.
 
Next year is shaping up to be a highly likely probability of making The Dance. This year is borderline, but if we stay healthy and Pardon comes back and picks up where he left off, then I think we can make it. Keeping my fingers crossed.
 
Great program! look out BT! By the way, Louey Vacher has never, ever kicked me off the basketball forum. Only the football program forum two times!LOL
 
Let's see how we do against Dayton. That's a tough, but winnable game that a tournament team will find a way to get.
 
mickbula said:
As a 91' NU alum, I think this team is the best that I've seen at NU. The only player that I thought had more talent as an individual was Rex Walters- who transferred to Kansas and went to the Final 4 with them. This team- with the 9/10 players that make the unit are as good or better than any I've ever seen at NU. When I was a student and NU's teams were losing 33 games in a row and whatnot, I was afraid our AD and Pres. Weber would wuss out like Uof Chicago and just drop to Division 3. That would have really sucked bigtime. I never could have imagined we'd qualify for what like 14 bowls and a handful of NIT appearances. But with success, brings higher expectations. I want to go to the NCAATourney. Will we make it this year? Maybe. Next year- I expect the victories to come- especially if we get a few studs from tranferring to NU. CC- please make it happen.
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Sorry, but one player that had more talent that anyone on this team is Evan Eschmeyer (1st team All-American, drafted).

Cases could also be made for Geno Carlisle, Vedran, and John Shurna. Maybe I'm missing someone else. Ah yes, Edward T. McCants.
 
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I don't know about aggregate talent, but this team plays differently from any team that I've known at NU. It's the most athletic, locks down defensively, and also can score in bunches - which reflects the coaching philosophy. I enjoyed the Stack-Rathel-Jenkins-Goode-Aaron team from the early 80's but this team is better.
 
DaCat said:
I don't know about aggregate talent, but this team plays differently from any team that I've known at NU. It's the most athletic, locks down defensively, and also can score in bunches - which reflects the coaching philosophy. I enjoyed the Stack-Rathel-Jenkins-Goode-Aaron team from the early 80's but this team is better.
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The starting 5 of the 1982-83 team is better. But that team had zero bench which makes the current team better overall.
 
I have heard enough of this bs about ranking our recruiting classes in the lower three or four in the Big Ten- and using that as a rationale about how we don't have enough talent to win big in the conference. Look at what Austin Carr has done as a f. walkon! We have a bunch of guys on this team who can hoop with anyone in the conference. We almost/and should have beaten Butler this year. Did anyone tell them that they didn't have a top-two recruiting class as proof that they couldn't get to the championship game two years in a row/and almost/and should have beaten perennial top recruit class Duke? I predict big things for this Cat team either this year/and if not then next with Chris Collins as coach. I agree in whole with the other website bloggers whom have id'ed this program as a developmental one. We don't get the one and done players. By the time our players are upperclassmen, we have just as much talent as anyone else in the conference to win games. Let's just do it and break the f. curse. If not this year- then next!
 
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DaCat said:
I don't know about aggregate talent, but this team plays differently from any team that I've known at NU. It's the most athletic, locks down defensively, and also can score in bunches - which reflects the coaching philosophy. I enjoyed the Stack-Rathel-Jenkins-Goode-Aaron team from the early 80's but this team is better.
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Yep, athleticism and defense is what it takes to get into the tourney, and this is the first team that has had it in years (ever). No doubt next year looks even better, but we can do it this year.
 
Fitzphile said:
The starting 5 of the 1982-83 team is better. But that team had zero bench which makes the current team better overall.
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Different, don't know if they were better.

This team can shoot better, moves the ball better.

The late "Stack" teams were more bangers.

Different makes and models.
 
Medill90 said:
Different, don't know if they were better.

This team can shoot better, moves the ball better.

The late "Stack" teams were more bangers.

Different makes and models.
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The '82-'83 team had 3 1,000 point career scorers on it, the 6th, 19th and 23rd highest scorers in NU history. They also had the 10th best rebounder and 5th best assist man. That is a line-up that the current team just can't match.

I do think the current team is better because it is much deeper.
 
Fitzphile said:
The '82-'83 team had 3 1,000 point career scorers on it, the 6th, 19th and 23rd highest scorers in NU history. They also had the 10th best rebounder and 5th best assist man. That is a line-up that the current team just can't match.

I do think the current team is better because it is much deeper.
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Good research, Fitzphile. I didn't realize their career numbers were so good. I loved watching the Stack-led teams, but did get frustrated at times because they were mostly a jump shot offense. If that team played in the 3-point era, they might've been even better, with better career stats too. A quick google search shows the college 3-point era started in 1986.

But like you said, the depth is what makes this year's team better. And the superior athleticism allows them to play a different brand of ball.
 
Fitzphile said:
The '82-'83 team had 3 1,000 point career scorers on it, the 6th, 19th and 23rd highest scorers in NU history. They also had the 10th best rebounder and 5th best assist man. That is a line-up that the current team just can't match.
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There are four current cats who should finish with more than 1,000 pts. Mac, Law, Falzon and Lindsey based on current totals and current averages. Three of those shoot better than anyone on the 83 team. Could be Rap and Brown score 1,000 as well.

BMac will be number one in assists by a huge margin.

Pardon is averaging more rebounds per game as a sophomore than my friend Andre Goode.
 
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Medill90 said:
There are four current cats who should finish with more than 1,000 pts. Mac, Law, Falzon and Lindsey based on current totals and current averages. Three of those shoot better than anyone on the 83 team. Could be Rap and Brown score 1,000 as well.

BMac will be number one in assists by a huge margin.

Pardon is averaging more rebounds per game as a sophomore than my friend Andre Goode.
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Let's wait and see how the current Cats finish. All we know for certain is that Stack, Goode and Art Aaron were 1,000 point scorers in the era before the 3 point shot, and when regular seasons were less than 30 games.
 
Fitzphile said:
Precisely. And he averaged all of 2.7 points and 2.1 boards. NU relied almost exclusively on a very good starting 5.
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I think Schultz from York beat out his rival Doc Rivers from Proviso East for the Illinois HS Player of the Year as a senior. He was tough, but being a 6-7 center in the Big 10 was not going to cut it.
 
Fitzphile said:
Let's wait and see how the current Cats finish. All we know for certain is that Stack, Goode and Art Aaron were 1,000 point scorers in the era before the 3 point shot, and when regular seasons were less than 30 games.
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Ok. So you were wrong with your first assertion so now you're changing it up by introducing new data.

On a points per game basis, Law, Lindsey and BMac compare favorably to anyone on the 82-83 Cats. Falzon was ahead of Aaron and Goode until he broke a wheel.

But it's stupid to talk about shooting. College basketball players today are much better shooters than players 30 years ago. And the style of play is completely different.

The best player on the 82-83 Cats was Gaddis Rathel who willingly sacrificed his offensive game so that others would be more involved. As Michael Jenkins said, Gaddis could have scored 30 a game if he wanted to. Gaddis was also a stud defensive player.
 
Fitzphile said:
What was my first assertion, and how was I wrong?

Geez, you really seem upset about someone having a different opinion......
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"That is a line-up that the current team cannot match." Based on point production and rebounding.

Maybe I'm becoming thin skinned like the POTUS-elect as we try to make NU Hoops great again..
 
Medill90 said:
"That is a line-up that the current team cannot match." Based on point production and rebounding.

Maybe I'm becoming thin skinned like the POTUS-elect as we try to make NU Hoops great again..
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Having watched both teams, I believe:

BMac > Jenkins
Rathel > Sanjay
Goode > Pardon
Stack > Law (Stack was 2nd team All Big 10 twice!)
Aaron > Scottie (Art was third team All Big 10)

2016 Bench >>> 1983 Bench

This is comparing '83 to the current guys. Law and Scottie may well continue to develop and become better than Stack and Aaron, we will know in a few years.

BTW, I was wrong about the 3 point shot, it apparently did exist for the '82-83 season; Stack shot 6-23 and Aaron 12-41. Conferences were doing trials and the Big 10 experimented that season before it came back in 1986.
 
DC Cats said:
I'm not saying that we're going to the tourney, but we're going to the tourney and I'm buying tickets in the first row and who the hell is joining me and WOO GO CATS!
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Still waiting for an answer. Who's joining me?!
 
phatcat said:
Can't commit yet. Might be a Thursday noon game in like Santa Fe or something
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As with most - if not all - of us here, I want very much to be there, but it's a logistical nightmare when we don't even know for sure whether we're in . . . and if so, where we're going . . . until literally a few days before. Happy problems, though.
 
DaCat said:
This team has a different feel to it. Blowing out the teams we should beat, and nearly taking down Butler and ND, they're playing with confidence and poise. I can't remember the last time we jumped out to nearly 40 point leads like we did against DePaul and New Orleans. If we can avoid any more injuries this season, this team is a legitimate 12 win team in the B1G.
Click to expand...
I agree. I dont believe we played a bad game all year.Butler, Notre Dame, and MSU were legit away losses. I wont get too upset about losing to Minny at home since Pardon was out. It appears to me that we are playing like a #8 seed. Good but not good enough to beat the really good teams, though next year we could be one of those really good teams. Ironically, it will also be a year in which there will be 20,000 seats available for home games. It will be interesting if our potential ncaa team could fill alot of those seats and draw a secular following. Maybe the bigger venue would allow us to bring in Duke, Louisville or Kansas instead of MVSU
 
This is going to be the year. Meeting a friend for the Rutgers game. He is flying from Vegas and me from Houston. Can't wait to see the cats live!!
 
mickbula said:
I have heard enough of this bs about ranking our recruiting classes in the lower three or four in the Big Ten- and using that as a rationale about how we don't have enough talent to win big in the conference. Look at what Austin Carr has done as a f. walkon! We have a bunch of guys on this team who can hoop with anyone in the conference. We almost/and should have beaten Butler this year. Did anyone tell them that they didn't have a top-two recruiting class as proof that they couldn't get to the championship game two years in a row/and almost/and should have beaten perennial top recruit class Duke? I predict big things for this Cat team either this year/and if not then next with Chris Collins as coach. I agree in whole with the other website bloggers whom have id'ed this program as a developmental one. We don't get the one and done players. By the time our players are upperclassmen, we have just as much talent as anyone else in the conference to win games. Let's just do it and break the f. curse. If not this year- then next!
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I dont agree that we have a bunch of guys who can hoop with anyone in the conference. We have a team that can hoop with anyone in the conference but not a bunch of guys.
As far as talent, I think BMc is the most talented point guard in our modern wildcat era. And I think him and Law have the potential to utilize that talent in the NBA after next season, although it would be nice to have Law stick around.
 
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Mr Wickerpark said:
I agree. I dont believe we played a bad game all year.Butler, Notre Dame, and MSU were legit away losses. I wont get too upset about losing to Minny at home since Pardon was out.
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Pardon played against Minnesota. It was his first game back, so he was probably shaking off some rust, but he was on the floor.
 
Mr Wickerpark said:
I dont agree that we have a bunch of guys who can hoop with anyone in the conference. We have a team that can hoop with anyone in the conference but not a bunch of guys.
As far as talent, I think BMc is the most talented point guard in our modern wildcat era. And I think him and Law have the potential to utilize that talent in the NBA after next season, although it would be nice to have Law stick around.
Click to expand...
Law has a ways to physically before he's NBA ready.
 
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