Geez, do some of you overreact much? Before the season, you could pretty much chalk up two games to Big 10 favorite MD a Losses. NU lost by at home when MD played one of their best games of the season, and then played the Terps to OT in College Park, which is not a bad showing. Yet as a result of last night a couple of you are really overreacting. The game last night was not a bad loss. Cats showed fight despite being outmanned at every position. Collins is making progress but as he has said all along, it is a process and getting to the Tournament will take time. Despite the claims that "this is the season" made by some in the preseason, NU still needs better players, which will come in the next few years. Until then take comfort in a team who are able to rebound better, have overall better talent on the floor than in many years past, but still struggle to score in the Collins offense and have the occasional off-game ( see PSU for one).
Why the Panic?
- Thread starter NJCat83588
- Start date
I like the trajectory of the Collins era, but not this team. I look at the next four games and bemoan the fact we have now let three very winnable games get away (Ohio State, Penn St and last night at Maryland) and I fear the dreaded losing streak that Chris talked about avoiding after our win at Minnesota. I've seen an awful lot of close losses turn into those ugly streaks in the past. Hope I am wrong.
i dont hear anyone on this page pulling a willy wonka and screaming "Help, Denice, Muder"
(Short-Time Mix).
But a couple things.
1. When I suggested that it might be a good idea to have Pardon play PF with Olah or Run JVZ, the basketball buffs on here went mad and said that pardon can only play C with his back to the rim. Hmmmm.
2. Pardon needs to play more. Period. I know his awful FT shooting parks him on the bench when we are in the bonus (see last night) but olah and jvz dont offer better chances. For that reason, it could be said that Collins continues to blow it by limiting his minutes as olah is allowed to toss up brick after brick.
My worst fears are now realized, ie.,with Olah back, our team has lost its flow and Pardon is parked.
(Short-Time Mix).
But a couple things.
1. When I suggested that it might be a good idea to have Pardon play PF with Olah or Run JVZ, the basketball buffs on here went mad and said that pardon can only play C with his back to the rim. Hmmmm.
2. Pardon needs to play more. Period. I know his awful FT shooting parks him on the bench when we are in the bonus (see last night) but olah and jvz dont offer better chances. For that reason, it could be said that Collins continues to blow it by limiting his minutes as olah is allowed to toss up brick after brick.
My worst fears are now realized, ie.,with Olah back, our team has lost its flow and Pardon is parked.
Hate to say I called this one, but we'd better play our best game of the season Thursday night against Michigan State because we're not going to win at Iowa. These losing streaks are season killers! I've seen it for so many past seasons. (Byrdsong's first team starts 9-0, loses a buzzer beater to Big Dog Robinson and Purdue and then drops eight more in a row. O'Neill and Esch have the team 6-4 in the BIG and lose ot heartbreaker to Indiana at home and then go on a big slide. I could go on and on, but why bother). That's why the concern after blowing the game at Maryland.
The only thing I'd say about the current streak is, this is the first time in over 20 years that NU has played 4 ranked teams back-to-back-to-back-to-back, including 3 on the road (I went back and checked). You'd like to se an upset in there somewhere, and PSU sure hurts, but on paper NU wasn't supposed to win any of the current 4 and probably won't. The last half of the schedule is more favorable and will tell if NU is making progress or not.
How many FTs did Alex miss, one? Others missed more. Any one of those would have won it for us. Blaming a loss on any single player is silly.
A couple of points of why the NU- Indiana game played out can be explained by analyzing who IU has and how they were ranked when they came to IU:
1. Yogi Ferrell - McDonald's AA (meaning top 24 player in the nation and 4 year starter and all-time IU assist leader);
2. Thomas Bryant - No. 20 C and McDonald's All-American. Notice how he abused NU down low similar to Melo and Stone;
3. SF/PF Troy Williams - Top 50 recruit with NBA athletic skills (probably mid to late 2nd round pick);
4. SG Robert Johnson - Top 50 player who is a better defensive player than Blackmon who is the injured McDonald's AA SG, and
5. PF Juwann Morgan - Top 100 pick that Collins recruited hard.
The only players with similar pedigrees from NU are 1. Falzon - ranked No. 111 from last year's rankings and 2. McIntosh who had a rough game yesterday and 3. Pardon who is comparable to Morgan but was ranked lower and Vic Law - injured but was ranked 66 or 71.
Also, IU's complementary players - Hartman, Biefeldt - UM transfer, no. 3 frosh and Morgan outplayed NU's complementary players - Lindsey, JVZ, Tap and Skelly.
You factor in the better athletes and shooters of IU then that is the cause for the 30 point spread.
1. Yogi Ferrell - McDonald's AA (meaning top 24 player in the nation and 4 year starter and all-time IU assist leader);
2. Thomas Bryant - No. 20 C and McDonald's All-American. Notice how he abused NU down low similar to Melo and Stone;
3. SF/PF Troy Williams - Top 50 recruit with NBA athletic skills (probably mid to late 2nd round pick);
4. SG Robert Johnson - Top 50 player who is a better defensive player than Blackmon who is the injured McDonald's AA SG, and
5. PF Juwann Morgan - Top 100 pick that Collins recruited hard.
The only players with similar pedigrees from NU are 1. Falzon - ranked No. 111 from last year's rankings and 2. McIntosh who had a rough game yesterday and 3. Pardon who is comparable to Morgan but was ranked lower and Vic Law - injured but was ranked 66 or 71.
Also, IU's complementary players - Hartman, Biefeldt - UM transfer, no. 3 frosh and Morgan outplayed NU's complementary players - Lindsey, JVZ, Tap and Skelly.
You factor in the better athletes and shooters of IU then that is the cause for the 30 point spread.
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