ECisGod

Didn't make it to the game last night. Who schedules a 5 PM game on a week night? I've never had a job that I got MLK day off & I work in Omaha so I'd have had to leave work mid-afternoon to be there by 5:00. Didn't watch much on TV. Announcers were VERY pro Indiana based on the two minutes I did watch after I got home from work.

By my count we'd be at 14 if Walker, Trey & Bryce all come back. I guess 15 if Mayen comes back, but I don't think he will be wanted by Hoiberg.

They played much better as a team last year after Teddy Buckets left the team. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened if Verge left.

When someone gets up in his face on defense he takes it as a personal challenge and in the B1G he's rarely going to win that "challenge". It's a sure way to get a defensive stop for any team.

If yhey'd call any of the illegal screens he sets he'd have fouled out a long time ago.

Three

Like always, when shots stop falling they stop playinh defense.

Verge, Lakes & Webster are gone for sure. They have no eligibility left. Mayen & Walker are 5th year juniors, so they are probably gone (Walker pretty much said as much this summer). Trey is a 4th year junior & his return probably depends on Bryce's decision. Wilcher & Edwards have already used their one-time "free" transfer so they are almost sure to be back. Everyone else is pretty much a toss up.

He is trying to play modern basketball, but most of the B1G is still playing 90's ball & the game is called like it's the 90's. If they would truly call it like the NCAA wants them to with freedom of movement, most of the post players would foul out. No one cuts through the lane without getting at least a hip check.

The seem to have too many players who are more about "me" than "team".

He's not part of the riff raff, he's their leader.

Most of the misses in the Rutgers game resulted in fouls, so it doesn't count as a shot in the box score.

As far as I can tell there isn't a true point guard on the roster unless McPherson is, but he's redshirting. There's not even a "point forward".

To some extent that is supposed to be Trey McGowens. Not necessarily to take over, but the leader & getting everyone else going.

Defense is mostly about effort & we have too many guys who don't play with effort if their shots aren't falling.

At this point, every B1G is a huge mismatch.

I just don't have the words to describe how disappointing this team has been. They have too many "great" shooters who can't shoot. Wilcher @ 37.7%, Webster @ 36.6% & Tominaga @ 33.7% are the only ones who even shoot at a rate that is acceptable. Every other player shouldn't be shooting 3's. They have too many players who are out to "get theirs". Verge is the biggest example, but Bryce McGowens does the same thing. At various times Tominaga, Wilcher & Webster have hunted shots too. Their post players are all undersized. I like Walker, but in the B1G a 6' 9" post won't cut it. Andre has a lot of potential but needs to get stronger. He's got the right length but gets pushed around too easily. He also looks really awkward with the ball in his hands. They, in theory, have a couple of stretch 4's but Mayan is shooting 21.6% from three, is a horrible ball handler and doesn't rebound. Breidenbach, before he was injured, had a lot of the same issues, but I'll give him a bit of a break since he is a freshman. At the very least he hustled when he was on the floor, he looked like a bull in a China shop many times, but at least he gave effort. I'm not sure to say about Lakes, he was clearly a great D2 player, but the move to D1 seems to have been too big of a leap. There are some people that say Trey McGowens will solve some of the issues, but he's not going to fix the 3-point shooting. His presence might solve the lack of hustle, but I'm not convinced. He's also not going to be a savior for all their rebounding issues or lack of mental toughness. Keon Edwards hasn't played enough to give a reasonable assessment, but there's probably a reason he's not playing. He's played more than Lakes (81 minutes vs 72), but has made no impression while he's been out there.

MSU had 11 turnovers in their first 21 possessions which led to several fast breaks for NU which would typically be 5 seconds or less.

76 possessions combined for both teams (presumably 38 for each team) and a combined 72 points. Pretty poor offense on both sides of the ball.

It would be nice if Bryce would figure that out and come back next year. I think he'd be better off working on his game, coming back and maybe ending up in the lottery after two years instead of late 1st/early 2nd round after one year.

It also doesn't help that we have too many players who think "I haven't shot for awhile" and take horrible shots just to "get theirs".

At the very least he shouldn't be on the "free throw" team at the end of games. He doesn't seem to handle pressure very well. It showed in is indecision in making the last pass and his missing both free throws short.

I thought they had a chance in OT if they scored first, when they went down 6 I knew it was over.

So it's your fault. You jinxed them by watching. Ha ha.

Amazing what a little ball movement will do for your shooting. If they don't fall back into old habits, they might be able to avoid the first day of the B1G tournament. I have no illusions that they are an NCAA tournament team, but 9th or 10th in the conference aren't completely out of the question. Unfortunately, with a losing non-con record and 9th or 10th in conference they won't be eligible for the NIT because they will end with a losing record.