Since the folks here mostly seem to be debating how loudly we should be bemoaning the state of woe of this season, I'll try for a change of pace with a little discussion of tonight's game.
Spread at them -1.5, frankly I would have expected more. But that said, I actually think if it was more I might be inclined to take NU. Maybe a larger line would be a trap of sorts.
Our matchup zone gave them a good amount of trouble last time around, but our offense was completely stymied. That said, we have shown occasional signs of life over the past few weeks on offense, and we will be at home (though that's prob not worth much). My keys to the game (some of these may be self evident, but I'll throw them out there nonetheless for discussion's sake):
- We avoid long scoreless stretches, this seems to be the bane of our existence
- Keep our bigs and wings out of foul trouble - Pardon Skelly Vic in particular
- Push the ball in transition whenever possible - we sucked against their halfcourt D last time
- Get a meaningful contribution from at least 1 bench player
If we can accomplish ~3 of those 4 then I like our chances. The unspoken but assumed other factor, is that, given the two teams and styles, whichever team makes their shots will probably win. But generally speaking I expect a fairly close game tonight, probably tightly defended and played at a plodding pace, but I think this one is not that far off of a tossup. Let's hope our team brings the energy and intensity, plays loose, and makes a few big plays at the right time to pull out a win at home.
Spread at them -1.5, frankly I would have expected more. But that said, I actually think if it was more I might be inclined to take NU. Maybe a larger line would be a trap of sorts.
Our matchup zone gave them a good amount of trouble last time around, but our offense was completely stymied. That said, we have shown occasional signs of life over the past few weeks on offense, and we will be at home (though that's prob not worth much). My keys to the game (some of these may be self evident, but I'll throw them out there nonetheless for discussion's sake):
- We avoid long scoreless stretches, this seems to be the bane of our existence
- Keep our bigs and wings out of foul trouble - Pardon Skelly Vic in particular
- Push the ball in transition whenever possible - we sucked against their halfcourt D last time
- Get a meaningful contribution from at least 1 bench player
If we can accomplish ~3 of those 4 then I like our chances. The unspoken but assumed other factor, is that, given the two teams and styles, whichever team makes their shots will probably win. But generally speaking I expect a fairly close game tonight, probably tightly defended and played at a plodding pace, but I think this one is not that far off of a tossup. Let's hope our team brings the energy and intensity, plays loose, and makes a few big plays at the right time to pull out a win at home.
