I've seen some folks mention the loss of Sanjay and Nate as a candidate for the cause of our poor start, but I'm thinking maybe the loss of Pat has something to do with that, too. The energy on the team just feels different. What were Pat's primary responsibilities as a coach? Offensive development/strategy? Defensive development/strategy? A little bit of everything?
Baldwin
- Thread starter FitzFan
- Start date
Please. An assistant coach doesn't bring energy. This is on the players. They spent the last 9 months living off the euphoria of a magic season. Maybe it was inevitable that once NU got to the dance there would be a let down. Feel sorry for the Seniors to go out this way. Will leave a bitter taste in their mouths for years to come.
It's not too late for the seniors to fix this. But yeah, the inevitability of a letdown seems so obvious in hindsight.
Go out what way exactly? We've played SEVEN FREAKIN GAMES, and you're writing the season off? Did you think we were destined for the Dance after seven games last year? Shocked you didn't say "COLLINS HAS LOST THIS TEAM!"! What nonsense....
It's going to be very hard to dig out of this hole. Our resume just took a beating and we now have very little OOC opportunities to make any resume impact.
Our resume took a beating from losing to two ranked teams and a team ranked just lightly lower than us in KenPom on the road? Gee Wisky might as well just cancel the rest of their season, then!
Easy to dig out of this hole. Win 12 in the BIG. Long season ahead . Did you think the team that play Gonzaga last year had improved their play from the team that played the first seven games last season?
This is unfortunately true. It would be nice to grab some offensive rebounds. Pardon is basically it there.
Those were games we had to win or at least one of them. Period. Yes it's great to say win 12 in B1G play, but that's a tough task with what we've done OOC.
Why? Because teams cannot improve during the course of the season? We have two guys who missed a YEAR of basketball--think they won't improve as the year wears on? Did you think last year that we had improved as a team from earlier in the season (when we struggled against Eastern Washington) by the time we played Gonzaga?
But hey, have fun writing of the season after seven game! Whatever floats your boat I guess. We HAD to win at least one of those games in order to make the Dance?Period? OK then, cancel the rest of the season, lol.
Mike, you must either be amazingly successful or really buy into the notion that your future is only a few lottery balls away.
I am amazingly successful.. thanks for asking! Our CT screenname bet is still on, correct?
Hey Mike, are you going to run a contest again after you win this bet? I want to make sure I have a shot at picking out Sponge Bob's new screen name.
NJCat is available.....Hey Mike, are you going to run a contest again after you win this bet? I want to make sure I have a shot at picking out Sponge Bob's new screen name.
Memories are short. Remember FB in 2017? THat said, something is missing and they need to find it quick.
It's basically down to the OU game. Or beat Valpo and hope they can win the Missouri Valley.
There are over-reactions (this is the worst team every to wear a northwestern uniform)
But there are also under-reactions (we are still going to the final four!)
I think the correct reaction is:
Omg wtf, this team is markedly worse than I expected to be even if I thought they would be worse than I thought they would be which was quite good
But there are also under-reactions (we are still going to the final four!)
I think the correct reaction is:
Omg wtf, this team is markedly worse than I expected to be even if I thought they would be worse than I thought they would be which was quite good
Never mind that the football season, as enjoyable as it turned out to be, was essentially over after 2-3 because we couldn't mathematically catch up to Wisconsin.
Basketball is different. Except to the extent we're playoff contenders, the Duke loss was relatively irrelevant other than being unpleasant. Noncon games in basketball build a cushion when you win and but a whoopee cushion when you lose. Hate to repeat myself from the other thread, but our margin for error is now very slim. We need to win out the rest of the noncon, including Oklahoma, and win a lot of conference games (with preferably a big upset, like MSU or at Purdue this weekend) to balance these out.
Wasn't over. Just your thoughts of Championship glory were. That is just it. We do not have to catch up with anyone. Just basically have to be in the top half of the conference to get a bid. About 10-11 wins in BIG plus whatever in BTT. FB ended with a 78% BIG record. BB only needs about 61% or even less (that is 11 wins) (Unless you are holding out for BT Championship which a 78% win rate (14-4)would get pretty close to) While getting BIG Championship is a Big deal in FB, for the most part, in BB they just remember whether you got into dance and how you did there.
My thoughts of championship glory? In football, the goal is to win the division, go to Indy, and compete for Big Ten titles. That's what Fitz says every year. That's what people on this board said coming into this year. And the simple fact is that when we lost to Wisconsin and Penn State, we gave the Badgers a de facto 3-game lead in the division, and even a 7-game Big Ten winning streak (who could imagine such a thing?) would only lead a decent bowl exhibition come the winter.
If the basketball team wins out in the noncon and wins 10 games in the conference, they'll be 20-11 (10-8). Last year's team was 21-10 (10-8) and got the last 8 seed on a very soft bubble. That team beat ranked Texas (who ended up terrible) and Dayton on neutral floors and Wake Forest at home. This team so far has no such nonconference wins yet, with only Oklahoma and maybe DePaul left to make up such ground.
If the bubble is any stronger at all, we'll need the 12-13 wins I've cited previously to get into safe Dance territory. It's just what it is. 12 wins gets them to 22-9, by definition would include the Oklahoma/DePaul wins and probably a couple nice road wins in-conference to get there. I'd be confident we're in on any bubble with that kind of record. (If we drop Oklahoma, I think you're looking at 13 to be safe.) Doable? Yes, of course. But rapid improvement, like by Friday, is necessary. Right now.
Hey Mike, are you going to run a contest again after you win this bet? I want to make sure I have a shot at picking out Sponge Bob's new screen name.
IF I win (never count one's chickens before they are hatched), yes there will be a contest...
Assujming Collins address the early season struggles, and there are no injuries, We will win at least 23 games including BTT. Do you believe we get in the Dance then?
No. Way.
[Of course you left yourself an out with the "Assujming Collins'..... qualifier. This team isn't going to gel and win 23]
We'll see. I'm guessing that my prediction will be a lost closer to the truth than those who are writing off our season after 7 games. I actually think Collins is the type of coach who can dramatically improve his teams from year-to-year, and even during the year. Wonder how I would ever come up with that bizarre notion? Pro tip; never wager against me....
23 including BTT is probably on the bubble, depending on what the wins are and what the bubble looks like. They had 23 last year and, again, were on the edge of an extremely soft bubble.
This is a good question, which near as I can tell no one actually answered. Is it possible that he led the defensive strategy and coaching? I don't know but I am somewhat curious. I am nearly certain that losing him is not the primary explanation, but it could be a contributing factor. Just like losing Sanjay could have hurt more than just the stats in the box score.
Seems to be more about lack of effort and communication than schemes. The defense looked fine against SHU and GaT. Hold an ACC opponent to 52 points on the road and you should win.
Absolutely true, Fitz . . . but you have to admit, Niles North's defense would look good against SHU. Don't wanna put too much stock in much of anything from a game like that.