Best stat of the game
- Thread starter NUCat320
- Start date
Young also got called for 3 fouls in what I seem to remember as a roughly 2 minute stretch.
Purdue is always a wake up call for young Bigs. They’ll learn a lot from this game.
Purdue is always a wake up call for young Bigs. They’ll learn a lot from this game.
The bottom line is that 44 points isn't going to win you many games these days. The Cats really just lack offensive firepower. So many missed shots today, including many from in close. Kopp should be automatic from 15 feet and in and he is just not. Gaines can get into the paint off the dribble, but he can't finish. I think the book is already out on Spencer as he can't get anything going to the hoop. Teams close on him hard and he'll have to adjust. And it still seems like a real lack of movement without the ball by this team. It is a complaint I've had about CCC's offense all along.
I think our youth and inexperienced hurt us tonight. Overall I thought we didn't play poorly, just couldn't finish at the rim -- both Spencer and Boo missed layups, I think Young had one or two missed bunnies too -- and couldn't corral some loose balls. I thought we played tough and the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Nance is becoming a force, and Buie and Beran played well.
I'm not sure they lack firepower as much as they dont know how to use what they have.
I agree with Bardo's beaten-to-death point that Nance needs to touch the ball more.
I'd also somehow like to see Beran with more minutes, but there's some defensive questions if that happens. I think he's more versatile on offense than Kopp. Can they play Beran, Kopp and Nance together consistently? Because I'm growing more frustrated with Turner (I have NO use for him) and Gaines.
Things also seem to flow more smoothly through Buie despite some of those freshman mistakes.
I don't know if its ability or confidence, but I feel like these guys are still missing a bunch of shots they should make. We were missing a bunch of shots that were 15 feet and in last night that really could have kept us in that game if a few go down. Young needs to be automatic inside 10 feet and Kopp needs to be automatic inside 18 feet. He is going to get that dribble and pull up 15-footer all season if he can make it. And Gaines has to finish at the rim better. He can get in the paint, but he can't hit that floater. That would be such a weapon if he had developed that shot.
Yeah I’ve been wondering that too. Is a lineup of
Buie
Kopp
Beran
Nance
Young/Jones
Feasible? I’m just not sure at this point. It seems like we need Spencer/Turner/Gaines as another guard to support Boo. Kopp isn’t a guy who you want to bring the ball up the court.
So I think the only way you see Kopp/Beran/Nance is if Collins goes for small ball with Nance at the 5.
Maybe I'm misreading your post, but both NU and UVA played PU in West Lafayette.......but NU did put up more of a fight than the Cavs.
Ugh. My mistake. The UVA game was at Purdue. We didn’t score a lot, but we kept it close and missed a bunch of bunnies that would have been helpful. Shoulda coulda
nobody is automatic between 10 and 18 feet. That’s no mans land where defenses are clogged and effective FG percentage is lowest. You gotta hit fairly open 3s and draw fouls or finish at the rim. Occasional mid range jumpers are fine but it’s not what guys will practice cause they are the lowest efficiency shots in the game.
Like Beran a lot the more I see him. Spencer is playing like a STAR, lacrosse player. Play Buie. Is Greer still on the team?
I thought a couple guys took shots that they weren't serious about making. Freshman/sophomore sort of stuff. I'm open and I can shoot threes so...launch. When they take those shots they need to be steely-eyed assassins...you f'd up, you left me open. I'm gonna use my blade on you.
Hate to post this because I thought they did great. It's less a criticism and more an observation that these are utes, as Joe Pesci says. I like this team. I suspect come Feb. Big 10 teams will not be excited about that game against NU.
Spencer. So, those were Big Ten guards yesterday. His ball handling to date has been ok, but it's been lacrosse. Short steps, contained space. You can't make yourself small and your workroom small against Big Ten guards. You gotta go Big Country. Think about the amount of ground B Mac would cover. Long strides to create some space.
Bouie. Kid can play. Two weeks ago he was behind schedule and Collins needed to be put on notice. Today, the frosh is playing PG at least in the middle of Big Ten PGs, with all the freshmen exceptions applied. Give him the keys and let him drive.
I watched the game live at Mackey.
Purdue started two bigs, Haarms and Trevion. Few times teams match our Young/Nance length. It set a tone for the outside players that it was going to be hard to get in the lane and score. Their height was bothering us, a lot. Add to that the fact they are, arguably, the best B1G defense, making it difficult to move the ball on every passing lane, and the tone was set for our guys to be intimidated. Even if their big two duo did not share the floor for probably more than 15 minutes during the entire game.
Thankfully they were missing shots themselves. A lot of merit for our defense, our length also bothered them a bit. But truth is also they were missing a lot of shots they will usually make. It was predictable at some point they would hit some of those. And they did, in the 2nd half. We played better offense, but so did they. And we still lost the 2nd half. We missed out on building a lead in the first half.
It was, hopefully, a lot of learning for our guys. We missed bunnies, makeable floaters, etc, that, with more experience, our guys will make. But so did Purdue, but that's their problem.
There was a ton of hope on the floor for us. We have lot of talent to work with. The frustrating part, for me, is that I just need to accept Collins will never out-coach another team. We are not prepared to give more touches to the guys who have mismatches. Nance should have shot 15-20 FG. And, most importantly, should have touched the ball more. Because it's as much about him scoring, as it is about him, by drawing help defenders, making it easier for other guys to score. Kopp needs to also get touches closer to the basket. He had no mismatch on the perimiter, but so often has one inside. Use that tush to create space young man. Then there was the barking at the players. I continue to think Collins is a good fit for us. But it is more than legit to be critical, even very critical, of anyone making 3 million. We are entitled to be demanding.
Young - Fought a lot and was, for the most part, smart. He was not going to shoot over a 7'3 guy. Not with 5 inches less and not bounce. Pump faked on a couple of occasions, got Haarms in the air, and failed to get under him and draw a couple of shots from the stripe. Maturity on the pump and foot work, immaturity not drawing the foul. Future is bright for us with him.
Spencer - It was painful to see one particular possession where Eastern was pushing him back and back while handling the ball. But I'm not even remotely convinced he can't play in the B1G. He's not as "slow" as some here now want to believe he is. He'll adapt.
AJ/Gaines - not sure what to say. They are seasoned, they should be more confident and doing more
Jones - still always seems 1 second behind what is happening. Which makes him foul prone and miss out on scoring opportunities. Amongst our freshmen, the one most behind on his development. Has the body. Love seeing him shoot when he has the chance. Some day it will click and he will contribute more meaningfully.
Buie - extremely surprised he is already showing to be feisty and ready to compete. Pressure in the B1G will be tougher than what he has experience. Sense is, when he feels comfortable with that pressure, a lot of those floaters will fall. More perimiter shooting opportunities will open up. More defenses will collapse on him and open passing lanes. Young man is really growing up.
Beran - Keeps getting better. He is long, sweet shooting routine. Kind of like Kopp, can't really put the ball on the floor going forward. Kopp is getting better at it, Beran might too
Kopp - Other teams will play him very differently this year. They see tape, they know he is, if not #1, #2 offensive threat. Don't foresee a lot of help from the guy guarding him. If he can develop an inside, closer to the basket game, it will help a lot.
Nance - When, late in the 2nd, he put the ball down on the baseline and bullied his way to the basket, I said out loud in amazement "That's a first". He looked like a super confident player for one play. One who knows he is longer, one who knows he's not gonna be blocked with that high a release point. Enough said about him, more touches, etc. He's getting better and I guess that's most important.
Ugly, ugly game. Fun to watch the encouraging aspects of our guys. Frustrating, as usual, to feel they are not exactly greatly coached.
Purdue started two bigs, Haarms and Trevion. Few times teams match our Young/Nance length. It set a tone for the outside players that it was going to be hard to get in the lane and score. Their height was bothering us, a lot. Add to that the fact they are, arguably, the best B1G defense, making it difficult to move the ball on every passing lane, and the tone was set for our guys to be intimidated. Even if their big two duo did not share the floor for probably more than 15 minutes during the entire game.
Thankfully they were missing shots themselves. A lot of merit for our defense, our length also bothered them a bit. But truth is also they were missing a lot of shots they will usually make. It was predictable at some point they would hit some of those. And they did, in the 2nd half. We played better offense, but so did they. And we still lost the 2nd half. We missed out on building a lead in the first half.
It was, hopefully, a lot of learning for our guys. We missed bunnies, makeable floaters, etc, that, with more experience, our guys will make. But so did Purdue, but that's their problem.
There was a ton of hope on the floor for us. We have lot of talent to work with. The frustrating part, for me, is that I just need to accept Collins will never out-coach another team. We are not prepared to give more touches to the guys who have mismatches. Nance should have shot 15-20 FG. And, most importantly, should have touched the ball more. Because it's as much about him scoring, as it is about him, by drawing help defenders, making it easier for other guys to score. Kopp needs to also get touches closer to the basket. He had no mismatch on the perimiter, but so often has one inside. Use that tush to create space young man. Then there was the barking at the players. I continue to think Collins is a good fit for us. But it is more than legit to be critical, even very critical, of anyone making 3 million. We are entitled to be demanding.
Young - Fought a lot and was, for the most part, smart. He was not going to shoot over a 7'3 guy. Not with 5 inches less and not bounce. Pump faked on a couple of occasions, got Haarms in the air, and failed to get under him and draw a couple of shots from the stripe. Maturity on the pump and foot work, immaturity not drawing the foul. Future is bright for us with him.
Spencer - It was painful to see one particular possession where Eastern was pushing him back and back while handling the ball. But I'm not even remotely convinced he can't play in the B1G. He's not as "slow" as some here now want to believe he is. He'll adapt.
AJ/Gaines - not sure what to say. They are seasoned, they should be more confident and doing more
Jones - still always seems 1 second behind what is happening. Which makes him foul prone and miss out on scoring opportunities. Amongst our freshmen, the one most behind on his development. Has the body. Love seeing him shoot when he has the chance. Some day it will click and he will contribute more meaningfully.
Buie - extremely surprised he is already showing to be feisty and ready to compete. Pressure in the B1G will be tougher than what he has experience. Sense is, when he feels comfortable with that pressure, a lot of those floaters will fall. More perimiter shooting opportunities will open up. More defenses will collapse on him and open passing lanes. Young man is really growing up.
Beran - Keeps getting better. He is long, sweet shooting routine. Kind of like Kopp, can't really put the ball on the floor going forward. Kopp is getting better at it, Beran might too
Kopp - Other teams will play him very differently this year. They see tape, they know he is, if not #1, #2 offensive threat. Don't foresee a lot of help from the guy guarding him. If he can develop an inside, closer to the basket game, it will help a lot.
Nance - When, late in the 2nd, he put the ball down on the baseline and bullied his way to the basket, I said out loud in amazement "That's a first". He looked like a super confident player for one play. One who knows he is longer, one who knows he's not gonna be blocked with that high a release point. Enough said about him, more touches, etc. He's getting better and I guess that's most important.
Ugly, ugly game. Fun to watch the encouraging aspects of our guys. Frustrating, as usual, to feel they are not exactly greatly coached.
I'm repeating myself but Spencer made it too easy for Purdue to mess with his dribble. Short strides, too slow when he had real estate in front of him. He has to get it over mid court and give it up, and then wait for it to come back. He put himself in a closet and invited Purdue in.
I'd bet serious money he figures it out in two or three games.
I'd bet serious money he figures it out in two or three games.
Part of the reason Purdue's defense is so good is that the specter of Haarms is going to make you miss "bunnies".
With Mac on the staff, I also believe Spencer will improve. He's just hasn't played at this elite level of hoops yet.
I think that is a good way to put it. They took shots to take them, without really planning on making them. That sounds dumb, but I know exactly what you mean. That is the confidence thing.
I also agree with your point on Bouie. The fact that he was in the game during crunch time yesterday tells you what you need to know. I wouldn't be surprised if the minutes become more imbalanced toward Bouie,
I'm not waving the white flag on Spencer. He's got some value, and I think he'll be able to adjust to an extent.
I also wonder if there's a matchup you can play him and Buie against for short periods of time. It's not going to be your greatest defensive combo, but it might work against a mix of the Iowa guards for instance. Maybe Wisconsin? And Spencer could pop that punk Davison also.
I also wonder if there's a matchup you can play him and Buie against for short periods of time. It's not going to be your greatest defensive combo, but it might work against a mix of the Iowa guards for instance. Maybe Wisconsin? And Spencer could pop that punk Davison also.
Spencer, PTS/REB/AST/TO/MIN
-Providence - 11/1/5/2/18
-Bradley - 23/2/8/3/28
-Pittsburgh - 18/3/3/5/33
-BC - 6/5/3/3/19
The 4 best teams we played before Purdue. Played 3 pretty good games. Did not play so well against a bad defending BC team.
And we want to write him off after one B1G game? No way
-Providence - 11/1/5/2/18
-Bradley - 23/2/8/3/28
-Pittsburgh - 18/3/3/5/33
-BC - 6/5/3/3/19
The 4 best teams we played before Purdue. Played 3 pretty good games. Did not play so well against a bad defending BC team.
And we want to write him off after one B1G game? No way
Some folks like to over-react to every game. Spencer is a remarkable athlete and competitor. He has his limits given the transition, but he brings toughness, power, competitive drive that will come in handy at times this year. Buie has looked good against quicker guys, but he will have his rough nights as well. They are sort of like thunder and lightning, they will each have their roles to play on a very inexperienced roster.
In my view, Jones has shown us very little thus far. He reminds me a bit of Benson who came in highly touted and produced very little.
Jones is jacked and Benson was not. Benson also barely improved in 3 seasons while most bigs under James do seem to improve.
And he's continuing in that tradition at SIU. I'm hoping Jones will be better. He wasn't a focal point of his high school team(sorta like Pardon)so I think he has room to grow as a player.
i think the atmosphere was a big shock to the young cats. purdue has a great "big time college basketball" atmosphere. young, buie, beran, jones, and spencer have never played in anything near that. i think like we have seen - the cats will get better as the season goes on.
again nothing from turner (3) or gaines (0) was disappointing
I think you will see a big improvement in Jones and Beran by the middle of January. Beran already has improved a good deal and you can see it by the amount of time he is getting on the floor and he is beginning to understand his role.
Jones is where Beran was a month ago. Just give him a little time and you will see a greatly improved player.
Jones seems like he hasn't quite adjusted to the speed of the game. He is not used to big guys that move that quickly. Thus, it seems like he always has to put his hands on the guy to keep up and gets called for the foul. I haven't watched tape or anything, but my memory suggests that many of his fouls are simply him putting two hands on the body of offensive player because he got out of position with his feet. It would seem like that is correctable.
Unfortunately for Jones, he probably isn't getting better by NU's practices. Young is not your typical B1G Center. Jones will have to take his lumps in game action and learn from his mistakes. And I get the feeling that he is more of a traditional 4 than a 5. He has a sweet shooting stroke and is not afraid to take a 3 (and can make them). I doubt he ever got much coaching on low block moves in high school, so Brian James has his work cut out for him if that is the plan.
I'm not so worried about his offensive game coming along. The thing that limits him the most right now is his defense. And he is going to have to guard his share of 5's if he wants to see minutes. He will have to learn defensive positioning down on the block even more than offensive positioning.
we are talking about a true frosh big so it’s pretty normal for him to struggle at this point. I see no reason he can’t be very good in time.
And against BC, he had the most ridiculous athletic play that I have seen from an NU player EVER. Even if he missed it.
when was that? i was at the game but may have missed it. the crazy play i recall was Spencer's missed dunk.