We are searching for a good revenue sports team and one is right under our nose! Watch and support the hoops squad. This could be a special team.
Cat Fans Should Watch This Team!
- Thread starter SimpsonElmwood
- Start date
I’ve been told we need to wait until the B1G season to show any enthusiasm for NU hoops. Sorry.
Yes! The non-con schedule is only for underachievement or setting ourselves up for inevitable heartbreak.
The bandwagon is open, Cat “fans”!!!
Right now, the objective difference with this team and prior ones that regressed is the aggressive defense.
I hear you. Went back to the years since the tourney team and this non-con record is only marginally better than the norm. But this team feels different.
Yeah we've obliterated multiple non-conference opponents in the past and still gone on to subpar seasons, so I'm refraining from getting excited until B1G play starts. The conference schedule is going to be a big step up in difficulty. We haven't played a team with a NET rating better than 57 (Auburn) and nine B1G teams are ranked higher than that.
That said, the defense looks legit this year. If they can keep that up in conference play, they'll be in a lot of games.
That said, the defense looks legit this year. If they can keep that up in conference play, they'll be in a lot of games.
If we can schedule our conference games against teams as tough as UIC, I see big things in our future!!
Last year, we went 7-2 in non-conference games. We won our seven games by the following margins: 34, 35, 16, 36, 16, 18, 40. Our two losses were both close, to eventual Big East champs Providence and in OT to a Wake Forest team that won 13 ACC games. We scored a December conference road win, surprising Maryland.
We finished 12th in the B1G.
We finished 12th in the B1G.
Hand up... I was wrong about them. I thought 8-10 wins TOPS, especially with Collins already walking the figurative Green Mile
These are the thoughts that temper my expectations and excitement. I feel like Charlie Brown sometimes.
If you can’t get excited about Northwestern being 9-2 in ANY sport against ANY competition, I can’t help you.
For me, it boils down to this: I argue that the Cats have definitively demonstrated they have (at minimum) a competitive Big Ten defense.
I cannot yet argue they’ve done the same for their offense. So far, no, but maybe we can get there.
If the season ended today, I could. But is starts in a couple of weeks. If you get excited about a team’s record coming out of Spring Training, I can’t help you.
I'm with you, Styre, but did you have to dump the whole bucket on me?
EDIT: Anyhow, I appreciate the optimism of the moment in this thread.
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I hear you, but I think I have to withhold judgement until something like January 12th or so before I'm sold on the defense being B1G caliber. It looks great right now, but I need more higher end data.
Come on Styre. Let us have one nice thing, even if it turns into a pumpkin next month.
On the plus side, if the two canceled games had been played last year, we would have finished over .500!
Look, I don't begrudge anyone their excitement. We appear to have a legitimately great defense! This team is clearly much better than most people, myself included, expected! I just can't bring myself to join in yet, and beating the tar out of UIC doesn't move the needle for me. B1G play is almost here and we'll soon know a lot more.
At a minimum this team is a lot more fun to watch. My fear is our defense is good enough to keep us in games but our offense isn’t good enough to prevail in most of them. That could result in a lot of close losses and many posts reliving CCC’s record in games decided by less than 5 points!
At least there's a better chance that we'll lose by less than 5 because our comeback fell short instead of come-from-ahead losses?
Before it gets down to one final shot, I think it’s a confidence factor that largely determines the outcome of close games. If you know you are a good team, you have the confidence you will prevail. Hopefully, we can maintain confidence in BIG play and pull out our share.
Yeah, I'm intrigued and starting to get cautious signs of excitement. But we will see how this all holds up when we get into conference season. The defense has been impressive thus far.
Something that dawned on me at last night's game which will be a big concern on 1/1 when B10 season starts. The existing cup holders at our seats will be absolutely useless when it comes to holding beer cans (or drafts).
I
have been to most of the games(including the Pitt game) and would suggest that this team seems different. they appear to be growing up in front of us. Don't know how many they will win but they will be pretty entertaining to watch. They have a seriously good D
Honestly, this team feels different. More like year before they went to the dance when you could feel things building. They have a chip on their shoulder and it seems like they feel they have something to prove.
Have no idea on how many wins they will get but considering how it seemed after both Nance and Young decided to move on... I will take it.
And I am suggesting that they will be very interesting to watch. And as far as expectations, pretty hard to have had any going into this season.
Going into this season, entertaining basketball was but a dream. At least now it looks like entertaining is a given. Wins or losses? Who knows at this point. But at least there is a reason to go to the games. In past years there were expectations that were not met. Everybody was tight. This year there were no expectations so everything is a plus
And since there were not expectations coming into this year that is still a plus
I think it's probably a good idea to remember the Harvey Keitel quote from Pulp Fiction to travolta and jackson about tempering your expectations. That said, this team is fun to watch, the defense is solid and as the DePaul coach pointed out we have very experienced guards who can make life difficult for any team. GO CATS