Dominant W

[ricko6543211]

1) this starts and ends with Boo. He has developed into a dynamic playmaker that involves the rest of the team. Many times in the past when he would start to drive it was a knuckle clenching moment, now it’s almost fun - like what will he do next? Scoring, passing, pulling it out to reset, whatever. He makes the right decision so consistently it’s slightly surprising but very impressive.
2) shout out to our team depth. Great games from Ty Berry, Barnhizer, and the two bigs both played well. Beran again played good D and executed well on offense. Really feels like we are coming together as a TEAM. Chase got waylaid by foul trouble and we didn’t miss a beat. He should be well rested for Thursday?
3) How bout those students. They had a couple mishaps earlier in this homestand but they were awesome tonight. Quick on their feet with “where’s your daddy” and “just like daddy”. And then it felt like the perfect moment to chime in with “rank Northwestern”. Still a lot of season left, but after that performance… damn this team isn’t shying away from attention and no question they deserve it.
4) what is it with our opponents and giving us technical foul FTs recently? But I love that Boo (and Ty too) just nail every single one of them. If you lose your mind like a moron then we will make you pay. The combo of great team ball handling (great job against the press) and good FT shooting is a huge advantage. Take the gifts and capitalize on them.
5) I alluded to this earlier but just to emphasize… Nicholson and Tydus combined for 17 points and 7-9 from the field. The way they played tonight… it would be lovely if we shifted from “do we have a big man” to “which big man do we play” and can adjust based on matchup. Great work by them both.
6) I said it starts and ends with Boo. He was incredible tonight, he has been incredible the last few weeks.

Thank you Boo. Thank you to the whole team. Heck of a performance. Next up: Illinois. Go Cats.

RANK NORTHWESTERN

 

[HKKJB]

Heck yeah. I agree with you that we are overdue for for a ranking. But every time we're overlooked, it's fuel. So we win either way.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Tydus was exceptional tonight

 

[SmellyCat]

Tydus was exceptional tonight

He had one bad play early (I forget what it was) and I thought, "uh oh, maybe this is one of his bad games." Boy, was I wrong. He is being exactly the guy we want to have on the team, and any offense he gives is a nice bonus.

 

[Username Not Available]

Tydus has really become part of the team in the last couple of weeks. I don't know what he's figured out, but he's good to have on the court and he's clearly having a good time, too. It seems like he has adjusted to B1G play.

 

[PurpWildCatNation]

Tydus has really become part of the team in the last couple of weeks. I don't know what he's figured out, but he's good to have on the court and he's clearly having a good time, too. It seems like he has adjusted to B1G play.

Both him and MN have both been more aggressive in the paint on the offensive side of things last few games... it's been throwing teams off imo.

 

[cedricmelons]

Tydus has really become part of the team in the last couple of weeks. I don't know what he's figured out, but he's good to have on the court and he's clearly having a good time, too. It seems like he has adjusted to B1G play.

We are really going to miss Tydus and his minutes off the bench next year. Hopefully, we will be able to find another plug and play big in the portal to complement Nicholson.

 

[NUCat320]

Tydus has really become part of the team in the last couple of weeks. I don't know what he's figured out, but he's good to have on the court and he's clearly having a good time, too. It seems like he has adjusted to B1G play.

Absolutely. Part of the emergence of the backcourt is the ability to focus exclusively on defense.

But, as Boo and Audige have moved from defensive focal points to the only defensive focal points, TV has started to find gaps, and, as OP alluded, Boo has started to find joy in rewarding them.

And TV’s giggle at Beran after being left all alone for a dunk when the Hawks sloppily pressed everybody was my highlight of the game.

(Ultimately it probably wouldn’t have affected things, but one of the McCaffreys badly missed a three after Iowa’s second straight steak out of the full-court midway through the first half. Huge play at the time.)

 

[SmellyCat]

And TV’s giggle at Beran after being left all alone for a dunk when the Hawks sloppily pressed everybody was my highlight of the game.

I like that the team is all business, but I have to admit the few times they smiled tonight was a nice sign as well. They are having fun. Winning is a lot more fun than losing, but it can also be stressful, but these guys are really enjoying it.

 

[Username Not Available]

We are really going to miss Tydus and his minutes off the bench next year. Hopefully, we will be able to find another plug and play big in the portal to complement Nicholson.

Hopefully Hunger will be able to fill that role if we don't bring in another big. Luke's got an inch and 20 pounds on Tydus.

 

[DaCat]

Just enjoy this year's ride!

 

[ricko6543211]

Hopefully Hunger will be able to fill that role if we don't bring in another big. Luke's got an inch and 20 pounds on Tydus.

I am not thinking about next year right now. This is fun!

 

[Katatonic]

If the Chickenhawks had just shot average (got numerous open looks), the game would have been closer, but O was dynamic tonight - great ball movement and getting pretty much everyone involved in the scoring.

Even Audige (instead of simply resorting to jump shots) took the ball to the basket a couple of times and scored.

What a change from the previous years.