Is it just me or has the team been feeding MN more passes leading to dunks compared to prior to the B1G season?
Feeding Big Matt
- Thread starter Deeringfish
- Start date
Considering how sparingly he was used last year, the answer is obvious.
But that pick and roll sure is fun to watch. Nothing fires up the juices like a Nicholbomb.
Matt fumbles a lot of short range passes, and has often been criticized here, and rightly so, for having a bit of butter hands.
He also often misses grabbing an offensive rebound because he does not move his arms quick enough in the direction of the ball. He is damn fast for a 7 footer but often has slow arms and hands.
What is so incredible is that all disappears when it's a lob. He is freakishly coordinated and with impeccable timing on a lob.
He also often misses grabbing an offensive rebound because he does not move his arms quick enough in the direction of the ball. He is damn fast for a 7 footer but often has slow arms and hands.
What is so incredible is that all disappears when it's a lob. He is freakishly coordinated and with impeccable timing on a lob.
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It helps that teams are afraid of Boo and Chase off the high screen and roll so are overplaying / hard hedging that screen which leaves space for the roll. And when guys like Barnhizer and Berry are making shots on the backside, it's harder for them to sink off those guys to help cut off the lob to Nicholson.
But aside from all those things, yes I think Boo and Chase are more actively looking for Matt on the roll too because they know it's a high % play. I agree with the other poster that pointed out that he struggles with gathering rebounds in traffic and handling hard passes, but he's good at grabbing the lobs and ooping them home.
Interesting discussion on the BTN last night about Matt. They talked about how NU was clearly better when he was on the floor. However, Penn State neutralized that somewhat by going to a small line-up that forced Matt out of the game. They said that many BIG teams also have a big guy they like to utilize so this doesn't happen a lot to the Cats, but it might be something to watch in the NCAA tournament as this might be one strategy other teams use against us.
Imagine... game planning around Matt Nicholson! What a season this has been!!
Imagine... game planning around Matt Nicholson! What a season this has been!!
This is it. Boo has such strong feel for the game that it’s become, almost, the basketball equivalent of an option pitch.
He’s reading the big and lobbing if that’s the optimal choice.
And when the lob is the optimal choice, we all get to celebrate another NICHOLBOMB.
I heard that and thought it was a weird take. It assumes if a team plays small, CC will automatically remove Matt. Which he did against PSU, still don't see how that would be an automatic MN is out of the game.
I am old enough to remember last season, when John Harrar from... wait for it... Penn State, killed us and cleaned up on the offensive glass when being guarded by a pretend 5.
When former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Rapheal Davis said "I love me some Matt Nicholson" I got a little uncomfortable.
But I found Mike DeCourcy's comments rather interesting. We're interpreting differently.
"Northwestern is better at both ends of the floor when Nicholson is playing."
and
"Against Penn State, Collins went small to try to match up, but thats how Penn State plays - thats what they're good at, so you have to ask yourself 'Is this really what I want to be doing?'"
It appears to me also that in recent games Nicholson has become a better backcourt target for passes in breaking a full court press. I think he actually has pretty good court vision, and has become pretty reliable in accepting the pass and relaying it to a wing in the forecourt. He is certainly a big target and easy to find out of a trap.
If they try going small, I say leave big Matt in the middle of the key, and have the other four guys chase and harass the perimeter shooters, forcing them to drive the ball into the middle, where the big fella awaits.
He's a pretty capable passer. Against press and elsewhere. The way he passed so quickly (i think it might have been with his feet off the ground) to the corner on a ball rotation, was impressive. Corner player makes the extra pass to Berry who fakes and hits a mid range jumper. No assist for the big man, but he was the catalyst.
He does not do it for the glory!
What has really impressed me this year is how fluid and patient the dynamic with Nicholson and Verhoeven has been. Sometimes it's an even split, sometimes it's 30-10, but no matter how the minutes are divided up or how their roles change game-to-game, they always come out firing. I thought coming into the season that center would be a huge weak spot for NU, I'm happy to say Nicholson and Verhoeven have proven me wrong.
They clearly have practiced breaking the press. In years past, it always looked like they had never seen a full court press before. The use of Nicholson was cool. He has some skills in breaking the press and is a big target.
Nicholson could have easily gone into a shell after the first two minutes of last night's game.
Off the opening tip, Rutgers ran that half court lob dunk to Omoruyi, right over the top of him at the rim.
That had to suck, though it was a great play by Rutgers.
Then he got that loose ball under the basket and went to dunk it, but Omoruyi just stuffed him.
Instead of turtling, he got back on defense and immediately blocked a Mulcahy layup attempt so violently that children began crying.
Off the opening tip, Rutgers ran that half court lob dunk to Omoruyi, right over the top of him at the rim.
That had to suck, though it was a great play by Rutgers.
Then he got that loose ball under the basket and went to dunk it, but Omoruyi just stuffed him.
Instead of turtling, he got back on defense and immediately blocked a Mulcahy layup attempt so violently that children began crying.
The thing about the PSU game was that they are such an extreme team with the 3 point shooting that it neutralizes Nicholson on defense and he just was not getting it done on offense that game. I hope should we face them again this week that he gets more of a chance to show what he can do.
Oh to dream!! However, Nich really has been a nice piece of the puzzle. I hope he continues to grow.
Also, I don't know who talked about his help on the press. It's a good point. I'm not in love with his hands. But otoh, he is a consistently nice outlet when the primary ball-handlers run into problems.
They have been MASTERFULLY juggled. There was one point earlier in the year where I thought TV was ready to check out. But he has stayed ready throughout the year. He turned out to be a good contributor.
It's good that Nich became the primary guy. I hope hus experience helps him take another step next year where they will be less reliant on a backup.
Illinois also went "small" against NU in the second half of the last game, and they neutralized MN and the Cats. They brought him out to the top of the key defending the pick and roll, then had their bigger guards drive into the lane without a shot blocker there to defend the basket.
It will be interesting to see how MN is used against either Illinois or Penn State on Friday.
It will be interesting to see how MN is used against either Illinois or Penn State on Friday.
In person, I was amazed at how quickly MN and others closed when it looked like a Rutgers guy was open. It happened several times, and one, if not two NU players would come across to attempt to block the shot. Perhaps this works against a Rutgers but the tactic doesn't work against a quicker team like Michigan?
They also have evolved to doubling not just the post player but others as they enter the paint. It's an impressive and relentless defense.
They also have evolved to doubling not just the post player but others as they enter the paint. It's an impressive and relentless defense.
Matt is exceptionally sneaky for a 7 footer I believe he may wear silent sneakers like a submariner so he can slip away from drop coverage and get in for the lob
I know you're joking, but one I thing I notice Nicholson does a lot is when he's waiting for someone else to shoot a free throw he lifts his legs up and does something with his sneakers. It looks like maybe he's wiping something off the bottom, but I would think he wouldn't want the dust or whatever on his hands. Now the mystery is solved: he's just re-silencing his sneakers!
Big Matt has far exceeded most expectations from myself and other board experts. He will never be Tim Duncan, but watching his progression has been a lot of fun. He has become a key contributor not a weak spot. TVH has risen like Lazarus over that last month. Scared the beejeezus out of me in January with his foul a minute routine, but he is a solid role player that doesn’t need shots.
I think Matt can be even better next year if he works on expanding his offensive game in the summer. He made a big leap this year.
Potential All-B1G IMUO. He’s hungry.
When I was talking with him after the Minny game as he graciously did a selfie with Little Hungry and patiently waited to consume the three boxes of postgame tacos he was toting, I asked him about Minny chatter on the floor. He grinned and said “it’s hard to talk trash when you are getting your @ss kicked.”
I don’t think Matt sits still.
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PPD, I watch both of our post players and Verhoeven was struggling with fouls. He was bringing his arms down toward the ball to try to prevent guys from getting shots off. Refs will always call that a foul if the shooter can create contact. (Nicholson usually has his arms straight up) After the game where Verhoeven fouled out in 5 minutes, he suddenly stopped doing that. Somebody talked to him about technique and he has been much better since.
I'm not sure how "experts" could be too surprised by Nicholson's play. He's big and athletic. And remarkably calm.
The problem is that often the guards are a lot more manuverable. THat leads to fouls on the big. So if he is out there long potentially in foul trouble
Potentially correct, but the big fella has improved dramatically this year in his ability to not reach out and foul, and to simply maintain his significant verticality. And it's not as if our guards won't be filling back into the paint to assist -- multiple announcers have noted that Northwestern's doubling in the paint defensive efforts are as good as anyone else in the country.
What is the difference if potential fouls limit his play or if he is taken out to go small ? In either situation he is on the bench