First-half thread for NU vs Rutgers

GatoLouco

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Ryan Young uncharacteristically going 5-11 from inside 3 ft last game was killer. Kopp going 2-8 (or 2-9) from the field did the same. Chase being a sub-60% FT shooter did the same. Any of those flip the other way and we would have won that game.
That sounds logical until you consider that if you change one thing in a game, the rest of the game also changes. Things don’t stay static. If Young hits more shots, who knows, they put a different guy on him? Somehow because the plays develop differently, TJD does not get injured and miss several minutes at the end of the game?

Point is, thinking about games like that is just us wanting to feel better about our team. Believing we are so close. Heard the same about the 20 turnovers against Rutgers at the WR.
 

GatoLouco

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You can't see the the caliber of players on NU as compared to the rest of the conference? Really?
I can. I said they’d take 3 or 4 out of ten. That is still considering them not as good. I don’t see how we have a worst roster than MN, MD, PSU or even Purdue. And they don’t lose soon to be 11 in a row
 

NUera

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Point is, thinking about games like that is just us wanting to feel better about our team. Believing we are so close. Heard the same about the 20 turnovers against Rutgers at the WR.

Oh, I don’t think we’re good. But I do think players need to make plays. We could have beaten Wisconsin, but we sucked from three. We could have beaten PSU, but we shriveled at the end. We could have beaten Indiana, but our guys didn’t close. Collins can’t make shots for them.
 

NJCat

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Good news is, there’s never been more talent coming into this program than is coming in next year.
Not the first time we've heard that.

So far, Collins hasn't recruited a Shurna, Crawford, Vukusic, Eschmeyer, Stack, Aaron, McKinney, Jitim,..........
 

NJCat

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And there are a lot of players on this team that were wanted by many other power 5 teams.
Nance was. He chose NU over Mich and OSU. No way he starts on either of those team.

Beran, Kopp and Berry had numerous offers.

Young, Audige, Gaines, Buie and Greer had no interest from Power 5 teams.

Not great when more than half of a B1G team had no offers from Power 5 or even other major conference teams.
 

NUCat320

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Nance was. He chose NU over Mich and OSU. No way he starts on either of those team.

Beran, Kopp and Berry had numerous offers.
The thing is, you can see what the others saw in Nance. And he sure looks great some nights.

And then you wonder, had he played in those programs, how much better would he be today?
 

NJCat

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The thing is, you can see what the others saw in Nance. And he sure looks great some nights.

And then you wonder, had he played in those programs, how much better would he be today?
I think he'd be much better. He'd get better coaching, and more importantly, he'd play against MUCH better players in practice who'd push him more than he is pushed at NU.
 

NUCat320

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Not the first time we've heard that.

So far, Collins hasn't recruited a Shurna, Crawford, Vukusic, Eschmeyer, Stack, Aaron, McKinney, Jitim,..........
Yes, I know. People who insist recruiting has never been better clearly don’t understand that recruiting isn’t about stars issued to 17 year olds, it’s about what those players look like when they get here, and three years after.


According to 247, McIntosh is the 27th best recruit in northwestern history, behind Ash and Capocci and Gaines and Fruendt and Falzon. And yet, he was also a star from his first season. But not a good recruit.

Anybody who says there’s never been more talent at Northwestern doesn’t watch the games.
 

wildcatpn

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The thing is, you can see what the others saw in Nance. And he sure looks great some nights.

And then you wonder, had he played in those programs, how much better would he be today?
Exactly. The development has been poor. For several players.
 

peatymeanis

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Why are people citing recruiting profiles for players that are already here and playing? It’s irrelevant. We once had a Duke recruit play for us in Michael Thompson. He was garbage. Once players step on the court, it doesn’t matter if they had 50 D1 offers or 1.
If Collins’ recruits continuously underperform their recruiting profiles, that’s on him.
 

peatymeanis

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Yes, I know. People who insist recruiting has never been better clearly don’t understand that recruiting isn’t about stars issued to 17 year olds, it’s about what those players look like when they get here, and three years after.


According to 247, McIntosh is the 27th best recruit in northwestern history, behind Ash and Capocci and Gaines and Fruendt and Falzon. And yet, he was also a star from his first season. But not a good recruit.

Anybody who says there’s never been more talent at Northwestern doesn’t watch the games.

100% this. The games are played on the court, not virtually by comparing recruiting numbers. Absolutely stunning how this concept cannot be grasped by so many posters on here.
 

NJCat

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Anybody who says there’s never been more talent at Northwestern doesn’t watch the games.
Exactly. For example, how do you think the current NU team would stack up against say the 2008-'09 Cats with Coble, Shurna, Juice Thompson, Craig Moore and Rowley? That team won 8 B1G games out of 18.

Or the 2004-'05 team with Vukusic, TJ Parker, Juice, the Moroccan Michael Jordan and Tim Hair Doyle? They'd beat the current team 7 out of 10.

Ot the 2011-'12 team with Shurna, Crawford, future NBA player Hearn and Cobb? They'd beat the current team 8 out of 10.

Forget recruiting rankings and look at how they played.
 

wildcatpn

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Nance was. He chose NU over Mich and OSU. No way he starts on either of those team.

Beran, Kopp and Berry had numerous offers.

Young, Audige, Gaines, Buie and Greer had no interest from Power 5 teams.

Not great when more than half of a B1G team had no offers from Power 5 or even other major conference teams.
You should take a look at Iowa’s roster and look at the offers many of their players had. Not that impressive but boy can they play.
 

GatoLouco

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Exactly. For example, how do you think the current NU team would stack up against say the 2008-'09 Cats with Coble, Shurna, Juice Thompson, Craig Moore and Rowley? That team won 8 B1G games out of 18.

Or the 2004-'05 team with Vukusic, TJ Parker, Juice, the Moroccan Michael Jordan and Tim Hair Doyle? They'd beat the current team 7 out of 10.

Ot the 2011-'12 team with Shurna, Crawford, future NBA player Hearn and Cobb? They'd beat the current team 8 out of 10.

Forget recruiting rankings and look at how they played.
While I agree with this, I am convinced these players, properly coached for 3 years in a row, would beat any of those teams in the reverse proportion you mentioned.
 

NJCat

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You should take a look at Iowa’s roster and look at the offers many of their players had. Not that impressive but boy can they play.
Garza had offer from everyone, including NU.
Nunge had just 1 other power offer.
Bohannon had offers from just DePaul and Drake.
Wieskamp only had offers from Iowa State and Northern Iowa Amazing.
Fredrick had offers from just PSU and Indiana.
Toussaint's best offers were from St. Louis and Dayton.
FY Murray who would be the best player on NU had just one other offer from WIU.

I get your point. Coaching and player development matter.

[As an aside, having two sons who are really good players on your team also helps]
 

NJCat

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While I agree with this, I am convinced these players, properly coached for 3 years in a row, would beat any of those teams in the reverse proportion you mentioned.
Which is exactly my point. The coach who shall not be mentioned is criticized for not being a great recruiter but man could he coach up the talent he had.
 

NJCat

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Exactly. For example, how do you think the current NU team would stack up against say the 2008-'09 Cats with Coble, Shurna, Juice Thompson, Craig Moore and Rowley? That team won 8 B1G games out of 18.

Or the 2004-'05 team with Vukusic, TJ Parker, Juice, the Moroccan Michael Jordan and Tim Hair Doyle? They'd beat the current team 7 out of 10.

Ot the 2011-'12 team with Shurna, Crawford, future NBA player Hearn and Cobb? They'd beat the current team 8 out of 10.

Forget recruiting rankings and look at how they played.
And I forgot to mention the 1982-'83 NIT Team. Stack, Jenkins, Aaron, Rather and Goode would beat the current team 9 times out of 10. Probably the best NU team I have watched play at home games in Alumni Hall......
 

NUCat320

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Which is exactly my point. The coach who shall not be mentioned is criticized for not being a great recruiter but man could he coach up the talent he had.
Truthfully, though, Crawford came in as a player. Juice came in as a player. Coble came in as a player.

Shurna and Moore and Doyle were coached up, and many never were.

But Crawford and Juice and Coble were talents that he identified and got in on early.
 

willycat

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Exactly. For example, how do you think the current NU team would stack up against say the 2008-'09 Cats with Coble, Shurna, Juice Thompson, Craig Moore and Rowley? That team won 8 B1G games out of 18.

Or the 2004-'05 team with Vukusic, TJ Parker, Juice, the Moroccan Michael Jordan and Tim Hair Doyle? They'd beat the current team 7 out of 10.

Ot the 2011-'12 team with Shurna, Crawford, future NBA player Hearn and Cobb? They'd beat the current team 8 out of 10.

Forget recruiting rankings and look at how they played.
Yes but they might be out coached.