Game thoughts

[torque-cat]

Buie: our mini Trae Young. Stuff he’s doing I haven’t seen at NU maybe ever. If it’s a bit streak so be it. If he’s really this good, he’s the kind of player that carries teams deep into the NCAAs. Surprisingly good on defense too. Just has a feel that you can’t teach.

Kopp: Only consistent 3 pt threat besides Buie, but he’s getting better and more consistent.

Nance. Played ok, foul trouble. Needed to box out better. Has a nice mid range baseline jumper. All the pros and cons we’ve been seeing not much new except game is now going through Buie so Nance will need to pick his spots.

Young. Clutch free throws are a great sign. Only kid with strength to compete for rebounds with DePaul but lacks the quicks as we know.

Spencer. He’s a competitor but not a PG at this level. I’d like to see Greer get a shot when we need an extra ball handler late in games. He’s hurting as much as helping against the good teams.

Beran: incomplete didn’t see much. Would love to get him some good looks from 3 early so he’s playing with confidence. He’s a legit talent and his growth may define our ceiling in a year or two.

Jones: showing some ability but raw.

We’d have been blown out without Buie. He scores and gives us confidence. The rest of the players look the same as they have, both good and bad. Talent is there but very young. But Buie is the straw that stirs the drink.

 

[LansingCat_rivals315357]

Another close game against a really good team. I think we're better than most people think we are this year, and the wins will come. Our young players are getting older with every game. Proud to be a wildcat tonight !

 

[jensberg]

Didn't watch the game what's the deal with Nance? Played 23 minutes only had four points. Even with foul trouble that's a lot of playing time with such low scoring. Was he tentative again offensively.

 

[lunker35]

Didn't watch the game what's the deal with Nance? Played 23 minutes only had four points. Even with foul trouble that's a lot of playing time with such low scoring. Was he tentative again offensively.

Was in foul trouble the whole game and DePaul was a very physical team. Was just an off night and he did miss a few open shots that he’d normally drain. Just didn’t seem to go down tonight.

 

[Sec_112]

That was as fun a game as I've seen in a couple seasons. At one point, both teams traded baskets and great plays multiple trips down the court.

In the end, the ball was in Spencer's hands WAY too much, and not in Boo's hands enough in the last five minutes. However, DePaul's Hall really clamped down on Boo and bothered him in the last 5-7 mins.

A couple more things:

A) When was the last time NU shot 50%+ against a quality opponent?
B) I hope Gaines' injury isn't long term. This group needs all they can get , and they need his D.
C) CC said they one game in the next 14 days. He's looking forward to the practice time.

 

[Katatonic]

Should be heck of a backcourt next season w/ Boo and Berry.

What this team is missing is that frontcourt player who can just make baskets from the very start a la Shurna and Coble (would be willing to give up a bit on the defensive end).

Kopp has shown the most consistency thus far among the "bigs," but need more consistency up front.

Yeah, they're young, but we've seen players help carry the load in their soph, if not make an impact their frosh year (Coble, Juice, Shurna, Crawford, Cobb, Demps*, Olah, BMac, Law*, Pardon, Boo?; * denotes missing a season due to injury so soph season is actually their 3rd year).

If Kopp and Nance can get more consistent and w/ the addition of Nicholson next year (bringing some much needed size) - the team has the makings of a Tourney team (and can be enticing to super blue-chip recruits like Jr. and Christie - who would turn that team into one capable of making a deep run in the NCAAs).

Just too bad that Gaines has been/playing hurt - a healthy Gaines could have been the difference in those narrow losses.

 

[torque-cat]

Should be heck of a backcourt next season w/ Boo and Berry.

What this team is missing is that frontcourt player who can just make baskets from the very start a la Shurna and Coble (would be willing to give up a bit on the defensive end).

Kopp has shown the most consistency thus far among the "bigs," but need more consistency up front.

Yeah, they're young, but we've seen players help carry the load in their soph, if not make an impact their frosh year (Coble, Juice, Shurna, Crawford, Cobb, Demps*, Olah, BMac, Law*, Pardon, Boo?; * denotes missing a season due to injury so soph season is actually their 3rd year).

If Kopp and Nance can get more consistent and w/ the addition of Nicholson next year (bringing some much needed size) - the team has the makings of a Tourney team (and can be enticing to super blue-chip recruits like Jr. and Christie - who would turn that team into one capable of making a deep run in the NCAAs).

Just too bad that Gaines has been/playing hurt - a healthy Gaines could have been the difference in those narrow losses.

depends what we mean by size. I’ve heard multiple times that Northwestern has one of the tallest teams in the cointry—Nance 6 ft 11, Young 6 ft 10, Beran 6 ft 9, Kopp 6 ft 8, Spencer and Gaines 6 ft 4, Turner 6 ft 7.

We need guys to get stronger, more experienced and tougher underneath. And most of our bigs are finesse outside players rather than bangers other than Young. That can be a good thing but tough against physical teams like MSU and DePaul.

 

[JournCat]

Kopp and Nance both have to bring it every night.

 

[ThatadultfromHolland]

Jones should develop into the “banger” you are all looking for. Just have to remember these guys are freshman and sophomores. He’s got the most upside between our two bigs. Just extremely raw rn.

Young- super nice footwork. Decent looking shot. Solid on the glass. Excellent passer. Very much a fundamentally sound player. Needs to add some strength so he can hold his own a little better against more athletic bigs. Doesn’t jump very quick (pardon was a very quick jumper). He’s also kinda slow.

Nance- one of our top defenders. Probably #2 behind Gaines. Expect him to take another big jump next season. He has a decent shot. Mid range game is pretty nice. Flashes a lot of potential offensively but isn’t there yet.

Turner- solid defender. Decent at play creating. (Obviously don’t want him as your primary but more than serviceable as a 2nd option) Plays within himself very well. Rarely see him trying to do too much. Needs his shot to fall better. He would be playing starter min if his shot fell like it did his soph season at BC.

the thing missed about boo is how much it opens up for others because of all the attention he draws after hitting a few shots.

 

[torque-cat]

Jones should develop into the “banger” you are all looking for. Just have to remember these guys are freshman and sophomores. He’s got the most upside between our two bigs. Just extremely raw rn.

Young- super nice footwork. Decent looking shot. Solid on the glass. Excellent passer. Very much a fundamentally sound player. Needs to add some strength so he can hold his own a little better against more athletic bigs. Doesn’t jump very quick (pardon was a very quick jumper). He’s also kinda slow.

Nance- one of our top defenders. Probably #2 behind Gaines. Expect him to take another big jump next season. He has a decent shot. Mid range game is pretty nice. Flashes a lot of potential offensively but isn’t there yet.

Turner- solid defender. Decent at play creating. (Obviously don’t want him as your primary but more than serviceable as a 2nd option) Plays within himself very well. Rarely see him trying to do too much. Needs his shot to fall better. He would be playing starter min if his shot fell like it did his soph season at BC.

the thing missed about boo is how much it opens up for others because of all the attention he draws after hitting a few shots.

I could see Turner being our starting 2 guard alongside Boo if his 3 falls. He has a nice stroke and has had success from 3 in the past. He’s good enough a ball handler to help Buie and he is a good defender. If his 3 falls at a 35% clip he also would play with more confidence and has all the tools to be a solid 2 way player.

 

[GatoLouco]

Bouie was so good that we easily forget Kopp had a heck of a game. He got a lot of grief on this board against MSU, especially as MSU was the game after he scored zero against SIUE.

I saw DePaul win, live, at the barn. I thought they looked like Charlie Moore plus a bunch of really athletic guys. Last night it was not that different.

We were flat out bullied by their offense. We were in foul trouble and they physically overpowered us. Scored 49 in the 2nd half.

I said it early in the season we likely needed a good zone for, amongst others, games with foul trouble. To keep our best players with foul trouble, in the game. But reality is our zone is a train wreck. It was stupidly deployed in the first half when we did not need it. Nance was the only player with 2 fouls and had been back in the game for 3 minutes before we switched. It was not to protect him we switched. Ultimately in the 2nd half it would make some sense, on paper, to try it. Our bigs were in foul trouble and they were scoring at will. But I’m glad we stuck to rotation to keep our bigs alive. Cause our zone is that bad. Something is clearly lacking in the coaching staff’s ability to teach it.

Truly fun game to watch, even amongst rowdy center upper deck first row DePaul fans.

 

[haywood jahblowme]

disappointing because Nance and Turner had many wide open looks that left points on the table. Nance wasn't the same after the early foul trouble.

Jones should of probably had about 6 more gimme points too - but the skiddish youth got the best of him

this team is getting better and its fun to watch

 

[hdhntr1]

Buie: our mini Trae Young. Stuff he’s doing I haven’t seen at NU maybe ever. If it’s a bit streak so be it. If he’s really this good, he’s the kind of player that carries teams deep into the NCAAs. Surprisingly good on defense too. Just has a feel that you can’t teach.

Kopp: Only consistent 3 pt threat besides Buie, but he’s getting better and more consistent.

Nance. Played ok, foul trouble. Needed to box out better. Has a nice mid range baseline jumper. All the pros and cons we’ve been seeing not much new except game is now going through Buie so Nance will need to pick his spots.

Young. Clutch free throws are a great sign. Only kid with strength to compete for rebounds with DePaul but lacks the quicks as we know.

Spencer. He’s a competitor but not a PG at this level. I’d like to see Greer get a shot when we need an extra ball handler late in games. He’s hurting as much as helping against the good teams.

Beran: incomplete didn’t see much. Would love to get him some good looks from 3 early so he’s playing with confidence. He’s a legit talent and his growth may define our ceiling in a year or two.

Jones: showing some ability but raw.

We’d have been blown out without Buie. He scores and gives us confidence. The rest of the players look the same as they have, both good and bad. Talent is there but very young. But Buie is the straw that stirs the drink.

Why are we not even trying to get it inside to Young? He racks up a lot of fouls on defenders

 

[hdhntr1]

Buie: our mini Trae Young. Stuff he’s doing I haven’t seen at NU maybe ever. If it’s a bit streak so be it. If he’s really this good, he’s the kind of player that carries teams deep into the NCAAs. Surprisingly good on defense too. Just has a feel that you can’t teach.

Kopp: Only consistent 3 pt threat besides Buie, but he’s getting better and more consistent.

Nance. Played ok, foul trouble. Needed to box out better. Has a nice mid range baseline jumper. All the pros and cons we’ve been seeing not much new except game is now going through Buie so Nance will need to pick his spots.

Young. Clutch free throws are a great sign. Only kid with strength to compete for rebounds with DePaul but lacks the quicks as we know.

Spencer. He’s a competitor but not a PG at this level. I’d like to see Greer get a shot when we need an extra ball handler late in games. He’s hurting as much as helping against the good teams.

Beran: incomplete didn’t see much. Would love to get him some good looks from 3 early so he’s playing with confidence. He’s a legit talent and his growth may define our ceiling in a year or two.

Jones: showing some ability but raw.

We’d have been blown out without Buie. He scores and gives us confidence. The rest of the players look the same as they have, both good and bad. Talent is there but very young. But Buie is the straw that stirs the drink.

Why are we not getting the ball inside to Young more? Does not seem like they are really even trying. He gets high quality shots and racks up fouls on defenders as well as opens up things in other areas. He quietly had another double double despite only taking 4 shots including two threes.