Jeff Capel is one Collins' best friends, I doubt he was trying to show anyone up.
Gamethread: Pittsburgh @ Northwestern
- Thread starter mikefitz7
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Agree about using the possessions better. But we're already 308th in adjusted tempo, so there's not a whole lot more slowing down to be done.
I understand being coached up, but players have to go out and execute and self scout.
How many different ways can you tell players how to close out without fouling. Have to box out. After you set a pick move......
It's not just NU, other teams players are more athletic and can overcome some things. Kansas loss the othe day for the same reasons.
How many different ways can you tell players how to close out without fouling. Have to box out. After you set a pick move......
It's not just NU, other teams players are more athletic and can overcome some things. Kansas loss the othe day for the same reasons.
2 years ago it was interviews shouting out loud "we want to play fast". Now it's "our identity is defense". Tempo is pretty slow.
Just like when we did out part against mediocre but big and fast Georgetown, or mid major respectable, but slower and smaller Liberty, or almost stole one from the #13 team in the country (did not watch the game), this was just one game. Bad games happen and one game is not a trend.
Anyway, bad on offense, stronger adjectives could be used, is not a one off. It's obvious we will struggle mightily to score.
When our offensive schemes have little to no interest of getting the ball close to the basket, and rely on the ball always being in the perimeter, you need a backcourt able to make something happen. This is not new, I can still see Pardon at the top of the key, over and over again, in his last year of college, when he was our 1st or 2nd best option on offense. We don't have such guys, that is asking more than Buie can deliver. He was one of multiple options, now he is one of two. And the second is a guy with very dubious shot selection.
Beran - started the game fairly assertive. Disappeared. The moment someone raises the intensity after he shows something on offense, he disappears.
Berry - is going to struggle if his shots are three pointers in transition without his feet solidly planted. Too many shots where you see he is not balanced enough.
Martinelli - only interesting part of last night's game
Teams are not going to shoot 64% from 3 against us like mediocre Pitt did. And they are a mediocre team. But they are not going to shoot whatever Auburn shot either. They are also going to easily understand this is a season of switching in every screen, which is best countered by putting the ball closer to the basket on a mismatch, seeing the defense being forced to collapse and open up space everywhere. Boom, wide open 3.
Just like when we did out part against mediocre but big and fast Georgetown, or mid major respectable, but slower and smaller Liberty, or almost stole one from the #13 team in the country (did not watch the game), this was just one game. Bad games happen and one game is not a trend.
Anyway, bad on offense, stronger adjectives could be used, is not a one off. It's obvious we will struggle mightily to score.
When our offensive schemes have little to no interest of getting the ball close to the basket, and rely on the ball always being in the perimeter, you need a backcourt able to make something happen. This is not new, I can still see Pardon at the top of the key, over and over again, in his last year of college, when he was our 1st or 2nd best option on offense. We don't have such guys, that is asking more than Buie can deliver. He was one of multiple options, now he is one of two. And the second is a guy with very dubious shot selection.
Beran - started the game fairly assertive. Disappeared. The moment someone raises the intensity after he shows something on offense, he disappears.
Berry - is going to struggle if his shots are three pointers in transition without his feet solidly planted. Too many shots where you see he is not balanced enough.
Martinelli - only interesting part of last night's game
Teams are not going to shoot 64% from 3 against us like mediocre Pitt did. And they are a mediocre team. But they are not going to shoot whatever Auburn shot either. They are also going to easily understand this is a season of switching in every screen, which is best countered by putting the ball closer to the basket on a mismatch, seeing the defense being forced to collapse and open up space everywhere. Boom, wide open 3.
I like the idea of getting it into the paint, but we just haven't had that kind of guy in a while. Young had some nice moves, but he was clearly limited due to his lack of athleticism and quickness. And Nicholson.... oh boy.... how many more layups are we going to watch him miss where the ball banks completely over the rim. He has size and some athleticism. It is amazing to me that we can't develop this kid to the point where he can score from 1 foot away over guys who are several inches smaller than him. Yet we saw him blow those situations at least twice in the first half last night (I couldn't watch the second half).
Getting into the paint is not necessarily passing the ball to your big guy and wait for his to make something happen. It just means playing to get the ball closer to the basket, which forces the defense to collapse more and it opens wider outside shots. That is often, and most commonly, done by guards penetrating. But posting up a guy like Audige would be something I would try.
Yes, I agree with that. Chase does that sometimes... drives into the paint and then kicks it out for a shot. But not nearly enough. A big part of that working is the other 4 guys on the court moving without the ball. You really have to work on proper spacing. I don't think our guys move without the ball very well. It sure seems like we have four guys standing around watching Boo or Chase dribble. If our guards penetrate, there should be 4 other guys moving to specific spots on the floor, including someone cutting to the basket. I don't think I've seen that happen once this year.
In theory, I agree completely agree with your direction. But then you gave the Audige example, and my mind is screaming no.
There's two shots this team regularly takes on offense that almost always have me looking what they will do next on defense:
1) Berry shooting a wide-open three from the wing on a break.
2) Audige shooting a fade-away jumper from the free throw line. ALWAYS short.
There are just so few options on offense for this team.
Our best players and three point shooters are our senior leaders. Focusing on bringing in better three point guys would mean less playing time for the seniors, and would run the risk of damaging team chemistry and not honoring their efforts of four years of hard work. This is probably not worth a couple of extra wins. Our transfers have generally been college graduates which limits the pool of those academically qualified for NU. Nelly Cummings from Colgate (Pitt) and Cam Spencer from Loyola Maryland (Rutgers) both would have made us better. I don't know if we didn't recruit them, but the focus of recruiting seemed to be on academically qualified big men, a much smaller recruiting pool.
I hate to say it, but Beran's competitive fire burns like a wet paper towel.
Big Matt has to find a way to finish. I don't care if he breaks all the digits on opponent's hands.
Martinelli seemed like the only guy who could provide offense inside.
I do believe that you can only truly emphasize one part of the game in practice, and the other you just have to hope.
As a team with inferior talent, especially in 3-point shooting, the right way is to play slow and try to keep it in the 50s.
That ‘we’re going to play uptempo’ thing was silly, especially when you consider that NU could never execute in transition anyway.
100%.
I especially like the Martinelli comment and wonder if he will be playing more minutes. I mean Verhoeven is a body with close to zero offensive ability. Beran has close to zero interest in inside play, and when he does the results are not good. That leaves the occasional MN contribution and nothing else. It would be nice to have something else inside. Or teams will clamp down, not float. Problem exacerbated by our guards not being the type of beating opponents off the dribble.
Well, I kind of like the Beran comment too because it's spot on. He plays hard, it's not an effort problem, but he won't be the physical type when pushed around a bit after hitting a couple of threes. And that's what happens, defenders adjust to the point you can feel their breath on your face if needed.
I agree. I do think the slow tempo is in our benefit for sure. Wisconsin style, not Iowa style.
Like you, I think the silliness was the the uptempo take of the past.
Beran couldn't handle Blake Hinson (6'7" 235lbs) 22 points on 5 of 9 shooting, 8 of 11 free throws. 6 offensive rebounds, 5 assists, 4 of 5 from 3.
Pitt's starting center, John Hugley, 6'9" 265 lbs, was totally ineffective against Verhoeven and Nicholson. Capel sent out 6'11" 220 lbs Federiko Federiko, who dominated the boards.. He only took one shot - a dunk - when Nicholson left him to double a guard who was trying to get a shot up in the lane. He didn't seem like much of a scoring threat.
Why we were automatically helping on defense when Pitt had the ball in the paint?
Pitt's starting center, John Hugley, 6'9" 265 lbs, was totally ineffective against Verhoeven and Nicholson. Capel sent out 6'11" 220 lbs Federiko Federiko, who dominated the boards.. He only took one shot - a dunk - when Nicholson left him to double a guard who was trying to get a shot up in the lane. He didn't seem like much of a scoring threat.
Why we were automatically helping on defense when Pitt had the ball in the paint?
I think the overall rule is to switch on screens and, as a result of mismatches created, double team inside.
that approach is self-defeating when your opponent is not scoring inside and lighting it up from 3.
It will happen game after game, just like last year, if we keep doing it.
Just let them attempt a contested 2. Much better than an open 3.
It only makes sense to play that way when your opponent is terrible from 3 - like Auburn - or the opponent is shredding you inside.
From the Pitt forum:
"Hugley has been very bad this season, no question. He is out of shape and not really working hard on D or on the glass. That said, he is a big reason why we won tonight because Chris Collins watched no film and devised a sole game plan of paying special attention to Hugley leaving everyone else wide open."
I agree. If we play PFW, likely we won't see a big issue with it as we won't see very clear mismatches resulting from switching. But "bigger" teams, I made a comment somewhere that teams will exploit it when they understand that's what we are doing.
Every overall way of playing needs adaptations. Switching as a general rule is acceptable, but it requires exceptions. Liberty was kind of the other way around, the mismatch was their small guard that is a big time scorer. He took advantage several times of getting a defender other than Audige in the switches.
I stopped paying close attention like 5 minutes into the 2nd half. We were not completely out of the game, but it was obvious it was over. But Hugley played 14 minutes.
Since I was sitting close to the court and between the benches last night, I got to see a few things that I might have otherwise missed.
The looks on our guys faces tended to be
a) confusion
b) resignation
c) frustration
Audige was unaware that he had fouled out, which means he didn't know he was playing with 4 fouls.
Ty Berry reacted very poorly to Collins screaming "Move the fu%#ing ball" in his face after a timeout.
Berry had driven into the lane, got stuck, looked around for someone to pass to, to no avail, then got stripped for a fast break.
Nicholson looked pretty lost on offense unless he was coming out of the low post to set a ball screen. He never posted up, never called for the ball, never moved decisively, other than the screens. He was getting (literally) pushed around under the basket and did not rebound well. But he ran the floor very well for a guy his size. His screen at midcourt at the end of the first half almost killed a guy.
He spent way too much time at the top of the key and his attempt to spin and drive the lane from there was absolutely bizarre. He hurried his putback attempt with his left hand for no reason. Honestly he appeared to be practically uncoached and trying to figure out what to do in an offense that has no use for him.
I can’t take full credit for the Beran comment only because that Cat hoops alum I met at LAX brought it up. It was a clear ***-chapper for him. He said all NU kids today are way too nice on the court.
MN actually showed some surprising agility on offense, but his shots were rushed and failed. I think the game can slow down, but he needs more time (which he should have had last year…)
I don't think our guys lack any effort. The only exception being Kopp playing, at times, like he had been constipated for 4 weeks in a row.
But I understand effort is not the issue here.
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This guy, who is AA, said he told Collins he needed to get “three angry (n bombs)” to come play for him. He was not shy about it.
Collin's vaunted defense has consistently left three point shooters wide open all season. I said before that when we faced a team that could shoot threes, we'd get roasted. And here we are. This wasn't a case of one guy getting hot. It was four guys hitting better than 50% mostly because they were wide open with time to relax and shoot, and maybe draw a foul after the fact.
Totally exposed.
In the first half, and early in the second, it looked like Pitt was intentionally putting the ball in the hands of whoever Beran was guarding, or switched to guarding, and that really worked for them. After his second foul he got super tentative on offensive, not sure it's related but it seems to be, and he was unable to handle the mismatches defensively.
Pitt was very effective at literally shoving guys out of the way with almost no consequences. That was kinda amazing.
Totally exposed.
In the first half, and early in the second, it looked like Pitt was intentionally putting the ball in the hands of whoever Beran was guarding, or switched to guarding, and that really worked for them. After his second foul he got super tentative on offensive, not sure it's related but it seems to be, and he was unable to handle the mismatches defensively.
Pitt was very effective at literally shoving guys out of the way with almost no consequences. That was kinda amazing.
At one point the heavy guy (Hugley) shoved Nicholson in the chest with both hands to get him to back off - at the 3 point line. No way the refs could have missed it even though it was off the ball. But they didn't call anything, which was perplexing, because everybody saw it and reacted.
That same dude was arrested for stealing a car last January. The felony charges were reduced and he has been playing ever since.
Maybe the type of player Hungry Jack's airport acquaintance is looking for?
Maybe MN takes a foul or even a technical and shoves the Pitt player back to show you will not be pushed around. Instead Pitt knows NU is soft and they can run over them.
Or MN could go get the ball and dunk on the Pitt player. Set a hard screen on him.
Do something.
Or MN could go get the ball and dunk on the Pitt player. Set a hard screen on him.
Do something.