Is it ok to panic yet?
- Thread starter scru
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The only saving grace is the the Big 10 is looking pretty mediocre. If they figure out their issues they can still finish 3rd in the conference.
We sot 36% from the floor and 22% from beyond the arc. It's amazing we almost won. Good defense. But not a very good team.
Was last year just a bunch of things going right at the right time? Basically, team outperformed their talent level significantly? And this season is a statistical return to the mean? I have a lot of questions and no answers...
...but hopefully CCC and the seniors do. I'd hate to see them go out like this the rest of the season.
Call it what you want to call it, but this team's gonna need 12-13 wins in conference if they want to dance. They also must win at Oklahoma in a couple weeks.
Finding a way to steal the games this weekend would be a big help, but they absolutely cannot lose both.
So, basically, we find ourselves with a razor-thin margin for error. Whatever got them turned on defensively down the stretch needs to be a permanent state of being. That's the team that will do some damage. The lazy, lethargic one that played the rest of the game won't. Good on Ash for getting some energy going, and Law's defense turned into some offense for Mac and Pardon. Need more of that.
Finding a way to steal the games this weekend would be a big help, but they absolutely cannot lose both.
So, basically, we find ourselves with a razor-thin margin for error. Whatever got them turned on defensively down the stretch needs to be a permanent state of being. That's the team that will do some damage. The lazy, lethargic one that played the rest of the game won't. Good on Ash for getting some energy going, and Law's defense turned into some offense for Mac and Pardon. Need more of that.
Very, very cold. They better be putting in extra time in the gym shooting. I recall BMac starting last season in a real shooting slump. Falzon was too before the injury. Lindsey seems like a one game situation as he's had great games already this season. Falzon really needs to get his groove back from HS.
Falzon was injured at the start of last season and shut it down when he just couldn't play through it. He is still rounding into game shape.
Time to panic? Definitely a lot of reasons to worry and panic wouldn’t be unreasonable. Seasons are long. I expect this team to get it together, but we’ve left ourselves with a very tall task.
Not giving up on them, but they need to figure it out and they need to do it quickly. I believe the talent is there.
Not giving up on them, but they need to figure it out and they need to do it quickly. I believe the talent is there.
It wasn't like they were world-beaters last year - they went 10-8 in a decent Big Ten, the computers mostly had them in the 30s, and they got an 8 seed in the tournament. There were some great wins and some questionable losses. So it doesn't take much of a dip for the team to suddenly look like an NIT squad. I'm surprised they're struggling *this* much, though.
It's OK to panic after about 20 games if we are still not doing well. 7? Not so much.
So it takes seven games then? Doubt Coach Collins will panic at any point, actually....
I didn’t say I was in panic. I will say that I personally am very concerned. CCC is the coach, I sure hope panic is not in his arsenal or he should be doing something else for a living. Seen them live a couple times this year and on TV the rest of the time and can say IMO they haven’t played a complete game yet. If we won this game, we would have been very fortunate as we had periods of terrible play tonight. Yes, I said terrible.
You are probably one of the few people on this board who dislike the Fighting Undies more than me. I am telling you that we will lose that game if we don’t improve our performance. Pre-season is over Mike, we don’t have the luxury to wait until game 20 to turn it around. We have left no room for error unless you expect us to magically tear up the B1G.
It is not too late, but if you like what you have seen so far, I can’t understand why. We have significant deficiencies so far and that has seemed obvious to me.
Of course I don't like what I've seen thus far. But they showed some heart in coming back tonight and can build on that when they beat Illinois (who lost to a Wake team that is worse than GT tonight) and start 1-0 in the BIG. If you have seen the posts on this board, you would think that we might as well pack it in, which is just typical message board nonsense,imo. Guess the football team should have packed it in after their 2-3 start as well; doesn't anyone ever learn. It's how you play in the hear of the conference season that counts, not what you do in the first seven games which will be entirely forgotten if we make the Dance again.
I don't know if I'm on panic mode, but there are several harsh realities about this group. It's late. We'll discuss another day.
Hopefully one or two adjustments will be made. However, I get the feeling the Lindsey/Ash debacle tonight may have provided some insight into one if the issues.
Hopefully one or two adjustments will be made. However, I get the feeling the Lindsey/Ash debacle tonight may have provided some insight into one if the issues.
Totally agree/can relate. Am really puzzled by what is “wrong/missing”. I know they “miss” Baldwin and Sanjay, but I see no reason this team isn’t better than last year (certainly not worse). But...performance shows otherwise, so far.
Ok, it certainly will be forgotten if we dance again. I posted in football after the PSU game that I thought we would go on a run. No I didn’t think we would run the table, but I did think we would easily make a bowl. The difference is we had passed the difficult part of the schedule and you could see some real progress in the young players. In B Ball, we still have our toughest games to play and some of the younger players we expected to be a big part of the rotation have disappeared. Being the purple Pollyanna that I am, I still think we will beat the Fighting Undies, but we will have a big problem with Purdue.
I grew up a Northwestern fan and went to Butler. Every year we go through the same thing you guys are. You’re going to be fine.
Didn't see the game. Can you explain what happened? We keep hearing about chemistry problems on this team.
Ash came in for Lindsey, he hit a 3 and played some really good perimeter defense that lifted the whole team up. Law forced some turnovers, which produced some extra possessions and points. Tech didn't hit a field goal for the last 8+ minutes, until the buzzer beater. [Ash played every possession until the buzzer beater, when Lindsey went back in. - I'm told this is incorrect, but leaving it here as an acknowledgement]
To me, pinning the whole thing on one player's "attitude," whatever that means, isn't really fair with the information available to most of us. No doubt, though, that Ash gave a whole lot tonight, and I'm encouraged to see that. We badly need another guard to step up and provide something, anything.
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You're in the right ballpark with where I was going, RWhitney. But I wasn't specificly alluding to the rumor floated out here or any personality conflicts.
NU just played a different game with Ash in there last night. We'll see if it's more than a one-game phenomenon.
Ash was in for the last play, Lindsey was on the bench. The coaching mistake was having Falzon in the game.
I apologize for that, then. I thought I saw him head onto the floor. Doesn't really change the overall analysis of the game. As is the case with most buzzer beaters, you don't win or lose because of the one scramble play at the end of the clock.
Yeah, I didn't think you were, but I feel like I've seen that implication from others on the boards lately.
Very true. The 10 points in the first 12 minutes and 22 points total in the first half are far more worthy of finger pointing.
Agree that was large part of the problem and Lindsey or Gaines should have been on the floor instead of Falzon for the last procession.