Fouls. Often we are getting ticky tack fouls that put us in trouble because of our lack of depth. Fouls in general cause problems but the ticky tack ones..... For example, Lindsey got one near the end of the first half and another near the start of the second and suddenly he has three. Lumpkin and others have also been affected. Wonder if this is one of the things that happens in the second half of games
One weakness for this team
- Thread starter hdhntr1
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Very true. Fatigue could well lead to more careless fouls, and the Cats have a short bench.
Combination of experience and effort / fatigue, IMO. This team is very active on defense at its best. I think it exhausts them at times, leading to breakdowns. Benson has been surprisingly effective on offense (that dribble move he did vs. PSU when he was tied up with a defender after a rebound amazed me), but is learning how to defend. Pardon's return will be huge.
All true. I would add that we are still less athletic/explosive than most of the teams we face. That too accounts for some of our fouls. I expect it to be a front and center issue when we face MSU tomorrow night.
GOUNUII
As someone that has attended many defensive clinics over the years, playing defense without fouling has nothing to do with how athletic you are. Sure, it helps to be quick and athletic, but that's not the most important factor. You have to have the right technique as well as give maximum effort on the defensive side all the time. This team's biggest issue with fouling is that this team is the most athletic team in Northwestern history and they let that get to their heads from time to time. They forget the fundamentals. I could make an argument that Sanjay Lumpkin is on par with Benson in terms of athleticism as the worst on the team (name the last time you saw Sanjay make an athletic play on offense). However, in terms of playing with fundamentals as well as effort, Sanjay is our best defender and rebounder. I would venture to bet that Sanjay is the smartest player on the team (all-around). Teams with better talent wins most of the time, but the teams that put the best combination of talent (experience is talent) and effort, will win the most.
Maybe you should attend some reading comprehension clinics. The athletic disparity is one of several factors and only responsible for some of the fouls. I made that clear, and despite the internal contradictions of your post, you seem to get the gist of that.
BTW ... you got my curiosity going. Why are you attending basketball clinics that focus on defense? I've given a bunch of those over the years and never saw anyone that wasn't a coach, player or player parent/handler.
GOUNUII
First off, I'm bad at explaining things, but you realize that I know what I'm talking about. I can't change that, I'm sorry
Second, I was a manager in high school in Illinois and attended all the practices and games. I have always had a dream job of coaching basketball, but since I didn't play, I have to find another route. In the mean time, it doesn't hurt to attend coaching clinics to learn as much as I can.
Everyone in the country is getting those. They start heavy with the fouls early in the year so it trains kids not to do it. Then when the conference games are coming the refs back off a bit