Post-game press conference notes

azimmerman_1

Redshirt
Dec 17, 2018
63
0
0
Chris Collins

-On the game: I mean first of all credit Penn State. They've played a number of [teams] very close and they haven't been able to win. They made plays when they needed to tonight. It's just tough sledding right now offensively. You hold a team below 60 in this league and you feel like you have a chance to get a home win. Our inability to get the ball in the basket is really hurting us. It's up to me and the rest of the staff to help these guys offensively. We gotta stick with it.

-On Vic Law: We need Vic to be aggressive. We're scoring in the low 50s, your weapons have to be aggressive. We know he missed some time with his knee and he hasn't been able to come back and find it, but I have to continue to move him around. I have no worries, nothing about me feels like Vic isn't going to bounce back. We want Vic to shoot and we want Dererk to shoot, but we need the other guys to be threats as well. I'm not sure [if an injury hindered him]. The training staff felt like he was okay to come back.

-On coming back from a loss like this: All these losses are tough, you come back from a game where you played two really good teams, I actually thought our spirit was really good coming into the game. We had an opportunity to come home and right the ship, is it very disappointing, yes, but the message is we just have to stick together with nine games left to play.

-On Gaines' foul trouble: It's hard, these guys are playing both sides of the floor, when you continually aren't able to put it in the basket, it can weigh into you emotionally. That's our next progression, I think we're a very good defensive team, and we gotta iron out the other side. We have to find a way to get 60+ points and find a way to win.
 

azimmerman_1

Redshirt
Dec 17, 2018
63
0
0
Pat Chambers

-On the relief for the players: Maybe, it was more like when you put in the hard work it's going to pay off. We wouldn't be battling these Big Ten teams if our guys were thinking otherwise. They are focused on getting better.

-On containing Law and Pardon: I don't know if we totally got Pardon, but we tried to speed him up. He played 38 minutes as a five-man, the guy is a stud. We just tried to make Vic uncomfortable.

-On exploiting Northwestern: I was concerned about their three point shooting at home, truthfully. I thought they still had some good looks, Chris is a great coach.

-On Lamar Stevens: He was great. He made his free throws, and that can help you win games.

-On the atmosphere: This is an unbelievable place. Congratulations to Northwestern, this is absolutely terrific.
 

azimmerman_1

Redshirt
Dec 17, 2018
63
0
0
Dererk Pardon:

-On staying the course: We just gotta come together as a team. It's not a personal issue, not an issue within the team. We held them to 59 points, but we gotta get back to being us on offense.

-On the locker room: It's always tough after a loss, but it's a long season, we have to keep fighting.

-On the team's offensive identity: We gotta get back to taking our shots, playing the game with joy.
 

SimpsonElmwood

Sophomore
Nov 20, 2004
1,820
141
63
Pat Chambers

-On the relief for the players: Maybe, it was more like when you put in the hard work it's going to pay off. We wouldn't be battling these Big Ten teams if our guys were thinking otherwise. They are focused on getting better.

-On containing Law and Pardon: I don't know if we totally got Pardon, but we tried to speed him up. He played 38 minutes as a five-man, the guy is a stud. We just tried to make Vic uncomfortable.

-On exploiting Northwestern: I was concerned about their three point shooting at home, truthfully. I thought they still had some good looks, Chris is a great coach.

-On Lamar Stevens: He was great. He made his free throws, and that can help you win games.

-On the atmosphere: This is an unbelievable place. Congratulations to Northwestern, this is absolutely terrific.
It is an unbelievable place. Unbelievable that we can't come close to filing a 7000 seat brand spanking new arena.
 

PurpleFaze

Redshirt
Jan 9, 2019
1,331
38
48
If law being aggressive means more 3 for 17 nights, I'll pass.

Pardon is our most effective and efficient weapon and he's typically underutilized.
 

DaCat

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
25,500
1,884
113
Pardon missed several shoots he normally makes around the basket. Their strategy of speeding him up seemed to work for them. Vic got outplayed by Stevens, who seemed to be trash talking all night and got in Gaines' head.
 

lunker35

Sophomore
Jan 1, 2010
5,677
163
62
Pardon missed several shoots he normally makes around the basket. Their strategy of speeding him up seemed to work for them. Vic got outplayed by Stevens, who seemed to be trash talking all night and got in Gaines' head.
He was also fouled on a good number of them, but for some reason the whistles get swallowed with him.
 

Purple Pile Driver

All-Conference
May 14, 2014
27,104
2,522
113
He was also fouled on a good number of them, but for some reason the whistles get swallowed with him.
Watkins hammered him on several plays. It should also noted that Watkins wasn’t able to dominate either as Pardon got away with some fouls too. Seemed like a draw to me.
 

Medill90

Junior
Jan 30, 2011
6,910
321
0
He was also fouled on a good number of them, but for some reason the whistles get swallowed with him.

He really got whacked on a couple. Same happened on the other side.

Here's what I don't get. They let the mauling go on and watch it. At the same time, the call ticky-tack stuff that in no way affects the game except to put a player in foul trouble. Middle of the second half there was a 50/50 ball after a PSU miss with lots of reach and slapping at the ball. Pardon came up with the ball so NU has possession. And then the refs blow the whistle against PSU. The foul was like a kiss on the cheek compared to what happened in the post.

I really think the officials need coaching. It would be instructive if, in the offseason, they would review a game tape with both coaches at the same time.
 

PurpleFaze

Redshirt
Jan 9, 2019
1,331
38
48
Pardon missed several shoots he normally makes around the basket. Their strategy of speeding him up seemed to work for them. Vic got outplayed by Stevens, who seemed to be trash talking all night and got in Gaines' head.

Yet Pardon was still 8 for 14 on the night. Law was 3 for 17. Wonder why we lost?
 

DaCat

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
25,500
1,884
113
Yet Pardon was still 8 for 14 on the night. Law was 3 for 17. Wonder why we lost?

It was a team effort to lose. Poor shooting all around, including Law. Gaines losing his cool and picking up 4 fouls in like 2 minutes. A lot of things went wrong.
 

lou v

All-Conference
Staff member
Aug 27, 2004
17,534
1,983
98
Been to a DePaul game recently?

Heck, did you see the stands at NU's game at Maryland? And that's a ranked team with a strong basketball tradition.

A new arena doesn't automatically mean a packed house. Tickets sold are way up, but butts in seats are not. Even beyond wins and losses, this is just not a fun team to watch.
 

Medill90

Junior
Jan 30, 2011
6,910
321
0
Heck, did you see the stands at NU's game at Maryland? And that's a ranked team with a strong basketball tradition.

A new arena doesn't automatically mean a packed house. Tickets sold are way up, but butts in seats are not. Even beyond wins and losses, this is just not a fun team to watch.

I can watch big men work in the post for hours. Dererk is, for me, one of the most enjoyable big men to watch since Esch. He's now added a sort of swim move....where he projects the ball with his arms behind his defender, and then moves his body to the ball. Takes incredible strength and effort. Just a joy to watch Dererk.
 

CappyNU

Junior
Mar 2, 2004
5,158
335
83
The game was lost when Gaines lost his mind with the 4 fouls in 55 seconds. Our starting lineup was a +8 for the game but wasn't able to be used for almost all of the 2nd half. When Gaines was in the game PSU scored 29 points in 39 possessions. With him out they scored 30 points in only 27 possessions. With Gaines out, Turner had to play way more than he should have and dragged the performance down. Lineups with Turner and Taylor in it together were -10 in not even 10 minutes of play. Meanwhile Falzon continued his run of finishing games in the + category even though he didn't score.
 
Dec 24, 2010
3,099
102
63
tbh, I could not see all of those fouls from my seat. I should watch that replay because I just missed so much of whatever was going on that minute.
 

PurpleFaze

Redshirt
Jan 9, 2019
1,331
38
48
It was a team effort to lose. Poor shooting all around, including Law. Gaines losing his cool and picking up 4 fouls in like 2 minutes. A lot of things went wrong.

It's always a team effort to lose, but law had a huge portion of the pie for this one.