Proud B1G fan

[Rudolph]

Former walk-on at Iowa, Hawk fan through and through. I've never rooted harder for another B1G team in my life. I absolutely love the way your team competes for each other, and love how NU fans support them.

Officiating was incredibly bad all game. Ruined the game. But damned if those kids didn't find a way to give themselves a chance. If that basket interference call is made, Gonzaga would have had to do something special to beat you.

Inspiring team. Love McIntosh. A shame he could never get going today. Almost seemed like he could never quite find his legs. Vic Law and Lindsay are tough, tough kids.

Inspired despite being disappointed that this is how your team's season had to end. Great season.

Now go ahead and destroy my sentence structure, smarty-pantses.

 

[FloridAlum]

Thanks

 

[ubercat]

Thanks for the kind words, sir. Your sentences are above reproach.

 

[YesterdaysCat]

Thanks. Can you guys stay NIT caliber for a few more seasons, please? Well, nah, get good again soon because we want to play against the best.

 

[Rudolph]

Thanks. Can you guys stay NIT caliber for a few more seasons, please? Well, nah, get good again soon because we want to play against the best.

I like it when all B1G teams are good. Even Illinois. I grew up on 1980s B1G, so that's my baseline.

You guys will be fine. Collins I think will stay. He wants to do with NU what Coach K did with Duke. And he's a Chicagoan. Upgraded facilities, great fans, and what appears to be a great overall energy in the athletic department—foundation for sustained success.

Stanford does it. Duke does it. So can Northwestern.

 

[BoilerGal74]

Congratulations Wildcats! That non basket interference call is undoubtedly the worst officiated call EVER! I really hope that Northwestern and the B1G Conference make an official complaint. It won't help you all now but it might keep that team of idiot zebras off the College hardwood in the future. How could all three of them possibly missed the Zaga hand in the net and up through the cylinder??? But great game....

 

[Hungry Jack]

Very proud of the Cats for coming back like that. They fought like hell. Represented NU very well at the tournament.

Bad officiating happens. Hate to see it influence a game.

 

[Rudolph]

Thanks. Can you guys stay NIT caliber for a few more seasons, please? Well, nah, get good again soon because we want to play against the best.

By the way, Iowa was NCAA-caliber this year. Not sure if you saw it, but some awful officiating in the last 30 seconds of regulation cost Iowa a win versus Minnesota. Flip that game and Iowa is most likely in (all other things being equal, of course).

Fran will never get Iowa a B1G title, though. His program has a shaky foundation. It remains that defense and rebounding are the foundations for winning championships. Neither of these appear to have the level of teaching, commitment, nor sustained execution to get Iowa beyond good and into great.

But we'll see. Fran is a smart guy, and soon he'll have his kids in the program. Maybe that will force him to reevaluate and adjust. And currently his talent is good, and finally Iowa has a true leader (Bohannon). And Tyler Cook also is a vocal, engaged personality that appears to fit well with Bohannon. Sort of like McIntosh and I think Pardon. But Cook is more talented than Pardon, but don't get me wrong—I love Pardon.

Since I first saw McIntosh last year I was telling everybody "Iowa desperately needs a guy like that" and, well, I think we have him. That kid came in with immediate swagger, self-confidence, moxie—like he could give two ***** what the program's been historically. I love that.

I'm excited for you guys next year. Without looking at your roster to see who you lose, I know you'll be good because McIntosh will make sure of it. After tonight—that's going to be one motivated kid.

And everybody is going to follow his lead.

 

[Username Not Available]

I love a strong, successful Big 10 myself. With more competent refs, NU wins today. And losing today hardens team resolve for next year.

I'll be rooting for the bIgs still playing the rest of the way.

 

[Bama Boiler]

Former walk-on at Iowa, Hawk fan through and through. I've never rooted harder for another B1G team in my life. I absolutely love the way your team competes for each other, and love how NU fans support them.

Officiating was incredibly bad all game. Ruined the game. But damned if those kids didn't find a way to give themselves a chance. If that basket interference call is made, Gonzaga would have had to do something special to beat you.

Inspiring team. Love McIntosh. A shame he could never get going today. Almost seemed like he could never quite find his legs. Vic Law and Lindsay are tough, tough kids.

Inspired despite being disappointed that this is how your team's season had to end. Great season.

Now go ahead and destroy my sentence structure, smarty-pantses.

A huge Purdue fan here, you guys had a great season and should be very good next year. Great representative for the Big 10. You really were jobbed on those non goaltending calls and that tech. Brutal

 

[Rudolph]

I love a strong, successful Big 10 myself. With more competent refs, NU wins today. And losing today hardens team resolve for next year.

I'll be rooting for the bIgs still playing the rest of the way.

Refs might be competent, but they certainly had a bad game today. Refs are human. I've coached enough that I firmly believe 99% of them desperately want to call the game well. But it doesn't always mean they will.

It's a shame. Humans.

 

[Username Not Available]

These guys have been bad both days so Infind their qualifications suspect, but maybe they're just too stressed out being on national tv or something.

 

[FeliSilvestris]

Refs might be competent, but they certainly had a bad game today. Refs are human.

The thing is that normal human errors tend to cut both ways, so that often on average they have no real effect on the outcome of the game. This time it seems far more questionable calls went in favor of the Zags than the other way around. Probably more than enough to cover the 6-pt spread between the teams. When that happens, there may be a competence problem...or it may be even worse.

 

[Rudolph]

I might be more frustrated actually with the flagrant call on the ball screen. These days they eliminate all nuance and review these things with, it appears, intent to find a flagrant. The way that defenders try to trick their way through ball screens invites all kinds of reactions by the screener. The screener is not in a vacuum. He's reacting to the contact by the defender. And as a former player, and a PG, it's no fun being ball-screened to death all game. So occasionally you grab whatever you can to create a reaction. The refs review this stuff and it's as though they approach the video review absolving one side from all possible influence in the play. It's crazy.

And then they review in super slow-motion. When it comes to above-the-shoulders contact, everything looks flagrant. The game is played not in slow-mo, but in regular speed. I wish reviews were done in regular speed for these judgment calls, because this provides a more objective look into what occurred.

Out-of-bounds calls? Was it a two or a three? Goaltending (sorry to bring it up)? Slow that down frame by frame. That's great.

These incredibly subjective flagrant reviews should not be reviewed as they are.

 

[YesterdaysCat]

Fran will never get Iowa a B1G title, though. His program has a shaky foundation. It remains that defense and rebounding are the foundations for winning championships. Neither of these appear to have the level of teaching, commitment, nor sustained execution to get Iowa beyond good and into great.

He's way better than a lot of coaches who were in the Dance. We all know some of the conferences with auto bids are woeful and don't deserve to be there (looking at you, Mike Davis and the SWAC).

Also, hey, winning the Big Ten reg season is nice, but with the BTT, there are really two champs each year and two chances for every team. Hard to imagine Iowa doesn't win a title somewhere along the line. Now, if you tell me that you'll never make a Final Four with Fran, I might be nodding my head along with ya on that.

Now, we wait to see what chump Indiana brings in. I doubt Alford will leave Los Angeles with two Balls coming up through the ranks. Also, bad timing for IU again because Stevens isn't ready to come back to college with the Celts holding so many 1st round picks in their pocket. So who is their pick? Is it too soon to re-hire Tom Crean? He's so insufferable that he'd probably leap at the chance. He is so bummed out that the Illini passed on him.

I think the Illini got an OK coach but he's like 55 years old and he has a red-hot temper like their ex-football coach Tim Beckman. He's also a mercenary like Bill Self. For $2.5 Million a year, why not hire a young coach? Just because it didn't work with Groce doesn't mean you give up on getting a young guy instead of a hothead mercenary.

 

[YesterdaysCat]

I might be more frustrated actually with the flagrant call on the ball screen. These days they eliminate all nuance and review these things with, it appears, intent to find a flagrant. The way that defenders try to trick their way through ball screens invites all kinds of reactions by the screener. The screener is not in a vacuum. He's reacting to the contact by the defender. And as a former player, and a PG, it's no fun being ball-screened to death all game. So occasionally you grab whatever you can to create a reaction. The refs review this stuff and it's as though they approach the video review absolving one side from all possible influence in the play. It's crazy.

And then they review in super slow-motion. When it comes to above-the-shoulders contact, everything looks flagrant. The game is played not in slow-mo, but in regular speed. I wish reviews were done in regular speed for these judgment calls, because this provides a more objective look into what occurred.

Out-of-bounds calls? Was it a two or a three? Goaltending (sorry to bring it up)? Slow that down frame by frame. That's great.

These incredibly subjective flagrant reviews should not be reviewed as they are.

The flagrant call was probably the only right one whistled on us all night among the judgment calls. He threw an elbow up to the face area and that's just simply not appropriate. When guys rebound the ball and toss an elbow under duress, you can understand the instinct to lash out, but setting a screen and casually lobbing a head-high elbow backwards like that? Nah, that was a flagrant foul.

But hey, there were still 6 or 7 questionable called whistled on NU in the 2 games. Plenty for you and me to whine about for sure.

 

[Rudolph]

The thing is that normal human errors tend to cut both ways, so that often on average they have no real effect on the outcome of the game. This time it seems far more questionable calls went in favor of the Zags than the other way around. Probably more than enough to cover the 6-pt spread between the teams. When that happens, there may be a competence problem...or it may be even worse.

Oh I agree with you, refs were awful and, as I said in my original post, much to the favor of Gonzaga. I just don't think that was their intent. And I don't know this crew well enough to say they're incompetent. Certainly today they appeared to be.

In the NCAA tournament they piece together crews from a pool of refs. They don't take crews who often work together and assign them as a crew. So sometimes a crew just won't work together well — like today.

They sucked. I'm an Iowa fan and a Duke hater, so I fully empathize with every damn one of you. Iowa fans notoriously (and sometimes rightly) assess blame to the refs. And, objectively, whenever Duke wins the refs clearly favored them. This is just plain fact.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1_rivals]

With more competent refs, NU wins today. And losing today hardens team resolve for next year

NU got jobbed by the refs against Michigan in the BTT last year and the result in 2016-17 was the round of 32.

After this most recent display, could we be looking at a final four trip next season?

 

[FeliSilvestris]

After this most recent display, could we be looking at a final four trip next season?

In my book I'll register this as an honorary Sweet 16 year. I don't think the cats would have made it into the E8 with this roster, but an honorary S16 is extremely good for a program that hadn't even been to the T before.

Big question is who willl actually be available to play next season. It seems that every single year one or more expected to be major contributors can't play for much of or all the season, for whatever reasons. We'll k now when we get there.

 

[Rudolph]

He's way better than a lot of coaches who were in the Dance. We all know some of the conferences with auto bids are woeful and don't deserve to be there (looking at you, Mike Davis and the SWAC).

Also, hey, winning the Big Ten reg season is nice, but with the BTT, there are really two champs each year and two chances for every team. Hard to imagine Iowa doesn't win a title somewhere along the line. Now, if you tell me that you'll never make a Final Four with Fran, I might be nodding my head along with ya on that.

Now, we wait to see what chump Indiana brings in. I doubt Alford will leave Los Angeles with two Balls coming up through the ranks. Also, bad timing for IU again because Stevens isn't ready to come back to college with the Celts holding so many 1st round picks in their pocket. So who is their pick? Is it too soon to re-hire Tom Crean? He's so insufferable that he'd probably leap at the chance. He is so bummed out that the Illini passed on him.

I think the Illini got an OK coach but he's like 55 years old and he has a red-hot temper like their ex-football coach Tim Beckman. He's also a mercenary like Bill Self. For $2.5 Million a year, why not hire a young coach? Just because it didn't work with Groce doesn't mean you give up on getting a young guy instead of a hothead mercenary.

Yeah we're in agreement on Fran. I'm happy with him, no question, just feel like there is a clear ceiling there.

And as former player I am extra critical. I had a hall-of-fame high school coach, then Dr. Tom Davis, then I got involved in coaching in San Francisco where I got to help run coaching clinics featuring guys like Randy Bennet (St. Mary's), Majerus, Mike Montgomery, Mike Dunlap. Dr. Tom would never be mistaken for a defensive coach, but he taught, coached, and drilled the hell out of rebounding—especially defensive rebounding. Iowa, under Fran, year after year just does't take care of the defensive glass. Drives me crazy because I believe rebounding to be the most teachable and most executable individual and team skill. Bad defense with a defensive rebound is still a stop. Good defense while giving up an offensive rebound might as well have been no defense at all.

Anyways, I'm out. Good talking with you Cats. You're in Rosemont next year, right? Make it your home, man. These kids deserve it. Make that place crazy. It's doable. I watched Jason Kidd end Bobby Hurley's career in that building, and it was electric. This just happens to be my favorite moment as a basketball fan, by the way.

Years later, in the Bay Area Pro Am summer league, I played against Lamond Murray and told him this was my all-time favorite NCAA moment. He smiled and said, "mine, too."

Basketball is awesome, and Collins (and those kids) are making it awesome for you long-suffering (and currently suffering) fans. Be happy, though (in a few days or so). You're suffering in the third week in March.

Welcome to the madness.

 

[ColumbusCatFan1_rivals]

It seems that every single year one or more expected to be major contributors can't play for much of or all the season, for whatever reasons

You are referring to the price of admission for being a fan of Northwestern basketball ; )

 

[Alan Smithee_rivals156293]

I agree - at first I couldn't imagine why they were looking at the Benson screen but they got that call right. Elbow ended up too high.

 

[EvanstonCat]

By the way, Iowa was NCAA-caliber this year. Not sure if you saw it, but some awful officiating in the last 30 seconds of regulation cost Iowa a win versus Minnesota. Flip that game and Iowa is most likely in (all other things being equal, of course).

Fran will never get Iowa a B1G title, though. His program has a shaky foundation. It remains that defense and rebounding are the foundations for winning championships. Neither of these appear to have the level of teaching, commitment, nor sustained execution to get Iowa beyond good and into great.

But we'll see. Fran is a smart guy, and soon he'll have his kids in the program. Maybe that will force him to reevaluate and adjust. And currently his talent is good, and finally Iowa has a true leader (Bohannon). And Tyler Cook also is a vocal, engaged personality that appears to fit well with Bohannon. Sort of like McIntosh and I think Pardon. But Cook is more talented than Pardon, but don't get me wrong—I love Pardon.

Since I first saw McIntosh last year I was telling everybody "Iowa desperately needs a guy like that" and, well, I think we have him. That kid came in with immediate swagger, self-confidence, moxie—like he could give two ***** what the program's been historically. I love that.

I'm excited for you guys next year. Without looking at your roster to see who you lose, I know you'll be good because McIntosh will make sure of it. After tonight—that's going to be one motivated kid.

And everybody is going to follow his lead.

We lose one starter - Sanjay Lumpkin, and Nate Taphorn (the tall blonde guy who hit the 2 big threes). Everyone else comes back, plus we get a couple 4 star players back from injury, including Aaron Falzon who started 26 games for us as a freshman. CCC is right. This is not the end, it's just the beginning...

 

[Booty Maximus]

Heck of a season, Cats.

 

[Rudolph]

We lose one starter - Sanjay Lumpkin, and Nate Taphorn (the tall blonde guy who hit the 2 big threes). Everyone else comes back, plus we get a couple 4 star players back from injury, including Aaron Falzon who started 26 games for us as a freshman. CCC is right. This is not the end, it's just the beginning...

I played a little bit here and there with Taphorn's dad and uncle. I'm from Peoria so even though they're both a little older than me I've played some pickup ball with those guys. Good players. Was cool to see Nate catch fire to fuel the comeback yesterday.

 

[Username Not Available]

NU got jobbed by the refs against Michigan in the BTT last year and the result in 2016-17 was the round of 32.

After this most recent display, could we be looking at a final four trip next season?

I'd love to see that! tbh what I look forward to is another competitive year and another winning conference record leading to another tournament invite.

Its gonna be a great ride and right now the final four doesn't seem completely impossible. Highly unlikely, but not completely...