Scarlet Knights are running Izzo and the Spartans out of the Jersey Mike's Center. Rutgers has dominated the second half.
Rutgers
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He reminds me a little of Chris Mullins (although not as talented overall) — a crafty, street-smart type of player with just enough speed.
They ran the same defense the Cats saw last Tuesday for a lot of the game. Pressing, falling back into a zone, and Michigan State had problems with it, just like we did.
That press does create a lot of problems. The 2nd half of the NU game was no doubt a confidence booster for them.
Remember, he wanted to come to NU but Admissions said no. Might have been enough for 3 - 6 more wins the last couple of years.
I’ve watched a lot of RU basketball the past few seasons as they’re my “closest” B1G team.
Mulcahy is a really good B1G basketball player. He’s starting to realize his potential - particularly the last two games - but he’s been a big part of RU’s success the past three seasons.
And it sounded like he really wanted to come to NU. So admissions botching that one is a reason why I’m taking it a little bit easier on CCC as Mulcahy would have been the difference in a lot of these close losses.
Chris Mullins was a superstar. One of the best in the game. I hope he reminds you a “very” little of Mullins.
It's interesting because these things are never straightline "add this player and whatever success you've had is added to by x". It seems pretty obvious that Mulcahy would have taken Buie's spot and NU would probably never have had Buie. Buie's numbers pretty much across the board are better than Mulcahy's for all three years, but Mulcahy played on teams that were better. So the questions you have to ask yourself are:
* Would Mulcahy have come in and been as ready to contribute as a freshman as Buie was? Buie was a double digit scorer at NU as a frosh while Mulcahy has yet to average double digits at Rutgers.
* Would Mulcahy have developed in the same way that he has at Rutgers if he were working with the NU staff instead?
* Would other players at NU have developed the same or better as they have if Mulcahy was at NU instead of Buie?
* Would subsequent recruits have come to NU with Mulcahy in the fold instead of Buie?
* Would all of that have led to more wins?
It might have been the difference between being shut out and making the postseason the last few years. It might have been a replay of Miller Kopp. Or maybe the impact is negligible.
Mulcahy is only shooting 41.5% this year, which surprises me. Obviously, he could not miss vs. NU. Last year, he was 45% overall and 39% from 3. We really could use a guy who can shoot like that, as well as handle the ball as well as he does (Kopp had nowhere near the ball skills).
Why couldn’t we have signed both? Haven’t we had an unused scholarship or two for a few years?It's interesting because these things are never straightline "add this player and whatever success you've had is added to by x". It seems pretty obvious that Mulcahy would have taken Buie's spot and NU would probably never have had Buie. Buie's numbers pretty much across the board are better than Mulcahy's for all three years, but Mulcahy played on teams that were better. So the questions you have to ask yourself are:
* Would Mulcahy have come in and been as ready to contribute as a freshman as Buie was? Buie was a double digit scorer at NU as a frosh while Mulcahy has yet to average double digits at Rutgers.
* Would Mulcahy have developed in the same way that he has at Rutgers if he were working with the NU staff instead?
* Would other players at NU have developed the same or better as they have if Mulcahy was at NU instead of Buie?
* Would subsequent recruits have come to NU with Mulcahy in the fold instead of Buie?
* Would all of that have led to more wins?
It might have been the difference between being shut out and making the postseason the last few years. It might have been a replay of Miller Kopp. Or maybe the impact is negligible.
I said "a little" and not as talented overall. Didn't think I needed to add any more qualifiers. If you want to pick nits, fine.
It's possible, but seems somewhat unlikely (which is why I said "probably"). Players want to play and the coaches have shown a preference for slotting recruits. Maybe Buie comes anyway, but then the impact you have to consider is how do both he and Mulcahy develop? Does Buie startas a frosh? Does Mulcahy? How does that impact the player they become. Maybe it's the missing link and NU is ranked in the Top 15. Or maybe neither develops as a result of the other and one transfers leaving the other who has developed in a lesser fashion on today's team. We don't really know, but it seems silly to just assume the team would just be adding the current day Mulcahy to what currently exists.
They might actually be our best win by the end of the season.
(Well, probably not, since MSU was a road win, but still a head-turner.)
They have a really weird resume right now. 4 straight wins over ranked (in polls) teams and 10 B1G wins but the computer models still think we’re better. Losing to Lafayette and UMass didn’t help. Lunardi had them in the “next four out” column before the UI game so you’d have to think they’re right on the bubble now. Seems like a team made for one of the play-in games right now, but of course they could just keep winning and remove all doubt that they belong.
That's why we needed the wins v. Purdue and Iowa. Beating Nebraska, Penn State and Minnesota doesn't matter.
Well, for a home game, you should always go into the game with the attitude that you have a chance.
Defend your home.