So what needs to change?

[freewillie07]

Agree re. Greer. He was a steadying influence while Boo couldn't do anything positive. Young also needs more minutes unless Nance is having his occasional assertive game.

It's one thing to be a "steadying influence," it's another to have the ability to get the rest of the guys around you out of a massive slump. Greer may not make bad mistakes but he's also not a Big Ten level playmaker.

When things started caving in during the second half, there was simply no one on NU willing to take the big shot, nor have the patience to search for a high percentage look, nor drive and draw a foul. It was all bad midrange jumpers or off-balance floaters.

 

[GatoLouco]

So Maryland, not exactly a B1G power this season just went to IL and won. Against the team so many, including myself, said here, has final 4 potential. Big surprise? Maybe. But I think it’s more proof that the differences across teams are minimal.

What stood out to me was how much more they hustled than we did. Kept IL at 63 pts and really brought effort and physicality on defense.

Fun facts according to the B1G number diggers:
1) last time a team in the power conferences came down from 15 down to win by 20+? Over 25 years ago
2) last time a power conference team outscored another in conference by 40 in a half? 2003

For those trying to normalize what happened to us against IL, it was far from normal. It was resetting the calendar to last year. I really need to see something different in the next game or I will further believe Collins can recruit but is seriously limited beyond that.

 

[corbi2961]

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin are starting to separate themselves in the Big Ten and not much difference between those 4.

Verifying Browser...

NW looks to be NIT bound again, is the NCAA going to have an NIT this year?

That’s a joke. Look at what Michigan is doing to Wisconsin. It’s Michigan, then Iowa and then everybody else.

 

[corbi2961]

Lol...someone is getting a little angry...

You must have me confused for someone else. I don’t even follow NU basketball. I stick to Football and on that front I only have one thing to say.

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

Zone is rolling the dice. You can get lucky, but your luck usually runs out. The better the competition the riskier it is. If it wasn't, it would be widely used. After all, it even rests the players a lot more and helps keeping them out of foul trouble.

Would not be so against it if we were bad on man to man defense. But we are not. Maybe I am just (unnecessary) risk averse and, in the end, your numbers will prove me wrong.

Depends on your personnel, how you use it and how much you've practiced it. Boeheim baffled teams for years with a 2-3 zone at Syracuse. He recruited lanky guys with big wingspans to make entry passes difficult and to harass three-point shooters.

 

[GatoLouco]

Depends on your personnel, how you use it and how much you've practiced it. Boeheim baffled teams for years with a 2-3 zone at Syracuse. He recruited lanky guys with big wingspans to make entry passes difficult and to harass three-point shooters.

1) Agreed on personnel. Just like 1-3-1 made sense for BC as his personnel was composed of subpar, slow, under sized athletes who could be abused one on one. Furthermore, 1-3-1 aims at keeping the ball away from the paint more than other zones.

2) Agreed on practicing and how the Syracuse example is just an extreme demonstration of it. Practicing it a lot surely helps, and there are always teams being successful with match up zones, an attempt to incorporate more man to man aspects in the zone. But on Syracuse:

Imagine, for simplification, their roster is 3 FR/3 SO/3 JR/3 DR. You have 3 players that have been practicing it every day, every game, for 3 years. 3 players who have done it for 2 years. 3 players who have done it for 1. And, finally, 3 who are learning it. That's a lot of time perfecting it. At any given time at least 9 players have been doing it for at least a year.

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

1) Agreed on personnel. Just like 1-3-1 made sense for BC as his personnel was composed of subpar, slow, under sized athletes who could be abused one on one. Furthermore, 1-3-1 aims at keeping the ball away from the paint more than other zones.

2) Agreed on practicing and how the Syracuse example is just an extreme demonstration of it. Practicing it a lot surely helps, and there are always teams being successful with match up zones, an attempt to incorporate more man to man aspects in the zone. But on Syracuse:

Imagine, for simplification, their roster is 3 FR/3 SO/3 JR/3 DR. You have 3 players that have been practicing it every day, every game, for 3 years. 3 players who have done it for 2 years. 3 players who have done it for 1. And, finally, 3 who are learning it. That's a lot of time perfecting it. At any given time at least 9 players have been doing it for at least a year.

It's basically like any other defense. You play it well or you don't. I prefer a good man-to-man defense, but occasionally unless you're a top 10 squad you will meet a team that just has superior personnel to yours or a player whom nobody on your team can match up with effectively. You'd better have some zone in your repertoire at that point. Wisconsin usually plays a good help man-to-man, but the speedy Michigan guys were blowing by them as if they weren't there last night.

Although Knight did get a final title at Indiana in 1987, his sagging man-to-man defenses were never quite as effective after the three-point shot came into play. Before that, the Hoosiers had shut off the inside like a vice, forcing the other teams into long-range shots that weren't productive when all baskets were two points. With the three-point shot, it suddenly was practical to make 35 percent of your shots from long range, because that was the equivalent of shooting better than 50 percent for two-point goals. Both zones and man-to-man now require a lot more activity and effective help defense than formerly. The number of effective big men in the league this year makes it hard to stop everything. NU did a good job on Garza at Iowa, but Bohannon ended up killing us while we were doubling down inside.

 

[flight 33]

You must have me confused for someone else. I don’t even follow NU basketball. I stick to Football and on that front I only have one thing to say.

I don’t follow NU football ....that’s why I am on the basketball board..

 

[flight 33]

They may have two future NBA players but that doesn't mean they are a top team. Besides, I am not a fan of their big center and his game does not translate very well to the NBA game. Ayo is a different story. I've watched him play since he was a sophomore in HS and he is clearly a highly skilled basketball player but his talents as an individual player don't always translate to the full benefit of the team. Iowa and especially Michigan would stomp the Illinois team I have seen play this year 9 out of every 10x they play.

@corbi296

 

[willycat]

So something ain’t right. We were pulverized in two straight games.

I saw the most lopsided half of my life between “comparable” teams. I know we are prone to hyperbole after a loss, but I honestly can’t remember watching a half like this that wasn’t a major team against a doormat.

So what needs to change? I’m truly curious about hearing suggestions

Admissions.

 

[Booty Maximus]

That’s a joke. Look at what Michigan is doing to Wisconsin. It’s Michigan, then Iowa and then everybody else.

Good point, Wisconsin didn't belong after all. Should have been Ohio St. Or maybe Purdue!

 

[NUera]

Illinois win the national championship? Not the team I watched yesterday. Just in the Big Ten, Iowa and especially Michigan are on a completely different level than Illinois and NU.

Are we revisiting this yet? Because Illinois is surging at the right time, having absolutely smoked Michigan "on the road." Two NBA players, an emerging stud and potential FOY in Andre Curbelo, and solid role players - that's how you make noise in March. BTW this isn't meant to call out Corbi... but more like, "Damn, Illinois is stacked."