Takeaways from this game

[TheC]

1. Anthony Gaines is worth his weight in gold. I'm convinced now. He doesn't even have to take a shot and he's still so valuable. He shuts down the other team's best scorer. He's done that two games in a row now. It is amazing to watch.

2. That was certainly the break-out game for AJ. Let's hope he keeps shooting like that going forward.

3. We seem to struggle when teams double Pardon in the post. We're going to have to figure out an adjustment for that. Perhaps the passer needs to cut immediately so his man is forced to make a decision. By just standing there on the wing, we made it too easy today for the double team to bother DP.

 

[NJcatsfan_rivals139741]

25-0 runs don't happen often. That was really something.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

25-0 runs don't happen often. That was really something.

Good basketball teams pull it off occasionally.

 

[xxxbobxxx]

That was simply amazing. We could hit the broad side of a barn for most the game, then somebody flipped the switch and the took off. Simply amazing.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

25-0 runs don't happen often. That was really something.

I've seen dozens of them. Against us over the years

 

[Figrating]

The takeaway I got was don't give up on this team. Even though they may drive you crazy with poor shooting for most of a game now and then.

As of today, they're playing better. Good lesson on how to win. GO CATS!

 

[DaCat]

In the first half, Turner looked lost. The second half was an entirely different game for him. Great performance, and hope he plays this confidently the rest of the season.

 

[willycat]

1. Anthony Gaines is worth his weight in gold. I'm convinced now. He doesn't even have to take a shot and he's still so valuable. He shuts down the other team's best scorer. He's done that two games in a row now. It is amazing to watch.

2. That was certainly the break-out game for AJ. Let's hope he keeps shooting like that going forward.

3. We seem to struggle when teams double Pardon in the post. We're going to have to figure out an adjustment for that. Perhaps the passer needs to cut immediately so his man is forced to make a decision. By just standing there on the wing, we made it too easy today for the double team to bother DP.

True when he doesn't shoot he's most valuable.

 

[NJCat]

I'd add that Kopp played his best game as a Cat. Some ill advised passes but playing more confidently and finally hitting some shots.

 

[catcrazy]

Is it me or does Kopp get our first basket of each of our games and then not much after that

 

[freewillie07]

I'd add that Kopp played his best game as a Cat. Some ill advised passes but playing more confidently and finally hitting some shots.

They were almost all pass attempts to Pardon. It’s cool that Kopp realizes that everything should run through Pardon, but he has to be a bit more judicious.

 

[NJCat]

They were almost all pass attempts to Pardon. It’s cool that Kopp realizes that everything should run through Pardon, but he has to be a bit more judicious.

Greer also looks to pass only to Dererk. Which isn't a bad first choice.

 

[mikewebb68]

That was simply amazing. We could hit the broad side of a barn for most the game, then somebody flipped the switch and the took off. Simply amazing.

I think patt of it that we shot so amazingly bad with a ton of open looks the first half that the inevitable was bound to happen when we kept gwtting those open looks in second half. DePaul basically took Pardon away by camping two and three players inside, a strategy that almost worked...

 

[WarCat_rivals517503]

Did anybody happen to notice that AJ Turner started slowly, but when a frustrated Chris Collins sent Ryan Greer to the scorer's table, AJ would go on a tear, and Collins would sit Greer back down? It was like showing a race horse the whip without using it.

This happened at least twice during today's game.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I think patt of it that we shot so amazingly bad with a ton of open looks the first half that the inevitable was bound to happen when we kept gwtting those open looks in second half. DePaul basically took Pardon away by camping two and three players inside, a strategy that almost worked...

Yes, almost entire focus on stopping Pardon. He struggled a little with recognizing the double and triple team early.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

1. Anthony Gaines is worth his weight in gold. I'm convinced now. He doesn't even have to take a shot and he's still so valuable. He shuts down the other team's best scorer. He's done that two games in a row now. It is amazing to watch.

2. That was certainly the break-out game for AJ. Let's hope he keeps shooting like that going forward.

3. We seem to struggle when teams double Pardon in the post. We're going to have to figure out an adjustment for that. Perhaps the passer needs to cut immediately so his man is forced to make a decision. By just standing there on the wing, we made it too easy today for the double team to bother DP.

AJ made a poor defensive move and then didn't go for a rebound (He was off balance but Collins didn't see). So, Collins gets pissed off and screams for Greer to check in. Turner immediately saw that and then drained a 3. After Turner drained the 3, Collins told Greer to get back to the bench. Then Turner drove and scored again. Then a timeout and Turner came over and said "Coach, I'm sorry my bad on that" Collins understood and the rest was more smooth shooting.

As far as Pardon being doubled. That's the plan since the second half of the Michigan game. The difference between the first half and second half was less tentativeness from the outside shot. Kopp barely played down the stretch as he continues to pass up shots, and makes poor decisions when he drives after getting a kickout pass from Pardon. It worked for him a bit in an earlier game where he would drive and ditch back off to Pardon, but Depaul was ready for that.

Separately, Depaul seemed to struggle with our double teams as well on #25. The coach actually took him out from the paint, and set him on the perimeter and he did make one shot but I was actually thankful that #25 wasn't in the middle as much. And as it turned out, it didn't work for Depaul.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

AJ made a poor defensive move and then didn't go for a rebound (He was off balance but Collins didn't see). So, Collins gets pissed off and screams for Greer to check in. Turner immediately saw that and then drained a 3. After Turner drained the 3, Collins told Greer to get back to the bench. Then Turner drove and scored again. Then a timeout and Turner came over and said "Coach, I'm sorry my bad on that" Collins understood and the rest was more smooth shooting.

As far as Pardon being doubled. That's the plan since the second half of the Michigan game. The difference between the first half and second half was less tentativeness from the outside shot. Kopp barely played down the stretch as he continues to pass up shots, and makes poor decisions when he drives after getting a kickout pass from Pardon. It worked for him a bit in an earlier game where he would drive and ditch back off to Pardon, but Depaul was ready for that.

Separately, Depaul seemed to struggle with our double teams as well on #25. The coach actually took him out from the paint, and set him on the perimeter and he did make one shot but I was actually thankful that #25 wasn't in the middle as much. And as it turned out, it didn't work for Depaul.

I don’t think DePaul is as bad as some are making them out to be. They will upset a few teams.

 

[mikewebb68]

I don’t think DePaul is as bad as some are making them out to be. They will upset a few teams.

They're about the level of Utah based on what I've seen thus far...

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

I don’t think DePaul is as bad as some are making them out to be. They will upset a few teams.

They are better than last year and they are competitive enough to win big east games.

 

[Catreporter]

They are better than last year and they are competitive enough to win big east games.

I agree. Their grad transfer center is a huge upgrade, Gage was hurt last year, and the Big East isn't quite as good. This was a quality win.

 

[NJCat]

I agree. Their grad transfer center is a huge upgrade, Gage was hurt last year, and the Big East isn't quite as good. This was a quality win.

I hope Collins can land a grad transfer at Center for next year......

 

[Fitz51]

My takeaway is that people’s real-time hot takes in the game threads suck.

 

[mikewebb68]

My takeaway is that people’s real-time hot takes in the game threads suck.

BUT FITZ51, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, WE ARE WAY, WAY WORSE THAN DEPAUL! IF I POST IT LIKE I'M SHOUTING, IT MUST BE TRUE!

Oh wait...we won by 7? n/m....

 

[scru]

BUT FITZ51, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, WE ARE WAY, WAY WORSE THAN DEPAUL! IF I POST IT LIKE I'M SHOUTING, IT MUST BE TRUE!

Oh wait...we won by 7? n/m....

Did either of you watch the game in real time?

Down 15 halfway thru the second half, playing uninspired defense, chucking and missing threes, and no apparent rhythm on offense. The fact that you were able to foresee that 25-0 run that allowed the Cats to win with the team going 6 for 6 from 3 is beyond impressive. Well done, both! It is cool that you never had a doubt in the team.

Please excuse my moments of weakness while watching in real time and expressing frustration while watching an extremely frustrating performance by our team up to that point. You are right, it was completely unacceptable and impossible to fathom.

Henceforth I will only ever remain completely positive and confident that this team will win every game, no matter how they are playing or what the score. I will repress all feelings of doubt and frustration because that is how Mike and Fitz51 believe fans should act.

Sorry that in the moment emotional expressions offend you so, but I’ve got another for you... (redacted)

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

BUT FITZ51, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME, WE ARE WAY, WAY WORSE THAN DEPAUL! IF I POST IT LIKE I'M SHOUTING, IT MUST BE TRUE!

Oh wait...we won by 7? n/m....

I myself usually don't go to the 'in game threads' but, in the context of that small window of time, it would have been reasonable to conclude that Depaul was better when they were up by 15. I'd prefer giving Depaul credit and seeing it as a quality win.
I think there is a very fine line between winning and losing this year for all teams since there is a lot of parity in NCAA basketball now. Not much, except maybe depth, separates a team ranked in the top 5 and a team listed in the top 50 on any given night.

Based on what I have observed this year, we are improving and players are taking their place of where they fit in. It appears we are good enough to think about the Dance. If it wasn't for missing a last second basket in 2 games, we would probably be ranked in the top 15.

 

[NJCat]

I myself usually don't go to the 'in game threads' but, in the context of that small window of time, it would have been reasonable to conclude that Depaul was better when they were up by 15. I'd prefer giving Depaul credit and seeing it as a quality win.
I think there is a very fine line between winning and losing this year for all teams since there is a lot of parity in NCAA basketball now. Not much, except maybe depth, separates a team ranked in the top 5 and a team listed in the top 50 on any given night.

Based on what I have observed this year, we are improving and players are taking their place of where they fit in. It appears we are good enough to think about the Dance. If it wasn't for missing a last second basket in 2 games, we would probably be ranked in the top 15.

Great take.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Did Northwest hoops invent horseshoes and hand grenades? Dang!

 

[NJCat]

Did Northwest hoops invent horseshoes and hand grenades? Dang!

Don't forget Drive-In movies......

 

[its_the_sauce]

I finally hit up the baked potato stand, highly recommended.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I finally hit up the baked potato stand, highly recommended.

Some guy behind was wailing about the unappealing nature of tacos in a bag. It took all of my Viking will I could muster not to smite him with an iron fist.

 

[freewillie07]

Did either of you watch the game in real time?

Down 15 halfway thru the second half, playing uninspired defense, chucking and missing threes, and no apparent rhythm on offense. The fact that you were able to foresee that 25-0 run that allowed the Cats to win with the team going 6 for 6 from 3 is beyond impressive. Well done, both! It is cool that you never had a doubt in the team.

Please excuse my moments of weakness while watching in real time and expressing frustration while watching an extremely frustrating performance by our team up to that point. You are right, it was completely unacceptable and impossible to fathom.

Henceforth I will only ever remain completely positive and confident that this team will win every game, no matter how they are playing or what the score. I will repress all feelings of doubt and frustration because that is how Mike and Fitz51 believe fans should act.

Sorry that in the moment emotional expressions offend you so, but I’ve got another for you... (redacted)

I will say it again: there is a difference between being frustrated at a lack of hustle plays and a poor shooting performance, and declaring that NU “is the worst team in Chicago.”

There’s a happy medium of “ugh, we might lose this game, which is too bad because on an average day we beat this team by 7-10 points.”

I was alarmist after Fresno State because it felt like last year and Texas Tech all over again. But we have a large enough sample now to know what this team is made of.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Did either of you watch the game in real time?

Down 15 halfway thru the second half, playing uninspired defense, chucking and missing threes, and no apparent rhythm on offense. The fact that you were able to foresee that 25-0 run that allowed the Cats to win with the team going 6 for 6 from 3 is beyond impressive. Well done, both! It is cool that you never had a doubt in the team.

Please excuse my moments of weakness while watching in real time and expressing frustration while watching an extremely frustrating performance by our team up to that point. You are right, it was completely unacceptable and impossible to fathom.

Henceforth I will only ever remain completely positive and confident that this team will win every game, no matter how they are playing or what the score. I will repress all feelings of doubt and frustration because that is how Mike and Fitz51 believe fans should act.

Sorry that in the moment emotional expressions offend you so, but I’ve got another for you... (redacted)

Being frustrated with a poor performance is normal. Playing appropriately 30 games, every team with have bad stretches, halves, or full games. Pretty much guarantee NU will have a full game where they are as awful as they were in the first half against DePaul. IMO the in game threads produce massive overreaction. This is on the negative side when playing poorly AND on the positive side when playing well. I rarely even read them with both NU teams. The game thread is great for those who like to interact with NU fans in close to real time reaction. Personally, I don’t care to ride that emotional roller coaster with the inevitable ebb and flows of each game.

I thought I would read the thread post game since there was a wild swing in performance in the second half. The game thread called NU “soft” and the worse team in Chicago. I get frustrated with the best of them, but this just might be an emotional over reaction in the moment? DePaul went from a team prepared to play to a terrible team in the matter of minutes.

 

[scru]

I will say it again: there is a difference between being frustrated at a lack of hustle plays and a poor shooting performance, and declaring that NU “is the worst team in Chicago.”

There’s a happy medium of “ugh, we might lose this game, which is too bad because on an average day we beat this team by 7-10 points.”

I was alarmist after Fresno State because it felt like last year and Texas Tech all over again. But we have a large enough sample now to know what this team is made of.

Fair, but these types of comments are more emotional than rational. At that moment in the game, they looked like the worst team in Chicago. Yes, I would be a terrible coach.

 

[scru]

Being frustrated with a poor performance is normal. Playing appropriately 30 games, every team with have bad stretches, halves, or full games. Pretty much guarantee NU will have a full game where they are as awful as they were in the first half against DePaul. IMO the in game threads produce massive overreaction. This is on the negative side when playing poorly AND on the positive side when playing well. I rarely even read them with both NU teams. The game thread is great for those who like to interact with NU fans in close to real time reaction. Personally, I don’t care to ride that emotional roller coaster with the inevitable ebb and flows of each game.

I thought I would read the thread post game since there was a wild swing in performance in the second half. The game thread called NU “soft” and the worse team in Chicago. I get frustrated with the best of them, but this just might be an emotional over reaction in the moment? DePaul went from a team prepared to play to a terrible team in the matter of minutes.

Point taken. Again, at that point in the game NU was allowing easy baskets on the interior, not getting rebounds, and looked fairly disinterested in the game. To their credit, they turned it around.

I do so enjoy the emotional roller coaster, perhaps a bit too much...

 

[mikewebb68]

Fair, but these types of comments are more emotional than rational. At that moment in the game, they looked like the worst team in Chicago. Yes, I would be a terrible coach.

The problem with that "moment" posting is that it is proven to be inaccurate overreactions 9 times out of ten. Otherwise, the Illini would be among thd best teams in the country since they play fantastic first halves! Thus with such posting, you almost always look like a dolt later on. If you don't care about looking like a dolt, then by all means have at it. But if you do care, probably best not to post in the first place..

 

[mikewebb68]

I myself usually don't go to the 'in game threads' but, in the context of that small window of time, it would have been reasonable to conclude that Depaul was better when they were up by 15. I'd prefer giving Depaul credit and seeing it as a quality win.
I think there is a very fine line between winning and losing this year for all teams since there is a lot of parity in NCAA basketball now. Not much, except maybe depth, separates a team ranked in the top 5 and a team listed in the top 50 on any given night.

Based on what I have observed this year, we are improving and players are taking their place of where they fit in. It appears we are good enough to think about the Dance. If it wasn't for missing a last second basket in 2 games, we would probably be ranked in the top 15.

No, because not-so-good teams take big leads on better teams all the time, but rarely close them out. Not for one second in that game did I think DePaul was better than us. Not one.

 

[scru]

The problem with that "moment" posting is that it is proven to be inaccurate overreactions 9 times out of ten. Otherwise, the Illini would be among thd best teams in the country since they play fantastic first halves! Thus with such posting, you almost always look like a dolt later on. If you don't care about looking like a dolt, then by all means have at it. But if you do care, probably best not to post in the first place..

Give exactly 2 poos about looking like a dolt, but thanks for the consideration. I stand by whatever I write whenever I write it. And, again, I'm very impressed by how the team was able to come together when the chips were down and it looked like they were about out of it. I'm hopeful we'll see this team live up to their true potential and start playing the full 40 minutes. Could be special!

 

[NJCat]

No, because not-so-good teams take big leads on better teams all the time, but raeely close them out. Not for one second in that game did I think DePaul was better than us. Not one.

DePaul likely isn't "better" than NU. But they darn sure could have won the game yesterday. Upsets happen all the time. Just ask Kentucky. I was not confident of victory when NU fell behind by 15 even though I thought NU was better......

 

[mikewebb68]

DePaul likely isn't "better" than NU. But they darn sure could have won the game yesterday. Upsets happen all the time. Just ask Kentucky. I was not confident of victory when NU fell behind by 15 even though I thought NU was better......

I was thinking to myself the moment we were down 15 "hey, weren't we down 15 to Michigan as well,? And they're a far better team than DePaul..."I've seen so many inferior teams blow late leads that I almost expect it. And once we had put together the first 9 points of the run, I basically thought you could stick a fork in DePaul. You can see it in a team's demanor sometimes...

 

[mikewebb68]

Give exactly 2 poos about looking like a dolt, but thanks for the consideration. I stand by whatever I write whenever I write it. And, again, I'm very impressed by how the team was able to come together when the chips were down and it looked like they were about out of it. I'm hopeful we'll see this team live up to their true potential and start playing the full 40 minutes. Could be special!

Solid post, but keep in mind even the Dukes of the world have trouble putting together 40 solid minutes consistently...