This team is better than last year's

[EvanstonCat]

Most of the players have improved. Boo, despite his detractors, is a real player for us. Nance is who we wanted him to be. Young's improved. Berry's improved.
We have promising freshmen. Miller is as one of the announcers said addition by substraction.

What if Audige is as improved as Boo is?
What if Barnhizer is the best of the frosh, as I think most of us expected him to be?

What if our 3-0 start last year was indicative of the potential of this group, and that this year we can sustain that level of play?

I'm cautiously optimistic. We haven't been perfect, but I like what I'm seeing. Even in the Providence game, I think we win that game usually if their shooters aren't shooting way out of their league. I liked how we didn't give up and made a run at the end as well.

So much more optimism for hoops right now, than at any point during the football season.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

This team is WAY better as individuals and as a team than last year's edition. They are capable of finishing in the top half of the B1G. Beyond Northwestern winning games, I am also concerned about the overall quality of the B1G and its implications on power rankings. If there are a few bad teams, our W/L record may be good but the weak non-conference schedule could come back to haunt us. We need to win the Wake and DePaul games.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Welcome to the optimistic side of the fence, gentlemen!

I don't buy the "addition by subtraction" argument for Miller Kopp.
You may not believe this, but when Kopp was not on the court last year we got mauled 291-213, much worse than our average performance.

I am willing to say that Simmons, Williams and Roper add more than we lost with Kopp and Gaines.
And obviously every returning player should be as good or better than last year. Berry was the most likely to make significant progress and he seems to have done that.

I always thought of Barnhizer as our #3 freshman. If he is better than that, great!

 

[DaCat]

This team is WAY better as individuals and as a team than last year's edition. They are capable of finishing in the top half of the B1G. Beyond Northwestern winning games, I am also concerned about the overall quality of the B1G and its implications on power rankings. If there are a few bad teams, our W/L record may be good but the weak non-conference schedule could come back to haunt us. We need to win the Wake and DePaul games.

It seems the B1G is a bit down compared to the past few seasons. I hope we can take advantage and get double digit conference wins. It's definitely possible.

 

[GatoLouco]

Welcome to the optimistic side of the fence, gentlemen!

I don't buy the "addition by subtraction" argument for Miller Kopp.
You may not believe this, but when Kopp was not on the court last year we got mauled 291-213, much worse than our average performance.

I am willing to say that Simmons, Williams and Roper add more than we lost with Kopp and Gaines.
And obviously every returning player should be as good or better than last year. Berry was the most likely to make significant progress and he seems to have done that.

I always thought of Barnhizer as our #3 freshman. If he is better than that, great!

I never got on the bandwagon that Kopp leaving was not a big deal. It was, but as long as it was limited to him, it was a good off season for us. Most losing teams are losing a lot more than that these days.

Folks focus on the shooting percentages going down. While true, he also helped create space as his defender tended to stick to him. It helped others get better shots. That's something we have to make up for without him. No one is going to float as much covering Simmons.

However, if he was a problem in the locker room, as there's some credible signs he was, it's probably better he's gone.

 

[cats_man_too]

I never got on the bandwagon that Kopp leaving was not a big deal. It was, but as long as it was limited to him, it was a good off season for us. Most losing teams are losing a lot more than that these days.

Folks focus on the shooting percentages going down. While true, he also helped create space as his defender tended to stick to him. It helped others get better shots. That's something we have to make up for without him. No one is going to float as much covering Simmons.

However, if he was a problem in the locker room, as there's some credible signs he was, it's probably better he's gone.

I think Kopp had/has trouble creating shots and Buie and Audige are volume shooters that didn't look for him consistently. This caused him to force looks when he could, leading to both lower percentages and frustration. I see open shooters in corners still that aren't being found once we drive and create opportunities. We tend to force up shots in traffic rather than kick it out.

 

[NREPP Fraud]

Most of the players have improved. Boo, despite his detractors, is a real player for us. Nance is who we wanted him to be. Young's improved. Berry's improved.
We have promising freshmen. Miller is as one of the announcers said addition by substraction.

What if Audige is as improved as Boo is?
What if Barnhizer is the best of the frosh, as I think most of us expected him to be?

What if our 3-0 start last year was indicative of the potential of this group, and that this year we can sustain that level of play?

I'm cautiously optimistic. We haven't been perfect, but I like what I'm seeing. Even in the Providence game, I think we win that game usually if their shooters aren't shooting way out of their league. I liked how we didn't give up and made a run at the end as well.

So much more optimism for hoops right now, than at any point during the football season.

Deep bench!