Thoughts from the couch

[RhabdoWildcat]

1. Credit to Penn State. They were the better team tonight. Played harder, smarter and made shots when they needed to. However, nearly everything that could go wrong for us did. Loose balls, bounces on the rim all went the other way.

2. Game felt like typical Northwestern. Packed house. Win sets up the the next 4-5 games as crucial games for NCAA consideration. Not only do we lose, we do it in painful fashion. Hope this doesn't affect student turnout for other games.

3. Demps seemed to play better in the second half. Hopefully this signals him breaking out of whatever slump he was in. We'll need him in the upcoming games. As erratic as his play can be, he's integral to our success.

4. As for the rest of the team, WTF. Pardon was great. Olah was ok but definitely looks out of sync after the his time off. Maybe the team needs time to adjust to the 3 bigs and how to play with each of them. I thought maybe trying a tri-tower lineup, especially with how dismal our outside shooting was might have sparked something.

5. Not what else Collins can do when the team is playing crapola but he could have coached a better game. The zone completely took us out of our game in the 1st half and most of the second. Offense was pathetic. We looked lost. Should have made some adjustments earlier while the game was still within reach.

6. Crowd looked great on TV. Can people at the game confirm?

7. Falzon. He'll be alright if he develops a midrange/post game. This season seems like he'll be a streaky 3 specialist on offense at least.

8. As bad as we looked, I know this team is better. Can't wait for the next game so I can flush the memory of this one.

 

[Fitz51]

We were gonna drop one of the "games you circle as a win" on the schedule. Need to win the rest and probably two we aren't circling. It's doable.

 

[thewildcat2011]

1. Credit to Penn State. They were the better team tonight. Played harder, smarter and made shots when they needed to. However, nearly everything that could go wrong for us did. Loose balls, bounces on the rim all went the other way.

2. Game felt like typical Northwestern. Packed house. Win sets up the the next 4-5 games as crucial games for NCAA consideration. Not only do we lose, we do it in painful fashion. Hope this doesn't affect student turnout for other games.

3. Demps seemed to play better in the second half. Hopefully this signals him breaking out of whatever slump he was in. We'll need him in the upcoming games. As erratic as his play can be, he's integral to our success.

4. As for the rest of the team, WTF. Pardon was great. Olah was ok but definitely looks out of sync after the his time off. Maybe the team needs time to adjust to the 3 bigs and how to play with each of them. I thought maybe trying a tri-tower lineup, especially with how dismal our outside shooting was might have sparked something.

5. Not what else Collins can do when the team is playing crapola but he could have coached a better game. The zone completely took us out of our game in the 1st half and most of the second. Offense was pathetic. We looked lost. Should have made some adjustments earlier while the game was still within reach.

6. Crowd looked great on TV. Can people at the game confirm?

7. Falzon. He'll be alright if he develops a midrange/post game. This season seems like he'll be a streaky 3 specialist on offense at least.

8. As bad as we looked, I know this team is better. Can't wait for the next game so I can flush the memory of this one.

Crowd was great. Lots of people ready to cheer and be converted into 'Cat believers. Once again we took them mostly out of the game by starting slow and never sustaining any run.

Don't know what is said or done before the game, but it needs to change.

 

[Jeffrey Cat]

1. Credit to Penn State. They were the better team tonight. Played harder, smarter and made shots when they needed to. However, nearly everything that could go wrong for us did. Loose balls, bounces on the rim all went the other way.

2. Game felt like typical Northwestern. Packed house. Win sets up the the next 4-5 games as crucial games for NCAA consideration. Not only do we lose, we do it in painful fashion. Hope this doesn't affect student turnout for other games.

3. Demps seemed to play better in the second half. Hopefully this signals him breaking out of whatever slump he was in. We'll need him in the upcoming games. As erratic as his play can be, he's integral to our success.

4. As for the rest of the team, WTF. Pardon was great. Olah was ok but definitely looks out of sync after the his time off. Maybe the team needs time to adjust to the 3 bigs and how to play with each of them. I thought maybe trying a tri-tower lineup, especially with how dismal our outside shooting was might have sparked something.

5. Not what else Collins can do when the team is playing crapola but he could have coached a better game. The zone completely took us out of our game in the 1st half and most of the second. Offense was pathetic. We looked lost. Should have made some adjustments earlier while the game was still within reach.

6. Crowd looked great on TV. Can people at the game confirm?

7. Falzon. He'll be alright if he develops a midrange/post game. This season seems like he'll be a streaky 3 specialist on offense at least.

8. As bad as we looked, I know this team is better. Can't wait for the next game so I can flush the memory of this one.

This game was a lot like the Ohio State game. They were big and tough on our perimeter game. I really don't think we are near a NCAA team and probably marginal NIT.

I know the last time I was critical of Falzon, he came out blazing in the next game so here's hoping. He is very erratic. I still think he is hearing footsteps any time someone is within 6 feet of him.

I think we have to look at every game for the rest of the season for improvement out of the whole team. There will be wins, probably about 7 or 8 in the Big Ten, but let's relax and look for weekly improvement from these guys.

 

[mikewebb68]

Crowd was great. Lots of people ready to cheer and be converted into 'Cat believers. Once again we took them mostly out of the game by starting slow and never sustaining any run.

Don't know what is said or done before the game, but it needs to change.

Don't believe this had much to do with what was said and done before the game. Kids don't always play their best, and this was one of those nights, perhaps they were looking ahead when they should not have, but kids do that. . Doesn't help when guys like Donovan Jack, one of the worst bigs on any team in the BIG, goes for 14 and 10 and makes free throws (he is a JVZ-level free throw shooter). They played one of their best games of the year, us one of our worst, not much more to it than that.

 

[mikewebb68]

This game was a lot like the Ohio State game. They were big and tough on our perimeter game. I really don't think we are near a NCAA team and probably marginal NIT.

I know the last time I was critical of Falzon, he came out blazing in the next game so here's hoping. He is very erratic. I still think he is hearing footsteps any time someone is within 6 feet of him.

I think we have to look at every game for the rest of the season for improvement out of the whole team. There will be wins, probably about 7 or 8 in the Big Ten, but let's relax and look for weekly improvement from these guys.

We had a LOT more wide open 3s in this game than in then Ohio State game., Not even close.

 

[Walker Fan]

NU needs Falzon or Lindsey to make plays and hit shots. Lindsey had 2 points and 5 fouls. Where is his development? I hope Vic can play SG next year. Because the combination of Lindsey and Ash at the SG position does not instill confidence in next year's squad. You need to win your home games if you want to sniff the NCAA bubble. Losses to OSU and PSU at home does not look good on the resume with no quality wins.

 

[Jeffrey Cat]

We had a LOT more wide open 3s in this game than in then Ohio State game., Not even close.

In the first half we had a lot of good looks with the aforementioned Falzon hearing foot steps but I think the stats should show Penn State was tough on the perimeter in the second half.

At any rate let's all relax, these guys are young and erratic with exception of a couple guys and there will be and have been nights like this.

 

[thewildcat2011]

Don't believe this had much to do with what was said and done before the game. Kids don't always play their best, and this was one of those nights, perhaps they were looking ahead when they should not have, but kids do that. . Doesn't help when guys like Donovan Jack, one of the worst bigs on any team in the BIG, goes for 14 and 10 and makes free throws (he is a JVZ-level free throw shooter). They played one of their best games of the year, us one of our worst, not much more to it than that.

I'll disagree because this isn't just one game...we've basically started cold in the majority of our home games, including games like SIUe, UMass-L, and MVSU.

In conference home games, we're 15/83 from three. We've scored 20, 27, 26, 23 in the first half of our home games.

On the road, we're shooting 44% from three and have scored above 30 in each first half. Aside from MD, we've played about equal competition at home and on the road.

 

[xxxbobxxx]

This game was a lot like the Ohio State game. They were big and tough on our perimeter game. I really don't think we are near a NCAA team and probably marginal NIT.

I know the last time I was critical of Falzon, he came out blazing in the next game so here's hoping. He is very erratic. I still think he is hearing footsteps any time someone is within 6 feet of him.

I think we have to look at every game for the rest of the season for improvement out of the whole team. There will be wins, probably about 7 or 8 in the Big Ten, but let's relax and look for weekly improvement from these guys.

This is one of the two big reasons I would love to see us with the depth to sit freshmen.

 

[Kelly_32_rivals]

NU needs Falzon or Lindsey to make plays and hit shots. Lindsey had 2 points and 5 fouls. Where is his development? I hope Vic can play SG next year. Because the combination of Lindsey and Ash at the SG position does not instill confidence in next year's squad. You need to win your home games if you want to sniff the NCAA bubble. Losses to OSU and PSU at home does not look good on the resume with no quality wins.

From my perspective, when Lindsey is scoring he is more engaged. When he can't score, the other parts of his game struggle as well. Hopefully with some maturity he'll be able to bring it even when he's not shooting/making shots.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

Don't believe this had much to do with what was said and done before the game. Kids don't always play their best, and this was one of those nights, perhaps they were looking ahead when they should not have, but kids do that. . Doesn't help when guys like Donovan Jack, one of the worst bigs on any team in the BIG, goes for 14 and 10 and makes free throws (he is a JVZ-level free throw shooter). They played one of their best games of the year, us one of our worst, not much more to it than that.

I agree. I don't think anything is said or done prior to the game, by the coaches, that makes us start slow. It is a tendency but is it anything more than psyche? Since it is a tendency, and seems plenty strong, maybe CC can make an adjustment with the starting 5. Demps seems to struggle as a starter and may be better off the bench at the 16:00 timeout. I really don't know but something may be able to be tweaked.

 

[thewildcat2011]

I agree. I don't think anything is said or done prior to the game, by the coaches, that makes us start slow. It is a tendency but is it anything more than psyche? Since it is a tendency, and seems plenty strong, maybe CC can make an adjustment with the starting 5. Demps seems to struggle as a starter and may be better off the bench at the 16:00 timeout. I really don't know but something may be able to be tweaked.

Don't think it's actually something done "wrong" but rather something about the routine that gets into the psyche. My only suggestion would be to just change something, whether it be the starting lineup, or something more minute about the pregame routine. Sometimes when you're in a funk you need to artificially "break" something so that you can "fix it", which often fixes whatever the underlying issue was in the first place.

The only fear with moving Demps after a game like yesterday is the "this is all your fault" feeling. He certainly wasn't the only one missing wide open looks or even the worst offender last night.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

Don't think it's actually something done "wrong" but rather something about the routine that gets into the psyche. My only suggestion would be to just change something, whether it be the starting lineup, or something more minute about the pregame routine. Sometimes when you're in a funk you need to artificially "break" something so that you can "fix it", which often fixes whatever the underlying issue was in the first place.

The only fear with moving Demps after a game like yesterday is the "this is all your fault" feeling. He certainly wasn't the only one missing wide open looks or even the worst offender last night.

While we have started slow, we are still 15-4. I don't think we are out of the running for the NCAA but I think we are playing consistent enough to get into the NIT. So, do we really want to change anything? I mention Demps going to the 6th man role just because it seems safe, as he had previously done well in that role. But it would require Lindsay to maybe step up. Don't know what to do but our talent level can only take us so far.

 

[xxxbobxxx]

I agree. I don't think anything is said or done prior to the game, by the coaches, that makes us start slow. It is a tendency but is it anything more than psyche? Since it is a tendency, and seems plenty strong, maybe CC can make an adjustment with the starting 5. Demps seems to struggle as a starter and may be better off the bench at the 16:00 timeout. I really don't know but something may be able to be tweaked.

Would be a great move but never will happen to the senior.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

We were gonna drop one of the "games you circle as a win" on the schedule. Need to win the rest and probably two we aren't circling. It's doable.

Yeah but why Penn state? I still have scar tissue from all of the losses to Ed Debevic's teams

I'd like to know their record in the B1G since they joined v ours, and then head to head. My perception is that their record against us is laughably better than our comparative B1G records

 

[NJCat83588]

I'd like to know their record in the B1G since they joined v ours, and then head to head. My perception is that their record against us is laughably better than our comparative B1G records

This is going to blow your mind. Since joining the Big 10, PSU is 34-12 against NU. Unreal.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

This is going to blow your mind. Since joining the Big 10, PSU is 34-12 against NU. Unreal.

which represents, what? 75% of their B1G conference wins?

 

[NJCat83588]

which represents, what? 75% of their B1G conference wins?

I could not believe how bad NU has played against them. Seems like they have good athletes who aren't great BB players but stick it to NU.

FWIW, PSU is 119-263 since joining the Big 10, for a winning percentage of 31%. Subtract the games against NU and they have a remaining winning percentage of 25%. Wins against NU account for 28% of their total wins.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

I could not believe how bad NU has played against them. Seems like they have good athletes who aren't great BB players but stick it to NU.

FWIW, PSU is 119-263 since joining the Big 10, for a winning percentage of 31%. Subtract the games against NU and they have a remaining winning percentage of 25%. Wins against NU account for 28% of their total wins.

Now we know how Iowa football fans felt for all those years :-(

I have long stopped losing sleep over NU BBall woes. Football is enough. But it remains annoying.

 

[hdhntr1]

1. Credit to Penn State. They were the better team tonight. Played harder, smarter and made shots when they needed to. However, nearly everything that could go wrong for us did. Loose balls, bounces on the rim all went the other way.

2. Game felt like typical Northwestern. Packed house. Win sets up the the next 4-5 games as crucial games for NCAA consideration. Not only do we lose, we do it in painful fashion. Hope this doesn't affect student turnout for other games.

3. Demps seemed to play better in the second half. Hopefully this signals him breaking out of whatever slump he was in. We'll need him in the upcoming games. As erratic as his play can be, he's integral to our success.

4. As for the rest of the team, WTF. Pardon was great. Olah was ok but definitely looks out of sync after the his time off. Maybe the team needs time to adjust to the 3 bigs and how to play with each of them. I thought maybe trying a tri-tower lineup, especially with how dismal our outside shooting was might have sparked something.

5. Not what else Collins can do when the team is playing crapola but he could have coached a better game. The zone completely took us out of our game in the 1st half and most of the second. Offense was pathetic. We looked lost. Should have made some adjustments earlier while the game was still within reach.

6. Crowd looked great on TV. Can people at the game confirm?

7. Falzon. He'll be alright if he develops a midrange/post game. This season seems like he'll be a streaky 3 specialist on offense at least.

8. As bad as we looked, I know this team is better. Can't wait for the next game so I can flush the memory of this one.

Really, we were just very bad from 3 (we were 0-12 in the first half (again). FTs were a little erratic as well. Our D was OK and inside the arc we were over 50%

 

[hdhntr1]

1. Credit to Penn State. They were the better team tonight. Played harder, smarter and made shots when they needed to. However, nearly everything that could go wrong for us did. Loose balls, bounces on the rim all went the other way.

2. Game felt like typical Northwestern. Packed house. Win sets up the the next 4-5 games as crucial games for NCAA consideration. Not only do we lose, we do it in painful fashion. Hope this doesn't affect student turnout for other games.

3. Demps seemed to play better in the second half. Hopefully this signals him breaking out of whatever slump he was in. We'll need him in the upcoming games. As erratic as his play can be, he's integral to our success.

4. As for the rest of the team, WTF. Pardon was great. Olah was ok but definitely looks out of sync after the his time off. Maybe the team needs time to adjust to the 3 bigs and how to play with each of them. I thought maybe trying a tri-tower lineup, especially with how dismal our outside shooting was might have sparked something.

5. Not what else Collins can do when the team is playing crapola but he could have coached a better game. The zone completely took us out of our game in the 1st half and most of the second. Offense was pathetic. We looked lost. Should have made some adjustments earlier while the game was still within reach.

6. Crowd looked great on TV. Can people at the game confirm?

7. Falzon. He'll be alright if he develops a midrange/post game. This season seems like he'll be a streaky 3 specialist on offense at least.

8. As bad as we looked, I know this team is better. Can't wait for the next game so I can flush the memory of this one.

You beat a zone by hitting a few threes and we did not. We were getting open shots but just not hitting them. 0-12 int he first half, Therefore we struggled.