Felt like we were in danger of getting PennState’d but came up with some big buckets late. A stressful grind-it-out W at home, despite a very non-pretty shooting performance (31% woof) & a fairly mellow (but 95% purple) crowd. That was NEEDED. Would love to steal at least one of the next two on the road.
Ugly, gritty, good win
- Thread starter NJcatsfan_rivals139741
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Yes sir! Huge win that we ultimately got at the FT line (despite some late missed that were annoying).
Good teams find ways to win games when they’re short handed and have an off shooting day. Buie is such a difference maker late in games. It feels great to finally have THAT guy that you can count on down the stretch.
Cats didn’t shoot well, but hit the boards and protected the ball. In many ways, the opposite of the game in State College.
Nine boards for Brooks, eight for Martinelli (including four offensive). Boo didn’t shoot well but six dimes and five boards.
A short handed rotation, with Preston also getting the DNP-CD (?).
An easy game to lose and they fought through it.
Nine boards for Brooks, eight for Martinelli (including four offensive). Boo didn’t shoot well but six dimes and five boards.
A short handed rotation, with Preston also getting the DNP-CD (?).
An easy game to lose and they fought through it.
Not good win but Great and very necessary win. First game without Berry. At PSU we had 18 turnovers and today against the full court press the whole game 6 TOs
Made a couple of mistakes - trying to dribble into the paint in traffic - threw a pass that Buie couldn't handle on a backdoor cut - but was player of the game for the Cats.
Hopefully we lock up a bid before the BTT. Playing 3 games in that short of a turn before the NCAA Tourney is a burden.
I wonder how many years in a row NU has to sweep Penn State before people stop worrying about them?. I swear 30 years from now if I'm still alive and NU has been to multiple final fours, I'll still never sleep on Penn State.
In his BTN postgame, Collins called this perhaps the best win of the year & explained why. Obviously he didn’t mean the biggest win against the best team, or some gorgeous statistical feat. But the crucial context of managing to win this game, which really needed to be won, isn’t lost on him at all.
You mean like last year?
Dude, they have dominated us for 30 years. And it's not like "oh well, they are just a dominant program. " They aren't. Their B1G record against others is about they same as ours. They have just owned us. Anyway, to answer your question, I'd say 4 years.
I see these B1G wins as like stacking gold bars in a vault. These 8 wins can't be taken away. Pick up 4 more in the regular season and the Cats are in the dance. Period.
The schedule is as forgiving as a B1G schedule can be. Rutgers and Indiana are not great offensive teams and Michigan will still not have McDaniel for the game on the 22nd. Hope the Cats can iron out things on offense before then.
Defensively they are trending in the right direction. Martinelli playing more makes them a better rebounding team (Nicholson, Barnhizer and Martinelli).
The schedule is as forgiving as a B1G schedule can be. Rutgers and Indiana are not great offensive teams and Michigan will still not have McDaniel for the game on the 22nd. Hope the Cats can iron out things on offense before then.
Defensively they are trending in the right direction. Martinelli playing more makes them a better rebounding team (Nicholson, Barnhizer and Martinelli).
Obviously getting the win was the most important thing and we did that. I was hoping the game would provide more reasons for optimism about playing without Berry, but it did not. Clayton didn't take a shot and at this point the best you can hope for with him is to avoid big mistakes while he's playing. Hunger was basically a non-factor. Smith looked nowhere close to being ready for this level. Preston and Mullins didn't play. It would be really helpful is someone in this group seized the opportunity to contribute.
Hunger is the best of the bunch but if Big Matty is back in March 2023 form, Hunger is less needed. Really need quality minutes from Clayton. Not sure what's up with Mullins but he either can't play D or he's deep in the doghouse.
Regarding Mullins, rule out doghouse and Collins hinted that he will use Mullins in the right situation, whatever that is. Collins felt Smith deserved the minutes because of the way he practiced.
There is nobody in the conference we can sleep on. Heck we even lost to Chicago State at home. But for sure not in the BIG. Look at the standings and how many teams are within a game of each other. For a long while PSU was even harder as they had our number, But it is a new year and new coaching staff and team but till no one to sleep on. As you say, don't see that changing, not just for PSU but for anyone in BIG
Of course that was with different PSU coaching staff. So maybe we can have their number for a while. I think we are the only BIG team to beat them in State College
Clayton played pretty descent D. Officials sure did not help him. I don't think they called a charge all game and Clayton being the new guy could not catch a break with the officials. Think he might have gotten a shot or two if he had not gotten called for all those fouls forcing him to the bench