Worse next year?

[Sec_112]

I'm in agreement with everyone who says next year may be worse. But I'm guessing it will be hard to find a game next year worse than last night.

I love Law, but he also tuned the ball over for every field goal he made.

At the same time, my guys, Taylor and Turner, threw a combined no-no ... zilch ... nada ... not one point.

And that's the short story.

For as great as they played against Wisconsin, that was just ... fugly

 

[Username Not Available]

I suspect we will exceed expectations next year, if only because expectations will be so low.

We have three incoming freshmen who will be able to immediately compete for playing time, mostly against sophs, and get experience. The only guy on the current roster who is an obvious starter next year is Gaines (and maybe Falzon if he stays).

I really expected Benson to take the next big step this year, but he has not done that in conference, and I haven't seen Young play obv., but next year we'll have two guys competing with him for the center spot.

We have just so many forwards.

And everything I hear about Buie, I'll be sad if Greer is the starter - or maybe I'll be super excited, who knows?

Something I wonder - who will emerge as the leaders on next year's team?

 

[torque-cat]

I suspect we will exceed expectations next year, if only because expectations will be so low.

We have three incoming freshmen who will be able to immediately compete for playing time, mostly against sophs, and get experience. The only guy on the current roster who is an obvious starter next year is Gaines (and maybe Falzon if he stays).

I really expected Benson to take the next big step this year, but he has not done that in conference, and I haven't seen Young play obv., but next year we'll have two guys competing with him for the center spot.

We have just so many forwards.

And everything I hear about Buie, I'll be sad if Greer is the starter - or maybe I'll be super excited, who knows?

Something I wonder - who will emerge as the leaders on next year's team?

With regards to Buie, players are usually much better before we actually see them play big ten competition. Grass is always greener--like true frosh Lathon was going to be our saviour etc... I think Greer will work his *** off in the off-season and has a 50-50 shot to beat out Buie. Watch Buie's film, he is good but not a spectacular athlete or anything.

 

[NJCat]

With regards to Buie, players are usually much better before we actually see them play big ten competition.

Without making any value judgment, Daniel's best offer other than NU was Boston U. Or UMass.

 

[Fitz51]

I suspect we will exceed expectations next year, if only because expectations will be so low.

You're setting your expectations too high.

 

[julescat]

This has been a return to unwatchable and next year looks worse. At least the stadium is a nice place. Very cheap in the secondary market to get in the place this year. Will be much "better" next year. I wonder if NU is going to have a difficult time with ST renewals after this season?

 

[JournCat]

With regards to Buie, players are usually much better before we actually see them play big ten competition. Grass is always greener--like true frosh Lathon was going to be our saviour etc... I think Greer will work his *** off in the off-season and has a 50-50 shot to beat out Buie. Watch Buie's film, he is good but not a spectacular athlete or anything.

Two playable point guards would be infinitely better than our current situation ...

 

[NUCat320]

Two playable point guards would be infinitely better than our current situation ...

Two playable point guards would be abnormal , so I’ve heard in a different thread. Most teams only bring in one every four years. </s>

 

[Username Not Available]

With regards to Buie, players are usually much better before we actually see them play big ten competition. Grass is always greener--like true frosh Lathon was going to be our saviour etc... I think Greer will work his *** off in the off-season and has a 50-50 shot to beat out Buie. Watch Buie's film, he is good but not a spectacular athlete or anything.

I’ll be excited if Greer takes a big step forward next year. He’s looked decent on offense the last few times Ive seen him, and his defense has improved.

That said, Buie is rated pretty highly for an NU recruit and I’m hopeful he and Greer will be a decent LG for us next year. I don’t want spectacular athletes running the point so much as I want great court vision, effective passing, and low turnover rates on offense while knowing where to be on defense well enough to avoid being a complete liability.

And given the youth and inexperience next year, I suspect that ‘being a defensive liability’ will probably be a team feature more then we’d like.

I do get the subtext tho. We tend towards holding unproven recruits in too high a regard and pin our hopes on them before the season begins. I don’t think expecting Buie to be the starter next fall reaches that level of wishful thinking.

 

[catfans5]

I really don’t think the lead guard will matter that much if we can’t shoot. There were a number of open 3s by B10 standards that were missed. The offense is easy to defend.

I do not see who will be our inside presence. Outside of Pardon, this is such a physically weak team that it makes Vince Scott would be it’s most rugged player. Of the Frosh, Kopp has some toughness and Greer has some grit, but Nance is so far behind. He has no inside game and can’t dribble. There will be no inside game which means that an opponent only has to guard the 3 since there will be no need to double down on Pardon.

Ticket prices should drop. This is pure bad basketball. I have had tix since 2005. Leaving last night was the first time I thought about not renewing. Each game is a 4 hour adventure. The entertainment value is not worth it and I am in the balcony with great seats.

 

[stpaulcat]

A basketball season is more like one continuous game than 30 separate ones, in that the play of one game blends into the next, such that, assuming you're not playing teams above your pay grade always, when you get on a roll it is easier to stay on a roll and when you go into the doldrums, it's hard to get out. With the infusion of new talent, even if inexperienced, a new year, hopefully correction of coaching deficiencies, it is needlessly pessimistic to predict worse. It could easily be better.

 

[NJCat]

That said, Buie is rated pretty highly for an NU recruit and I’m hopeful he and Greer will be a decent LG for us next year.

According to 247, Buie has the same rating as Greer and Ash. He is slightly higher rated than BMac (.87 to .86). Gaines was .89 out of high school. As BMac showed, ratings aren't great predictors of performance. But Buie is not a particularly high rated NU Guard.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

According to 247, Buie has the same rating as Greer and Ash. He is slightly higher rated than BMac (.87 to .86). Gaines was .89 out of high school. As BMac showed, ratings aren't great predictors of performance. But Buie is not a particularly high rated NU Guard.

Watch his highlights

 

[NJCat]

Watch his highlights

He looks good. But the point was about being highly rated, which he isn't.

 

[Catdude]

Unless Collins finds some quality grad transfers, I think the starters will be something like:

Gaines
Turner
Kopp
Nance
Benson

With that lineup, we will definitely be picked last in the Big 10. And by a wide margin. I want to be optimistic but it seems like it will be a struggle to even be competitive in the Big 10.

Collins should be pursuing any and all grad transfer PGs and centers to give the team a fighting chance.

 

[IGNORE]

Two playable point guards would be infinitely better than our current situation ...

Assuming they are both legit B1G players and not Ash reincarnate.

 

[Mr Wickerpark]

I'm in agreement with everyone who says next year may be worse. But I'm guessing it will be hard to find a game next year worse than last night.

I love Law, but he also tuned the ball over for every field goal he made.

At the same time, my guys, Taylor and Turner, threw a combined no-no ... zilch ... nada ... not one point.

And that's the short story.

For as great as they played against Wisconsin, that was just ... fugly

Turner and Taylor are soft. Gaines and Pardon are tough. Gaines will most likely be the leader next year, and imo, that means he wont settle for this mess.

 

[DaCat]

We need Robbie Beran to make a huge impact as a frosh if we are to have any hopes for a decent season. A Kevin Coble type of season would be nice.

 

[freewillie07]

Unless Collins finds some quality grad transfers, I think the starters will be something like:

Gaines
Turner
Kopp
Nance
Benson

With that lineup, we will definitely be picked last in the Big 10. And by a wide margin. I want to be optimistic but it seems like it will be a struggle to even be competitive in the Big 10.

Collins should be pursuing any and all grad transfer PGs and centers to give the team a fighting chance.

Greer or Buie will start. No way Collins doesn’t roll with a true PG after what we’ve seen this year. I think Turner will come off the bench.

 

[its_the_sauce]

This has been a return to unwatchable and next year looks worse. At least the stadium is a nice place. Very cheap in the secondary market to get in the place this year. Will be much "better" next year. I wonder if NU is going to have a difficult time with ST renewals after this season?

Might be able to upgrade location....

 

[docrugby1]

LeBron would struggle at NU

 

[Sec_112]

...Gaines will most likely be the leader next year, and imo, that means he wont settle for this mess.

That will be fine if Gaines is the emotional leader next year. However, my concern is that he'll also be the best player. That might be my worst case scenario.

I know some of the board gets off on the hustle of Gaines. But as he plays now, he shouldn't be someone a program relies on. He should be a team's fourth or fifth option at best.

 

[TheC]

I do get the subtext tho. We tend towards holding unproven recruits in too high a regard and pin our hopes on them before the season begins. I don’t think expecting Buie to be the starter next fall reaches that level of wishful thinking.

That's because we usually don't have a choice.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

That will be fine if Gaines is the emotional leader next year. However, my concern is that he'll also be the best player. That might be my worst case scenario.

I know some of the board gets off on the hustle of Gaines. But as he plays now, he shouldn't be someone a program relies on. He should be a team's fourth or fifth option at best.

There are two parts of the game. Gaines is our best player on the defensive part right now.

 

[Cat Fan in Buckeye Land]

I anticipate Kopp and Nance making significant jumps next year. Miller has had his moments, and now having been through a full season, he and the staff know which areas to concentrate on for his development. Although Nance got spotty minutes and was set back by his battle with mono, he’ll get a full off season with the strength coach, and the coaching staff will know which areas to concentrate on with his individual coaching sessions as well. The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. Nance was a bit of a late bloomer in HS, too, but he got better each year.

 

[nucatnap]

Unless Collins finds some quality grad transfers, I think the starters will be something like:

Gaines
Turner
Kopp
Nance
Benson

With that lineup, we will definitely be picked last in the Big 10. And by a wide margin. I want to be optimistic but it seems like it will be a struggle to even be competitive in the Big 10.

Collins should be pursuing any and all grad transfer PGs and centers to give the team a fighting chance.

I think we see improvement from Gaines, Kopp and Nance. Turner and Benson do not give me any reason to believe they will show anything new. It will be an ugly season with little experience at the 1 and 5.

 

[Cat Fan in Buckeye Land]

I think we see improvement from Gaines, Kopp and Nance. Turner and Benson do not give me any reason to believe they will show anything new. It will be an ugly season with little experience at the 1 and 5.

I actually think Turner might be a little better next year with a point guard, as he’ll be off the ball, and that might make him more comfortable. He’s really been playing out position as the de facto point guard this year.

 

[Titanium999]

I’ll be excited if Greer takes a big step forward next year. He’s looked decent on offense the last few times Ive seen him, and his defense has improved.

That said, Buie is rated pretty highly for an NU recruit and I’m hopeful he and Greer will be a decent LG for us next year. I don’t want spectacular athletes running the point so much as I want great court vision, effective passing, and low turnover rates on offense while knowing where to be on defense well enough to avoid being a complete liability.

And given the youth and inexperience next year, I suspect that ‘being a defensive liability’ will probably be a team feature more then we’d like.

I do get the subtext tho. We tend towards holding unproven recruits in too high a regard and pin our hopes on them before the season begins. I don’t think expecting Buie to be the starter next fall reaches that level of wishful thinking.

Ash will start and be captain next year! Taking us to the dance

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

How the heck did NUBB end up here? They are clearly the worst team in the league, trending downward, with no apparent hope for next year. Then, what do we think changes to make them better in two years?

 

[NJCat]

How the heck did NUBB end up here? They are clearly the worst team in the league, trending downward, with no apparent hope for next year.

NU's recruiting has been worse than any other B1G team. It's that simple. All about the Jimmies and Joes.

 

[mikewebb68]

NU's recruiting has been worse than any other B1G team. It's that simple. All about the Jimmies and Joes.

Does our class of 2019 being one of the best in the BIG, change our outlook, then? Some services only rank OSU better than us at this point...I don't think it pays off in 2019-20, but I think 2020-21 is poised to be a fine year if recruiting is any indicator

 

[NJCat]

Does our class of 2019 being one of the best in the BIG, change our outlook, then? Some services only rank OSU better than us at this point...I don't think it pays off in 2019-20, but I think 2020-21 is poised to be a fine year if recruiting is any indicator

Time will tell.

247 has NU's 2019 class 4th in the B1g, behind OSU, MD and MSU. Last year NU was 7th. The prior 2 years were 14th (Gaines) and 10th. So from one rating service at least NU is definitely trending up. But need to see it on the court.

 

[mikewebb68]

Time will tell.

247 has NU's 2019 class 4th in the B1g, behind OSU, MD and MSU. Last year NU was 7th. The prior 2 years were 14th (Gaines) and 10th. So from one rating service at least NU is definitely trending up. But need to see it on the court.

And Scout has them at 2. Could not find a Rivals ranking.

 

[DaCat]

Time will tell.

247 has NU's 2019 class 4th in the B1g, behind OSU, MD and MSU. Last year NU was 7th. The prior 2 years were 14th (Gaines) and 10th. So from one rating service at least NU is definitely trending up. But need to see it on the court.

Gotta start somewhere.

 

[NJCat]

And Scout has them at 2. Could not find a Rivals ranking.

Scout still exists? Horrible site. Haven't been there in ages.

[Edit} I searched for Scout and it redirected me to 247. Which site are you using, Mike?

 

[Username Not Available]

According to 247, Buie has the same rating as Greer and Ash. He is slightly higher rated than BMac (.87 to .86). Gaines was .89 out of high school. As BMac showed, ratings aren't great predictors of performance. But Buie is not a particularly high rated NU Guard.

I did not know where Greer was ranked. I’m actually happy to hear that about him.

 

[mikewebb68]

Scout still exists? Horrible site. Haven't been there in ages.

[Edit} I searched for Scout and it redirected me to 247. Which site are you using, Mike?

https://www.scout.com/Season/2019-Basketball/TeamRankings/?Conference=Big-Ten

 

[iubaseball]

Time will tell.

247 has NU's 2019 class 4th in the B1g, behind OSU, MD and MSU. Last year NU was 7th. The prior 2 years were 14th (Gaines) and 10th. So from one rating service at least NU is definitely trending up. But need to see it on the court.

When Brooks and Beverly commit to IU, you drop down even more. Next year, you have no inside presence, you have no really big wing players, pressure you can not handle now, next year, workers. Right now , every other team is getting better, Northwestern is and has become the worst program in the Big Ten. And no one sees it changing in the future at this time. Illinois is stealing your milk money so far tonight

 

[julescat]

When Brooks and Beverly commit to IU, you drop down even more. Next year, you have no inside presence, you have no really big wing players, pressure you can not handle now, next year, workers. Right now , every other team is getting better, Northwestern is and has become the worst program in the Big Ten. And no one sees it changing in the future at this time. Illinois is stealing your milk money so far tonight

And you guys have fcking Archie Miller as head coach, so who cares about IU?

 

[Vassar69]

And you guys have fcking Archie Miller as head coach, so who cares about IU?

Come on man. IU sucks *** this year, but Archie’s history suggests he’s a good coach. And he’s recruiting his *** off. Either way, who are you to talk? Chris Collins has buried this program in Year 6 and would have been shown the door already anywhere else. How he has a job next year is beyond me after the last two years, but since it’s NU they’ll give him three more years to make sure he sucks before moving on to the next failed hire.