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GAME 24 INDIANA: Trust the next men up because you have to

bac2therac

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It was a tough loss because we missed an opportunity to steal one against a very good team. It looked like it was going to be ugly early, one of those 20 point losses which RU has avoided all year long and one that almost every team in this league has picked up this year. However this team possesses something uncanny. They do not give up. They scrap and claw and do all those necessary fundamentals to get back into the game. They exploit an opponents mistakes and then the elite defense comes to clamp down. RU had no business being in this game down 30-16 with 7:30 left vs an Indiana team so potent on offense playing on its home court. An unlikely 19-8 run led by the Hyatt and Oskar draining 3s and all of a sudden its a game. Next men up indeed. Holding Indiana to no fgs over the course of almost 9 minutes in the 2nd half is a testament to just how great this defense is. Trace was held in check, we were defending at the rim, poking and getting turnovers. It was a thread the needle type of defense that RU needed and RU would get it down to 59-56 with the ball but alas could not hit a bucket to save their lives late and melted down in crunch time.

I do not know how many times I have talked in these recaps about cogs in the wheel and everyone needs to be there. We saw what happened when Paul and Caleb were out early in the season. The loss of Mag is really big. Do not want to downplay it. Still no one will feel sorry for Rutgers. Almost every team has an injury at some point or loses a player for the year. The successful ones will adapt the best they can. Others will struggle and perhaps use it as an excuse. Mag's defense is irreplacable but cannot dwell on that, its about NEXT MAN UP...and NEXT MAN UP did pretty well when leaned on. Hyatt got the start, not a great night overall shooting but had a pivotal stretch in the first half with 2 treys in the closing minutes of the first half when RU went from down 10 to just down 3. Hyatt did lead the team with 4 boards in the first half. 2nd half there was less of Hyatt and the shot was off. That's okay, Pike leaned on Derek more. Derek not too good in the first half but more comfortable in his second half minutes. Hit a big open corner 3 plus a huge jumper to cut the gap to 57-52 and then another right around Trace for a layup to cut the gap to 59-56. Big time shots in big time situations are only going to help the kids development. Pike will be leaning on Derek alot the rest of the season. I think he did a very admirable job. 18 minutes, 3-5 fg, 7 points, 3 boards. Might be his 2nd best game as a Knight behind the first Indiana game. And then there is Oskar. Back to back to back 3s at a time where RU was looking for any kind of offensive. Oskar deserves a best supporting actor nomination for his work in the Minnesota and Indiana game. He is a role player. He is not perfect. Dont expect him to be. He is going to play great defense. He is there to hit a 3, get some boards and provide minutes. 13 minutes, 3-4 fg, 2 boards, 9 points....AMAZING NEXT MAN UP. Derek and Oskar rose to the occasion. An incredible sign at this difficult time. Also Reibs got in the action with a really nice basket and I actually liked his denial fronting Trace the ball. Just 5 minutes but thats all we need from him. Woolfolk finding out its a big tough at this level. Made progress earlier in the year but just has take some step back. However there will be a game he will be called on and asked to provide something. Cam was not good early but came on late in the first half. I still think he should have had some more open shots set up for him but Indiana was so tight on him. Needed to lean on him more in those last few minutes.

I know this board loves to rag on Indiana but credit where credit is due. This is a very good team. Indiana matched Rutgers physicality, not many teams can do that. Trace is an excellent player. 20 points, 18 boards. 6 assists and played 39 minutes. Never knock this kid. Indiana is poised to be a sweet 16 team. They have Trace but they have a guy like Kopp who killed RU again with 18 points that can hit plus Schifino is such a crafty player. In fact going to say that Woodson move to have Schifino guard Paul and Cam incredibly tight played a huge role in the win for them. He bothered Paul all day and RU was often already 10-12 seconds into the shot clock before setting up the offense. Rutgers didnt seem comfortable at all in their half court today, sure they got some open 3s because Indiana was willing to leave those open. Just a great strategy by Woodson...harass Paul and deny Cliff the ball. It worked and Paul never got untracked and Caleb was horrible with his shot. Indiana does have the tendency to self destruct and they gave windows of opportunity for RU to win this game but RU failed to seize the day. In the end they leaned on Trace who sealed the deal for them. Thats what you want senior leaders to do. Very tough to steal a game vs a sweet 16 contender on their home court when your own seniors are not stepping up and thats what happened to RU

I do not want to knock on Paul and Caleb totally but cannot dismiss their absolute futility on the offensive end. Defense again was still on target. However it was disappointing to see them come up small and perhaps more disappointing to see them not trust their teammates. 6 plays changed the game in a new york minute. Caleb was particularly guilty of not trusting his teammates, 1-12 fg was dreadful for Caleb but he did not care. He was going to shoot no matter what and yes his decision to shoot likely cost RU a shot at this coming down to one possession. His offensive game was ugly through much of the game but nothing worse than his selfish shot at 59-56 after Paul bungled what should have been an easy layup. Instead of resetting the offense at a critical time and finding a better shot...at 59-56 Caleb shoots an ugly open 3 from straight on and misses, Trace scores on the other end, then Paul gets fouled on a drive and misses the front end of one and one. Cliff lets rebound go off leg after RU made the initial stop and Galloway hits jumper and fouled and its 63-56...Caleb comes down intent to shoot and misses badly and its game over and Paul would miss another one and one. I do not think our 3 seniors are immune to criticism. Not so much Cliff but in that spot yeah you got to come down with that rebound. Paul played scared all night. I have seen him have lesser games in the game following a star performance. Maybe Paul and Caleb felt that they had to shoulder the load with Mag out. I dont know. They didnt have their shots all game and did not find them late. For Caleb its not that he missed, its that he was selfish and did not work to get his teammates involved. For Paul just a performance where it seemed he was bullied by Indiana. The three of them need to get their head wrapped around the idea that Mag is out

Pike admirable job trying to throw out some lineups. You sacrifice defense for offense. Pike going 4 guards late again is an interesting development that i think we will continue to see more of. Cannot complain with him today.

The disappointing part tonight is that RU had chances to win this game. One they seemed not ready to match Indianas energy earlier and that is understandable without Mag. Late they did everything on defense to get in position and thats why its a shame. Each game evolves differently, there is no guarantee that Illinois evolves in a way where RU is in a one possession game late. That matchup will be tougher. They are tougher, they play good D and rebound. They will be rested. The win over Michigan State was a must for me because I didnt like the idea of possibly coming out of the gauntlet 7-7. RU didnt have to win tonight. RU will be okay. I think Illinois beat Rutgers. The key is for the three pronged leaders to get their heads on straight and lead by example. They have to be willing to trust. They need to leave some inflated egos at the door. The loss of Mag hurts alot, but it does not mean it has to derail the potential of this season. Tonight shows you that.
 
All in all not a bad loss or anything. The way the game ended and some of the decision making, especially from Caleb, is just so frustrating. It's one thing for Paul to miss the front end of two critical one-in-ones. Annoying, but not something he can directly control. But the decision making is just so unfortunate. You see so many players under Pike who make dramatic strides in their offensive decision making.. Mag, Jacob Young, Hyatt. But Caleb's, if anything, seems to have gotten worse.
 
Good recap. This game was there for the taking. Some good looks at 3's by both Hyatt and Palmquist in the 2nd half that would just not fall.
Hard to adjust on short notice to the loss of a starter, maybe a couple of extra days will help and it won't be as noticeable Saturday.
 
I don't think this game was about losing Mag. The guys who are stepping in for Mag's minutes all played well. The guys that hurt us would've been on the court anyway. I mean, maybe Mag would've had a huge game and bailed us out, it's always possible. But this feels like an effort that would've looked similar either way.
 
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And as much as I love BAC’s reviews but you can’t ignore Pike’s post game comments. The crucial stat when all is said and done besides the hangover start from the Garden(Which crickets everyone has ignored and which was accurately predicted) is this:

Indy 17/24 from the line
RU 6/10 from the line

We lost by 6. That’s the proverbial ball game. Can’t ignore it.
 
Hangover start from the Garden (???) You just can't be serious at this point lol
 
Pike admirable job trying to throw out some lineups. You sacrifice defense for offense. Pike going 4 guards late again is an interesting development that i think we will continue to see more of. Cannot complain with him today.
My only objection is Miller's minutes. Let Jalen earn his playing time back in another game that's out of reach.
 
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And as much as I love BAC’s reviews but you can’t ignore Pike’s post game comments. The crucial stat when all is said and done besides the hangover start from the Garden(Which crickets everyone has ignored and which was accurately predicted) is this:

Indy 17/24 from the line
RU 6/10 from the line

We lost by 6. That’s the proverbial ball game. Can’t ignore it.
Hard to get to the foul line when you don’t attack the rim. We settle for way too many forced 3s and fade away’s
 
Another great recap, Bac. RU wins and loses as a team so it is never one guy’s fault, but McConnel is a 20% shooter from 3 point range. His hero ball tonight was out of character for this team and needs to stop! We are going no where if Caleb chucks up 4 or 5 threes a game. and also jocks up contested shots inside the arc. There is a reason why opposing teams leave him open on the perimeter!
 
It was a tough loss because we missed an opportunity to steal one against a very good team. It looked like it was going to be ugly early, one of those 20 point losses which RU has avoided all year long and one that almost every team in this league has picked up this year. However this team possesses something uncanny. They do not give up. They scrap and claw and do all those necessary fundamentals to get back into the game. They exploit an opponents mistakes and then the elite defense comes to clamp down. RU had no business being in this game down 30-16 with 7:30 left vs an Indiana team so potent on offense playing on its home court. An unlikely 19-8 run led by the Hyatt and Oskar draining 3s and all of a sudden its a game. Next men up indeed. Holding Indiana to no fgs over the course of almost 9 minutes in the 2nd half is a testament to just how great this defense is. Trace was held in check, we were defending at the rim, poking and getting turnovers. It was a thread the needle type of defense that RU needed and RU would get it down to 59-56 with the ball but alas could not hit a bucket to save their lives late and melted down in crunch time.

I do not know how many times I have talked in these recaps about cogs in the wheel and everyone needs to be there. We saw what happened when Paul and Caleb were out early in the season. The loss of Mag is really big. Do not want to downplay it. Still no one will feel sorry for Rutgers. Almost every team has an injury at some point or loses a player for the year. The successful ones will adapt the best they can. Others will struggle and perhaps use it as an excuse. Mag's defense is irreplacable but cannot dwell on that, its about NEXT MAN UP...and NEXT MAN UP did pretty well when leaned on. Hyatt got the start, not a great night overall shooting but had a pivotal stretch in the first half with 2 treys in the closing minutes of the first half when RU went from down 10 to just down 3. Hyatt did lead the team with 4 boards in the first half. 2nd half there was less of Hyatt and the shot was off. That's okay, Pike leaned on Derek more. Derek not too good in the first half but more comfortable in his second half minutes. Hit a big open corner 3 plus a huge jumper to cut the gap to 57-52 and then another right around Trace for a layup to cut the gap to 59-56. Big time shots in big time situations are only going to help the kids development. Pike will be leaning on Derek alot the rest of the season. I think he did a very admirable job. 18 minutes, 3-5 fg, 7 points, 3 boards. Might be his 2nd best game as a Knight behind the first Indiana game. And then there is Oskar. Back to back to back 3s at a time where RU was looking for any kind of offensive. Oskar deserves a best supporting actor nomination for his work in the Minnesota and Indiana game. He is a role player. He is not perfect. Dont expect him to be. He is going to play great defense. He is there to hit a 3, get some boards and provide minutes. 13 minutes, 3-4 fg, 2 boards, 9 points....AMAZING NEXT MAN UP. Derek and Oskar rose to the occasion. An incredible sign at this difficult time. Also Reibs got in the action with a really nice basket and I actually liked his denial fronting Trace the ball. Just 5 minutes but thats all we need from him. Woolfolk finding out its a big tough at this level. Made progress earlier in the year but just has take some step back. However there will be a game he will be called on and asked to provide something. Cam was not good early but came on late in the first half. I still think he should have had some more open shots set up for him but Indiana was so tight on him. Needed to lean on him more in those last few minutes.

I know this board loves to rag on Indiana but credit where credit is due. This is a very good team. Indiana matched Rutgers physicality, not many teams can do that. Trace is an excellent player. 20 points, 18 boards. 6 assists and played 39 minutes. Never knock this kid. Indiana is poised to be a sweet 16 team. They have Trace but they have a guy like Kopp who killed RU again with 18 points that can hit plus Schifino is such a crafty player. In fact going to say that Woodson move to have Schifino guard Paul and Cam incredibly tight played a huge role in the win for them. He bothered Paul all day and RU was often already 10-12 seconds into the shot clock before setting up the offense. Rutgers didnt seem comfortable at all in their half court today, sure they got some open 3s because Indiana was willing to leave those open. Just a great strategy by Woodson...harass Paul and deny Cliff the ball. It worked and Paul never got untracked and Caleb was horrible with his shot. Indiana does have the tendency to self destruct and they gave windows of opportunity for RU to win this game but RU failed to seize the day. In the end they leaned on Trace who sealed the deal for them. Thats what you want senior leaders to do. Very tough to steal a game vs a sweet 16 contender on their home court when your own seniors are not stepping up and thats what happened to RU

I do not want to knock on Paul and Caleb totally but cannot dismiss their absolute futility on the offensive end. Defense again was still on target. However it was disappointing to see them come up small and perhaps more disappointing to see them not trust their teammates. 6 plays changed the game in a new york minute. Caleb was particularly guilty of not trusting his teammates, 1-12 fg was dreadful for Caleb but he did not care. He was going to shoot no matter what and yes his decision to shoot likely cost RU a shot at this coming down to one possession. His offensive game was ugly through much of the game but nothing worse than his selfish shot at 59-56 after Paul bungled what should have been an easy layup. Instead of resetting the offense at a critical time and finding a better shot...at 59-56 Caleb shoots an ugly open 3 from straight on and misses, Trace scores on the other end, then Paul gets fouled on a drive and misses the front end of one and one. Cliff lets rebound go off leg after RU made the initial stop and Galloway hits jumper and fouled and its 63-56...Caleb comes down intent to shoot and misses badly and its game over and Paul would miss another one and one. I do not think our 3 seniors are immune to criticism. Not so much Cliff but in that spot yeah you got to come down with that rebound. Paul played scared all night. I have seen him have lesser games in the game following a star performance. Maybe Paul and Caleb felt that they had to shoulder the load with Mag out. I dont know. They didnt have their shots all game and did not find them late. For Caleb its not that he missed, its that he was selfish and did not work to get his teammates involved. For Paul just a performance where it seemed he was bullied by Indiana. The three of them need to get their head wrapped around the idea that Mag is out

Pike admirable job trying to throw out some lineups. You sacrifice defense for offense. Pike going 4 guards late again is an interesting development that i think we will continue to see more of. Cannot complain with him today.

The disappointing part tonight is that RU had chances to win this game. One they seemed not ready to match Indianas energy earlier and that is understandable without Mag. Late they did everything on defense to get in position and thats why its a shame. Each game evolves differently, there is no guarantee that Illinois evolves in a way where RU is in a one possession game late. That matchup will be tougher. They are tougher, they play good D and rebound. They will be rested. The win over Michigan State was a must for me because I didnt like the idea of possibly coming out of the gauntlet 7-7. RU didnt have to win tonight. RU will be okay. I think Illinois beat Rutgers. The key is for the three pronged leaders to get their heads on straight and lead by example. They have to be willing to trust. They need to leave some inflated egos at the door. The loss of Mag hurts alot, but it does not mean it has to derail the potential of this season. Tonight shows you that.
Good recap once again Bac.

I know it is easier said than done, but in order to beat Indiana now, you have to double team Trace almost every time and also have a man fairly close to Kopp. Obviously that leaves you shorthanded with the other players, but if those other players beat you, they beat you.

Best of Luck,
Groz
 
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Good recap once again Bac.

I know it is easier said than done, but in order to beat Indiana now, you have to double team Trace almost every time and also have a man fairly close to Kopp. Obviously that leaves you shorthanded with the other players, but if those other players beat you, they beat you.

Best of Luck,
Groz


im assuming that was Mulcahy on Kopp....just cannot leave him wide open like that.
 
Bac really nailed the sequence of events that cost us the game. Bac to bac to bac to bac really poor plays. Just a painful way to give us no shot in the final minutes

Oskar was a hero in the first half. Stepping up to shoot decisively with confidence when the rest of the offense was playing aimless and scared. He had one nice looking drive but instead of trying to finish attempts a wild back pass to the 3 point line. Pike yanks him and glues him to the bench. Too short of a leash considering how well he was shooting IMO especially when other players can turn the ball over and take bad shots without consequence

Bench scoring tonight was the best we might see rest of season. The people we were worried about stepping up did and our senior leaders 💩 the bed. That's what makes this one such a tough loss.
 
You posted nice numbers with Mags impact on our defense. Analyze Oskar the same way. An insane amount of points were allowed with Oskar on the floor
 
You posted nice numbers with Mags impact on our defense. Analyze Oskar the same way. An insane amount of points were allowed with Oskar on the floor

You realize Indiana is ranked #18 and just knocked off the #1 BoilingEdeys plus have the 2nd best player in the league

All things considered the blueprint was there to thread the needle but Paul and Caleb simply blew it down the stretch
 
You realize Indiana is ranked #18 and just knocked off the #1 BoilingEdeys plus have the 2nd best player in the league

All things considered the blueprint was there to thread the needle but Paul and Caleb simply blew it down the stretch
The blueprint is the final 5 on the court that gives Pike more tools in the defensive tool box.

Hoping Oskar and Hyatt make perimeter shots and playing mostly zone and giving up 80 points is not.

Forgetting how the team played, but watching how Pike coached. Who he played and what defenses he used shows me that Mag’s impact could have been even more that I thought.
 
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No you are being incredibly harsh. Oskar up until a week ago wasnt even mentioned in any thread. Now he is draining 3s...playing his role..that is his role, he went from a nobody to a role player
When the narrative by you is the bench stepped up and we lost because of the starting 4 playing bad it needs to be pushed back a bit. Offense is 1/2 the equation and defense is the other
 
K thought it was obvious early on, as I think we all expected, that Pike was searching for lineup combinations that would work. It reminded me of those early season games we all get frustrated by. It's unfortunate that it had to happen in the first half against a ranked team, but those are the circumstances. At one point in the first half, I looked up and Oskar, Wolf, and I think Miller were on the floor together (I may be misremembering), and I said to my sons, "Wow, who's gonna score?" These things vs happen. I was honestly proud that we fought back and played tough to the end. I was hoping for a split this week. On to Illinois.
 
Anyone complaining about how many points RU gave up, on the road to a ranked opponent, with a 1st team All conference player......the total was 66 points....what exactly are fans latching onto with these false statements that the defense was bad when Oskar was in.

I think Indiana shot 73% for the 1st 12 to 15 minutes and finisher at 45% for the game, while going EIGHT minutes without a basket......I guess if 66 points isn't good enough defense on the road, maybe we should have a different discussion about why RU only got to 60......Paul, Caleb and some circus shots got Indiana to 66 points.

Maybe if Paul stayed or paid closer attention to what Mike Woodson said in the post game presser....."it's unusual for teams to allow Miller Kopp that much space to shoot".....was that Oskar Palmquist or maybe Mulcahy played his worse game since Seton Hall.
 
I will also add in general our 3 point flurry in the first half was fools gold...I think 6-11??? or 6-13...we finished 8-25...by settling for outside shots we continually showed we were not willing to work to get Cliff the ball.
Problem there was Cliff doesn't get good position many times and then he forces it and takes a 12 foot hook shot or he does not pass out of the double team!!
 
The reality is, in every aspect of this year's roster, we have very unique players, who have clear strengths to their games, but overall, they lack the overall fundamentals needed to play consistent basketball.

Mulcahy is a pass 1st unique type of guard, point guard, but is still not a guard that can create his own jump shot off the dribble. While that seems like "it's not a big deal", he is really only a catch and shoot guard from the corners. So any ball movement that should result in open looks, doesn't result in clean shots.

And Cliff is unique on the defensive end and is an aggressive rebounder. But he is still learning, in real time, during real live games, when to get position or how to get position, so he can score. He doesn't understand what should be his A+ position, B+ position and to continue to work on those basics. Instead, he has an array of shot attempts that are "maybe it will or maybe it won't work". If I compare how limited but aware Myles Johnson was on what he could or could not do, it is a night and day difference. Cliff and the staff are developing Cliff, but Cliff has to take ownership of knowing what is his "go to move".....this way, the referees know what to look for and they can call the game more consistently.

On top of that, Cliff is not a post player that moves from side to side and shows his hands as a target, if doesn't get position....but thats not really his fault.....it is the lack of footspeed or change or direction with our guards, that can't create openings for Cliff.

With those station to station types of offensive players who are not spot up shooter (like Cam Spencer is), it becomes very difficult to play consistent offense. It is why I am going to continue to push that Hyatt fits the limitations of what this roster.does well, better than most fans want to acknowledge.

I do think we have unlocked 3 potential shooting options with Palmquist, Simpson and Hyatt, that are actually better fits for what we do on offense, moreso than Mag are right now. But Mag was trending in that direction where he started to gel into what this offense can open up at that position.

If Caleb was a better shooter, Cliff and Paul would be much more effective. I am not advocating removing Caleb from the lineup, his defense and effort are 2nd to none. I just need more offense from Caleb to find room and become more of a driver to draw contact and get to the line.

But it still honestly don't have an answer for Mulcahy now more than 3 and half years and endless minutes of basketball. I just expected more awareness and more willingness to attack the basket and shot attempts. Its the same broken record of overdribbling and his help defense leaving wide open shot after shot to Kopp..... and such a passive offensive effort with 4 shot attempts and sloppy dribbling for 30-35 minutes.

When does the light switch go on and actually stay on, for a senior guard with 100+ games and a 3 year starter?? We got a 4 to 5 game rush last season and we're still waiting for Paul to step up and lead.
 
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Nice recap Bac. While our ability to close the first half deficit to three was impressive, I did not think 38-35 was a good score for us. We just have not shown the offensive ability to sustain that type of scoring. So the second half is more of what I was hoping for pace wise, yet IU demonstrated the ability to play a more gritty game as well. A credit to them. We just did not make enough shots particularly during the 8-9 minute stretch where IU did not make a FG.

I think the criticisms of Paul and Caleb's play are justified. I thought Caleb played well defensively and was strong on the boards. Offensively he just continues to make decisions which are not consistent with what his role needs to be given his skill set. I thought Paul passed on a couple of open shots early and then never really got going. It's nice that he tries to get others involved but we need him to get 10 pts a game. I am also very troubled by the TJD trip.

I thought Hawk's analysis of where Cliff is offensively was good. When he catches the ball in close and aggressively takes the ball across the lane good things happen. Many times he needs to fight harder to maintain his position rather than settling for a catch further away from the basket. Defensively he had a rough night as well against TJD.

Glad to see Cam rebound from a shaky start. I was starting to get concerned that his regression might be more permanent. I would still like to see more off ball screens to get him open looks. This might also help Aundre and Oskar as well.

No complaints about the bench contribution from me for last night. Rotations will evolve as we move forward. I think Pike really emphasized defense in the second half with the Derrick over Aundre/Oskar. That might work on some nights, but when you are not getting much from either Paul or Caleb you might want to tweak that a bit.

Illinois probably has more quality length and athleticism than Indiana. It will be another challenging match up and one that I will be happy to be within 6 with 4 mins to go.
 
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Nice recap.

Indiana is 13-1 at home this season and is averaging 72.2 ppg in league games. This was always going to be one of our two or three toughest games to win this season.
 
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Anyone complaining about how many points RU gave up, on the road to a ranked opponent, with a 1st team All conference player......the total was 66 points....what exactly are fans latching onto with these false statements that the defense was bad when Oskar was in.

I think Indiana shot 73% for the 1st 12 to 15 minutes and finisher at 45% for the game, while going EIGHT minutes without a basket......I guess if 66 points isn't good enough defense on the road, maybe we should have a different discussion about why RU only got to 60......Paul, Caleb and some circus shots got Indiana to 66 points.

Maybe if Paul stayed or paid closer attention to what Mike Woodson said in the post game presser....."it's unusual for teams to allow Miller Kopp that much space to shoot".....was that Oskar Palmquist or maybe Mulcahy played his worse game since Seton Hall.
NJH,

They scored only 66 points because they went 11 minutes without a FG and we were finally able to play man to man and had (for most of the time) the starting 4 PLUS Simpson.

The reason why Oskar has been a DNP for 3 months is he can't defend at this level.

Yes Mulcahy was attrocious defensively for the 1st 30 minutes of the game. It wasn't Hyatt or Oskar getting torched by Kopp it was Paul. Was it because Paul had to hedge more because of Oskar? Did Paul just have a bad night and had no legs.
 
I have a different take on the game. I expected us to lose, but we never give up and had a real a real chance to steal this one until blowing it in the last 2-3 minutes. What bothered me was that we were outhustled and "outphysicaled" - IU got to most of the loose balls and we got too few offensive rebounds. Our effort was not there.
Ironically, the subs stepped up for Mag. It was the leaders who let us down: Paul should have taken over the offense (it is inexcusable how few shots he took, a lot of his passes were to lower percentage shooters when he should have taken the shot, and you have to make the free throws in crunch time), Cliff's rebounding was horrendous, and Caleb's offense was selfish (after 5 years, he still doesn't know what is a good shot for him to take).
 
Problem there was Cliff doesn't get good position many times and then he forces it and takes a 12 foot hook shot or he does not pass out of the double team!!
This is half the problem. Cliff does get good position sometimes and we just don't make the entry pass or we hesitate and hesitate and he gets pushed further out when if we go right away into Cliff he would have better position
 
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If we are playing a defense to hide Oskar’s (and Hyatt) liabilities and our opponent scores at 100 point pace when he is in there….

Oskar wasn’t “good” on defense and I agree with you about his shortcomings. But in fairness, a huge chuck of the damage was done when it wasn’t just him hurting us - he and Wolf playing together was a disaster.

Dianja shoots 50% from charity. Coleman isn’t much better. Palm is going to get beat because his defense just isn’t very good but I think there’s at least reason to hope Oskar might be able to contest shots with hard fouls in a man scheme. If he can do that, he’ll be playable as Cliff’s back up for a few minute stretches. We cannot play him and Wolf together again. I will be mad if I see them on the floor together.
 
You posted nice numbers with Mags impact on our defense. Analyze Oskar the same way. An insane amount of points were allowed with Oskar on the floor
I agree about Oskar's defense. I thought he was yanked not because of the errant pass but because his defense was poor, especially around the basket.
 
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