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What happened to our defense on Sunday?

knight82

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Nov 4, 2002
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Can someone with technical basketball knowledge explain why it was so bad after being elite for a number of games prior?
 
Here's the non-technical response you didn't ask for:

It's the human element. Sometimes, things just don't click, people have nagging injuries, whatever. It isn't a switch you can turn on just because you want to. If you get it 7 out of 10 games where the effort and execution are on point, you're lucky.
 
We played with insane intensity vs Northwestern with key guys playing a ton of minutes.
Repeat this and I can see a scenario where we beat Purdue on Thursday and then lose to Maryland on Sunday. Maryland plays tonight. They will be VERY well rested for our game on Sunday.
 
Here's the non-technical response you didn't ask for:

It's the human element. Sometimes, things just don't click, people have nagging injuries, whatever. It isn't a switch you can turn on just because you want to. If you get it 7 out of 10 games where the effort and execution are on point, you're lucky.
On the right track Lou, but missed the biggest factor: matchups.

We didn't have the edge in perimeter shooting (as usual), but also didn't have a quickness or distributing edge in the backcourt and Cliff wasn't defending a total stiff at the 5 for the first time in a long while. We didn't have a talent edge overall.

Just looking back at Northwestern..Ty Berry, one of their best players and a VG 3 point shooter didn't play (injury). We couldn't stop Buie even without Berry on the floor, imagine how many points they both would have had.

And Langbord, their other main rotation guard, got ejected. It's less 'execution' than talent.
 
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Can someone with technical basketball knowledge explain why it was so bad after being elite for a number of games prior?
Combination of things… just weren’t that sharp, possibly tired, Minnesota played well, shot 50% from deep. Even when we did cause them anxiety they recovered (they made a lot of dicey passes that were forced by our defense but that they held on to). It happens.
 
Minnesotas team is well put together...and Rutgers was due for a loss...it's hard for a team winning off of emotions and hard work to maintain a win streak like that..some nights it won't work as opposed to a Purdue winning streak based on having a 7'8" center dropping 30 & 12 and guards that can shoot.
 
We seem to have trouble with these types of teams that have a bunch of shooters and who run fast paced offense that can score inside and out. Iowa, Nebraska, and now Minnesota.
That seems to be true except for the 46-43 win over Iowa at the RAC. All others uptempo.
Now the failure was that Pike saying we can score 80 and having 37 at half gave you a path as well as most layups were made. Started to lose rebounding battle and allowed second chance points to Payne started with Wolf .
But the missed layups second half that could get us to 80 were missed horrendously but also led to runouts and transition baskets and a couple of unguarded threes , that made things worse . Failing to get Cliff the ball didn’t allow tempo to slow down a little bit and allow us to play half court defense plus the total rebounding failure continued in second half that allowed second chance points.
 
yet its been the same story everytime we play up at Minnesota even the time we won...so not buying that
I am being serious…..when one lifts they arent doing max weight and pushing things real hard and expect in 3 days to be at peak performance.

I know runners arent going all out 3 days before a big meet.

Same for swimmers.

It was, at least to me, brutally obvious we didnt have our legs. Jeremiah looked nothing like other games. Sinpson hasnt been beaten off the dribble like that.
 
Anything going toward the basket was called a foul. We couldn't get physical as we normally do. Minny wanted a high scoring game and didn't play much D in the first half 37-37. They came out flying in the second half and more aggressive and I thought our young guards got sped up resulting in bad shots and turnovers. Maybe we were fatigued after NW. I felt that way after Purdue against PSU.

Also it's a hockey rink and the floor is slippery. lol.

Oh yeah they hit their 3'd and Payne had a great game.
 
I am being serious…..when one lifts they arent doing max weight and pushing things real hard and expect in 3 days to be at peak performance.

I know runners arent going all out 3 days before a big meet.

Same for swimmers.

It was, at least to me, brutally obvious we didnt have our legs. Jeremiah looked nothing like other games. Sinpson hasnt been beaten off the dribble like that.
I did not see too many blow buys on defense and Derek and JMike ‘s defense was decent except where the missed layups by JMike and Hyatt led to run outs and 2 of the 3 transition threes by Hawkins . The failure of rebounding was not fatigue.
 
I dunno but that happens every game. Making all of our layups would in fact be a minor miracle.
12 -24 at the rim but I bet we made 10 of those in the first half and were missing 2’s mostly layups in the second half , off the top of my head , JMike 2x , Hyatt2x , Jeremiah 1x on a three on one , and Wolf getting stuffed 2x and only his misses were contested with no shot fakes with also led to run outs.
 
That seems to be true except for the 46-43 win over Iowa at the RAC. All others uptempo.
Now the failure was that Pike saying we can score 80 and having 37 at half gave you a path as well as most layups were made. Started to lose rebounding battle and allowed second chance points to Payne started with Wolf .
But the missed layups second half that could get us to 80 were missed horrendously but also led to runouts and transition baskets and a couple of unguarded threes , that made things worse . Failing to get Cliff the ball didn’t allow tempo to slow down a little bit and allow us to play half court defense plus the total rebounding failure continued in second half that allowed second chance points.
Why he just gave up on Ogoble so quick was headscratching to me and also Cliff just got schooled on the defensive end and his lack of boxing out just really really hurt and Mag getting in foul trouble killed us
 
Why he just gave up on Ogoble so quick was headscratching to me and also Cliff just got schooled on the defensive end and his lack of boxing out just really really hurt and Mag getting in foul trouble killed us
Cliff didn’t get schooled. Payne had 2 nice drop step drives over Cliff and one over Egbole. It was the second chance points we allowed him to get due to Wolf, Hyatt, Mag and Gavin not rebounding but mostly Wolf and Hyatt. We played good defense , they missed shot , but they get rebound and second chance points. We did this a lot earlier in the year , corrected it with our guards rebounding , both Derek and JMike and now Jeremiah get boards but our front court except for Cliff didn’t even jump to get a rebound.
 
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Minny was good. They were hurting us on the inside, and when we focused on that we couldn’t get back on their 3-point shooters who were 8/16. They also got the ball up the floor well. I’m guessing they can’t play much better than they did, a handful.
 
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I am being serious…..when one lifts they arent doing max weight and pushing things real hard and expect in 3 days to be at peak performance.

I know runners arent going all out 3 days before a big meet.

Same for swimmers.

It was, at least to me, brutally obvious we didnt have our legs. Jeremiah looked nothing like other games. Sinpson hasnt been beaten off the dribble like that.
This, that win streak was not about talent. That win streak was about effort and emotion. Hard to maintain the same effort and emotion that overcomes lack of talent. And when your most talented guy is off that night or tired. Chalk it up, remember Williams is 5 games into the season on a bum ankle..team should be refreshed next game...
 
I didn’t like us going over on the dribble hand offs, left us scrambling and in rotations. Rather Cliff ice and have the guards catch up going under
 
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We were definitely tired. Even late game when we tried for the miracle rally a few of our 3s looking to be dying before clipping the front rim.
 
Not convinced Mag was 100%.
Quick turnaround after emotional win over NW.
Cross Country Flight.
Still weirded out with B1G scheduling. Seems so unfair. RU giving up a home game and playing MSU away last year. Playing MSU away this year. It will be three years before MSU plays in RAC where we have owned MSU.
Playing Minnesota twice in a row at Minnesota? Nutty.
 
Not convinced Mag was 100%.
Quick turnaround after emotional win over NW.
Cross Country Flight.
Still weirded out with B1G scheduling. Seems so unfair. RU giving up a home game and playing MSU away last year. Playing MSU away this year. It will be three years before MSU plays in RAC where we have owned MSU.
Playing Minnesota twice in a row at Minnesota? Nutty.
The schedule is fine.
 
Not convinced Mag was 100%.
Quick turnaround after emotional win over NW.
Cross Country Flight.
Still weirded out with B1G scheduling. Seems so unfair. RU giving up a home game and playing MSU away last year. Playing MSU away this year. It will be three years before MSU plays in RAC where we have owned MSU.
Playing Minnesota twice in a row at Minnesota? Nutty.
Mag was far from 100 percent. If he was, he would have started.
 
I am being serious…..when one lifts they arent doing max weight and pushing things real hard and expect in 3 days to be at peak performance.

I know runners arent going all out 3 days before a big meet.

Same for swimmers.

It was, at least to me, brutally obvious we didnt have our legs. Jeremiah looked nothing like other games. Sinpson hasnt been beaten off the dribble like that.
Simpson played fine defensively. It was JMike repeatedly getting burned on threes that’s the killer and their big guy had a career game.
 
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Simp

Simpson played fine defensively. It was JMike repeatedly getting burned on threes that’s the killer and their big guy had a career game.
Simpson has been terrific defensively all year. He was not great vs Minnesota.

JaMike had an incredible game defensively (this sentence was put here just to get your goat)
 
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The schedule is fine.
Again MSU is downright odd.
As is playing Minnesota in back to back away games. Usually rotate.
Home teams winning at an all time high rate this year.
You can say schedule it’s “fine” but it’s a factor.
Tough flying cross country after an emotional Thursday night game. Not an excuse but it is a factor. Ask Willard! ;-)
 
Simpson has been terrific defensively all year. He was not great vs Minnesota.

JaMike had an incredible game defensively (this sentence was put here just to get your goat)
Rewatched the game and while not his best game he still was creating havoc and hustling, ie the two rebound put backs. Bigger issue was JMike and the open threes.
Minny hit 8 threes. That’s hard to beat. Plus went to the line 34 times.
 
Rewatched the game and while not his best game he still was creating havoc and hustling, ie the two rebound put backs. Bigger issue was JMike and the open threes.
Minny hit 8 threes. That’s hard to beat. Plus went to the line 34 times.
no doubt Derek hustled...he was a half a step slower than normal.

Guys get tired, heavy legs, physical fatigue and mental fatigue. 18-22 year old swimmers and 18-22 year old runners and 18-22 year old weightlifters are all not always at peak performance. Usually 3 days after giving max effort fatigue does become an issue.

Right now college swimmers are all tapering before their conference championships and will rest again before NCAAs if they made it
 
Again MSU is downright odd.
Leave last year in last year.
As is playing Minnesota in back to back away games. Usually rotate.
We played them home and away last year. What difference does it make that the road game was later?
Home teams winning at an all time high rate this year.
Last I checked we got 10 home games like everyone else???
You can say schedule it’s “fine” but it’s a factor.
Tough flying cross country after an emotional Thursday night game. Not an excuse but it is a factor. Ask Willard! ;-)
Of course travel and being on the road is a factor. That’s sports.
 
The issue was getting down 16 vs. Northwestern and having to fight all game and play guys WAY more than we want to.
There’s a difference between the schedule having an impact and the schedule being unfair. I’m fine with the former statement. I don’t see the latter.
 
Leave last year in last year.

We played them home and away last year. What difference does it make that the road game was later?

Last I checked we got 10 home games like everyone else???

Of course travel and being on the road is a factor. That’s sports.
I think traveling twice in a row to Minnesota is odd. I thought leagues usually try to rotate so that you don’t get consecutive games at other teams arenas. Even more odd when RU only playing Minny once this year. Tad unfair.

The whole MSG fiasco with RU giving away a home game and playing away @ MSU last year, and again away this year so that MSU only comes to the RAC once in three years is absurd. I think a bit unfair no?

We’ve had a couple week off layoffs which are nice but think B1G can do a better job than an RU game on Thursday night and then a quick turn around to fly cross country for a game on a Sunday. Throw in the next game, another away game against pre-season favorite Purdue…. B1G certainly was not doing RU any favors.

Yes we all get 10 home games but not all B1G schedules are equal.
 
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It is several things, match ups, Payne Pain, and let down. Winning a few (4) in a row (including two on road) and going on road in Big Ten often leads an emotional and operational let down for many B1G teams, even Top tier teams. One that stood out for me was rotation timing and team rotation. Remembering one MN inbound with 3 seconds left where double near corner left a wide open Hawkins 3.
 
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