Sorry in advance if I seem a bit like Kyk using absolutes and click-bait headlines, but this game will clearly tell us if the team has turned the corner since coming back from the covid pause and shooting lights out since New Years. Personally, I am hoping that this year is the opposite of last, where we started off blistering hot, hit a cold patch when the team chemistry felt off, and kind of limped into the NCAA tournament
The team was clearly disinterested and didnt look happy when they were playing their initial stretch of games and seemed down and defeated with no spark like JY to pick them up during the draught. It is good to see the smiles back on the faces and the defensive intensity that Pike built this team on. But knowing this group, that has been here 3-5 years, we all know that expecting 40%+ from the 3 point line is not reasonable and as another poster said after the Michigan game, the offense just doesnt seem to have any flow to it, and too many 1 on 1 breakdown plays along with 3 point heaves at the last second of the shot clock, is not going to keep us winning consistently
Penn St is a mediocre team that got destroyed by UMASS earlier in the year and has beaten Indiana at home and beat NW o They have been very competitive against Purdue and LSU n the road. Seth Lundy always has big games against us, Jalen Pickett has really been coming on as of late, and Harrar is a beast, so they are a well rounded team, More importantly, this will be our first game away from home and we wont have the fan pick-me-up if the team faces adversity. We are bound (sooner than later) to have a night where we are closer to 40% in FG shooting, the question is, when we have that kind of night, can the defense sustain us. Win against PSU, and be 4-1 in conference and play a very winnable game against Maryland to then have a good time off to prepare for the Hawkeyes, who I expect will start to catch fire by the time they come into the Sub. If Rutgers can somehow be 6-1 to start conference play, talk about heading back to the tournament can officially begin, because its not how you start but how you finish
Lets see if RHJ and the gang have it in them to pull off a much needed road victory - despite the disparity in records, I expect the Vegas line to be very close to even for this one
The team was clearly disinterested and didnt look happy when they were playing their initial stretch of games and seemed down and defeated with no spark like JY to pick them up during the draught. It is good to see the smiles back on the faces and the defensive intensity that Pike built this team on. But knowing this group, that has been here 3-5 years, we all know that expecting 40%+ from the 3 point line is not reasonable and as another poster said after the Michigan game, the offense just doesnt seem to have any flow to it, and too many 1 on 1 breakdown plays along with 3 point heaves at the last second of the shot clock, is not going to keep us winning consistently
Penn St is a mediocre team that got destroyed by UMASS earlier in the year and has beaten Indiana at home and beat NW o They have been very competitive against Purdue and LSU n the road. Seth Lundy always has big games against us, Jalen Pickett has really been coming on as of late, and Harrar is a beast, so they are a well rounded team, More importantly, this will be our first game away from home and we wont have the fan pick-me-up if the team faces adversity. We are bound (sooner than later) to have a night where we are closer to 40% in FG shooting, the question is, when we have that kind of night, can the defense sustain us. Win against PSU, and be 4-1 in conference and play a very winnable game against Maryland to then have a good time off to prepare for the Hawkeyes, who I expect will start to catch fire by the time they come into the Sub. If Rutgers can somehow be 6-1 to start conference play, talk about heading back to the tournament can officially begin, because its not how you start but how you finish
Lets see if RHJ and the gang have it in them to pull off a much needed road victory - despite the disparity in records, I expect the Vegas line to be very close to even for this one
