Need a win

[Steveh4]

Dropped four straight, need a win tonight vs USC BAD

 

 

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[hskr4life]

This has to be a get right game. Theres not very many that you can get in this conference but this is as close as it’ll come.

[No Place Like the Vault]

4 hours ago, hskr4life said:

This has to be a get right game. Theres not very many that you can get in this conference but this is as close as it’ll come.

Rutgers should've been a get right game also

[Bugeaters1]

Rutgers should've been a get right game also

It seems that the eastern teams just play thug ball. The women's game is even worse.

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[hskr4life]

2 hours ago, No Place Like the Vault said:

Rutgers should've been a get right game also

I can see that. Though at the time we were just on a 2 game skid, both on the road, both Q1 losses and still had (what we thought) was our home arena mojo.

 

Now we’re on a 4 game skid, lost at home to a bottom half conference team, added a Q3 loss to the resume, and play another bottom half conference team (Q3).

[MJW82]

Even better would be a win that gets me to bed on time. 

[Norm Peterson]

On 1/22/2025 at 9:07 AM, Steveh4 said:

 

Dropped four straight, need a win tonight vs USC BAD

 

 

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Steve, you played here. You know what college ball is like. What's going on?

 

I think they have talent, though I'm not convinced the pieces fit very well together. And maybe they don't have top 4 or 5 talent in the Big 10.

 

But this team has more talent than how they've been playing lately. It seems like something really socked their confidence when they blew a 15-pt lead at Iowa and they just haven't gotten out of that funk yet. It seems like it's as much mental as anything. But that's just me and I didn't play college ball.

 

So what's your take?

[Steveh4]

Agreed! Playing with a lack of confidence right now and definitely was capable of beating some of the teams that we just lost to. Hoiberg a helluva coach though so let’s just hope he can turn this thing around for a late run. #GBR


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[hskr4life]

48 minutes ago, Steveh4 said:

Agreed! Playing with a lack of confidence right now and definitely was capable of beating some of the teams that we just lost to. Hoiberg a helluva coach though so let’s just hope he can turn this thing around for a late run. #GBR


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Maybe it's false hope on my part, but I think we'll see a different team when (I hope not if)... but when we see a 13 go up in that W column. Just like a shooter needs to see the ball go through the hoop, I think we need to see a W appear.

 

The sooner the better.

[HB]

4 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Steve, you played here. You know what college ball is like. What's going on?

 

I think they have talent, though I'm not convinced the pieces fit very well together. And maybe they don't have top 4 or 5 talent in the Big 10.

 

But this team has more talent than how they've been playing lately. It seems like something really socked their confidence when they blew a 15-pt lead at Iowa and they just haven't gotten out of that funk yet. It seems like it's as much mental as anything. But that's just me and I didn't play college ball.

 

So what's your take?

 

Disagree about the talent.  Not only do we not have top 4 or 5 talent, we have bottom 2-4 talent.  Not athletic, can't shoot.    It's not just mental.   We have guys out there who can't move well, and/or have skill deficiencies, to play at this level.    Fred basically admitted it, saying we have to play about perfect to have a chance.   That's code for my players aren't that good.  

[Norm Peterson]

19 hours ago, HB said:

Disagree about the talent.  Not only do we not have top 4 or 5 talent, we have bottom 2-4 talent.  Not athletic, can't shoot.    It's not just mental.   We have guys out there who can't move well, and/or have skill deficiencies, to play at this level.    Fred basically admitted it, saying we have to play about perfect to have a chance.   That's code for my players aren't that good.  

 

You might be right. If so, that's bad news because we bought the best players we could get with the money we had.

[Navin R. Johnson]

1 minute ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

You might be right. If so, that's bad news because we bought the best players we could get with the money we had.

This is what concerns me about NIL money.  It does even the playing field at times and as we are seeing with the Big Ten right now, everyone gets better but I'm not sure we can outbid teams for the top players.  Great, now we might be the Pittsburgh Pirates of college basketball. (I'm a big Pirates fan of course)

[hskr4life]

Sometimes spending the "most" for the "best" players isn't always going to produce the results you want though...

 

Look at our neighbors from the south paying big chunks for AJ Storr and Coleman Hawkins.  K-State is 8-11 and 2-6 and Hawkins PPG are down, turnovers are up, and shooting numbers are down despite getting a huge bag.

 

Kansas is having a down(ish) year in the Big 12... at least by their standards. They are 5-3 and 3 games out of first. AJ Storr is averaging the lowest PPG of his career, is playing his least amount of minutes of his career, and shooting numbers are down. He's playing just 17 MPG. That's less than Sam Hoiberg. 

 

We definitely can't be one of those teams that pays an outrageous amount for little to no production. I have no doubt that we can be competitive for the top talent with our NIL, but I also don't know that we can afford to pay someone as much as Storr and Hawkins and eat their decline in production. 

[Norm Peterson]

I hate to bring up Grant McCasland, but he's killing it at Texas Tech and the only reason I point this out is because it shows it can be done. He seems to have that "it" factor. He knows how to win. My concern with this team is that they seem to have a lot more in common with Fred's first three teams than his last two. And if last year is the high-water mark, that's a problem. He can still turn it around (maybe not for this season) but it's a big hill to climb.

[Handy Johnson]

Like Good Shooters Shoot themselves “Hot” Hard Work & elbow grease is the only way out of this Hole. The Calvary is NOT on the way, & no one will feel sorry for you. 

[hskr4life]

39 minutes ago, Handy Johnson said:

Like Good Shooters Shoot themselves “Hot” Hard Work & elbow grease is the only way out of this Hole. The Calvary is NOT on the way, & no one will feel sorry for you. 

Especially when about all but 2-3 teams still can dance

[Cazzie22]

6 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

I hate to bring up Grant McCasland, but he's killing it at Texas Tech and the only reason I point this out is because it shows it can be done. He seems to have that "it" factor. He knows how to win. My concern with this team is that they seem to have a lot more in common with Fred's first three teams than his last two. And if last year is the high-water mark, that's a problem. He can still turn it around (maybe not for this season) but it's a big hill to climb.

Chris Beard won at Texas Tech, so did Bob Knight and James Dickey. We don’t have the BB tradition of Tech. I agree that Grant McCasland is doing a great job in Lubbock.  

[Fullbacksympathy]

On 1/27/2025 at 2:57 PM, Steveh4 said:

Agreed! Playing with a lack of confidence right now and definitely was capable of beating some of the teams that we just lost to. Hoiberg a helluva coach though so let’s just hope he can turn this thing around for a late run. #GBR
 

 

Agree.  Wisconsin didn't miss and we've been competitive in a couple of the prior losses.  I'm still optimistic.  

 

The main thing I'm seeing is a lack of urgency to close out.  It's not necessarily the coaching or that players are wildly out of position.  It's that we aren't anticipating swing/skip passes fast enough and then running them off the 3pt point line.  It might work better for us to at least try a small ball lineup with Berke at the 5 to give us more shooting and speed on the perimeter.  

 

Worster

Connor

Bryce

Gary

Berke

 

^^^ this group can at least close out fast enough, and Worster helps a lot on the boards at guard in addition to being a great defender.  I love Sam as an energy guy, but even despite being a coach's dream defender, his length is a liability on closeouts and p&r switches.  Morgan and Meah are both fine at the 5.  I don't like any of our bigs at the 4 due to a lack of defensive footspeed.  I'd have Gary there and spot him minutes with Gavin.  Rotate Sam and Ulis as necessary for the guards.  Play the hot hand at the 5 among the three bigs.