H8IAST8
Well-Known Member
snap!
MICH and NW in OT
- Thread starter DunderMifflinHk
- Start date
Cyclones17
Well-Known Member
Not sure how that has to do with beating northwesterns 1-3-1 zone but nice try.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Several things I noticed from this game:
1) John Shurna is a terrible basketball player when it comes to fundamentals but he finds a way to be extremely effective nonetheless. Still, this is where I think he is vulnerable:
- He shoots the ball low. Mentioned in this forum before. But if you can figure out how to strip or at least hit the ball before he gets it above hip level, you've disrupted his shot.
- He strongly prefers to dribble to his right rather than his left.
- His right hand dribble is extremely high, vulnerable to a steal. Help defenders need to be aware of this.
- When he dribbles with his right hand, he almost always has his left arm high across his chest to push away defenders. Opposing coaches should ask officiating crews to watch for this and opponents could get an advantage by falling down and "facilitating" Shurna's push. Leaving his left arm high also opens up his lower cage for attempting to steal the ball.
- Physically he is not heavy, so he can be bumped out of position easily without fouling.
- His frustration level is very low; he can be easily frustrated with frequent contact, shot blocks, pass disruptions.
2) As a whole, the Northwestern team plays with a lot of emotion. As a result, it is easy for individual players to become frustrated and knocked off their game. Opponents can be effective in pushing the contact while maintaining their own composure.
3) Northwestern is highly skilled at making just enough contact to typically not draw a foul: bumps in the lane, shoving out of the way on rebounds, bumping from behind on rebounds to attempt to force the opponent out of bounds. Opponents who are able to make this contact more obvious are more likely to gain the foul on Northwestern.
4) Northwestern's "Princeton offense" sets can be disrupted with aggressive but non-foul contact, particularly near the elbow or the top of the key as the cutter seeks to move inside.
5) Michigan is not afraid to turn it into a shooting game from the perimeter, and be quite effective from beyond the arc. Opponents need to be aware of the shooters at all times.
6) The frequent high pass Michigan frequently made near mid-court in the offensive court to beat the 1-3-1 zone is very susceptible to steal or at loss of possession. While Northwestern sought to disrupt the pass with someone at the point, no attempt was made to bring a defender up from lower on the floor in an attempt to steal the pass or to distract the receiver. Hiding an Eric May or Melsahn Basabe deep on offense but occasionally flashing them out on the lazy, high pass could lead to steals or UM loss of possession.
1) John Shurna is a terrible basketball player when it comes to fundamentals but he finds a way to be extremely effective nonetheless. Still, this is where I think he is vulnerable:
- He shoots the ball low. Mentioned in this forum before. But if you can figure out how to strip or at least hit the ball before he gets it above hip level, you've disrupted his shot.
- He strongly prefers to dribble to his right rather than his left.
- His right hand dribble is extremely high, vulnerable to a steal. Help defenders need to be aware of this.
- When he dribbles with his right hand, he almost always has his left arm high across his chest to push away defenders. Opposing coaches should ask officiating crews to watch for this and opponents could get an advantage by falling down and "facilitating" Shurna's push. Leaving his left arm high also opens up his lower cage for attempting to steal the ball.
- Physically he is not heavy, so he can be bumped out of position easily without fouling.
- His frustration level is very low; he can be easily frustrated with frequent contact, shot blocks, pass disruptions.
2) As a whole, the Northwestern team plays with a lot of emotion. As a result, it is easy for individual players to become frustrated and knocked off their game. Opponents can be effective in pushing the contact while maintaining their own composure.
3) Northwestern is highly skilled at making just enough contact to typically not draw a foul: bumps in the lane, shoving out of the way on rebounds, bumping from behind on rebounds to attempt to force the opponent out of bounds. Opponents who are able to make this contact more obvious are more likely to gain the foul on Northwestern.
4) Northwestern's "Princeton offense" sets can be disrupted with aggressive but non-foul contact, particularly near the elbow or the top of the key as the cutter seeks to move inside.
5) Michigan is not afraid to turn it into a shooting game from the perimeter, and be quite effective from beyond the arc. Opponents need to be aware of the shooters at all times.
6) The frequent high pass Michigan frequently made near mid-court in the offensive court to beat the 1-3-1 zone is very susceptible to steal or at loss of possession. While Northwestern sought to disrupt the pass with someone at the point, no attempt was made to bring a defender up from lower on the floor in an attempt to steal the pass or to distract the receiver. Hiding an Eric May or Melsahn Basabe deep on offense but occasionally flashing them out on the lazy, high pass could lead to steals or UM loss of possession.
Crawford got hurt and hardly played in the second half. Big impact.
I noticed in the Illini game that Brandon Paul hurt his shoulder and was out for awhile,then DJ Richardson sprained his ankle. Tracy Abrams had an icepack on his wrist on the sideline....Illini might be banged up for Sundays game vs the Hawks.
I noticed in the Illini game that Brandon Paul hurt his shoulder and was out for awhile,then DJ Richardson sprained his ankle. Tracy Abrams had an icepack on his wrist on the sideline....Illini might be banged up for Sundays game vs the Hawks.
HawkeyeShane
Well-Known Member
Come on 17...you gotta admit that was some funny shiznit even if it had nothing to do with the topic at hand! You put your fastball on a tee and he knocked it off of the scoreboard...
hawkIhoops
Well-Known Member
NW shot the ball poorly last night, which led to the loss. On an average shooting night, NW wins the game in regulation, as MI was not exactly tearing it up and trailed by as many as 7 a couple of times if memory serves.
Michigan did not give up offensive rebounds and had hands in the faces of shooters all night. It was either Hearn or Cobb, can't remember, but one of them had at least three 3 point attempts blocked. Iowa needs to step up and bang these guys around early to send a message that they aren't giving up easy layups and uncontested shots. It was a physical game last night and that is not in NW's favor. Sobolewski and Marcotullio need to get closed out on hard for their clowning us in Evanston. Give up 3 free throws to put those guys in the first row. If that team gets confident / cocky, everybody starts pouring shots in.
Michigan did not give up offensive rebounds and had hands in the faces of shooters all night. It was either Hearn or Cobb, can't remember, but one of them had at least three 3 point attempts blocked. Iowa needs to step up and bang these guys around early to send a message that they aren't giving up easy layups and uncontested shots. It was a physical game last night and that is not in NW's favor. Sobolewski and Marcotullio need to get closed out on hard for their clowning us in Evanston. Give up 3 free throws to put those guys in the first row. If that team gets confident / cocky, everybody starts pouring shots in.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Precisely. And when they get knocked around a little bit, they lose confidence and suddenly look like a team of high schoolers. Iowa needs to bounce them around a bit.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
So did you stop watching at the end of regulation? In case you missed it Michigan scored 18 points in the 5 minute over time period mainly using the 3 ball.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
Anyone want to argue w/ me that NW won't make the tourney. I stated that in January.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
When God made Heaven and Earth, he also created the NIT for Northwestern.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Not after losing at home to Michigan. They really need that win last night and the rest of the schedule is no cake walk. It is going to take a win @ Penn State and a major upset against Ohio State to get them back into consideration.
DuffMan
Well-Known Member
there is no question they don't make the ncaa, I only hope they don't take Iowas spot in the NIT. They would really help us out if they went 1-3, or better yet 0-4. nw going 2-2 makes things tough for us.
eveningnewsteam
Well-Known Member
No. They have to win out and win at least 1 in the conference tourney, no way.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
You are right, they did show how to beat the 1-3-1...by not turning the ball over.
Michigan really won the game on the defensive end...shooting 38 three's is pretty crazy, even for them.
That is why UM lost at Indiana, they defended their butt off to get caught up, but then down by two, shot multiple three's, rather go to the hoop. It almost screwed them again last night.
If you watched the game and saw how Michigan defended with all the switching and physicality they played with in the second half it took NW totally out of their game.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
Well, they win because of the effort they put into the defensive end of the court. My wife is a huge UM fan and we have went to a few games...Morgan is the best low post defender I have seen in person this year...he is stronger than a bull and the job he did on Sullinger just epitomizes how he plays, he gets dumb fouls away from the basket, that is his only negative.
Offensively, they have a great PG...I really think Burke should get FOY. Think about it, Darius Morris goes pro and everyone wrote Michigan off. Hardaway hasn't improved, he has regressed as well as Smotrycz...their shooting percentages, until recently were terrible. Burke also is one of the most vocal players on the floor, he gets into guys, including Hardaway, he is a good leader. Michigan will go as far as Burke can take them...period.
Lastly, they have bought into the team concept and their Senior leadership is amazing, not to mention that Novak/Douglass have hit huge shots lately, something they haven't done much of before this season. Each player buys into the team, you can see it in how they interact before and after the game.
When I watched the BTT in 2006 and Iowa won, players didn't look together at all. There was a group here and a group there and Alford seemed to be running back and forth to please both groups...just a totally different feel...maybe I am making an assumption on Iowa.
We went to the floor after the UM/OSU game Saturday and every player interacted with all the family members of other players and each other. It really was like a reunion of sorts, nobody left out of the conversation.
The coolest part of the experience was that Terry Mills was there and Belien asked him if had a tour of the new facility to which Mills said yes, but Belien said call me and I will give you a tour...reconnecting with former players is huge and something it seems Fran is trying to do as well.
Michigan went from a "me first" set of players to a "team first" set of players on the roster, the same thing is going on at Iowa.
HawkeyeShane
Well-Known Member
I forgot to do this this morning...so PLEASE, forgive me!?!? Better late than never, I hope...
Well played, Mauer!
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Great observations. I like how Fran is building a "team" here.
sportstalent
Well-Known Member
One other thing I didn't mention was how much Belien interacted with the fans as well, he signed a lot of autographs after the game.
