People complain that we are not "tough," when, really, I think it is a lack of athleticism that we are seeing. We have to bring in a few more explosive athletes, especially at the wings. Other than Marble, we lack a true wing capable of playing BIG. MSU just bullied us with their superior athleticism. Defensively, it would help with our rotations. We close out on shooters, but rarely were we making MSU's shooters uncomfortable with our closeouts. We need to be able to get into a shooter's body more, preventing him from catching and shooting in rhythm with set feet.
We also desperately need more ball-handlers. Appling was allowed to put his hands on Gessell last night and completely took him out of the game. Marble was the only Iowa player that could dribble against MSU's defense in the second half. In fact, Marble was the only Iowa player that didn't look outclassed when the defensive intensity increased.
