1. As good as we were offensively (and we were great), kudos to Saddi Washington for his defensive game plan and to the players for executing it. Northwestern, the most prolific team in the Big Ten on 3 pointers taken AND 3 point percentage coming in got off only six 3 point attempts in total in the first half--we ran them off the line and blanketed their shooters. Isaiah Livers didn't have his best game offensively, but he dominated Miller Kopp on the other end, holding him to 2 contested 3s which he missed (he was a 59% shooter from distance coming in). Eli Brooks, who did have a fantastic game offensively, destroyed Boo Buie even before Buie got injured (though Buie returned for the second half). And we haven't even talked about Franz Wagner who was literally everywhere on both ends of the court--14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks (!), 5 assists and 2 steals--and took Pete Nance totally out of the game after the first four minutes (and whomever (sounds like it was Juwan) decided to put Franz on nance, and Hunter on Robbie Berens), Chaundee Brown, Mike Smith, and others. The final box is impressive against a good offensive team, and even that's misleading because Northwestern scored about 20% of its points against the scout team. Total team effort.
2. I was very impressed with Hunter Dickinson's patience and maturity--when Northwestern was focused on him in the first half, he didn't force things and moved the ball. When we started raining 3 point shots, and Northwestern couldn't overplay him because of the shots available, he got aggressive in the post and established deep post position and we got the ball to him. That's pretty unusual for a freshman.
3. I know Franz got off to a slow offensive start in the first several games, but I agree with Robbie Hummel--as good as Hunter has been, Franz is far and away the best two way player on the team, and as good as anyone in the league right now because of the number of different things he can do.
4. I though Eli's baseline dunk against Maryland off the feed from Hunter might turn out to be the highlight film play of the season for us. That lasted less than a game. Holy s**t, the alley oop from Mike to Eli was spectacular. Eli has been the subject of a lot of criticism from some over the years, so let's give him his due--the best team defensive player on the team without question, the best dunker, a guy who hits big 3s at crucial moments, and a guy who moves the ball and creates for others. Successful teams need guys like Eli Brooks. Not everybody is, or can be, an alpha.
5. That's the best we've rebounded all season, both on the offensive and defensive end. We muscled them, were quick to the ball, and boxed out well. It's a team effort too--Hunter had only 3 rebounds tonight, but everyone did what they needed to do.
6. When Chaundee hits a shot early, it really gets him going on both ends of the floor. The drive and dish to Franz late in the first half happens when he's comfortable and not trying to force his offense. This team as a whole is so unselfish, and that goes down to the scout team--Jared Faulds' bounce pass to Jace Howard for his first career points was just another example of that.
7. Further evidence is how Mike Smith has evolved his game. From a 23 point per game scorer on a team which relied on him to do everything offensively, and tried to avoid him getting worn out or in foul trouble on defense to a guy who is an ultimate glue guy on offense and a pest on defense. Mike plays hard, smart, in control and efficiently. He has been a very pleasant development.
8. Brandon Johns does some things in terms of turnovers and missed assignments which make you shake your head, but you can live with that when he also does some things which only he can do. Tonight, he brought his team best ability to rebound on the offensive glass, hit a 3, and was engaged on both ends. The last two games are steps in the right direction. We're going to need what Brandon can give us going forward.
9. We have had some really sloppy turnovers in the last few games. What I mean by that is turnovers where we aren't even trying to make a play (trying to pass the ball trough traffic, driving to the hole, etc.), just sloppy passes a long way from the basket. As well as we're playing, we can get better.
10. It's easy to have a great culture when things are going well. That said, this team looks really locked in and connected. While there are going to be losses--the Big Ten is ridiculously strong--this team looks equipped to handle adversity, especially given the senior leadership we have.
2. I was very impressed with Hunter Dickinson's patience and maturity--when Northwestern was focused on him in the first half, he didn't force things and moved the ball. When we started raining 3 point shots, and Northwestern couldn't overplay him because of the shots available, he got aggressive in the post and established deep post position and we got the ball to him. That's pretty unusual for a freshman.
3. I know Franz got off to a slow offensive start in the first several games, but I agree with Robbie Hummel--as good as Hunter has been, Franz is far and away the best two way player on the team, and as good as anyone in the league right now because of the number of different things he can do.
4. I though Eli's baseline dunk against Maryland off the feed from Hunter might turn out to be the highlight film play of the season for us. That lasted less than a game. Holy s**t, the alley oop from Mike to Eli was spectacular. Eli has been the subject of a lot of criticism from some over the years, so let's give him his due--the best team defensive player on the team without question, the best dunker, a guy who hits big 3s at crucial moments, and a guy who moves the ball and creates for others. Successful teams need guys like Eli Brooks. Not everybody is, or can be, an alpha.
5. That's the best we've rebounded all season, both on the offensive and defensive end. We muscled them, were quick to the ball, and boxed out well. It's a team effort too--Hunter had only 3 rebounds tonight, but everyone did what they needed to do.
6. When Chaundee hits a shot early, it really gets him going on both ends of the floor. The drive and dish to Franz late in the first half happens when he's comfortable and not trying to force his offense. This team as a whole is so unselfish, and that goes down to the scout team--Jared Faulds' bounce pass to Jace Howard for his first career points was just another example of that.
7. Further evidence is how Mike Smith has evolved his game. From a 23 point per game scorer on a team which relied on him to do everything offensively, and tried to avoid him getting worn out or in foul trouble on defense to a guy who is an ultimate glue guy on offense and a pest on defense. Mike plays hard, smart, in control and efficiently. He has been a very pleasant development.
8. Brandon Johns does some things in terms of turnovers and missed assignments which make you shake your head, but you can live with that when he also does some things which only he can do. Tonight, he brought his team best ability to rebound on the offensive glass, hit a 3, and was engaged on both ends. The last two games are steps in the right direction. We're going to need what Brandon can give us going forward.
9. We have had some really sloppy turnovers in the last few games. What I mean by that is turnovers where we aren't even trying to make a play (trying to pass the ball trough traffic, driving to the hole, etc.), just sloppy passes a long way from the basket. As well as we're playing, we can get better.
10. It's easy to have a great culture when things are going well. That said, this team looks really locked in and connected. While there are going to be losses--the Big Ten is ridiculously strong--this team looks equipped to handle adversity, especially given the senior leadership we have.
