Impressed with.....Not impressed with.....

[bonefish1]

Impressed with the resiliency of this team. After losing the big lead and then falling behind, they come right down, work for a good shot and a true frosh knocks down a 3.
-AJ, when he turns it on, he really turns it on. He does have a little bit of a mean streak in him and when that fire gets lit, he's tough to handle.
-Edwards got some big rebounds in the second half. He's always had a nose for rebounding and did a great job.
-Painter-made some really nice adjustments against the zone and the players executed. Great X's and O's.

Not impressed with:
Kendall......I know we're all bagging on the guy for being a chucker and we all know he can hit several 3's in a row, but he's making poor decisions on WHEN to take the three. However, I think he did a great job drawing the D out to the perimeter, swinging the ball and eventually finding Cline. Not sure when Painter tells KS to stop shooting but it hasn't happened yet.
-Was expecting Biggie to be a little more polished offensively on the low post. Granted, he's a freshman, but I was expecting to see a lot more isolation, backing his man down and either drawing a foul or getting a bunny. Having a 7 footer in the paint at all times obviously clogs up the middle, just sayin.
-our transition D was really bad at times which was a combination of poor shot selection and Pitt having a couple bigs who could really run.

 

[slidde01]

Impressed with the resiliency of this team. After losing the big lead and then falling behind, they come right down, work for a good shot and a true frosh knocks down a 3.
-AJ, when he turns it on, he really turns it on. He does have a little bit of a mean streak in him and when that fire gets lit, he's tough to handle.
-Edwards got some big rebounds in the second half. He's always had a nose for rebounding and did a great job.
-Painter-made some really nice adjustments against the zone and the players executed. Great X's and O's.

Not impressed with:
Kendall......I know we're all bagging on the guy for being a chucker and we all know he can hit several 3's in a row, but he's making poor decisions on WHEN to take the three. However, I think he did a great job drawing the D out to the perimeter, swinging the ball and eventually finding Cline. Not sure when Painter tells KS to stop shooting but it hasn't happened yet.
-Was expecting Biggie to be a little more polished offensively on the low post. Granted, he's a freshman, but I was expecting to see a lot more isolation, backing his man down and either drawing a foul or getting a bunny. Having a 7 footer in the paint at all times obviously clogs up the middle, just sayin.
-our transition D was really bad at times which was a combination of poor shot selection and Pitt having a couple bigs who could really run.

Eh, shut up.

 

[cprh9u]

"AJ, when he turns it on, he really turns it on. He does have a little bit of a mean streak in him and when that fire gets lit, he's tough to handle."

We need to see this every game from AJH. When RD comeback and as long as KS isn't going 1-9, we can beat anyone when AJH plays like that.

 

[WestCoastRoses]

Not surprised that Biggie isn't on this list just yet. A little disappointed but not surprised. He's still searching for his role in this offense. Give him time though and he'll start climbing up the chart. He's very nimble for a kid his size.

Top B1G Freshman by PER

1 Deyonta Davis Michigan State 29.9
2 Jordan Murphy Minnesota 27
3 Thomas Bryant Indiana 26.3
4 Ethan Happ Wisconsin 21.2
5 Daniel Giddens Ohio State 20.9
6 Diamond Stone Maryland 19.3
7 Jack McVeigh Nebraska 18.3
8 Michael Finke Illinois 17.1
9 Glynn Watson Jr. Nebraska 16.9
10 Matt McQuaid Michigan State 16.3
11 Aaron Falzon Northwestern 15.5
12 Corey Sanders Rutgers 15

 

[BoilerNGold013]

I completely agree about the defense. Even with Ray, teams have gotten WIDE open shots time and time again against us. Just didn't knock them down. I still think there is a lot to work on from the defensive standpoint. People aren't staying on their assignment enough and getting lost in rotations. Granted, sometimes the offense just "wins" the possession with a good play but the guys still need to work on rotations.

Also, why are we switching so much with Biggie? The crazy thing was that Biggie did a really good job in iso when he got switched. The problem was Pitt took advantage of the big guy on the little guy match up. If the opposing team has a really good scorer at the 4 spot, I would think the switching should be kept at a minimum if the PG and 4 man go high pick and roll. Thoughts?

 

[lbodel]

I completely agree about the defense. Even with Ray, teams have gotten WIDE open shots time and time again against us. Just didn't knock them down. I still think there is a lot to work on from the defensive standpoint. People aren't staying on their assignment enough and getting lost in rotations. Granted, sometimes the offense just "wins" the possession with a good play but the guys still need to work on rotations.

Also, why are we switching so much with Biggie? The crazy thing was that Biggie did a really good job in iso when he got switched. The problem was Pitt took advantage of the big guy on the little guy match up. If the opposing team has a really good scorer at the 4 spot, I would think the switching should be kept at a minimum if the PG and 4 man go high pick and roll. Thoughts?

First and foremost, turnovers are our #1 problem statistically. We are 13th in the Big Ten in turnover margin. We are also 13th in steals. If we aren't forcing a lot of turnovers, then we need to minimize ours. We're averaging 13 turnovers/game, which is what we did last year I believe. I'd really like to see that go down to around 10 as things get more settled.

While statistically we are doing great on defense, a lot of that has to do with quality of opponents. Our perimeter defense definitely needs some work and the transition defense as well. I think some of this has to do with a large rotation. Obviously when you're playing with different teammates every time, you don't get to know each other's tendencies and such. I think that will partially get sorted out by just playing together more and obviously as rotations get set a bit more.

Droughts plagued us last year and we continue to see that. That's a bit baffling considering the depth we have. However, improved defense will also help that.

Our shooting percentage is solid, but obviously the quality of opponent plays a role. I think as we see AJ get more involved again and such, you'll see that go up and our 3 point shots will probably go down a bit.

And this is a bit more picky, but I think we can be a bit more dominant on the boards. We have been, but are not as strong in terms of offensive rebounds.

 

[Schnelk]

So Swanigan is not one of the top twelve conference freshman eh? Looking forward to him making believers out of the doubters come league play. Btfu I tell ya.

 

[Dandelion1972]

Impressed with the resiliency of this team. After losing the big lead and then falling behind, they come right down, work for a good shot and a true frosh knocks down a 3.
-AJ, when he turns it on, he really turns it on. He does have a little bit of a mean streak in him and when that fire gets lit, he's tough to handle.
-Edwards got some big rebounds in the second half. He's always had a nose for rebounding and did a great job.
-Painter-made some really nice adjustments against the zone and the players executed. Great X's and O's.

Not impressed with:
Kendall......I know we're all bagging on the guy for being a chucker and we all know he can hit several 3's in a row, but he's making poor decisions on WHEN to take the three. However, I think he did a great job drawing the D out to the perimeter, swinging the ball and eventually finding Cline. Not sure when Painter tells KS to stop shooting but it hasn't happened yet.
-Was expecting Biggie to be a little more polished offensively on the low post. Granted, he's a freshman, but I was expecting to see a lot more isolation, backing his man down and either drawing a foul or getting a bunny. Having a 7 footer in the paint at all times obviously clogs up the middle, just sayin.
-our transition D was really bad at times which was a combination of poor shot selection and Pitt having a couple bigs who could really run.

I actually agree with most of what you've written (not sure why you got the 'shut up').

 

[purdue4sure]

I actually agree with most of what you've written (not sure why you got the 'shut up').

I know why. It's because there are people who don't watch the game make up their mind they are going to rag on a player no matter what he does.

Anyone notice that Stephens was in when Purdue reclaimed and built their lead, and still at the end of the game? Any clues why?

 

[BoilerDaddy]

I completely agree about the defense. Even with Ray, teams have gotten WIDE open shots time and time again against us. Just didn't knock them down. I still think there is a lot to work on from the defensive standpoint. People aren't staying on their assignment enough and getting lost in rotations. Granted, sometimes the offense just "wins" the possession with a good play but the guys still need to work on rotations.

Also, why are we switching so much with Biggie? The crazy thing was that Biggie did a really good job in iso when he got switched. The problem was Pitt took advantage of the big guy on the little guy match up. If the opposing team has a really good scorer at the 4 spot, I would think the switching should be kept at a minimum if the PG and 4 man go high pick and roll. Thoughts?

I believe that the guys who have been getting wide open threes against Purdue are the guys that Painter wants to be shooting threes against Purdue.

 

[WestCoastRoses]

So Swanigan is not one of the top twelve conference freshman eh? Looking forward to him making believers out of the doubters come league play. Btfu I tell ya.

Oh he is absolutely one of the top freshmen in the conference. No doubt about it. He just hasn't been producing efficiently thus far, hence his pedestrian PER figure. Give him time to find his role and his rhythm and he'll be a terror soon enough.

 

[bonefish1]

Oh he is absolutely one of the top freshmen in the conference. No doubt about it. He just hasn't been producing efficiently thus far, hence his pedestrian PER figure. Give him time to find his role and his rhythm and he'll be a terror soon enough.

I don't doubt he'll develop and become more productive. Probably still adjusting to the size/speed of the college game.

I saw enough in a 5 minute stretch of the Florida game to tell me he's special. He dominated the boards and delivered punishment, leaving UF players laying all over the floor.

 

[bonefish1]

I actually agree with most of what you've written (not sure why you got the 'shut up').

Yeh, that guy's a D bag.