It was good for Purdue. I love that Purdue had to have poise and execute when the whistle was not friendly in a hostile arena where the home team had it going feeling confident while the visitors had that monkey on the back squeezing those paws in until Purdue was able to shake it off. Purdue needed a close game to win under that scenario IMO
Deep doesn’t mean equal. Even the starters are not equal in what they bring. Subbing more might have worked out, but what if it didn’t? Can you imagine this site? Matt subs and Purdue loses? What happens? Matt subs and zpurdue wins? Does either make the fans happy?
sometimes it seems to be an illusion, you see what this team got but then it's not because it's not being used.
Rutgers has improved a lot since Pikiell has been there. Defense has been physical and very solid. Seems to recruit a lot of players that score off the bounce…individual scoring players
Haha so much to go through but I agree with you. I’m biased but at least Robbie knows Purdue and also all of the other B1G teams and can speak to each one. Laphonso and Brando has no clue about either team and Brando was down right awful and corny. It seemed they both wanted to Rutgers to win …maybe it was due to them being bored the first half….I don’t know.
Definitely agree with that question in your last sentence. Fans are never happy and everybody has an opinion.
I just don't like our rebounding when Zack is out of the game. We seem to get abused often when he is out. TKR not scoring or even shooting much, I'd like to see more than 2 rebs in 19 mins. On the season, he's in the range of 2/3 of where I'd like to see him at per 40.
..playing on an away court with a rabid fanbase against a team that ain't half bad at home.
Brando spent most of his time trying to get catch phrases in. Was a lot of verbal grab..s between him and LaPhonso.
I understand much more in other games the subbing. Since Matt has a different opinion, why do you think it so? I ask this for no reason other than for you to attempt to guess what you think he may be thinking.
Purdue played hard AND was focused. When that happens and you are generally a good rebounding team, but not this game and now there are more turnovers than some, a slow whistle can affect both of those if you have a physical team that really wants to grind that is defensively oriented and a bit stronger
He said something really stupid that I recalled at the time but moved on to the game events. FWIW Kim for the first time I can ever recall turned on the volume from the phone to listen on line.
The refs can stop that if they would. I saw Butler yesterday and those refs were horrible. I made a comment that they were worst than the Big, but similar to what hastens in the tourney sometims
I see that differential and I think Purdue is playing to hang on by having longer possessions, being less aggressive and shortening the bench.
Oh I totally understand where you are coming from. Every bit of it. I suspect he believes in this group and feels a lot more comfortable with these, basically 6 or 7 getting the bulk of the mins especially on the road in a hostile environment.
On CBS next Sunday, right before the final round at Pebble. Probably have that “mantoman” goofball Raferty.
I would have thought the 1st half would have been poorer than the 2nd due to getting used to playing in that bandbox of an arena
I understand that and it is a reasonable request. When you say someone isn't contributing are you saying not scoring? If that is not contributing then only maybe Braden and Zach contributed on offense with a small spurt by Mason in the first half. No doubt someone or a few or all need to score depending on a perspective, but does that mean someone not scoring is not contributing on offense?
I turned off the sound after a few minutes in the 2nd half. I'd had enough.
I agree, he is solid and aggressive. If you don't make any mistakes, you are not working hard enough
very possible. I'll add that Rutgers missed a lot of wide open shots the first half and yet had the game within 4 or 5 potential 3s should they go down. I suspect Matt believed they would knock some down in the second half and wanted to keep feeding Zach and not be in a hurry.
I got a kid at ole Miss and watched their game last night, the broadcast can get worse.
I agree with a lot of this and enjoy your perspective. I definitely understand that say in the case with Fletch, (and not trying to run him down because I think he is very important to this team) it's just some of his off shooting games, he is an important piece still by always at least the thought that he is deadly from 3 and can't leave him open, but essentially a zero stat line outside of 5 free throws late (still important) and imo a lot of times a liability defensively, to me, I am a little quicker to try other options. In a single elimination tournament, I worry about not making adjustments timely. Braden typically contributes a lot even when not scoring with handling the ball, assists, rebounds well. Jones an excellent stat line today even tho only 4 points. Just not much to say about Fletcher's numbers on paper besides the fact that he spreads the floor offensively, but most of our guards command attention outside of Morton.
We all tend to think that Colvin or Heide are the immediate answer but never think what if they are even worse in the game? And Loyer actually IS the right play to keep the defense honest. He draws his man away from the post because they HAVE to pay attention to fletch.
I fully understand your reasoning...AND those FTs were HUGE. Miss them and who knows? I think he shot 4 shots will the team not defend him on the fifth? Can he make 4 in a row? Those are always in the back of Matt's head. I've posted this a lot and unsure many people agree or just don't read it or forget it. A coach can change things too quickly and too late. There is NO correct answer for all conditions. In a close game it can be swung either way in a two minute stretch? Even when the game is over some may state that he needed to not change things or he should have changed things quicker, but the reality is the assumption that either way could be worse and we don't know it. Personally, I think of coaching like teaching. They can learn the X and Os, but some relate better, some have better classroom management, but ultimately it is an art that the great ones either have or they don't.
Onions! Raftery has always been one of my favorites, he’s 80 now, not quite what he once was.
