[NU Sports] B-Ball status

[Michael Vance]

We were outrebounding the Illini overall (not sure about the 
offensive/defensive breakdown) until the final five minutes when we 
started taking long range shots with no one in position underneath.  
That was another aspect of the total collapse that occurred.  I hate to 
use a well-worn cliche, but NU was playing to not lose.  They were 
trying to run out the clock (and not doing a very good job of that) 
before Illinois could catch up and they fell just short.  They must have 
been listening to Stephen Bardo's commentary when he kept saying that no 
one wanted to be down to NU by 10 points with five minutes left.

As much as it pains me, I have to give the Illini players a lot of 
credit.  Whether Weber asked them to do it or they did it on their own, 
they got fired up and came at us hard in those final minutes on both 
ends of the court.  We then did our part and folded like a cheap lawn 
chair. We panicked, which is exactly what a team wants you to do when 
they aggressively press.  But I blame our end-game plan just as much.  
When we did get the ball over halfcourt, we screwed around in a 
backcourt weave for 25 seconds without even looking at the basket, then 
ended throwing up a crappy shot as the buzzer went off.

-Michael

Beamsley, Jeff wrote:
> I thought we rebounded pretty well last night so I looked at the box
> score.
>
> We matched Illinois on defense rebounds 25-25.  They got more offensive
> rebounds than us (10-6), but as you said there were quite a few of those
> that were long rebounds from three point shots.  Our offensive scheme
> doesn't lend itself to crashing the boards. So I agree that the
> defensive number is much better indication of where we are, and we
> played them even up in that stat.
>
> Jeff
>
>
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> From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com]
> On Behalf Of Dennis W. Brandt
> Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 11:13 AM
> To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
> Subject: [NU Sports] B-Ball status
>
> <Personally, I've been more excited about (and had more fun watching)
> this basketball season than any in about 15 years
>
> This may be the best team we've had in the last fifteen years, and that
> is a sad commentary on NU basketball.  Until we get a good inside
> presence that can prevent other teams from getting two and three shots
> and get some put-backs ourselves, we will never be a winning basketball
> program.  In the first eleven Big Ten games we have only 69 offensive
> boards to 136 for our opponents, and I dare say most of ours were long
> rebounds.  Defensively it's
> 206 - 280.  If we got half the rebounds and changed nothing else, we
> would be in the race for the Big 10 championship. 
>
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