What a critical 3 game homestand, 2 of 3 will not get the job done, need the sweep. Then you can split the next 2 and start the BSU/Miami trip with a 7-4 mark.

Solid play, hope consistency enters the picture.

(01-21-2020 09:01 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Outrebounded Kent. Hit a ton of freethrows. Solid team play nice to see.
Go Huskies!

Was impressed by Cochran and Beane.

It was only a week ago vs Akron that Beane got half the minutes he got tonight. It’s been clear since arrived that he was the most athletic player here outside and of German. Why Monty has held his minutes back s beyond me.

And yes for a true freshman Cochran has some skills.

Nice win Huskies. I look to go to some home games coming up!

3 guys in double figures. We need that every game.

Thanksnovak, yes Beane is athletic but many times he plays out of control that’s why his minutes were lacking. Tyler C hustles a lot but he needs to slow down a little..

(01-21-2020 10:17 PM)dc1 Wrote:  Thanksnovak, yes Beane is athletic but many times he plays out of control that’s why his minutes were lacking. Tyler C hustles a lot but he needs to slow down a little..

Whenever Lacy or Cochran has the ball, my heart just stops. Mccarty might need to be added onto that list. I always thought NIU was a completely different team when Levi Bradley was on, with this NIU team the combination of Hankerson and Beane seems to be crucial.

The only drawback with 3 straight home games is that it seems like you get 1 sure win, one 50/50 type game, and then one game where you just lay an egg. I wonder if extended home stints lead to complacency, almost like you get out of a routine.

I am not familiar with the promo of "Study Night" vs Ohio? Does that mean students should stay in the dorms to study or does it mean bring your homework to the game? With the limited number of fans isn't it quiet enough for every night to be study night at the Convo?

Official website sked says "Study Night at the Convo," so yes, homework at the game. I wonder if there's a special deal, like a discount on coffee or hot chocolate or something, to encourage it. Or just another bumper sticker slogan with no on-campus promotion.

Looks like to me each of the next 3 games should be equal win percentages for NIU, here is how I would project the mock lines for the homestand

WMU, Huskies by 6
Ohio, Huskies by 5
Miami-OH, Huskies by 6

(01-22-2020 08:52 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Looks like to me each of the next 3 games should be equal win percentages for NIU, here is how I would project the mock lines for the homestand

WMU, Huskies by 6
Ohio, Huskies by 5
Miami-OH, Huskies by 6

4 of the next 5 at home. Really need a 4-1 stretch at worst

(01-22-2020 09:29 AM)7 Wrote:  

(01-22-2020 08:52 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  Looks like to me each of the next 3 games should be equal win percentages for NIU, here is how I would project the mock lines for the homestand

WMU, Huskies by 6
Ohio, Huskies by 5
Miami-OH, Huskies by 6

4 of the next 5 at home. Really need a 4-1 stretch at worst

I think 4 of 5 is spot on for the target. You really have to take care of the above 3 teams at home, and then you try and get that split with Toledo on the road and Kent. Winning 4 of the next 5 would give you an expected win total of around 10, and a total of 9 if you take 3 of those 5. The difference between 9 and 10 wins is usually HUGE for seeding purposes, especially so given a few quality wins @ Buffalo and @ Kent St for tiebreaker purposes. Favorable tiebreakers + 10 wins = some chance for a 4 seed I would think. Part of the problem I think, even though all the next 3 home games seem highly winnable , statistically its unlikely NIU can sweep, probably something only around a 1 in 3 chance of sweeping

Take away the upcoming 3 game homestand where NIU should be a solid favorite in each, and take away the road games @ Toledo and @ Ball State where NIU will be solid underdogs, the remaining 7 games are almost all 50/50 type games.

No students will be there, black out game hardly anybody wore black, and welcome back students night yielded like 13 students. It’ll be dead like it always is, super unfortunately.

(01-22-2020 09:35 AM)HuskieManiac Wrote:  No students will be there, black out game hardly anybody wore black, and welcome back students night yielded like 13 students. It’ll be dead like it always is, super unfortunately.

The one game I could see some potential for a decent turnout, if NIU can play good basketball between now and then, is Feb 22 Saturday CMU. If they can generate some buzz in that month, maybe that can turn people out. Late February, students start to get stir crazy

Badly need some on-campus promotion, even if it's a negative to push a positive, Like "hey, got nothing to do? You mbb team is on fire. Needs your help to keep the fire burning." OK. Sounds stupid, but throw in some half-price soda to "cool off between hot shots." Oh, man, I could keep this crapola going for another five graphs (but I won't ... you're welcome). Point is, don't just call it something and let it lie there.

Huskies are playing some exciting bball right now. Need something to get students to pick their heads up and pay attention. Could build slowly toward that Feb. 22 game. Target should be 10% of those on campus; could be over a thousand.

But DO SOMETHING. Team is winning. Needs screaming fans.

Or is this just dreaming, from what we used to draw.

If nothing else, you can say this is an exciting (very much nerve racking at times) team to watch, they play mostly close games and can get on some streaks. Long gone are the days where watching a NIU Monty team would put me to sleep.

[quote='pvk75' pid='16625568' dateline='1579654255']

"McCarty looks like a pickup with one flat tire out there." Now that is funny.

German is a bit concerning. 4-13 FG!!! His game is down across the board this season over both his soph and junior years.

(01-22-2020 12:11 PM)El Duderino Wrote:  [quote='pvk75' pid='16625568' dateline='1579654255']

"McCarty looks like a pickup with one flat tire out there." Now that is funny.

German is a bit concerning. 4-13 FG!!! His game is down across the board this season over both his soph and junior years.

Your efficiency goes down when you’re the only guy on the team who can score

I find it confusing the "must win x out of the next x games" or "have to go x for x over this home stand" comments. Do they really have to? Sure, it'd definitely be nice to win the division or get a top spot in the tournament, but it isn't a must. Personally, I look at this season as a full season of learning and if things come together, they can make a run in the tournament like they did last year. There are just so many new parts to the rotation plus a number of parts that have been in and out or inconsistent (like Henry-Hayes and Lee to name a couple).

If they can get everyone healthy and improve as the season continues, they're going to be a ***** of a team to face in the MAC tournament.

Now, what do they need to continue improving on?

1. Find a consistent source of secondary scoring. And, it doesn't even need to be the same guy every night, they just need someone else, other than German, to score a bucket load of points each night. They got it last night, but that needs to be an every night thing. If German is putting up his normal 20 points, they should be averaging 75+ every night.

2. Continue improving at free throws. Specifically, McCarty and Cochrane. Those two are going to see the stripe a lot the rest of the season and are absolutely dreadful. If they can both can get their percentages in the high 60s, I'd be fine with it (I'd like it better but they're both basically 50% shooters from the line so getting north of 67% is a vast improvement).

3. And this is a really big one because now there is a blueprint, they have to handle late game pressure and, specifically, a press defense. Everything changed last night when Kent St started to press and I have no idea why they backed off when they did. I also don't understand the notion that you can only press off of a made basket. Yeah, it's definitely easier, but if players are disciplined and work hard, you can still pull it off and make the other team make mistakes (which this team is prone to do). Anyway, this is something that can't really be replicated in practice so the fact that it happens every single game is a blessing and I have seen improvement, so that's a positive.

Anyway, to sum up, yeah, I'd love to have a nice shiny record, but I don't think any game (sans EMU and whatnot) are must-win games. I predict this team is going to lose some games that everyone tabs as must-win and will win some that everyone thinks is a sure-fire loss. It happens every year with this team. They just need to keep getting better (even in losses), keep playing competitive games (that's where the real experience is gained) and get guys healthy for the stretch run.

(01-22-2020 12:11 PM)El Duderino Wrote:  [quote='pvk75' pid='16625568' dateline='1579654255']

"McCarty looks like a pickup with one flat tire out there." Now that is funny.

German is a bit concerning. 4-13 FG!!! His game is down across the board this season over both his soph and junior years.

He just needs to pass TJ and hit the 2k mark and all will be fine. He's pressing.