Currently watching Louisville - Minnesota. Would be good for Minnesota to pull off the upset for the B1G.
Currently 14-10 Minnesota with 13 mins left in the first half.
Michigan St. was ranked 2nd in the country going into last season. Fully healthy, they were one of the top few teams in the country. Going 2-4 or 3-4 against one of the best teams in the country on a neutral court isn’t really something to complain about.
Unless, of course, you’re trolling for attention.
Who was complaining? Or was that that a figment of a true troll’s imagination? One can only wonder…
“Who was complaining?” …you can’t be serious.
Actually, yes, I am serious mr. Troll. Please expand on your implication as to who was complaining within the specific context of UM losing a 7 game series vs MSU
Man, UL is relentless on D, the ball pressure is impressive. I can only hope our D even approaches that level of intensity
Wasn’t so subtle, we simply don’t exert that level of energy on the defensive end. I wish we did
Are you talking about their level of energy or their defensive scheme because you and everyone else knows that Beilein doesn’t like to foul, and a full court press with pesky defense is the best way to undermine that.
Anything defense related we just seem to be very passive. We don’t apply ball pressure either in the half court or a full court press. We don’t front the post, we don’t jump passing lanes, and we don’t box out with regularity. This basically amounts to a recipe for disaster because you are letting the offense dictate what transpires rather than taking the offense out if their comfort zone. You have to take something away.
Harrell is very impressive. Rozier has also looked well tonight
good grief give it a rest already with the subtle defensive jabs.
I think it all comes down to personnel. Louisville has freak athletes in their backcourt, so they can box out with authority, and do every thing you want from a big man. They also have small and quick guards that specialize in applying pressure to opposing offenses. If you look at our team, we don’t really have players like that. Our team is filled with skilled players that are often some of the most non-athletic on the court. It inherently puts our players at a disadvantage at doing all of the things you mentioned. And maybe it is a mindset difference between Louisville’s players and ours, as well as a difference in emphasizing certain parts of the game (Coach Beilein focuses more on offense and Pitino on defense), but I think it mostly comes down to the style of player we recruit.
Edit: Athletic --> non-athletic
You think our players are often some of the most athletic players on the court? Wow
Was a typo, meant to say non-athletic. I think if you read the rest of my comment, you could’ve probably surmised that…
I think Walton is athletic enough to be a ball hawking defender. Although Caris is only average in terms of lateral movement, I think he has the length to apply more ball pressure in the half court. For the life of me I can’t understand why we don’t front the post. Our bigs simply aren’t strong enough t allow an entry pass and hold ground, and they’re not going to deter anyone’s shot unless it’s Wilson help side. No ball pressure + no fronting = disaster regardless of personnel.
Watching MSU vs Navy, MSU looks much different without Payne to create a double team in the post - no open perimeter players. Lots of high pick and roll for Trice who looks to shoot jumpers as opposed to creating for others. Most of their other action seems to come off pin down action for Valentine with Dawson being the benefactor if the help side D rotates to the perimeter. Very few ISO post ups for MSU tonight. They are solid on D and rebounding as always. Valentine looks downright awful out there. Nairn has some potential but is a year away from being an impact player. Lots of stagnation for MSU in the half court
Will there be any way to watch the Michigan game today?
The only game I got to watch yeaterday was Duke, and I know it was against Presbyterian, but they looked really really good, like in mid-season form. Okafor is legit. I can only hope our freshmen are as ready to make an impact as Duke’s did. Also I can’t believe there is another Plumlee, when was the last time Duke didn’t have one on the roster?
Personally, I think there is a happy medium between our defense and Louisville’s. I can’t stand watching teams like Louisville and MSU. 48 minutes of relentless fouling, and the question in every game is to what extent Izzo and Pitino can intimidate the refs into not making calls. It’s everything that’s wrong with college hoops IMO.
With that said, I’m not sure I like our “no fouls” approach either. I’d like to see us get more aggressive and take more chances at times, for sure. Duke would be a good benchmark (when they have athletic teams). Their games are not a foul fest, but they do create turnovers and play solid defense.
Personally, I think there is a happy medium between our defense and Louisville's. I can't stand watching teams like Louisville and MSU. 48 minutes of relentless fouling, and the question in every game is to what extent Izzo and Pitino can intimidate the refs into not making calls. It's everything that's wrong with college hoops IMO.With that said, I’m not sure I like our “no fouls” approach either. I’d like to see us get more aggressive and take more chances at times, for sure. Duke would be a good benchmark (when they have athletic teams). Their games are not a foul fest, but they do create turnovers and play solid defense.
Wow, this was a really well stated post. I actually concur with you on nearly every point. I think while UL/MSU get away with a lot of Fouling on the perimeter, they are simply strong post defenders that box out and pursue the ball relentlessly. Totally agree that I’d like to see happy medium as well. That being said, we play in the B10 where fouling is damn near encouraged, so I don’t blame Izzo/Matta for playing to that.