Absolutely 100. Right when they grabbed the board I thought oh no, this is how it ends.
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One thing for sure, it felt like northwestern played excellent defense especially in the interior. Twos were not easy to come by. So yes the refs were the biggest single factor, but give northwestern credit for their defense.
Thank god Eli gave us a nice buffer in the beginning so we could still come back after hitting our usual 2nd half wall.
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My brother and I were debating the Johns/Faulds late game decision on the way to our cars. I think Johnsâ shoe thing was just the last straw and that on its own it wasnât a huge deal, just a bizarre situation. However, coming after missed layups, the brutal airball 12 foot hook, and some defensive breakdowns it just put Juwan over the edge. I still think in the grand scheme of winning basketball games it would have been a better move to have Johns out there not for the final couple of minutes, but both free throw trips where we intentionally fouled up 3. I just donât think you can emphasize enough how important it is to have a solid free throw shooter getting those attempts. At first I was thinking âok, they just need to call a TO IMMEDIATELY upon rebounding,â but obviously that wasnât doable. With that in mind, Johns made more sense to me, even if he was in the dog house, in such an important game to win. My brother argued that Johns had a higher chance of screwing something up in an unexpected way, but I think itâs worth the 70%+ FT shooting.
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Those guys shouldnât be allowed to ref a junior high game much less a big 10 game! Keeping the score close for ratings!
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To be fair , he wasnât far off. They were crumbling and fast.
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Yeah, they took a big punch and punched back. I just tend to push for more leveled takes in general. I know itâs likely fruitless, but Iâm compulsive.
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Hi Ron, welcome to the board!
I still canât believe that game lol. 18 point swing from being up 11 at the under 16 to being down 7 with 5 mins left. And then another 12 point swing at the end to be up 5 late.
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Bottom line, its a win and like our new celebrity Dylan has noted, its the first time weâve won 3 games in a row all year. So that means something.
Safe to say this team is prone for just losing it for 10-15 minutes at a time. When they put it all together, they can just blow teams off the floor. But to win tonight while having a significant stretch where they just lose it does mean something. Sometimes you just have to gut out a win and this was one of those occasions.
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We saved the season two games in a row.
Beating Indiana sent us back into tourney contention.
Winning today saved us from getting sent back far down.
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Iâve had to deal with SOL fans, Michigan football fans, and rebuilding wings and tigers fans for the past decade. I hate negativity irl and even more so in fan forums. Almost all of it is doom and gloom BS. Iâm done with it. If your team has a chance to win and/or build on things, you need to take that. Expecting more is different than the cr@p That happens in game threads where there is still a chance to be in a situation to win. Yâall talk about needing to see better from your team, while honestly needing to take a hard look into the mirror.
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Hey, Iâm sorry, it was a pretty frustrating game, and itâs been frustrating to see the team crack against not just good teams but some intensely mediocre teams.
We also got really spoiled under JB. Just so rare to see his teams lose poise and completely crack, so itâs a new and unpleasant experience.
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Is this the only basketball board in the country where people are citing studies on timeout efficacy? Probably not. But itâs definitely in a small minority.
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Just finished the DVR. Woof was that unwatchable for so many reasons. Quick thoughts to catch up hereâŚ
- Johns just got passed by Faulds and Jace. We might not see him play another meaningful minute. He would have been better than Faulds for those FTs, but Faulds had an assist, board, and good defensive play. Does Johns do all three of those?
- Need to hear the pindown analysis, buy felt like NW played great defense in the second half. Singled the post, anticipating passes, prevented Houstan jumpers, mucked it up.
- Rough game for Hunter. Didnât have it and figured he would dominate these guys. IU hangover? Scheme? Fouls?
- Frankie was better tonight. Still limited, but initiated offense better.
- Our switching on D and ball screen coverage was a mess all night. Maybe the weird lineups to a pointâŚbut still.
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Unless Brandon hurt himself on the shoe play and couldnât play in the 2nd half, Iâll bet it was the shoe thing that got him benched. I mean, who absolutely gives up on a play in the backcourt just because his shoe is wonky? He does that and NW gets a quick open 3. Thatâs a benchable offence, IMO.
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Also Iâm kinda glad I forgot about the game schedule and went out to dinner instead. Glad they won though
Iâm usually pretty optimistic. But in tonightâs game, the combination of blowing an 11-point lead and a game-long ref show took the life out of me.
Though when Houstan (?) hit the three to cut it to 62-60 I thought we could do it.
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Totally! And I get the frustration. I was frustrated with the game too. But when you have the option to be negative about a game during the waning time where your team is in it, have hope instead. Instead of being out on the team while they are struggling, think of how and why they are going to be there and win it at the end of the day. Youâre all good homie!
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It nearly cost us the game.
Every minute, every second, every point count.
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