Randomly noticed this, but the “kidding” was because Charles was locked into his routine, staring at the rim, and the ref through the ball to him when he wasn’t looking, catching him right in the gut (I think they were worried it was a little below the gut!). Made for some comic relief that’s for sure.
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Nevertheless, I LOVE that Charles Mathews smile! 
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I think he was more yelling at him there because they were in clock-killing mode and the shot left his hand with 25 on the shot clock.
When Charles plays with a smile on his face you can put an “L” in the loss column for the other team. I hope he can just relax, smile, and sink those free throws! Z too! 
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Still early, but this is a pleasant surprise: 
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That is ranking everyone or just Freshman?
All players.
Wow. Awesome. That should help boost his low confidence
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I thought we’d win but not by 30.
We have much more talent than they do imo.
I’m with you but even without them , how many teams have 7 guys who can score double digits on any given night?
Eli and livers have given me confidence our offense will be fine. Zones are the only thing that give me cause for concern…
I agree. He said in the presser after the game, when asked what he was thinking after one of his dunks when he flexed to the crowd, he said, “I don’t think out there, I just play with passion.” Or words to that effect.
In addition to having coached basketball for many years, I’ve coached and taught golf even longer, and I think free throw shooting is a lot like swinging a golf club and especially putts inside five feet. You’re on that free throw line. All eyes are on you. Everything slows down. If you start thinking about mechanics, I think you’re screwed. In the heat of the game, you don’t think about it, you just act and react, you “play with passion.” It happens very fast, there’s no time to think.
Of course you need a routine at the line, but you can’t think about mechanics. You can’t worry about missing. In golf I TAUGHT a preshot routine In basketball I taught a routine at the free throw line. But, I think with Charles, he just has to shoot it, not to think about it, but just shoot it. When he gets that smile on his face, you know he’s not thinking about it, he’s just lovin’ it! He’s just playing.
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Yes, saying that Iggy just “throws it up to the glass” is understating it considerably. He uses his height and strength to get the ball to the right place in space to launch. there was one drive where the defender hit him in the face and he still got to his spot to make the shot. He should have gotten a lot more “and ones”.
When Iggy drives, it feels like he either scores, or gets fouled, sometimes both. It’s incredible.
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He’s exceedingly crafty, tenacious, and skilled in his drive game. Of course he cheats by using both hands and appears not to have a preference for either. The rules committee should do something about it.
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I said I wouldn’t be surprised by anything in this game, and I really wasn’t. Obviously the level of domination was impressive, but I wondered if we’d be able to shock their new playmakers with defensive pressure, and we did. We’ve been on the other side of that, early in seasons that turned out pretty well. When you’re a team predicated on offensive execution and you can’t do anything, things can fall part, and then we got run outs going the other way.
This is Simpson’s and Matthews’s team. You can see the buy in on defense from all the other guys, and they both worked to their strengths offensively.
I thought Livers looked really good. His defensive versatility is impressive. His 3s went down (suddenly shooting 40% on the year), but his handle looked more confident, his passing was crisp, etc.
Iggy has been impressive. He is older for a freshman – he’s actually six months older than Poole – so physically it’s not quite as surprising, but his aggressive mentality is there, and he’s got a great feel for finishing around the rim. Reminds me of GRIII in that way.
Not too worried about Poole. Still feeling out his role, getting back in a groove with his shot, but in the meantime making nice passes, playing good d, and still getting a few buckets.
Brooks looking good in his role as 3rd guard.
Teske showing he can contribute even when not scoring.
Offense still bogs down at times but a lot to like right now.
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We have three guys in Simpson, Matthews and Teske who are capable of being first team All Big Ten Defense. With them, we can take out your point guard, your best wing and your big. Now what you going to do.
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Awesome insights. It is almost like free throw shots are out your hands anyway so just don’t worry about makes or misses. My trick is to get my body in position. Think about angle of my shoulders and torso for a second. Then I just focus on feeling the weight of my body on my feet. And focus on the feel of my hands on the ball and the weight of the ball. I do not think about anything except the feeling of my feet on the ground and my hands on the ball after the initial lock-in to position. I don’t even worry about the rim until I am in shooting motion. I almost go cross eyed if I stare at the rim too much. I just get a snapshot of the rim and then I try to have faith. I think it is ok to say a tiny prayer in that split second you are about to shoot but I wouldn’t stand on the line saying prayers for too long:)
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What’s your rank of top road victories? this is the first non-conference road game against a top 25 team I can remember us winning. For me this is one of the most unexpected wins I’ve seen. I guess I’d put Wisconsin on the road with Stauskas/Levert up there with maybe last year’s MSU game as my top 3.
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I’ve said MANY prayers when some of my players have been on the line!
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I was blown away by the result. No need to bench Matthews just yet 
I really like the small ball lineup. Nothing like having 5 guys that can grab a rebound and dribble up the court. Lineup with Teske isn’t bad either.
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