O' defense and toughness, where art though?

[IUNorth]

1 game is an anomoly. 2 games is concerning. 3 games now in a row of very long stretches of horrible defense, and generally getting out toughed...well that's an alarming trend.

I gave/still give Woody tons of credit for rallying the team, and turning them around. That is an admirable skill, and you can see it happen throughout seasons, and within games, with his teams. But I've also, obviously, been very skeptical of Woody, overall, at times as well. Rutgers game 1, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, NW both games, PSU, last nights game, numerous games last year, and even a decent number of our wins the last 2 seasons...we've been borderline horrible defensively, and with our energy and toughness. Obviously its not all the games, we have very, very good performances, and within many of the games I've noted, we have pockets of inspired, great play. But man, the inconsistency is a problem.

"Control what you can control"...that's a popular coaching cliche nowadays. Saban is big on it. Most really good coaches are. As a team, you can control your energy, your toughness, and by an extension of that, you can control how well you defend. You can control how much movement you have on offense. You can control your demeanor and attitude. Basketball things that you can't necessarily control are how well you shoot, at times how well you handle the ball, how officials are going to call the game, sometimes other players just hit tough shots (Walker last night on some of his shots). But when you consistently do the things you can control well, you're almost always successful.

We're not alone. There are less and less programs any more that consistently defend, play with a consistent high level of effort, etc... But after seeing a few games where it felt like our program was starting to gain an identity for defense, grittiness, effort...its a gut shot to see how we've played the last few games. And its a gut shot because there's now a pretty established trend that Woody's teams are going to be inconsistent and uneven with how hard they play, how focused they are, and how much energy they bring.

I do think the overall trajectory of the program is headed in the right direction. And that's good. It wasn't under Archie, and I don't think it was under Crean. But man, it sure is gonna be hard to follow his teams if they keep playing 3-4 great games, 3-4 horrible games, 3-4 great games, etc...

 

[kkott]

1 game is an anomoly. 2 games is concerning. 3 games now in a row of very long stretches of horrible defense, and generally getting out toughed...well that's an alarming trend.

I gave/still give Woody tons of credit for rallying the team, and turning them around. That is an admirable skill, and you can see it happen throughout seasons, and within games, with his teams. But I've also, obviously, been very skeptical of Woody, overall, at times as well. Rutgers game 1, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, NW both games, PSU, last nights game, numerous games last year, and even a decent number of our wins the last 2 seasons...we've been borderline horrible defensively, and with our energy and toughness. Obviously its not all the games, we have very, very good performances, and within many of the games I've noted, we have pockets of inspired, great play. But man, the inconsistency is a problem.

"Control what you can control"...that's a popular coaching cliche nowadays. Saban is big on it. Most really good coaches are. As a team, you can control your energy, your toughness, and by an extension of that, you can control how well you defend. You can control how much movement you have on offense. You can control your demeanor and attitude. Basketball things that you can't necessarily control are how well you shoot, at times how well you handle the ball, how officials are going to call the game, sometimes other players just hit tough shots (Walker last night on some of his shots). But when you consistently do the things you can control well, you're almost always successful.

We're not alone. There are less and less programs any more that consistently defend, play with a consistent high level of effort, etc... But after seeing a few games where it felt like our program was starting to gain an identity for defense, grittiness, effort...its a gut shot to see how we've played the last few games. And its a gut shot because there's now a pretty established trend that Woody's teams are going to be inconsistent and uneven with how hard they play, how focused they are, and how much energy they bring.

I do think the overall trajectory of the program is headed in the right direction. And that's good. It wasn't under Archie, and I don't think it was under Crean. But man, it sure is gonna be hard to follow his teams if they keep playing 3-4 great games, 3-4 horrible games, 3-4 great games, etc...

Yeah, it's a very uneven ride. This team I thought had so much promise, but honestly, and while I hate to give certain negative posters credit, these are largely the same issues this core group has had since they've been here: not tough or physical enough, lots of lapses where we have careless play that allows the other team back in the game or to put us away, and trouble scoring. Unfortunately, because to me he looks like he's hurt, but I think much of this recent swoon is just that TJD is tired or worse (and more likely to me), hurt again. He just hasn't seemed as explosive and the lack of blocks, many on drives by their guards that I felt like were going to be swats, and rebounding last night makes me think his back is hurting.

Overall trajectory, that too is hard to feel certain of. There's no doubt last years team played better/harder than the year before and I think this year's team is better than last year and not achieving better results is at least understandable with X and RT's absences and TJD and even JHS injury/absences, next year could be really bad as it looks on paper right now, unless we hit a home run in the portal, and even then it's hard to imagine us being better.

 

[Sobchak_Security]

1 game is an anomoly. 2 games is concerning. 3 games now in a row of very long stretches of horrible defense, and generally getting out toughed...well that's an alarming trend.

I gave/still give Woody tons of credit for rallying the team, and turning them around. That is an admirable skill, and you can see it happen throughout seasons, and within games, with his teams. But I've also, obviously, been very skeptical of Woody, overall, at times as well. Rutgers game 1, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, NW both games, PSU, last nights game, numerous games last year, and even a decent number of our wins the last 2 seasons...we've been borderline horrible defensively, and with our energy and toughness. Obviously its not all the games, we have very, very good performances, and within many of the games I've noted, we have pockets of inspired, great play. But man, the inconsistency is a problem.

"Control what you can control"...that's a popular coaching cliche nowadays. Saban is big on it. Most really good coaches are. As a team, you can control your energy, your toughness, and by an extension of that, you can control how well you defend. You can control how much movement you have on offense. You can control your demeanor and attitude. Basketball things that you can't necessarily control are how well you shoot, at times how well you handle the ball, how officials are going to call the game, sometimes other players just hit tough shots (Walker last night on some of his shots). But when you consistently do the things you can control well, you're almost always successful.

We're not alone. There are less and less programs any more that consistently defend, play with a consistent high level of effort, etc... But after seeing a few games where it felt like our program was starting to gain an identity for defense, grittiness, effort...its a gut shot to see how we've played the last few games. And its a gut shot because there's now a pretty established trend that Woody's teams are going to be inconsistent and uneven with how hard they play, how focused they are, and how much energy they bring.

I do think the overall trajectory of the program is headed in the right direction. And that's good. It wasn't under Archie, and I don't think it was under Crean. But man, it sure is gonna be hard to follow his teams if they keep playing 3-4 great games, 3-4 horrible games, 3-4 great games, etc...

Look more at the macro and less at the micro. Overall this isn’t a very good roster. We literally rely on 2 guys every night to carry us offensively. Occasionally you get some contributions from Kopp or Galloway, but that’s about it. We get zero from Bates, Geronimo, Banks, Leal, Gunn, Duncomb and XJ is hurt. All of this leaves very little margin for error from the top guys, and they aren’t robots. Unless one of the guys off the bench start to be a reliable contributor, you can expect these clunkers. It is a lot to ask TJD to carry us every single night when he can only score from 8’ and in when his game relies on his explosion and athleticism. Clearly he doesn’t have his legs at the stage of the season like he did earlier. Only hope is that Woody is backing off in terms of practice time and getting as much rest as possible between games.

The portal is going to be critical this off season. We absolutely have to infuse more talent to this roster.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

1 game is an anomoly. 2 games is concerning. 3 games now in a row of very long stretches of horrible defense, and generally getting out toughed...well that's an alarming trend.

I gave/still give Woody tons of credit for rallying the team, and turning them around. That is an admirable skill, and you can see it happen throughout seasons, and within games, with his teams. But I've also, obviously, been very skeptical of Woody, overall, at times as well. Rutgers game 1, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, NW both games, PSU, last nights game, numerous games last year, and even a decent number of our wins the last 2 seasons...we've been borderline horrible defensively, and with our energy and toughness. Obviously its not all the games, we have very, very good performances, and within many of the games I've noted, we have pockets of inspired, great play. But man, the inconsistency is a problem.

"Control what you can control"...that's a popular coaching cliche nowadays. Saban is big on it. Most really good coaches are. As a team, you can control your energy, your toughness, and by an extension of that, you can control how well you defend. You can control how much movement you have on offense. You can control your demeanor and attitude. Basketball things that you can't necessarily control are how well you shoot, at times how well you handle the ball, how officials are going to call the game, sometimes other players just hit tough shots (Walker last night on some of his shots). But when you consistently do the things you can control well, you're almost always successful.

We're not alone. There are less and less programs any more that consistently defend, play with a consistent high level of effort, etc... But after seeing a few games where it felt like our program was starting to gain an identity for defense, grittiness, effort...its a gut shot to see how we've played the last few games. And its a gut shot because there's now a pretty established trend that Woody's teams are going to be inconsistent and uneven with how hard they play, how focused they are, and how much energy they bring.

I do think the overall trajectory of the program is headed in the right direction. And that's good. It wasn't under Archie, and I don't think it was under Crean. But man, it sure is gonna be hard to follow his teams if they keep playing 3-4 great games, 3-4 horrible games, 3-4 great games, etc...

Great post, as was kkott's.

Woody's hard to figure out. He looks the part, his PCs are good. He's not nutty like Crean or a statute like Archie. His demeanor served him well in keeping the roster together and getting Trayce to play harder.

He's spent his career in the NBA, where you have to tread lightly around your stars and get through an 80 game schedule without pissing off too many people. I'm not sure that translates well to the college game.

The great coaches are all demanding as hell. Little tolerance for mistakes or lack of effort. Emphasis on fundamentals. How's our passing? Do we block out consistently? Are we focused at the beginning of games?

 

[The Vid]

No excuse for this team getting smashed on boards. Starting lineup all should be rebounding well. I thought Geronimo would be good at rebounding but he’s too busy chasing his tail in circles figuring out defensive positioning, etc. I can’t imaging trying to teach him how to block out. He’s not really a basketball player at this point. Just running around fouling.

 

[IUNorth]

Look more at the macro and less at the micro. Overall this isn’t a very good roster. We literally rely on 2 guys every night to carry us offensively. Occasionally you get some contributions from Kopp or Galloway, but that’s about it. We get zero from Bates, Geronimo, Banks, Leal, Gunn, Duncomb and XJ is hurt. All of this leaves very little margin for error from the top guys, and they aren’t robots. Unless one of the guys off the bench start to be a reliable contributor, you can expect these clunkers. It is a lot to ask TJD to carry us every single night when he can only score from 8’ and in when his game relies on his explosion and athleticism. Clearly he doesn’t have his legs at the stage of the season like he did earlier. Only hope is that Woody is backing off in terms of practice time and getting as much rest as possible between games.

The portal is going to be critical this off season. We absolutely have to infuse more talent to this roster.

Agreed. We need JHS and TJD to carry us and play well.

One of the reasons, however, is we don't consistently do the things I'm questioning. When we do, and we're getting stops, and offensive rebounds, and getting out in transition because of defensive stops...then magically guys like Kopp, Galloway, Reneau, even Bates, play a lot better.

My question/concern...are the players on our roster not mentally/physically capable of playing long stretches of tough, physical, dialed in, energetic basketball? Seems like they are? They've shown they can in a decent amount of games? Or are our coaches just not teaching/coaching/demanding in to them the right stuff to make them more consistent with this stuff?

I might be too old school on all this. There are less and less teams that are reliably tough, physical, defensive minded teams. But when you go for that as your identity, base playing time off it, probably recruit to it, its essential you stick with it, and make it a foundational part of your program. Worried its just something that's going to come and go under Woody.

He's due to call another "team meeting" after the last 3 games. Hope he does, I'll be ecstatic if they figure it out and beat Purdue on Saturday.

 

[IUNorth]

Great post, as was kkott's.

Woody's hard to figure out. He looks the part, his PCs are good. He's not nutty like Crean or a statute like Archie. His demeanor served him well in keeping the roster together and getting Trayce to play harder.

He's spent his career in the NBA, where you have to tread lightly around your stars and get through an 80 game schedule without pissing off too many people. I'm not sure that translates well to the college game.

The great coaches are all demanding as hell. Little tolerance for mistakes or lack of effort. Emphasis on fundamentals. How's our passing? Do we block out consistently? Are we focused at the beginning of games?

Sometimes we do these things well, sometimes not. Our good and bad stretches can be within games, or can last days or weeks. Obviously Woody is doing a lot of things right. We are on a better trajectory than we had been the previous decade or so.

But man, the inconsistency is a huge concern. Its frustrating as heck to follow. But more importantly, its going to make winning 4-6 games in a row, against good teams, next to impossible. No matter how talented we are.

 

[mushroomgod_1]

Look more at the macro and less at the micro. Overall this isn’t a very good roster. We literally rely on 2 guys every night to carry us offensively. Occasionally you get some contributions from Kopp or Galloway, but that’s about it. We get zero from Bates, Geronimo, Banks, Leal, Gunn, Duncomb and XJ is hurt. All of this leaves very little margin for error from the top guys, and they aren’t robots. Unless one of the guys off the bench start to be a reliable contributor, you can expect these clunkers. It is a lot to ask TJD to carry us every single night when he can only score from 8’ and in when his game relies on his explosion and athleticism. Clearly he doesn’t have his legs at the stage of the season like he did earlier. Only hope is that Woody is backing off in terms of practice time and getting as much rest as possible between games.

The portal is going to be critical this off season. We absolutely have to infuse more talent to this roster.

Agree in part, but look at the contributions the #4 and 5 guys at Northwestern are making. Not much talent there. And their top 3 guys all have different strengths which complement each other. Buie's the only guy on the team that's an all_BT level talent.

 

[Sobchak_Security]

Agreed. We need JHS and TJD to carry us and play well.

One of the reasons, however, is we don't consistently do the things I'm questioning. When we do, and we're getting stops, and offensive rebounds, and getting out in transition because of defensive stops...then magically guys like Kopp, Galloway, Reneau, even Bates, play a lot better.

My question/concern...are the players on our roster not mentally/physically capable of playing long stretches of tough, physical, dialed in, energetic basketball? Seems like they are? They've shown they can in a decent amount of games? Or are our coaches just not teaching/coaching/demanding in to them the right stuff to make them more consistent with this stuff?

I might be too old school on all this. There are less and less teams that are reliably tough, physical, defensive minded teams. But when you go for that as your identity, base playing time off it, probably recruit to it, its essential you stick with it, and make it a foundational part of your program. Worried its just something that's going to come and go under Woody.

He's due to call another "team meeting" after the last 3 games. Hope he does, I'll be ecstatic if they figure it out and beat Purdue on Saturday.

I think it’s fatigue. Mental and physical. We are too top heavy. When either TJD or JHS are a little off, it permeates everything. When they are rolling it opens up opportunities for others. And that’s the problem. No one else can get their own shot.
The issue with over helping on defense I don’t completely understand. To my eyes I would rather funnel guys to TJD and have them try to put up a contested shot than an open 3. Galloway is like a fart in a skillet out there sometimes. He gets too far away from his man and makes for a long closeout

 

[IUNorth]

I think it’s fatigue. Mental and physical. We are too top heavy. When either TJD or JHS are a little off, it permeates everything. When they are rolling it opens up opportunities for others. And that’s the problem. No one else can get their own shot.
The issue with over helping on defense I don’t completely understand. To my eyes I would rather funnel guys to TJD and have them try to put up a contested shot than an open 3. Galloway is like a fart in a skillet out there sometimes. He gets too far away from his man and makes for a long closeout

I guess this could be it. But man, I just don't buy that. And if it is true, I don't just accept that it should be happening. They're young, elite, athletes. They've played what 28 games in over 100 days...they should be fine. 2 games a week...again, should be fine.

If they're not, that's another concern within our program...and with any players that are feeling fatigued. The NBA level guys will have more expected of them, play more games in less days, etc... The others...this should be the literal best time/days of their lives. I know its relative, and for the guys living it, it isn't all glamorous.

But again...2 games in a week. After each game and practice, full rub down massage, full treatment if they want or need it, nutritionist directed food if they want it. Many of them do have classwork to complete, and that is a grind, especially when they're on road trips. But big scheme...mental and physical fatigue should not be a thing, even for TJD.

Now...if he's having recurring back issues...which appears could be the case...totally different. Been through it, its horrible. But my comments are more systemic, team oriented. Should have no bearing on how we defend overall, how tough we are overall, etc... If anything, the other guys should UP their games to pick up for their leader.

 

[8Stars5Banners]

1 game is an anomoly. 2 games is concerning. 3 games now in a row of very long stretches of horrible defense, and generally getting out toughed...well that's an alarming trend.

I gave/still give Woody tons of credit for rallying the team, and turning them around. That is an admirable skill, and you can see it happen throughout seasons, and within games, with his teams. But I've also, obviously, been very skeptical of Woody, overall, at times as well. Rutgers game 1, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, NW both games, PSU, last nights game, numerous games last year, and even a decent number of our wins the last 2 seasons...we've been borderline horrible defensively, and with our energy and toughness. Obviously its not all the games, we have very, very good performances, and within many of the games I've noted, we have pockets of inspired, great play. But man, the inconsistency is a problem.

"Control what you can control"...that's a popular coaching cliche nowadays. Saban is big on it. Most really good coaches are. As a team, you can control your energy, your toughness, and by an extension of that, you can control how well you defend. You can control how much movement you have on offense. You can control your demeanor and attitude. Basketball things that you can't necessarily control are how well you shoot, at times how well you handle the ball, how officials are going to call the game, sometimes other players just hit tough shots (Walker last night on some of his shots). But when you consistently do the things you can control well, you're almost always successful.

We're not alone. There are less and less programs any more that consistently defend, play with a consistent high level of effort, etc... But after seeing a few games where it felt like our program was starting to gain an identity for defense, grittiness, effort...its a gut shot to see how we've played the last few games. And its a gut shot because there's now a pretty established trend that Woody's teams are going to be inconsistent and uneven with how hard they play, how focused they are, and how much energy they bring.

I do think the overall trajectory of the program is headed in the right direction. And that's good. It wasn't under Archie, and I don't think it was under Crean. But man, it sure is gonna be hard to follow his teams if they keep playing 3-4 great games, 3-4 horrible games, 3-4 great games, etc...

text I sent my daughter last night at 9:41... "This is so far the best defense we've played all season. Only bad thing is we have that asshole short Hispanic ref"... I literally think 30 seconds later our defense went to hell

 

[IUNorth]

text I sent my daughter last night at 9:41... "This is so far the best defense we've played all season. Only bad thing is we have that asshole short Hispanic ref"... I literally think 30 seconds later our defense went to hell

Ha ha...yep...how it comes and goes is so confusing/frustrating.

 

[Sobchak_Security]

I guess this could be it. But man, I just don't buy that. And if it is true, I don't just accept that it should be happening. They're young, elite, athletes. They've played what 28 games in over 100 days...they should be fine. 2 games a week...again, should be fine.

If they're not, that's another concern within our program...and with any players that are feeling fatigued. The NBA level guys will have more expected of them, play more games in less days, etc... The others...this should be the literal best time/days of their lives. I know its relative, and for the guys living it, it isn't all glamorous.

But again...2 games in a week. After each game and practice, full rub down massage, full treatment if they want or need it, nutritionist directed food if they want it. Many of them do have classwork to complete, and that is a grind, especially when they're on road trips. But big scheme...mental and physical fatigue should not be a thing, even for TJD.

Now...if he's having recurring back issues...which appears could be the case...totally different. Been through it, its horrible. But my comments are more systemic, team oriented. Should have no bearing on how we defend overall, how tough we are overall, etc... If anything, the other guys should UP their games to pick up for their leader.

If you get a chance, listen to Don Fischer’s interview on Jim Coyle’s show from Monday. He talks about how tired the 2013 team was down the stretch. It absolutely happens. TJD especially because his game is so dependent on explosion. Not to mention the mental burden of knowing you have to carry the team every night. It weighs on you. Like I said, they aren’t robots.

 

[8Stars5Banners]

If you get a chance, listen to Don Fischer’s interview on Jim Coyle’s show from Monday. He talks about how tired the 2013 team was down the stretch. It absolutely happens. TJD especially because his game is so dependent on explosion. Not to mention the mental burden of knowing you have to carry the team every night. It weighs on you. Like I said, they aren’t robots.

that's what I was wondering. I agree that in your early 20's physical fatigue really shouldn't be that much of an issue... but the mental fatigue of having to carry this team every single game has to wear on him

 

[IUNorth]

If you get a chance, listen to Don Fischer’s interview on Jim Coyle’s show from Monday. He talks about how tired the 2013 team was down the stretch. It absolutely happens. TJD especially because his game is so dependent on explosion. Not to mention the mental burden of knowing you have to carry the team every night. It weighs on you. Like I said, they aren’t robots.

The 2013 team had Crean as their coach. And he practiced them 3 to 3 1/2 hours, preseason conditioning style practices, the entire season, even days before and after games. No one does that except him.

 

[bawlmer]

Sometimes we do these things well, sometimes not. Our good and bad stretches can be within games, or can last days or weeks. Obviously Woody is doing a lot of things right. We are on a better trajectory than we had been the previous decade or so.

But man, the inconsistency is a huge concern. Its frustrating as heck to follow. But more importantly, its going to make winning 4-6 games in a row, against good teams, next to impossible. No matter how talented we are.

I'd be more concerned if we had our full line-up healthy at this point. X was key for this team in so many ways. He was really our alpha dog when things were going bad. TJD has stepped into that role, but he's done it by being superman on the court. X seems to be most comfortable when the pressure is on.

Injuries happen and teams have to deal with them. But if you asked me if I'd take the position we're in now back when X first was hurt in December I'd have been happy with this. No one knows if we'd have had some of the same inconsistencies. Maybe. But we don't beat Xavier without X, and our original starting line-up is still undefeated.

 

[IUNorth]

I'd be more concerned if we had our full line-up healthy at this point. X was key for this team in so many ways. He was really our alpha dog when things were going bad. TJD has stepped into that role, but he's done it by being superman on the court. X seems to be most comfortable when the pressure is on.

Injuries happen and teams have to deal with them. But if you asked me if I'd take the position we're in now back when X first was hurt in December I'd have been happy with this. No one knows if we'd have had some of the same inconsistencies. Maybe. But we don't beat Xavier without X, and our original starting line-up is still undefeated.

Hope you're right. But this consistency problem was here before X went down.

X didn't get a ton of time playing alongside JHS, and Super Trayce, though. So, maybe to your point, what he brings to the table might enable us to be consistently really good defensively, consistently more tough, etc...

Again, hope so! Our ceiling is really, really high if we can find that high level of energy and toughness, and hold on to it for a few weeks. But because that isn't something that's been consistently there...when the likely let down game/games do happen in the postseason, we'll obviously need TJD to be Super Trayce, or we'll lose.

 

[Sobchak_Security]

The 2013 team had Crean as their coach. And he practiced them 3 to 3 1/2 hours, preseason conditioning style practices, the entire season, even days before and after games. No one does that except him.

If you listen to the interview Don talks about the fact Woodson has said they haven’t backed off in terms of practice time.

 

[JB_Nomee]

I'd be more concerned if we had our full line-up healthy at this point. X was key for this team in so many ways. He was really our alpha dog when things were going bad. TJD has stepped into that role, but he's done it by being superman on the court. X seems to be most comfortable when the pressure is on.

Injuries happen and teams have to deal with them. But if you asked me if I'd take the position we're in now back when X first was hurt in December I'd have been happy with this. No one knows if we'd have had some of the same inconsistencies. Maybe. But we don't beat Xavier without X, and our original starting line-up is still undefeated.

X could be coming back at a perfect time to give the team a boost heading into tournament play. He will help a lot on both sides of the ball if he’s truly healthy.

 

[Coach Geez]

I think fatigue, both mental and physical, are starting to set in. Our starters have played a hell of a lot of minutes out of necessity the last month given the injuries and lack of bench production. This team exerted so much energy after the mini-collapse in early January just to right the ship and they are all physically spent at the moment. Bad stretch of energy came right after the Michigan game which likely clinched a bid to the NCAA tournament. After getting over the hump with the finish line in sight I think some focus was lost.

 

[IUNorth]

If you listen to the interview Don talks about the fact Woodson has said they haven’t backed off in terms of practice time.

Right...Woody likely never had 3 hour, Navy Seal type practices, like Crean did.

 

[IUNorth]

I think fatigue, both mental and physical, are starting to set in. Our starters have played a hell of a lot of minutes out of necessity the last month given the injuries and lack of bench production. This team exerted so much energy after the mini-collapse in early January just to right the ship and they are all physically spent at the moment. Bad stretch of energy came right after the Michigan game which likely clinched a bid to the NCAA tournament. After getting over the hump with the finish line in sight I think some focus was lost.

I have no clue the mental toll a high major season takes. So mental fatigue, sure, could be. Playing in front of thousands, on major TV networks, and getting a decent chunk of money to do so...while exciting, has a flip side I'm sure.

Physical fatigue though...it just shouldn't be a problem.

And all this "exerted so much energy" talk...that's how they should play every single game. And even at that, they've yet to put a full game together where they've been energetic and dialed in ALL game long. At Illinois is probably the closest I've seen, but even in that game there were a couple 3-4 minute lulls. Most of them approach half the game where we stand around too much offensively, rotate poorly defensively, and slowly bring the ball up the floor.

 

[Coach Geez]

I have no clue the mental toll a high major season takes. So mental fatigue, sure, could be. Playing in front of thousands, on major TV networks, and getting a decent chunk of money to do so...while exciting, has a flip side I'm sure.

Physical fatigue though...it just shouldn't be a problem.

Every single team in America has lulls that causes them to struggle for a few games. And it happens for a variety of reasons. I'm willing to bet there aren't many, if any, P5 teams who have had to rely on their starting 5 like IU has for the duration that IU has. It takes a toll regardless if you want to believe it or not.

 

[IUNorth]

Every single team in America has lulls that causes them to struggle for a few games. And it happens for a variety of reasons. I'm willing to bet there aren't many, if any, P5 teams who have had to rely on their starting 5 like IU has for the duration that IU has. It takes a toll regardless if you want to believe it or not.

I don't follow any other teams...so you could be right.

But 3-4 games is an eternity in college basketball...that's 2, sometimes 3 FULL weeks. And we've now had 3 separate "lulls". Rutgers - Kansas, Iowa - PSU, NW - MSU... This is not to mention that we have "lulls" within pretty much every game we play. Seems like you're categorizing it as 1 off anomaly type "lull"...that I'd agree with you on without even digging in to it. Houston lost to Temple. Purdue has lost a few games recently. Kansas had a bad few game stretch a month or so ago. But it seems like its much less frequent for those teams. But those are arguably the 3 best teams in the nation...maybe its more common than I'm thinking, even for top 10ish type teams???

If so, I'm sure their fans are as frustrated as I am right now.

***edit...didn't think through the span of time for 3 games well enough. Many weeks that could be Saturday/Wednesday/Saturday, so just 1 week. So 1-2 weeks is probably more accurate. Still a lot of time and opportunity to fix whatever issues are causing the lulls.***

 

[BusdriverE]

text I sent my daughter last night at 9:41... "This is so far the best defense we've played all season. Only bad thing is we have that asshole short Hispanic ref"... I literally think 30 seconds later our defense went to hell

So you’re the jinx…thought maybe because I wasn’t wearing my candy striped pants or sitting in the right spot!!😉