Mad props from Northwestern fans

[BigGopherFan]

Directly from Northwestern message board:

"Minnesota has amazing athletes and length. Add arguably the best 3 pt shooter in America in Hoffarber and this should be a top 20 team. They have as much athletic talent as anybody in the league. For much of the game I just thought they were way too athletic for us, but our guys played with incredible resilience once again. Win or lose, they are starting to resemble the no-quit attitude of the football team. I don't know how we made a game of it, but we did. The difference was that they had the hot hand in Hoffarber at the end. His shot and release are flat out amazing. We are going to battle Minny for the 5th tourney bid, so we have to beat them at home now. Otherwise, our only hope will be if the big ten gets 6 bids. Right now we are the clear #6 team in the conference."

LINK

 

[Madman]

I can't disagree with the NU's flattering take

Who can disagree with this NU fan's take on our team. WE ARE A TOP 20 ATHLETIC TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.... that's why some of our ugly losses hurt so bad. Northwestern didn't even look like they belonged on the same court as us in the first half from an athleticism standpoint. The 1-3-1 is their bread and butter... and for the life of me I don't know why we couldn't find a way to break it down with guys moving without the ball to the gaps. This is how you do it. I'll admit, I wanted a win last night and I didn't care how it came... so I'm happy... but I'm sorry, a four point win should be unacceptable against that team at the barn. I'm just glad that Hoffarber showed up.

 

[stocker08]

Who can disagree with this NU fan's take on our team. WE ARE A TOP 20 ATHLETIC TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.... that's why some of our ugly losses hurt so bad. Northwestern didn't even look like they belonged on the same court as us in the first half from an athleticism standpoint. The 1-3-1 is their bread and butter... and for the life of me I don't know why we couldn't find a way to break it down with guys moving without the ball to the gaps. This is how you do it. I'll admit, I wanted a win last night and I didn't care how it came... so I'm happy... but I'm sorry, a four point win should be unacceptable against that team at the barn. I'm just glad that Hoffarber showed up.

People need to stop shortchanging the Wildcats. In football and basketball they continuously have good teams that never seem to garner any respect. Yes, we do have a very athletic team, but they have a bunch of great shooters and their team never once gave up.

 

[Madman]

I agree...but

People need to stop shortchanging the Wildcats. In football and basketball they continuously have good teams that never seem to garner any respect. Yes, we do have a very athletic team, but they have a bunch of great shooters and their team never once gave up.

All I'm saying is that they're not even close to as athletic as we are. Their coaching is impeccable (Carmody is a genius at getting the most out of his talent), their 1-3-1 gives teams fits, they can shoot, and they don't give up. This is why they are going to be sixth or seventh in the conference (which is great for them). Even with all of these things, the academically minded NU will never compete for a Big 10 championship against far superior talent.

 

[Duthasmon Smith]

People need to stop shortchanging the Wildcats. In football and basketball they continuously have good teams that never seem to garner any respect. Yes, we do have a very athletic team, but they have a bunch of great shooters and their team never once gave up.

I agree with this comment completely. It's great if you can jump 12 feet in the air but the basket is still only 10 feet. Sometimes we get wrapped up too much in how athletic a player might be but if they have the bb IQ of a wrestler it won't matter in the long run. My problem with our current team is how we run our offense and execute. We play Northwestern twice a year and I think they've been running a 1-3-1 since coach Birdsong was wandering the stands in the barn, yet we struggled mightily last night again. If we aren't scoring in transition it'll be difficult most nights.

That being said, still no reason they don't do into Columbus and pull off a victory and get a little steam going into late Feb.

 

[i'm batman]

Didn't belong on the same court as us? Maybe. And yet they nearly made the comeback complete.

That was not an impressive win. I for one am not going to be comfortable heading into the BTT with all my hopes on the shoulders of a persnickety three point-shooter.