Starting Lineup and Minutes the Rest of the Way

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Otis

Otis

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Looks like Gabe is out. I know many of us wonder if his hand has been broken for some time, but losing Gabe is a serious blow to the team's hopes.

So now we have the following starters:

PG: Mashburn
SG: Carr
SF: Williams
PF: Johnson
C: Robbins

This is all pretty clear as Both played himself out of the picture. Substitutions is entirely up to Pitino and we all know how he loves to stick to what he is stuck doing despite results or performance.

Curry: He's going to most likely be the first Big off the bench. He's limited and a shell of what he used to be. Still makes turnovers but occasionally provides decent numbers. Not a great option.

Ihnen: Probably the best option currently not starting. The lights are still flickering for this young man who needs to put more energy into getting shots inside the paint and less into settling for the 3 ball. Plays good defense. Should get 15-18 minutes per game.

Freeman: Probably should be on the court whenever Robbins is not, honestly. He provides a big body and anchors the defense. That is exactly what a back-up big man is supposed to do. Should get 15 minutes per.

Mitchell: If you don't put Freeman out there, you should be putting this guy. No reason to save him for the Freshman dance! Rest Robbins ankle and get this guy some time.

Gach: Gone are the days we thought he was our second best player. Go ahead and enter the draft again bud. He has lost all his confidence. I blame Carr and Pitino for that to be honest. Maybe he can grab the bull by the ____ and make something of the rest of the season with the time he is going to get spelling Tre, Mash and Carr. Cause he is going to get minutes.

Any more injuries, COVID, or irregularities taking a player away is going to make the rest of this season very VERY ugly!

Get well soon Gabe!
 

Freeman needs to be getting 8-10 minutes a game the rest of the way....cutting into Currys Minutes.

Mitchell......maybe he was asked and said no....but at this point he should have redshirted....water over the bridge. But i think he should be getting a few minutes as well.

We need Gach to figure some things out.
 

I think there is 200 minutes per game. Assuming no injuries, foul trouble, etc.

Carr-35
Robbins-30
Williams-30
Mashburn-30
Johnson-30
Freeman-10
Ihnen-15
Gach-5
Curry-10

5 minutes can be given to whoever is playing well.
 

I really liked the Mashburn/Carr combo. I think it is time to take any remaining training wheels off Jamal and let him go because he is clearly really good and seems to be getting the confidence he needs to take over.

Problem this team has is that they have no physical presence down low and teams just seem to score at will way too often right at the rim. I mean there are times when it is like there is nobody defending the basket at all and teams can just walk in for a layup.

Robins being down there helps due to his shot blocking ability but even he seems out of position much of the time and only able to offer token resistance.

Glad Curry is able to play but yeah he is really just a shell of the guy it looked like he might be a few years ago before all the injuries.

The other thing this team needs to do is stop taking so many 3s. They are at their best when they are attacking the basket. They just don't have the shooters to sit outside jacking up 3s all game. It just doesn't work.
 

Otis said:
Looks like Gabe is out. I know many of us wonder if his hand has been broken for some time, but losing Gabe is a serious blow to the team's hopes.

So now we have the following starters:

PG: Mashburn
SG: Carr
SF: Williams
PF: Johnson
C: Robbins

This is all pretty clear as Both played himself out of the picture. Substitutions is entirely up to Pitino and we all know how he loves to stick to what he is stuck doing despite results or performance.

Curry: He's going to most likely be the first Big off the bench. He's limited and a shell of what he used to be. Still makes turnovers but occasionally provides decent numbers. Not a great option.

Ihnen: Probably the best option currently not starting. The lights are still flickering for this young man who needs to put more energy into getting shots inside the paint and less into settling for the 3 ball. Plays good defense. Should get 15-18 minutes per game.

Freeman: Probably should be on the court whenever Robbins is not, honestly. He provides a big body and anchors the defense. That is exactly what a back-up big man is supposed to do. Should get 15 minutes per.

Mitchell: If you don't put Freeman out there, you should be putting this guy. No reason to save him for the Freshman dance! Rest Robbins ankle and get this guy some time.

Gach: Gone are the days we thought he was our second best player. Go ahead and enter the draft again bud. He has lost all his confidence. I blame Carr and Pitino for that to be honest. Maybe he can grab the bull by the ____ and make something of the rest of the season with the time he is going to get spelling Tre, Mash and Carr. Cause he is going to get minutes.

Any more injuries, COVID, or irregularities taking a player away is going to make the rest of this season very VERY ugly!

Get well soon Gabe!
Click to expand...

I like Mashburn at PG. I think Carr is honestly a better two guard. His game is a lot like Deangelo Russell at least in comparison to a high level college player. Obviously, Carr is not as polished and is not an NBA caliber player, I don't think. He's better off at the two spot. I think they should roll with this lineup. I also think Freeman needs 10-15 a game. He made a nice impact defensively. He's long and can block shots. Couldn't be any worse than Curry is on any given night. Curry was horrible last night. Also, Ihnen and Johnson could arguably get similar minutes. When Johnson is off he's bad. You can see it on his face. He does hustle though and plays hard.
 


Gophs24 said:
Freeman needs to be getting 8-10 minutes a game the rest of the way....cutting into Currys Minutes.

Mitchell......maybe he was asked and said no....but at this point he should have redshirted....water over the bridge. But i think he should be getting a few minutes as well.

We need Gach to figure some things out.
Click to expand...

Gach has been super disappointing in Big Ten play. He looked like he was going to be really good and then he just vanished once the conference season started. Looking at his game log he was in double figures in every non-conf game. In conference games he has only scored 10 or more points twice and since the Iowa game on 1/10 he has been a complete non factor.

He clearly has talent but he is worthless out there right now.
 

Gophs24 said:
Freeman needs to be getting 8-10 minutes a game the rest of the way....cutting into Currys Minutes.

Mitchell......maybe he was asked and said no....but at this point he should have redshirted....water over the bridge. But i think he should be getting a few minutes as well.

We need Gach to figure some things out.
Click to expand...

Why would Mitchell have redshirted? He still qualifies for a RS technically (he has played in under 30% of games) but he gets a free year with Covid, so he still has 4 years of eligibility left.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Why would Mitchell have redshirted? He still qualifies for a RS technically (he has played in under 30% of games) but he gets a free year with Covid, so he still has 4 years of eligibility left.
Click to expand...
thanks for clarifying
 

Otis said:
Looks like Gabe is out. I know many of us wonder if his hand has been broken for some time, but losing Gabe is a serious blow to the team's hopes.

So now we have the following starters:

PG: Mashburn
SG: Carr
SF: Williams
PF: Johnson
C: Robbins

This is all pretty clear as Both played himself out of the picture. Substitutions is entirely up to Pitino and we all know how he loves to stick to what he is stuck doing despite results or performance.

Curry: He's going to most likely be the first Big off the bench. He's limited and a shell of what he used to be. Still makes turnovers but occasionally provides decent numbers. Not a great option.

Ihnen: Probably the best option currently not starting. The lights are still flickering for this young man who needs to put more energy into getting shots inside the paint and less into settling for the 3 ball. Plays good defense. Should get 15-18 minutes per game.

Freeman: Probably should be on the court whenever Robbins is not, honestly. He provides a big body and anchors the defense. That is exactly what a back-up big man is supposed to do. Should get 15 minutes per.

Mitchell: If you don't put Freeman out there, you should be putting this guy. No reason to save him for the Freshman dance! Rest Robbins ankle and get this guy some time.

Gach: Gone are the days we thought he was our second best player. Go ahead and enter the draft again bud. He has lost all his confidence. I blame Carr and Pitino for that to be honest. Maybe he can grab the bull by the ____ and make something of the rest of the season with the time he is going to get spelling Tre, Mash and Carr. Cause he is going to get minutes.

Any more injuries, COVID, or irregularities taking a player away is going to make the rest of this season very VERY ugly!

Get well soon Gabe!
Click to expand...
Robbins has to play better on both ends or we need to play him far less minutes. He killed us on defense. Can't move his feet. I'm sure it is the injury but if he can't play well because of it- sit him and get him well. I'd rather see Freeman for 20 minutes right now than this version of Robbins that we have seen the last two games. Not catching passes, not rebounding, getting schooled on defense and not making shots.
 



Is that why he leads the B1G in blocked shots? Poor defense ....
 

Mash - defend someone please and quit forcing shots
Carr - same
Williams - no more three pointers
Freeman - play hard and scoop up boards
Johnson - keep doing what you are doing, effort best on the team by a long shot

Robbins - first off the bench, more minutes than Freeman but he needs a wakeup call
Ihnen - one substitution per game and if he is in it, fine play him, if not the bench
Gach - give this guy more minutes and tell him to take the ball to the rim
Curry - I would play him 5 mins or less a game



Robbins needs to sit at the start of games until he can bring it. He has been terrible, horrible, non factor lately. Punishment is needed or just move on. Grow up and play the game kid.

Johnson is the hardest worker on the team. He's in for as many minutes as he can handle. Gach needs more minutes. Williams also has to be told, no three point shots. Just don't. Take the ball to the rim, that is your game.

Mashburn needs to be told to shoot within the framework of the offense and not force it. He also has to guard someone along with Carr. Both let their guys into the lane far too often leading to easy drop-off dunks to big guys.

Rewards need to go to guys that play hard and well. Pitino has never done this and it has created a culture of bad shots, marginal defense and rebounding. This is his #1 problem, he is just not strong enough with them.
 

Pete smith said:
Is that why he leads the B1G in blocked shots? Poor defense ....
Click to expand...
Blocked shots is not always a sign of solid defense. His defense isn't just poor right now. It's awful. But if he is injured and that's the problem- okay. Play him less until he recovers. Did you see last night's game? He had three blocks AND he played really bad defense. When Freeman came in the scoring in the paint stopped.
 

Gophs24 said:
Freeman needs to be getting 8-10 minutes a game the rest of the way....cutting into Currys Minutes.

Mitchell......maybe he was asked and said no....but at this point he should have redshirted....water over the bridge. But i think he should be getting a few minutes as well.

We need Gach to figure some things out.
Click to expand...
Redshirt is irrelevant this year. It's a free year.
 



Pete smith said:
Is that why he leads the B1G in blocked shots? Poor defense ....
Click to expand...
He's a great shot blocker, but sometimes it seems like that's all he does. You can have a free path to the rim, I'll just block it. And on a bum ankle it's not working.
 

Freeman needs more play. At least he looks like someone who would put you on your ass.
 



Go Gophs said:
Mash - defend someone please and quit forcing shots
Carr - same
Williams - no more three pointers
Freeman - play hard and scoop up boards
Johnson - keep doing what you are doing, effort best on the team by a long shot

Robbins - first off the bench, more minutes than Freeman but he needs a wakeup call
Ihnen - one substitution per game and if he is in it, fine play him, if not the bench
Gach - give this guy more minutes and tell him to take the ball to the rim
Curry - I would play him 5 mins or less a game



Robbins needs to sit at the start of games until he can bring it. He has been terrible, horrible, non factor lately. Punishment is needed or just move on. Grow up and play the game kid.

Johnson is the hardest worker on the team. He's in for as many minutes as he can handle. Gach needs more minutes. Williams also has to be told, no three point shots. Just don't. Take the ball to the rim, that is your game.

Mashburn needs to be told to shoot within the framework of the offense and not force it. He also has to guard someone along with Carr. Both let their guys into the lane far too often leading to easy drop-off dunks to big guys.

Rewards need to go to guys that play hard and well. Pitino has never done this and it has created a culture of bad shots, marginal defense and rebounding. This is his #1 problem, he is just not strong enough with them.
Click to expand...
I agree with you final paragraph.

Freeman needs minutes, as many as he can play. He is tough, plays solid enough D, and has a bit of a "get out of my neighborhood" about him, which this team desperately needs. Limited FT's look good.

Ihnen has all the tools, imo. He was damn near around his man on a drive last night and stopped!! I swore at the TV, as I wanted him to keep driving to the rack! Good rebounder. Needs to play with more of an edge, toughness. Needs more confidence.

Tre showed he can play, needs consistency. Improve FT's. Love the drives last night. Plays good D, imo. Seemed the entire team was focused on going to the rack last night and it showed.

I think Robbins is hurting more than anything, and could be worn down. Think about who has has to battle with in the middle.

I think Mash is doing well for a FR. Forces things at times, and has really improved his shooting.
 

Gophs24 said:
Freeman needs to be getting 8-10 minutes a game the rest of the way....cutting into Currys Minutes.

Mitchell......maybe he was asked and said no....but at this point he should have redshirted....water over the bridge. But i think he should be getting a few minutes as well.

We need Gach to figure some things out.
Click to expand...
A good starting point would be to learned what the black lines around the court mean.
 

Dakota2 said:
A good starting point would be to learned what the black lines around the court mean.
Click to expand...

Haha, gold! It really is insane how many OOB Gach gets on sidelines. It has to be around 1/game. I know he's had 2 games with 2 step outs.
 

They play so inconsistently individually and as a result as a team that to pre determine minutes is folly.
Mutaf needed minutes and we'd now be better.
 


UpAndUnder43 said:
Why would Mitchell have redshirted? He still qualifies for a RS technically (he has played in under 30% of games) but he gets a free year with Covid, so he still has 4 years of eligibility left.
Click to expand...

You are right that for this year everyone gets a "red shirt" due to covid.

But you are wrong about how a typical redshirt works. Once you have appeared in a game(1 game or 30 it doesnt matter), you can not get a standard red shirt.

The 30% rule is for injury redshirts.

You can't play a guy 8 games and then say "actually, he kinda sucks. Lets redshirt a year."
 

Curry should not see the floor again unless Freeman is in foul trouble. Love the guy but man!!!
 

Gach can’t play physical big ten ball. He’s an open court player that with good finishing skills. No defense, sketchy at long range.
 

Freeman needs more minutes and Johnson is energy and heart. He’s impressive.
 


The guard/wing depth was an issue before Gabe got hurt, now it's a crisis. We've got 4 guys total for 3 spots on the floor in Carr/Mashburn Jr/Williams/Gach. You may not want to play Gach, but you really have no choice. The Carr/Mashburn Jr backcourt has gotten absolutely torched on defense at times this year as teams attack the lack of size... and that's now the best duo we can put back there. Tre Williams was 4-12 from the field and 2-4 from the line against Indiana and people think it was one of his better games which kind of says it all (the advanced stats suggest Gach was actually "better" relatively in the game). All 4 of these guys need to play and we need Mashburn to continue his performance from the past 2 games while getting vastly more efficient play from either Williams or Gach and hopefully both.

Up front, we badly need Robbins to look like a top 5 center in the league again. It has been at least 3 rough games in a row for him now. Hopefully he comes out and does to Cockburn in their rematch what he did to Dickinson in their rematch.
 

BarnBurner said:
I agree with you final paragraph.

Freeman needs minutes, as many as he can play. He is tough, plays solid enough D, and has a bit of a "get out of my neighborhood" about him, which this team desperately needs. Limited FT's look good.

Ihnen has all the tools, imo. He was damn near around his man on a drive last night and stopped!! I swore at the TV, as I wanted him to keep driving to the rack! Good rebounder. Needs to play with more of an edge, toughness. Needs more confidence.

Tre showed he can play, needs consistency. Improve FT's. Love the drives last night. Plays good D, imo. Seemed the entire team was focused on going to the rack last night and it showed.

I think Robbins is hurting more than anything, and could be worn down. Think about who has has to battle with in the middle.

I think Mash is doing well for a FR. Forces things at times, and has really improved his shooting.
Click to expand...


I could not agree more, and it is too bad it took this long for us to see a line up with some toughness that does not force me to start yelling at the TV. (Gabe, B Gach, ect)

Ihnen has pissed me off for weeks as I watch him put up the 3 pointer and miss, but he looks like a player, and is pretty quick for a guy with a giant wingspan. If the guy could be coached to drive like hell to the rim and draw some fouls, I would be all in on him getting big minutes. Anyone who rebounds and defends deserves to play over a guy like Gach.

Gabe being gone seems to have made the team look better, despite the loss at IU, and the lack of Freeman getting a chance regardless.

Mashburn and Carr should have been on the floor together from the beginning. Tre can hit a shot and put a body on someone when defending. He is pretty rigid and mechanical going to the hole, but who cares, at least he tries hard and has some confidence.

I'd be happy to never see Gach play another minute. His lack of defense, court vision, and general basketball sense annoys me to no end. If he is some great athlete, why would i almost prefer to see year 5 of Hurt over this crap? Sure enough he stepped out of bounds yet again for a turnover at IU this week.

Freeman showed me something early in the year, that we do not have. He is a pretty solid in the lower body, and cannot be easily moved. He has pretty quick feet when defending and rebounding, and and is a quicker leaper than I expected. Freeman might also have the slight mean streak referenced above.

Had Pitino gone heavier with Freeman, Tre, and Mashburn sooner, he might have had a better shot at not being fired after the season. His stubborn loyalty to Gach, Gabe, and Curry may well be what put the final nails in his coffin, and I do not hate RP as much as some around here.
 
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Yeah, I just don't get his Curry love, can't justify a big that can't play defense, rebound or score getting that much time

Also becoming apparent that Tre should have been getting more minutes (yes over Gabe) all along
 

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