In Reply to: How does the Big Ten look so far? posted by mh on December 16, 2024 at 10:37:05
Purdue has the best wins, with victories over Bama and Ole Miss. Michigan State's North Carolina victory is looking less impressive, as is our Arizona win. Michigan has that Wisconsin win but not much else. Illinois is right there with a couple of nice wins. Maryland's SOS is horrific. Bottom line: It's early. We're going to have to let it play out, but like I said, I like our chances.
We played horribly against Arizona and still won. We are a much better team than them. We have more talent. I thought we played physically tough but mentally weak. The unforced turnovers, bad shots, and missed free throws are clear indicators. How do solid shooters go 7 for 16, from the free throw line, shooting 43%? Mental focus. How does Lazar come in and throw a cross-court pass that you know he's been told time and time not to make? Mental focus. Thank goodness for Clark who was clutch there at the end.
I think we've shown we are capable of being an outstanding team, but at times we are just bad. I see the bad as very correctable. The biggest weakness I see is our size inside but I'm confident, most of the time we will be able to get by. I think we dealt well with really good bigs in Washington and Oregon. I like what I'm seeing from Mara.
The other two issues are PG play and shooting. I like our shooters. I think we'll see more consistency as the year goes on. With regards to PG play we have some options. Clark is going to give you his all on the defensive end. Perry is green but has shown flashes. However, what I'm really hoping is that Dylan can find the form from the end of the 23-24 season.