No killer instinct
- Thread starter Mikemarc
- Start date
yes. Some are easier on the heart though.
Up 17 in the 2nd half..i hoped this would be one of those.
Your observation was that Purdue is not a good, competitive team. That isn't a good take. That's just incredibly lazy. This was a good win.
My point has nothing to do with the outcome of the game.
I agree this was a great win.
I'm following a young Northwestern team that has size, but no point guard (injured), has somehow managed to lose to teams such as Merrimack and Hartford while blowing out Boston College and Providence, and blew a 14-point halftime lead against Maryland recently (not the first time something like that has happened this year as we are 1-8 in the conference). Now THAT is frustrating. Enjoy your good team and good season.
Listen how many games in the past 2 decades was Rutgers down 15-20 and made a run a got it to a few points and lost.....PLENTY. At the end of the day its about buckling down and making plays to win which we did...again.
The issue is yours was such a negative take not 24 hours later but like 4 minutes later
I thought last night was a little too much of milking the clock.
I'd rather see us get into our set with 20 seconds left instead of waiting till 10 and running a dribble drive which too often leads to a forced shot.
Well having a 17 point lead and being in control the whole game and letting a team back into it with frustrating plays two games in a row is a negative, correct?
outcome is great..btw. I’ll still have the same take 24 hours. Can’t let teams crawl their way back into games we are completely controlling.
Pike probably loves these games for the long term effect. Maybe love is a bit strong. Let's say he appreciates them. It gives him more things to work with, showing how A leads to B, etc, while also keeping his players grounded. "Yeah, you were in control & up by X, but it can always change in a blink of an eye, on 1 or 2 bounces". I'm sure he'd rather win easily but games like the last few are also teaching moments. Just wondering how many Iowa fans complained about lacking a killer instinct after being in control and almost losing last Wednesday.
As Yogi used to say “ you think these teams we’re playing are no good”
Purdue was a desperate team in need of a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
We won, how was our foul shooting the last 6 minutes? Killer instinct to me!
Purdue was a desperate team in need of a win to keep their tournament hopes alive.
We won, how was our foul shooting the last 6 minutes? Killer instinct to me!
You're not accounting for the fact that Purdue stepped up their defense and Myles was hurt & then in foul trouble and they attacked the inside in this analysis. It's almost as if you are equating Purdue to a lower level Div 2 team that we should stomp instead of winning a close one. "Killer Instinct" applies as much to closing out close games where the opponent makes a significant push at the end as much as it does winning by 20.
+1. Every game we play with the exception of NW and Neb is against one of the best 40 or 45 teams in the country with many being Top-25 good. The idea we "should be" running that level of team out of the gym is silly. Just not going to happen.
Purdue has won the B1G 2 of the last 3 seasons. Outside of Izzo they may have the best HC in the conference. That was a talented team.
While I love that we are winning, I'm terrified that we are going to start blowing games in which we had huge leads. Earlier when we were throttling SHU and Nebraska we never let up and maintained our big leads. Now we see a new trend of letting teams get back in the game and I'm just worried it will cost us a game - and wouldn't it suck if that game was a first round NCAA game?
Somehow part of my previous response got deleted before posting.
While I hear what you're saying about our history, its too late. My expectations have already been reset to reflect the new (more pleasant) reality that we don't suck anymore.
Just because we haven't beaten Purdue since the Ford administration doesn't mean I'd have been ok with blowing a 17 pt lead and losing last night. I want to win regardless of how little of that we've done the last 3 decades.
its hard to maintain the intensity...also this team is still learning how to win, very early in its evolution, they are almost skipping a season of development..last year was 14-17. Now we are 16-5. RU is now the hunted not the hunter. Its a new role for them. What I saw last night is they responded when push came to shove, it was an improvement over the Nebby game which I thought was just an overall flat lack of focus performance coming off of the tough loss at Iowa.
You have the Rutgers syndrome. Anything and everything WILL go wrong because god doesn't like Rutgers.
The fact is Rutgers now has the ability to compete with the "named" programs of the B1G. It's hard for some fans to wrap their mind around that, but it's true. The quality of talent Rutgers is facing doesn't allow for blowouts. Teams don't quit because they are down.
Just as you are condition to expect the worst, now it's time to train yourself to expect the best. It's hard, but you can do it.
