Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Official Game 15 Thread: Northern Illinois
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FearLeon
1/11/2025 4:23 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
"Shereef, get it together or I'm putting in the freshman." -Jeff Boals soon, hopefully.
I don't get the calls for Elliot. What's her show?

At least Reef is an elite defender. Given our struggles on D, removing our best defender from the rotation in favor of a freshman that hasn't shown much of anything doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
There is a spot for Elliott in this rotation where he can get minutes for Mitchell and Elmore. The kid can rebound and he’s smooth. I’m hoping today shows Boals and he can squeeze in minutes for Elliott to spell Reef and Elmore.
He's shown some interesting flashes, for sure, but just not convinced there's a ton he does better than Reef and Elmore. Stretching the rotation to 9 guys is fine in against bad teams, but when push comes to shove and games matter, even very deep teams tend to play 8 man rotations.

I'm much more inclined to give Reef the minutes he needs to play his way back to the level he was at last year. He has to get a lot closer to his ceiling for us to win the conference, and there's host far less upside in Elliot's minutes this season. Find Elliot minutes to develop against the bottom half of the league, but if he takes minutes in games that matter from our best on-ball defender, who also scores efficiently, that seems like a pretty poor choice.
I think you’re overreacting a little bit when people like me and others say get Elliott more minutes. We’re not talking about the kid playing 20 minutes a game. But between Elmore and Reef….there are probably at least five minutes a game where Elliott can come in and help. Elmore hasn’t looked that great since MAC play started.
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GraffZ06
1/11/2025 4:36 PM
Congrats to Coach Boals for getting career win #107 at Ohio, tying him with Danny Nee for 6th on the all-time wins list.

1. Jim Snyder (355-245 .592 1949-1974)
2. Larry Hunter (204-148 .580 1989-2001)
3. Butch Grover (192-129 .598 1922-1938)
4. Dutch Trautwein (136-90 .602 1938-1949)
5. Tim O'Shea (120-95 .558 2001-2008)
6. Jeff Boals (107-66 .618 2019-present)
6. Danny Nee (107-67 .615 1980-1986)
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JSF
1/11/2025 7:03 PM
OhioCatFan wrote:expand_more
Give it a try.
We had a lot of fun when Marshall left, but NIU? Meh. It's addition by subtraction, good luck to them.
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M.D.W.S.T
1/11/2025 7:10 PM
TOS firmly in the cross-hairs.
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OUbobcat9092
1/11/2025 10:50 PM
Could pass O'Shea this year, and Trautwein next year!
Last Edited: 1/11/2025 10:50:47 PM by OUbobcat9092
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spongeBOB CATpants
1/12/2025 11:09 AM
NIU is so bad, I don't think you can really take much from this game at all. Good confidence booster I guess but I'd rather we stay humble moving onto the meat and potatoes of the MAC schedule.

Good to get the freshmen some minutes. Forget about this one and move on quickly to Ball St. The next 6 games are going to really move the needle on where this team stack up in the conference.
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Bobcat1996
1/12/2025 6:58 PM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
NIU is so bad, I don't think you can really take much from this game at all. Good confidence booster I guess but I'd rather we stay humble moving onto the meat and potatoes of the MAC schedule.

Good to get the freshmen some minutes. Forget about this one and move on quickly to Ball St. The next 6 games are going to really move the needle on where this team stack up in the conference.
Only a few schools can finish in the top of standings and Ball St is not one of them.
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Andrew Ruck
1/13/2025 9:18 AM
Deciduous Forest Cat wrote:expand_more
Man, Clayton really needs to stop shooting from outside!
I think this is at least partially directed at me or a group that includes me, but let me be clear I have never said Clayton should stop shooting from outside I simply said he needs to shoot more inside. All but 1 of his attempts tonight (and he still made that one) we no doubt fire it situations. My plea for years has been for him to realize the skills he has in the paint and attack with confidence. Even as a MAC POY candidate, I still think this kid lacks confidence and an understanding of how good he is.

Now with Hadaway, yes...I have indeed said just stop it. Unless it is wide open and late in the shot clock.

Anyway, 31 points in 18 minutes...unreal! Yes definitely aided by some atrocious perimeter defense. But still, he played at a pace of scoring 60 in 35 minutes!

Lots of assists from everyone and complete domination on the boards. Agreed you can not take much from this, I think NIU is going to struggle to win 3 games in the MAC.

On the flipside I think Ball State could be a top 4 team in the MAC. Can't look past them to Akron, would be heartbreaking to drop one at home and miss a solid chance to start 4-0. Hopefully the outside shot will keep falling.
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BillyTheCat
1/13/2025 4:41 PM
Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
Man, Clayton really needs to stop shooting from outside!
I think this is at least partially directed at me or a group that includes me, but let me be clear I have never said Clayton should stop shooting from outside I simply said he needs to shoot more inside. All but 1 of his attempts tonight (and he still made that one) we no doubt fire it situations. My plea for years has been for him to realize the skills he has in the paint and attack with confidence. Even as a MAC POY candidate, I still think this kid lacks confidence and an understanding of how good he is.

Now with Hadaway, yes...I have indeed said just stop it. Unless it is wide open and late in the shot clock.

Anyway, 31 points in 18 minutes...unreal! Yes definitely aided by some atrocious perimeter defense. But still, he played at a pace of scoring 60 in 35 minutes!

Lots of assists from everyone and complete domination on the boards. Agreed you can not take much from this, I think NIU is going to struggle to win 3 games in the MAC.

On the flipside I think Ball State could be a top 4 team in the MAC. Can't look past them to Akron, would be heartbreaking to drop one at home and miss a solid chance to start 4-0. Hopefully the outside shot will keep falling.
Just because he’s tall does not make him a post player. He’s way more comfortable facing the basket.
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Victory
1/13/2025 5:31 PM
shabamon wrote:expand_more
Clayton MAC POTW or we riot.
He is. He is also Lou Henson National Player of the Week.
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Andrew Ruck
1/14/2025 8:22 AM
My point, Billy, has always been that he is really good in the paint. He has great touch around the rim. His 2 point percentage is one of the best in the country the last few years, and he positions himself well for rebounds. You know it isn't just me saying he's tall so go in the paint.
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
1/14/2025 8:26 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
[QUOTE=Andrew Ruck]

Just because he’s tall does not make him a post player. He’s way more comfortable facing the basket.
He's comfortable as a quick release shooter when facing the basket.

But he doesn't have much of a face up game in terms of putting the ball on the floor and creating. Andrew's right that to maximize Clayton you need to get him touches at multiple levels.
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spongeBOB CATpants
1/14/2025 1:05 PM
If he puts up 30 in a game, I couldn't care less where he shoots it from. I think he does a pretty good job of exploiting the matchup down low when its there, I just don't think he has as many moves as we have been used to seeing from BVP, DW3, JC, etc. I'm at the point now where I want him shooting ten 3's a game and taking what the defense gives him.
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BillyTheCat
1/14/2025 3:53 PM
spongeBOB CATpants wrote:expand_more
If he puts up 30 in a game, I couldn't care less where he shoots it from. I think he does a pretty good job of exploiting the matchup down low when its there, I just don't think he has as many moves as we have been used to seeing from BVP, DW3, JC, etc. I'm at the point now where I want him shooting ten 3's a game and taking what the defense gives him.
Agreed, he ain’t going down there to bang with a bruiser, or someone longer and athletic.
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FearLeon
1/14/2025 8:36 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
"Shereef, get it together or I'm putting in the freshman." -Jeff Boals soon, hopefully.
I don't get the calls for Elliot. What's her show?

At least Reef is an elite defender. Given our struggles on D, removing our best defender from the rotation in favor of a freshman that hasn't shown much of anything doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
Knew this wouldn’t age well.
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