Game 24: @ Loyola-Chicago

[BCPanther]

Right because the best thing to do after you've won 10 of 13 is change everything.

[UNIAlum95]

Key takeaways from this loss:

Our defense was not good. Loyola had 21 assists. That's insane. To contrast that, we had 6. This has been a symptom of every one of our losses. This team is not a tough hard nosed team which used to be a hallmark of UNI basketball.

There was no one other than AJ to pay attention to. Noah was completely taken out of his game and Loyola had no one else to fear. That's going to happen from time to time but you have to have someone else step up.

We need to see some offense from Nate. Only 4 shots and 2 rebounds isn't going to get it done.

Cole needs to be playing in the post. He contributes nothing from the top of the key to the offense. We've got to get his confidence back up and to do that he needs touches at the basket.

Bowen needs more than 19 minutes in that game. He was the only one that could control the ball under pressure.

AJ needs to figure out how to pass out of a double team. I know he puts a lot on his shoulders but he plays himself into a corner and gives up dumb turnovers every game. He has to improve his passing, see the doubles coming, and get the ball to the open guy. This is probably on the coaches too because they see this every game and they haven't given him guys moving to be able to hit with the pass.

Props to Loyola because they look like the best team in the league and they exposed what I have feared in this team all year. We just aren't that tough. We still control our path to the conference crown, but I sure don't want to see Bradley or Loyola before Sunday in St Louis.

[Panther Fan]

but I sure don't want to see Bradley or Loyola before Sunday in St Louis.

Not to disagree with much of your post, but do people realize that 12 days ago we absolutely destroyed the Bradley team that everyone in the Valley seems to now be enamored with?

Yesterday was awful, but one game doesn't make a trend. As has been noted, if you've watched Loyola at all this year it was BY FAR their best performance. We absolutely contributed to that, but if that Loyola team showed up every night they would be running away with the conference. Williamson made his first 3 three point attempts and if there was an advanced advanced analytic about where and how a shot hits the rim and % chance it should go in, I'm guessing he should have been 0-3. A guy who has made 15 3's all year (and had a really ugly airball on a FT attempt) goes 3-6! I'm going out on a limb that if we can get a game where Pick goes 3-6 from 3 we win. Disappointing that we cut it to 12 and didn't come out better in 2nd half. But I'll reset my expectations if we don't win Tuesday. Any road victory is big and then we can get back to being hyped up about a huge home game on Sunday against the Bears.

[ronfitch]

Yeah that's going to be weird. He's fired, effective the end of the season. So he'll still be on the sidelines and in the huddle.

I just envision the huddles being something like the movie "Bull Durham" where the coach walks out to the mound and the players are talking about wedding presents and candle sticks rather than the game.

[BCPanther]

Not to disagree with much of your post, but do people realize that 12 days ago we absolutely destroyed the Bradley team that everyone in the Valley seems to now be enamored with?

Yesterday was awful, but one game doesn't make a trend. As has been noted, if you've watched Loyola at all this year it was BY FAR their best performance. We absolutely contributed to that, but if that Loyola team showed up every night they would be running away with the conference. Williamson made his first 3 three point attempts and if there was an advanced advanced analytic about where and how a shot hits the rim and % chance it should go in, I'm guessing he should have been 0-3. A guy who has made 15 3's all year (and had a really ugly airball on a FT attempt) goes 3-6! I'm going out on a limb that if we can get a game where Pick goes 3-6 from 3 we win. Disappointing that we cut it to 12 and didn't come out better in 2nd half. But I'll reset my expectations if we don't win Tuesday. Any road victory is big and then we can get back to being hyped up about a huge home game on Sunday against the Bears.

Thank you for this. Yesterday does not invalidate the 7 weeks of really good basketball we've played.

They were great yesterday and that place hasn't been too terribly kind to us. We beat them the last time they had to play here which seems like forever ago because, well, it was.

I think we'll be really good tomorrow night.

[OhNewby]

Not to disagree with much of your post, but do people realize that 12 days ago we absolutely destroyed the Bradley team that everyone in the Valley seems to now be enamored with?

Yesterday was awful, but one game doesn't make a trend. As has been noted, if you've watched Loyola at all this year it was BY FAR their best performance. We absolutely contributed to that, but if that Loyola team showed up every night they would be running away with the conference. Williamson made his first 3 three point attempts and if there was an advanced advanced analytic about where and how a shot hits the rim and % chance it should go in, I'm guessing he should have been 0-3. A guy who has made 15 3's all year (and had a really ugly airball on a FT attempt) goes 3-6! I'm going out on a limb that if we can get a game where Pick goes 3-6 from 3 we win. Disappointing that we cut it to 12 and didn't come out better in 2nd half. But I'll reset my expectations if we don't win Tuesday. Any road victory is big and then we can get back to being hyped up about a huge home game on Sunday against the Bears.

I may be mis-remembering, but I believe Ugauk actually made his first 3 three point attempts, as well. Then in addition to the airball FT, he barely nicked the rim on the next FT, followed by a wide open 3 in the second half which he hit all backboard, no rim. Ugauck hitting those 3s and Williamson clunking in contested 3s clearly blew up our defensive scheme, which was a great scheme. Prior to yesterday, barely contesting Ugauck, contesting Williamson on 3s and controlling Norris a has been a great recipe to contain Loyola's offense. Sometimes, a highly motivated team just gets hot (or lucky). Win on Tuesday, and we're fine.

[UNIAlum95]

Yeah I'm not throwing in the towel on the season. That game had Loyola playing lights out and we looked like the November/December Panthers. Those two forces combined lead to a terrible result. Tuesday will be a telling game on where we are mentally heading into the home stretch.

[MVCBeat]

I am usually one to overreact, but some of you all put me to shame. We got our butts beat yesterday, no doubt, but some of you are acting like you've only see us play one game this year. And that this is the first time you've seen Loyola. They don't always play like that. They aren't so crazy far ahead of us, despite what yesterday made it seem. We are 75% of the way through the MVC season and they're a half game ahead of us. They don't typically shoot that well. They played great. But that isn't their normal day.

It sucks because it hurts our chances of winning the league, but we were 10-2 (with two OT losses, one without out best player) since the new year going into that game. We've had a chance to win every MVC game we've played before that game. We are in second place by a half game. We beat Drake on the road. We beat Mo State on the road. We just torched Bradley who has only lost one game this month. We are still pretty good, and we absolutely can beat them in the rematch.

[MVCBeat]

I mean for goodness sakes, a guy who had made a total of four three pointers in MVC play made three yesterday, and Williamson had two extremely lucky bounces on threes that had no business going in, and all that happened in the like first 5 minutes yesterday.

[BrockLesnar]

Right because the best thing to do after you've won 10 of 13 is change everything.

Actually, it's 10 of 14. We do need to see Born take to the rim more and his outside shooting. More Phyfe if possible for points in the paint. More Anderson for rebounding.

[MVCBeat]

Actually, it's 10 of 14. We do need to see Born take to the rim more and his outside shooting. More Phyfe if possible for points in the paint. More Anderson for rebounding.

Technically you're not wrong. But we have won 10 of our last 13 games.

[BrockLesnar]

Technically you're not wrong. But we have won 10 of our last 13 games.

Yeah, I was referring to MVC record. Yesterday, probably settled who is #1, but we can still get to the dance.

[BCPanther]

Yeah, I was referring to MVC record. Yesterday, probably settled who is #1, but we can still get to the dance.

Explain to me how it settled who's going to win the regular season.

[BrockLesnar]

Explain to me how it settled who's going to win the regular season.

Loyola wins. They even played without Marquise Alexander, yesterday. They're too athletic and will win out the regular season. Their luck can run out in St Louis. Depth perception is a factor in an 19,000 seat NHL arena. The rims are also tight down there. It would lead to lower scoring that makes games go either way. Our net does not bode well to break ties, though. The Missouri State game will be for 2nd place.

[MVCBeat]

Tiebreakers are only relevant for seeding. If teams have the same record they officially share the league title. FWIW.

Honest question. Was this the only Loyola game you've watched this year?