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this team is WAY better. Especially Niang, because when he touches the ball our offensive game is light years ahead of our O when he doesn't. He's a great passer, fairly smooth in handling the ball, and with his 3 pt shot, he really helps our spacing.
Niang is the key player on this team. We he plays well, the Cyclones play well.
Not to mention when they are in foul trouble we currently don't have a lot of options to go to.
It seemed today like Fred tried to rest those two a lot in the first half to make sure they stayed out of foul trouble and were available in the 2nd.
I really think (especially on the road), that this strategy needs to be employed in most games. These two have to be in their in the last 10 min of the game, and not be afraid of picking up their 5th.Quote:
Originally Posted by tim_redd
Ejim is huge for our post D, and Niang is a poor man's version of RW in that he has to touch the ball in every possession. Our O looks completely different when he's not in there. We just chuck 3's after dribbling around. He is a facilitator because he spaces the floor, makes good decisions and can pass.
Having Niang in the game helps soooooooo much. I love seeing him out at the top of the key with the ball and the floor spread. He's quick enough to take any big man off the dribble, as well commands the close D with his ability to hit the 3. Not to mention, he has great vision and is a great passer. Just need to work on his D and maybe just a little on his freethrows :)
The hard thing for me is the difference between getting yourself into foul trouble, and the officials placing you into foul trouble.
Having said that, I was an umpire for a few years (when I was young and healthy.) In baseball, you get a few tough calls during the game. In basketball, and football, you have tough calls almost every play.
I think Niang will have less foul issues as he gets stronger. K State did get a lot of fouls today by jumping into people. Not sure what happened to the principle of verticality?
In junior high we lived on the same street as Jim Hallihan, former head assistant to Johnny Orr. He told us once during a block party after reffing some Iowa Games basketball that he gained a new appreciation for the difficulty of calling a basketball game. Depending on where the ref is in relation to the players, there are things that just get missed becuase the refs can't see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by CNECloneFan
If I remember right, one or both of them fouled out in our two Big 12 road losses. Niang is our only guy that can produce offense with his back to the basket, but I'm still hoping Gibson can get his touch back to help there when Niang isn't in the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by acgclone