Time to bring back the player ratings. Tough loss. Thought we'd take this one with a great shooting display at home. We did what I thought we'd do and hit 51% on twos and 46% on threes. That wins you the game 90% of the time. But Ohio State hit 48% on threes, and 88% from the line (21-24). Our defense is certainly nothing to write home about, but for an away game they hit a lot of tough shots. Unfortunate, as this was a game I had hoped to be in ND's win column. ND had 13 turnovers which was also uncharacteristic and probably cost them the game. Ohio State only had 8 which either means they took great care of the ball, or we did not put enough defensive pressure on them. Maybe a bit of both.
Prentiss Hubb - A - 26 pts, 6 assists, and 5-9 from deep. He's frustrating as hell, but the overall picture is almost always positive at this point in his career. His last possession unfortunately was "bad Hubb", where most of the game was "good Hubb". He's always going to be a player who looks like he took a terrible shot...until it goes in. Eventually I'd like to see Cormac Ryan as the guy with the ball on the last possession. He's a much better passer and a better shooter than Hubb. I think he'll have to fight Hubb for the ball though.
Cormac Ryan - B+ - He was all world in the first half and then disappeared. 15 pts on 5-8 shooting. Love his ability to create and his defense. He's played three games in a year so I think he'll only get better. We clearly have a player here. Was disappointed he did not influence the game more down the stretch.
Nat Laz - B 17 pts on 5-7 shooting. He's shooting the ball great and rebounding better than I ever thought he would. However, after grabbing 9 boards in the first half, I don't think he had a rebound in the second half when ND started to lose control of the boards. And he really struggled defensively in clutch time when Ohio State starting attacking him. Overall the arrow is pointing up on Laz. He's following the typical Brey big man junior blossoming schedule so he's right on track. His defense has improved light years, but he'll never be a defensive stopper, and the middle of our defense is going to be an issue.
Juwaan Durham - B- 3/8 with 9 rebounds. Durham was a mixed bag. He was a warrior on the offensive glass with 6 offensive rebounds. But then he missed a couple easy put backs. He eventually fouled out which probably cost ND the game as ND's soft defensive under belly became a complete sieve. Ohio State drove at will on ND's defense down the stretch. Best part about Durham's game has been his passing which has been terrific for a big man. They need more out of Durham and I think he can play better than he's played these first three games. He was mixing it up tonight with players which was good to see.
Dane Goodwin B Goodwin hit some big shots, but he struggled defensively against quicker players. This has been a weakness throughout his career and I don't expect it changes.
Matt Zona B - I graded Zona and Sanders on a curve as they are freshman. Zona acquitted himself well for a freshman, but the reality is he should not be playing. He's the beneficiary of really lackluster big man recruiting that has left us with only two upperclassmen over 6'8. He grabbed a couple of tough offensive rebounds, but defensively he offered no help as Ohio State attacked the basket down the stretch. Zona was an unheralded recruit in high school that was a good late find for ND and will probably develop into a good player, but if he's playing in crunch time, we have a problem.
Tony Sanders C This was another unheralded recruit that I was really happy we signed because he's an athlete on a team that does not have many. He might be the teams best athlete (which means he's an average ACC athlete). Like Nova, he is a junior year arrival that's playing now. Love his energy, and he's a willing defender. But his turnovers killed us today. Wertz or Carmody in his role and we probably win the game.
Overall, disappointed in the loss, but encouraged by the team. We need to get Wertz eligible and well have something this year. Defensively, the team is going to have to tighten up, but you can see where this is going to go offensively. We are going to score some points this year. Brey may have five shooters if Wertz is eligible. It's about as a good a shooting team as he's had. Lot of missing parts in the soft middle of the team, but if you give Brey give good shooters, he's going to create a lot of games like tonight's game. Hopefully, we'll have better outcomes than tonight.
Prentiss Hubb - A - 26 pts, 6 assists, and 5-9 from deep. He's frustrating as hell, but the overall picture is almost always positive at this point in his career. His last possession unfortunately was "bad Hubb", where most of the game was "good Hubb". He's always going to be a player who looks like he took a terrible shot...until it goes in. Eventually I'd like to see Cormac Ryan as the guy with the ball on the last possession. He's a much better passer and a better shooter than Hubb. I think he'll have to fight Hubb for the ball though.
Cormac Ryan - B+ - He was all world in the first half and then disappeared. 15 pts on 5-8 shooting. Love his ability to create and his defense. He's played three games in a year so I think he'll only get better. We clearly have a player here. Was disappointed he did not influence the game more down the stretch.
Nat Laz - B 17 pts on 5-7 shooting. He's shooting the ball great and rebounding better than I ever thought he would. However, after grabbing 9 boards in the first half, I don't think he had a rebound in the second half when ND started to lose control of the boards. And he really struggled defensively in clutch time when Ohio State starting attacking him. Overall the arrow is pointing up on Laz. He's following the typical Brey big man junior blossoming schedule so he's right on track. His defense has improved light years, but he'll never be a defensive stopper, and the middle of our defense is going to be an issue.
Juwaan Durham - B- 3/8 with 9 rebounds. Durham was a mixed bag. He was a warrior on the offensive glass with 6 offensive rebounds. But then he missed a couple easy put backs. He eventually fouled out which probably cost ND the game as ND's soft defensive under belly became a complete sieve. Ohio State drove at will on ND's defense down the stretch. Best part about Durham's game has been his passing which has been terrific for a big man. They need more out of Durham and I think he can play better than he's played these first three games. He was mixing it up tonight with players which was good to see.
Dane Goodwin B Goodwin hit some big shots, but he struggled defensively against quicker players. This has been a weakness throughout his career and I don't expect it changes.
Matt Zona B - I graded Zona and Sanders on a curve as they are freshman. Zona acquitted himself well for a freshman, but the reality is he should not be playing. He's the beneficiary of really lackluster big man recruiting that has left us with only two upperclassmen over 6'8. He grabbed a couple of tough offensive rebounds, but defensively he offered no help as Ohio State attacked the basket down the stretch. Zona was an unheralded recruit in high school that was a good late find for ND and will probably develop into a good player, but if he's playing in crunch time, we have a problem.
Tony Sanders C This was another unheralded recruit that I was really happy we signed because he's an athlete on a team that does not have many. He might be the teams best athlete (which means he's an average ACC athlete). Like Nova, he is a junior year arrival that's playing now. Love his energy, and he's a willing defender. But his turnovers killed us today. Wertz or Carmody in his role and we probably win the game.
Overall, disappointed in the loss, but encouraged by the team. We need to get Wertz eligible and well have something this year. Defensively, the team is going to have to tighten up, but you can see where this is going to go offensively. We are going to score some points this year. Brey may have five shooters if Wertz is eligible. It's about as a good a shooting team as he's had. Lot of missing parts in the soft middle of the team, but if you give Brey give good shooters, he's going to create a lot of games like tonight's game. Hopefully, we'll have better outcomes than tonight.
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