12/3 @ Southern Miss

[KSBisonFan]

I'm trying to decide if Richman plays a more relaxed man defense than Saul, or if the individual players just aren't as good this year. It seemed like the last few years under Saul, for all the offensive issues we would have at times, the man defense under him was salty and very in your face. This year they are playing off anmd leaving space.

Didn't see the game but to your comment about defense.....I think Saul could afford to pressure on the perimeter last year because there was decent help defense inside. When our perimeter pressed and got beat off the dribble, Tray was waiting to swat it 5 rows deep or Marshall was there to put a body on them. Big difference this year. Just my opinion.

FT % is a concern to me. 65% for the season?????

[Bison"FANatic"]

Didn't see the game but to your comment about defense.....I think Saul could afford to pressure on the perimeter last year because there was decent help defense inside. When our perimeter pressed and got beat off the dribble, Tray was waiting to swat it 5 rows deep or Marshall was there to put a body on them. Big difference this year. Just my opinion.

You also have younger guys that are not use to the speed of the game yet. Heck AJ has been beaten bad off the dribble quite a few times and it is getting him into foul trouble. Once these young guys get acclimated and get the footwork and foot speed going we will be able to press up more and not sag back. That should help with pressure and hopefully the number of fouls. There is a huge gap right now to how Brown plays D and the younger guys and hopefully that closes. Werner, Dupree, AJ and Miller and heck also to a point Kading are for the first time getting regular minutes and seeing other players besides the guys they practice against.

[silkamilkamonico]

Didn't see the game but to your comment about defense.....I think Saul could afford to pressure on the perimeter last year because there was decent help defense inside. When our perimeter pressed and got beat off the dribble, Tray was waiting to swat it 5 rows deep or Marshall was there to put a body on them. Big difference this year. Just my opinion.

FT % is a concern to me. 65% for the season?????

Our defense was always good under Saul. In 2009 after the Fab 4 graduated, team defense was the only thing ever keeping NDSU in the game. I don't recall them getting blown out at all that year, and that was with Aaberg playing as a true freshman starting. IMHO we had players that year that were not legitimate D1 players, but the team defense that year was still very good.

Watching them play this year they aren't in the other team's face like Saul's were. It's a much looser man. Maybe it is confidence, or like you said they want to protect the inside more. But for whatever reason it is not as tight manned.

NDSU is currently 315th (out of 345) in in FG defense and allowing 47% fg percentage. That is absolutely brutal for a team that's identity is on the defenseive side of the ball. It's brutal period. Dead last of all the Summit teams. I don't know if Richman is just more of an offensive minded coach, but good grief, you have to be a hell a good offensive team to overcome that throughout the season. If NDSU, as a perimeter team, isn't hitting from the outside, it sets up for a brutal blowout loss. Our 2 initial losses I won't touch considering the circumstances. The first half of SOuthern Miss was just brutal and that's what can happen if a brutal defense doesn't hit. Sure we had a good second half and cut into the lead, but how much of that really is because SOuthern Miss just stop competing because the gae was so out of hand?

Just a thought on this. It's still way early and there's no reason to even lean out the window, but good grief that needs to get a lot better.

[ndsubison1]

We playing gap defense?

[North Side]

This was about the result I expected. If we can be the grizz. This will still be an amazing road trip considering how young this team is.