The Matchup: Northwestern (3-1) vs Notre Dame (5-0)
Location: UIC Pavilion (Chicago, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (7:30PM Big Ten Network on Friday)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: This is the first game between these teams since a 79-61 Notre Dame victory since 1984.
About the Game
Norte Dame enters this game with a 5-0 record and the #23 national ranking. If Northwestern can win this game it would be a major step forward for a Wildcat team which is still working to find itself since the injuries to Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan.
Coble’s absence was felt strongly in the Wildcats loss to #11 Butler, but he may be an even bigger missing link against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are led by 6-8 246 pound forward Luke Harangody who scores 27.2 points per game and grabs 10.4 rebounds. While Coble probably wouldn’t have matched up on Haranbody one-on-one, he still would have been the player the Wildcats could go to in order to match Harangody’s points. Also, Coble’s size and ability to drive the lane and draw fouls on big men could really have helped NU get the Irish star in foul trouble.
In terms of stopping Harangody NU will likely use the 1-3-1 zone to try and prevent the big man from getting touches. The ability to prevent big people from getting the ball is one of the advantages of the 1-3-1. The trouble is that when that is the focus, it does allow open three point looks from the outside. Notre Dame guard Ben Hansbrough (Tyler’s brother) will likely salivate at that thought as he comes into this contest shooting 12-of-18 from three point range. Northwestern will need a great performance from Jeremy Nash at the top of that 1-3-1 to force some turnovers and rushed shots before Hansbrough can get his feet set.
On offense Northwestern will have to contend with Harangody’s defense and he will likely limit the point production from NU’s big men. That might be okay as Kyle Rowley and Luka Mirkovic haven’t been offensive dynamo’s anyhow, but it would still help NU a great deal if they could at least get 10 points total and keep Harangody off the boards. Harangody is the type of player that Kyle Rowley’s size might help with. Even though Rowley might not score a ton of points or get a ton of rebounds if his 7-0 280 pound size keeps Harangody off the boards and allows NU to get some easy second baskets it will help NU a great deal. The Wildcats will also need to make some threes in this game which is why the breakout game from Drew Crawford against Liberty has NU fans feeling good.
Prediction: I think Drew Crawford’s play against Liberty should give the young man some confidence. Crawford in conjunction with Michael “Juice” Thompson and Jeremy Nash now gives Northwestern multiple guys on the perimeter which a defense has to account for. This will help NU and I think Thompson will have another big guy. However, I don’t think it’ll be enough. Notre Dame, 77 Northwestern, 63
News and Notes: Congrats to the NU’s women’s basketball team on their win over #15 DePaul. With the Wildcats men’s squad not playing the Blue Demons this season the women’s win gives the Wildcat basketball program city bragging rights for this year.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Crawford, Shurna Help NU Beat Liberty 69-53
Two guys NU fans expected to step up in the quest to replace Kevin Coble’s points, Drew Crawford and John Shurna, both played their best games of the season tonight to help NU defeat Liberty 69-53. Crawford’s performance was huge to increase the young freshman’s confidence and Shurna looked the most comfortable he has all season.
Drew Crawford had shown excellent athletic skill in NU’s first 3 games, but tonight he showed the ability to hit three point shots as well. Crawford scored 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting including 5-of-10 threes. He also looked very comfortable in NU’s offense as he took the right shot at the right time. Often times freshman are too aggressive or too reluctant to shoot, but Crawford found the right balance today. He also dished out 4 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds, and blocked another shot with his great leaping ability.
John Shurna scored 14 points tonight including two dunks. I think NU has dunked the ball more in four games this year than they did in all of some past seasons. Shurna also made 2-of-6 threes tonight. That’s not great, but it is a little better than he has been doing. I also liked that of those six shots it did not look like he was forcing them. Shurna added 9 rebounds to his stat line along with 3 assists and 0 turnovers.
Northwestern as a team had 22 assists and 13 turnovers. The 13 turnovers are still probably too many. Especially with some unforced. However with 22 assists on 27 made field goals one could see the Princeton Offense in full swing for the Wildcats.
Mention also has to go to the fact Coach Bill Carmody started Kyle Rowley tonight instead of Luke Mirkovic. Rowley responded with 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting. I was impressed with Rowley’s first basket on a left handed hook shot and several others where he went up quick to release the ball. Mirkovic was better than he has been the past two games as he scored 6 points of his own and grabbed 4 rebounds. I suspect Coach Carmody might chose to go back to Rowley starting and Mirkovic coming off the bench as he did more often last season.
Aside from the turnovers and some defensive lapses, especially a couple times NU didn’t get back on defense, the worst part of the night for NU was freshman guard Alex Marcotullio hitting the ground hard in the first half and not returning to action. Marcotullio has a sprained right thumb according to reports from NU. Hopefully he’ll be back when the Wildcats play Notre Dame on Friday.
Drew Crawford had shown excellent athletic skill in NU’s first 3 games, but tonight he showed the ability to hit three point shots as well. Crawford scored 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting including 5-of-10 threes. He also looked very comfortable in NU’s offense as he took the right shot at the right time. Often times freshman are too aggressive or too reluctant to shoot, but Crawford found the right balance today. He also dished out 4 assists, grabbed 4 rebounds, and blocked another shot with his great leaping ability.
John Shurna scored 14 points tonight including two dunks. I think NU has dunked the ball more in four games this year than they did in all of some past seasons. Shurna also made 2-of-6 threes tonight. That’s not great, but it is a little better than he has been doing. I also liked that of those six shots it did not look like he was forcing them. Shurna added 9 rebounds to his stat line along with 3 assists and 0 turnovers.
Northwestern as a team had 22 assists and 13 turnovers. The 13 turnovers are still probably too many. Especially with some unforced. However with 22 assists on 27 made field goals one could see the Princeton Offense in full swing for the Wildcats.
Mention also has to go to the fact Coach Bill Carmody started Kyle Rowley tonight instead of Luke Mirkovic. Rowley responded with 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting. I was impressed with Rowley’s first basket on a left handed hook shot and several others where he went up quick to release the ball. Mirkovic was better than he has been the past two games as he scored 6 points of his own and grabbed 4 rebounds. I suspect Coach Carmody might chose to go back to Rowley starting and Mirkovic coming off the bench as he did more often last season.
Aside from the turnovers and some defensive lapses, especially a couple times NU didn’t get back on defense, the worst part of the night for NU was freshman guard Alex Marcotullio hitting the ground hard in the first half and not returning to action. Marcotullio has a sprained right thumb according to reports from NU. Hopefully he’ll be back when the Wildcats play Notre Dame on Friday.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Game 4: Liberty @ Northwestern Wildcats
The Matchup: Liberty (1-4) @ Northwestern (2-1)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com for $2.99 (5:30 PM November 24th)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Northwestern is the only team in the Chicago Invitational Challenge who the Liberty Flames have played before.
About the Game
This Northwestern team is still something of a mystery, but that’s understandable considering the ‘Cats are still probably adjusting to loss of Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan. Against Tennessee State, Michael “Juice” Thompson stepped up big with 31 points. Against Northern Illinois it was Jeremy Nash who stepped up with 20 points. Against Butler nobody stepped up for NU. Those facts seem to prove that NU is still trying to find a consistent replacement for Coble’s points. The good news is the Wildcats have several options; the bad news is several have been very inconsistent. In fact, other than Thompson, NU hasn’t really gotten the production they expected from their other top offensive weapons. This game against Liberty could be a chance for front court guys like John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic to really step up.
The shortest description of Liberty would young and small. Liberty’s tallest starter is 6-6 guard David Minaya. Their tallest front court starter is 6-5 Patrick Konan. Liberty does have two more traditional big men on the bench, but neither 6-10 Joel Vander Pol or 6-11 Carter McMasters has seen that much time. McMasters has made a number of blocks in his time on the court and may get more action against NU, but at only 210 pounds if NU wants to use Kyle Rowley or even Davide Curletti he might get pushed around.
The top scorer on the Flames is 6-4 swingman Kyle Ohman. He averages around 15 points per game and has displayed an ability to rebound as well with about five per game. 6-3 guard Jesse Sanders also gets more than 5 rebounds per game. This has to be something of a concern for NU as the ‘Cats did allow both Butler and Tennessee State to get a number of second chance shots. If NU wants to get back to rebounding like they did against NIU it’ll take another good effort from freshman Drew Crawford and some major steps forward from the center position and John Shurna.
Given Liberty’s size disadvantage it’ll be interesting to see if NU tries to feed the post or if they continue to depend on the outside shot. If NU wants to shoot from distance I suspect Alex Marcotullio will continue to see his playing time increase.
Marcotullio is also interesting on defense as he displayed some good athletic skills at the top of the 1-3-1 against Tennessee State. If Marcotullio can play the top of that zone, it’ll free Jeremy Nash up to play on the wing and that might help NU close out on shooters as Nash has good size and quickness on the wing.
Prediction: Northwestern has been unimpressive the last two games, but I think they learned some important facts about themselves in the narrow win over TSU. I look for the Wildcats to work Alex Marcotullio into the game early and try to get John Shurna going offensively as well against the smaller Flames. Those two guys combined with continued solid play from Juice Thompson and a concentrated effort to take care of the ball should give NU a win. Northwestern, 70 Liberty, 57
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com for $2.99 (5:30 PM November 24th)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Northwestern is the only team in the Chicago Invitational Challenge who the Liberty Flames have played before.
About the Game
This Northwestern team is still something of a mystery, but that’s understandable considering the ‘Cats are still probably adjusting to loss of Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan. Against Tennessee State, Michael “Juice” Thompson stepped up big with 31 points. Against Northern Illinois it was Jeremy Nash who stepped up with 20 points. Against Butler nobody stepped up for NU. Those facts seem to prove that NU is still trying to find a consistent replacement for Coble’s points. The good news is the Wildcats have several options; the bad news is several have been very inconsistent. In fact, other than Thompson, NU hasn’t really gotten the production they expected from their other top offensive weapons. This game against Liberty could be a chance for front court guys like John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic to really step up.
The shortest description of Liberty would young and small. Liberty’s tallest starter is 6-6 guard David Minaya. Their tallest front court starter is 6-5 Patrick Konan. Liberty does have two more traditional big men on the bench, but neither 6-10 Joel Vander Pol or 6-11 Carter McMasters has seen that much time. McMasters has made a number of blocks in his time on the court and may get more action against NU, but at only 210 pounds if NU wants to use Kyle Rowley or even Davide Curletti he might get pushed around.
The top scorer on the Flames is 6-4 swingman Kyle Ohman. He averages around 15 points per game and has displayed an ability to rebound as well with about five per game. 6-3 guard Jesse Sanders also gets more than 5 rebounds per game. This has to be something of a concern for NU as the ‘Cats did allow both Butler and Tennessee State to get a number of second chance shots. If NU wants to get back to rebounding like they did against NIU it’ll take another good effort from freshman Drew Crawford and some major steps forward from the center position and John Shurna.
Given Liberty’s size disadvantage it’ll be interesting to see if NU tries to feed the post or if they continue to depend on the outside shot. If NU wants to shoot from distance I suspect Alex Marcotullio will continue to see his playing time increase.
Marcotullio is also interesting on defense as he displayed some good athletic skills at the top of the 1-3-1 against Tennessee State. If Marcotullio can play the top of that zone, it’ll free Jeremy Nash up to play on the wing and that might help NU close out on shooters as Nash has good size and quickness on the wing.
Prediction: Northwestern has been unimpressive the last two games, but I think they learned some important facts about themselves in the narrow win over TSU. I look for the Wildcats to work Alex Marcotullio into the game early and try to get John Shurna going offensively as well against the smaller Flames. Those two guys combined with continued solid play from Juice Thompson and a concentrated effort to take care of the ball should give NU a win. Northwestern, 70 Liberty, 57
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Juice’s 31 help ‘Cats Survive Tigers
For much of the second half Northwestern looked on the verge of a collapse which would allow Tennessee State to cruise to an easy upset victory, but key shots from Michael “Juice” Thompson and Alex Marcotullio helped the Wildcats escape with a 69-62 win. The Wildcats are now 2-1 on the young season and despite the narrow margin of victory against a much weaker squad, I think NU now has a better idea of what type of team they need to be in order to win games.
With Kevin Coble out it is clear that Juice Thompson will have to be NU’s primary scorer. I’m not ready to write off John Shurna as an offensive weapon, but Shurna is really struggling with his shot right now and overall just seems too inconsistent to be NU’s go to guy. Therefore, the Wildcat point guard and ironman (39 minutes today) Juice Thompson will have to carry the load on offense. Thompson got 31 against the Tigers using a variety of skills. A couple times he floated fantastic runners over taller defenders in the lane, he did a good job of drawing fouls with pump fakes (8-of-10 from the line), and he hit 5-of-13 threes. It was also clear late in the game that Juice was comfortable shooting the ball in clutch situations which might be at least one very positive lesson from a game which wasn’t entirely positive.
Another player who stepped up and showed no fear in shooting the big shot was freshman guard Alex Marcotullio. Marcotullio shot 3-of-3 from distance including a three point with the score tied at 62 which put the Wildcats into the lead for good. Marcotullio is so smooth and seems so good from deep that I almost believe he could stand in the Norris parking lot and gun in three pointers.
Marcotullio’s fellow freshman guard Drew Carwford also had a nice game. He hit his first career three, scored a career high 8 points, and grabbed a career high 8 rebounds. Plus, Crawford was left on the court by Coach Carmody in crunch time which has to give the young man good confidence. What was also nice about Crawford’s game was 4 of Crawford’s rebounds came on offense and a couple set up open looks for Thompson.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the game for NU was turning the ball over 14 times. NU can’t afford heavy TO games if they want to win this season. Even worse, the biggest turnover problem was with John Shurna who had 6 turnovers. Shurna did have four assists, but a 1-to-2 assist to turnover ration won’t help NU win. The bottom line is NU needs more consistency from a guy that has played well not only in the Big Ten, but on the international level. Shurna did have a circus dunk that he made into a three point play, but overall Shurna was only 2-of-5 from the line.
NU also didn’t get great performances from Luka Mirkovic or Mike Capocci who both need to be key contributors. Capocci turned over the ball three times and Mirkovic once again struggled to finish plays. Kyle Rowley only played six minutes and Ivan Peljusic only played three. NU went most of the way (and all of crunch time) with Davide Curletti at center. Curletti wasn’t spectacular, but he did pick up 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and no turnovers.
Northwestern now has only one day off till they play Liberty in the Chicago Invitational Challenge’s second game. It will be interesting to see how NU, and specifically Juice Thompson, respond to the heavy load of games in a short time span.
With Kevin Coble out it is clear that Juice Thompson will have to be NU’s primary scorer. I’m not ready to write off John Shurna as an offensive weapon, but Shurna is really struggling with his shot right now and overall just seems too inconsistent to be NU’s go to guy. Therefore, the Wildcat point guard and ironman (39 minutes today) Juice Thompson will have to carry the load on offense. Thompson got 31 against the Tigers using a variety of skills. A couple times he floated fantastic runners over taller defenders in the lane, he did a good job of drawing fouls with pump fakes (8-of-10 from the line), and he hit 5-of-13 threes. It was also clear late in the game that Juice was comfortable shooting the ball in clutch situations which might be at least one very positive lesson from a game which wasn’t entirely positive.
Another player who stepped up and showed no fear in shooting the big shot was freshman guard Alex Marcotullio. Marcotullio shot 3-of-3 from distance including a three point with the score tied at 62 which put the Wildcats into the lead for good. Marcotullio is so smooth and seems so good from deep that I almost believe he could stand in the Norris parking lot and gun in three pointers.
Marcotullio’s fellow freshman guard Drew Carwford also had a nice game. He hit his first career three, scored a career high 8 points, and grabbed a career high 8 rebounds. Plus, Crawford was left on the court by Coach Carmody in crunch time which has to give the young man good confidence. What was also nice about Crawford’s game was 4 of Crawford’s rebounds came on offense and a couple set up open looks for Thompson.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the game for NU was turning the ball over 14 times. NU can’t afford heavy TO games if they want to win this season. Even worse, the biggest turnover problem was with John Shurna who had 6 turnovers. Shurna did have four assists, but a 1-to-2 assist to turnover ration won’t help NU win. The bottom line is NU needs more consistency from a guy that has played well not only in the Big Ten, but on the international level. Shurna did have a circus dunk that he made into a three point play, but overall Shurna was only 2-of-5 from the line.
NU also didn’t get great performances from Luka Mirkovic or Mike Capocci who both need to be key contributors. Capocci turned over the ball three times and Mirkovic once again struggled to finish plays. Kyle Rowley only played six minutes and Ivan Peljusic only played three. NU went most of the way (and all of crunch time) with Davide Curletti at center. Curletti wasn’t spectacular, but he did pick up 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and no turnovers.
Northwestern now has only one day off till they play Liberty in the Chicago Invitational Challenge’s second game. It will be interesting to see how NU, and specifically Juice Thompson, respond to the heavy load of games in a short time span.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Game 3: Tennessee State @ Northwestern Wildcats
The Matchup: Tennessee State (0-2) @ Northwestern (1-1)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com for $2.99 (1:00 PM November 21st)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: This is the first game of the 4th annual Chicago Invitational Challenge.
About the Game
Northwestern enters this contest coming off a 67-54 loss to #11 Butler while Tennessee State enters coming off an 85-57 loss to Northern Illinois. With the Wildcats having defeated NIU 77-55 in their opener it is pretty clear which team will enter this game a substantial favorite. Given that NU should totally overmatch TSU in every phase of the game, this contest becomes more about how Northwestern plays than what TSU does.
Northwestern could probably win this game even if they play poorly, but given as poor as NU played against Butler, they need to play well in order to get some momentum back. This is especially true of center Luka Mirkovic who posted 15 points and 5 rebounds against NIU, but struggled mightily against Butler center Matt Howard. With TSU’s tallest player being 6-8 Illinois native Robert Covington, Mirkovic and his fellow center Kyle Rowley should be able to get on a bit more of a roll.
Another Wildcat who needs to step up and who can take advantage of the weaker TSU squad is Drew Crawford. Crawford has shown great athletic skill on defense, but has really struggled in getting into the flow on offense. I think he can perhaps take advantage of those superior athletic skills to have a good confidence building game against the Tigers.
Finally, Jeremy Nash could use a rebound game as well. He exploded against NIU, but Butler kept him off the free throw line and forced him to shoot threes which didn’t fall. If Nash wants to be a serious scoring threat he needs to start hitting his threes.
As for the TSU Tigers, they are led by freshman guard Jacquan Nobles who scored 21 points off the bench versus Northern Illinois. He might get the start on Sunday. Robert Covington is from Bellwood, IL and is the tallest player the Tigers have. He averages 13 points per game. The other big scorers for the Tigers are Josh Sain at 12.5 ppg and Darius Cox with 10ppg.
Prediction: The fact is Northwestern should win this game easy. The key will be how easy the NU win is. If the ‘Cats play like they did against Butler, then they’ll probably limp to a low double-digit victory. If they actually play team offense and rotate in their zone defense I think NU can handily beat Tennessee State. I can the result being fairly strongly in NU’s favor: Northwestern, 78 Tennessee State, 54
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com for $2.99 (1:00 PM November 21st)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: This is the first game of the 4th annual Chicago Invitational Challenge.
About the Game
Northwestern enters this contest coming off a 67-54 loss to #11 Butler while Tennessee State enters coming off an 85-57 loss to Northern Illinois. With the Wildcats having defeated NIU 77-55 in their opener it is pretty clear which team will enter this game a substantial favorite. Given that NU should totally overmatch TSU in every phase of the game, this contest becomes more about how Northwestern plays than what TSU does.
Northwestern could probably win this game even if they play poorly, but given as poor as NU played against Butler, they need to play well in order to get some momentum back. This is especially true of center Luka Mirkovic who posted 15 points and 5 rebounds against NIU, but struggled mightily against Butler center Matt Howard. With TSU’s tallest player being 6-8 Illinois native Robert Covington, Mirkovic and his fellow center Kyle Rowley should be able to get on a bit more of a roll.
Another Wildcat who needs to step up and who can take advantage of the weaker TSU squad is Drew Crawford. Crawford has shown great athletic skill on defense, but has really struggled in getting into the flow on offense. I think he can perhaps take advantage of those superior athletic skills to have a good confidence building game against the Tigers.
Finally, Jeremy Nash could use a rebound game as well. He exploded against NIU, but Butler kept him off the free throw line and forced him to shoot threes which didn’t fall. If Nash wants to be a serious scoring threat he needs to start hitting his threes.
As for the TSU Tigers, they are led by freshman guard Jacquan Nobles who scored 21 points off the bench versus Northern Illinois. He might get the start on Sunday. Robert Covington is from Bellwood, IL and is the tallest player the Tigers have. He averages 13 points per game. The other big scorers for the Tigers are Josh Sain at 12.5 ppg and Darius Cox with 10ppg.
Prediction: The fact is Northwestern should win this game easy. The key will be how easy the NU win is. If the ‘Cats play like they did against Butler, then they’ll probably limp to a low double-digit victory. If they actually play team offense and rotate in their zone defense I think NU can handily beat Tennessee State. I can the result being fairly strongly in NU’s favor: Northwestern, 78 Tennessee State, 54
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bulldogs Use Big Runs to Bite ‘Cats
Butler is a good team and you have to be impressed with the way they play, but let’s be honest Northwestern was really bad tonight. I’d go far as to say they played about as bad as they could have for much of the second half. Now, Butler might win 9 out of 10 if these teams played that many times, but most of them would be closer than this. Tonight the Wildcats were outmatched both offensively and defensively by a substantial amount. This is really disappointing as if Northwestern wants to survive this season without their injured players they need to be able to at least compete with good teams and I honestly think they have the talent to do so. They simply didn’t show those talents tonight.
An example of how Butler outplayed NU is how the Bulldogs constantly found holes in Northwestern’s 1-3-1 zone, and the Wildcats stood around and didn’t seem to move crisply in their offense. Freshman Drew Crawford did some nice things athletically on defense with a couple blocks, but looked more than a little lost when forced to run offense. In the front court, Luka Mirkovic played one of his worst games since early last season. He looked dramatically indecisive and slow to get off the floor. Basically like a totaly different player than on Friday night. Ivan Peljusic who played well against NIU played badly in the first half and essentially disappeared in the second. John Shurna who NU desperately needs to play well had his second consecutive poor game (he really didn’t play that well against NIU until the game was in hand) and Michael Thompson needs to listen to his coaches and become more assertive shooting the ball because right now NU is not offering many other long range threats.
Getting back to Shurna, he’s got talent and was NU’s best rebounder tonight, but his shot is odd. Like most odd shots, it is the type of shot that can lead to prolonged slumps or hot steaks. It’s similar to a guy with a non-traditional batting stance in baseball. That guy can catch fire for weeks and carry a team, or he can slump for an extended period. Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano is a good example. Fans in Chicago, Texas, and New York have seen him carry a team for two weeks or have two weeks where he strikes out 14 times on 14 curveballs in the dirt. I can totally foresee days where Shurna will hit 9-of-10 threes and be the reason NU wins games, but I fear he will also have more nights like tonight where he really can’t get the shot to fall. Not that I mean to pick on Shurna, the fact is no Northwestern player looked really good on offense tonight, but it is one thing for Mike Capocci to miss threes or Drew Carwford to make bad passes, but with Coble out it is essential for Shurna to hit wide open threes if NU wants to beat good teams. Yes, if Coble were around he'd get those wide open shots and probably make them more consistently given his smooth shot, but he isn't around and thatms means NU needs Shurna and others to come through and hit open shots.
On defense Northwestern really struggled rotating in the 1-3-1. Some of the credit goes to Butler’s fantastic passing, but it didn’t look like the Wildcats had the same hustle on defense after the Bulldogs Zach Hahn hit two early shots against that zone. It was almost like NU looked defeated as soon as those shots went in the hoop. Part of that might be NU didn’t have Jeff Ryan on defense, but Drew Crawford and Mike Capocci ought to at least be competent subs for Ryan given their athletic skill. To be honest, once a team gets hot for the outside I hate seeing NU stick in the 1-3-1 because if you’re a good shooter who is in rhythm you’ll get open looks against that zone. That’s why when guys like Hahn get hot they start building a house in the corner.
Northwestern also really struggled when it came to attacking the glass tonight. The Bulldogs grabbed a ton of offensive rebounds and Northwestern couldn’t seem to equal their effort on the boards from the either exhibitions win vs RMU or the NIU game. I think Butler’s team, and especially Matt Howard and Willie Veasley, are excellent rebounders, but I still wasn’t impressed with NU’s effort to block out or get off the ground. At times it looked like while Butlet’s guys jumped, NU’s stayed on the ground. If Northwestern doesn’t rebound at least marginally better this season will be even tougher than expected.
An example of how Butler outplayed NU is how the Bulldogs constantly found holes in Northwestern’s 1-3-1 zone, and the Wildcats stood around and didn’t seem to move crisply in their offense. Freshman Drew Crawford did some nice things athletically on defense with a couple blocks, but looked more than a little lost when forced to run offense. In the front court, Luka Mirkovic played one of his worst games since early last season. He looked dramatically indecisive and slow to get off the floor. Basically like a totaly different player than on Friday night. Ivan Peljusic who played well against NIU played badly in the first half and essentially disappeared in the second. John Shurna who NU desperately needs to play well had his second consecutive poor game (he really didn’t play that well against NIU until the game was in hand) and Michael Thompson needs to listen to his coaches and become more assertive shooting the ball because right now NU is not offering many other long range threats.
Getting back to Shurna, he’s got talent and was NU’s best rebounder tonight, but his shot is odd. Like most odd shots, it is the type of shot that can lead to prolonged slumps or hot steaks. It’s similar to a guy with a non-traditional batting stance in baseball. That guy can catch fire for weeks and carry a team, or he can slump for an extended period. Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano is a good example. Fans in Chicago, Texas, and New York have seen him carry a team for two weeks or have two weeks where he strikes out 14 times on 14 curveballs in the dirt. I can totally foresee days where Shurna will hit 9-of-10 threes and be the reason NU wins games, but I fear he will also have more nights like tonight where he really can’t get the shot to fall. Not that I mean to pick on Shurna, the fact is no Northwestern player looked really good on offense tonight, but it is one thing for Mike Capocci to miss threes or Drew Carwford to make bad passes, but with Coble out it is essential for Shurna to hit wide open threes if NU wants to beat good teams. Yes, if Coble were around he'd get those wide open shots and probably make them more consistently given his smooth shot, but he isn't around and thatms means NU needs Shurna and others to come through and hit open shots.
On defense Northwestern really struggled rotating in the 1-3-1. Some of the credit goes to Butler’s fantastic passing, but it didn’t look like the Wildcats had the same hustle on defense after the Bulldogs Zach Hahn hit two early shots against that zone. It was almost like NU looked defeated as soon as those shots went in the hoop. Part of that might be NU didn’t have Jeff Ryan on defense, but Drew Crawford and Mike Capocci ought to at least be competent subs for Ryan given their athletic skill. To be honest, once a team gets hot for the outside I hate seeing NU stick in the 1-3-1 because if you’re a good shooter who is in rhythm you’ll get open looks against that zone. That’s why when guys like Hahn get hot they start building a house in the corner.
Northwestern also really struggled when it came to attacking the glass tonight. The Bulldogs grabbed a ton of offensive rebounds and Northwestern couldn’t seem to equal their effort on the boards from the either exhibitions win vs RMU or the NIU game. I think Butler’s team, and especially Matt Howard and Willie Veasley, are excellent rebounders, but I still wasn’t impressed with NU’s effort to block out or get off the ground. At times it looked like while Butlet’s guys jumped, NU’s stayed on the ground. If Northwestern doesn’t rebound at least marginally better this season will be even tougher than expected.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Game 2: Butler Bulldogs @ Northwestern Wildcats
The Matchup: Butler (1-0) @ Northwestern (1-0)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (7:00 PM November 18th)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Butler returns all five starters and three All-American candidates from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
About the Game
Before Kevin Coble got hurt his was a tough game for Northwestern. Now, it is a very tough game for Northwestern. Before Kevin Coble got hurt I thought Northwestern could win this game. Now, I’m not so sure. The reason for my doubt is that that Butler can score points. They return all five starters from last year’s team. I feel that at least four of those guys are legitimate offensive threats. On the other hand, Northwestern will be limited on offense all year until (or unless) Coble returns. Despite the 77-55 victory over NIU, I still think we’re going to see Northwestern play their old style of basketball where the ‘Cats work the ball around and use all 35 seconds on the shot clock in order to find the best shot more often than not. This might not please fans, but it will give NU the best chance to win against the Bulldogs and other highly rated teams.
Butler’s collection of shooting stars is led by 6-9 207-pound sophomore forward Gordon Hayward. He averaged 13.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season and was the Bulldogs leading scorer with 17 points in their season opening win over Davidson. The other guy that is scary good as an outside shooter is 6-1 junior guard Zach Hahn who will come off the bench. The good news is that other than Hayward and Hahn the Bulldogs aren’t great three point shooters (nobody else made over 40% last year). That means NU can use the 1-3-1 defense and pressure Butler guards Ronald Nored and Shelvin Mack. The 6-3 Mack likely will pressure right back. Mack is a great defender and it will be interesting to see which assignment he draws on defense. Obviously guarding Michael “Juice” Thompson might be more natural, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mack spend time guarding Shurna or Crawford (or after Friday night Nash) to try and take away some of NU’s athletic advantages. This is where NU could get a lift from the athletic skill of Ivan Peljusic or Mike Capocci.
Inside Butler’s smaller than NU with 6-8 Matt Howard and 6-3 Willie Veasley, the Bulldogs second leading scorer with 15 points in their win over Davidson, joining Hayward in the front court. However, Howard is a force having scored 14.8 ppg and grabbed 6.8 rpg last season. The good news is that he is not a great three point shooter. Therefore, if Luka Mirkovic, Kyle Rowley, and Davide Curletti can deny the ball in the post it’ll make it tough for Howard to score unless he gets offensive rebounds. Veasley scored 8.9 ppg and grabbed 4.3 rpg and is another solid defender. He’s a tough matchup for NU, but the ‘Cats should have a size advantage no matter if they play Crawford, Peljusic or Capocci at the small forward spot.
Prediction: Before Kevin Coble’s injury I thought Northwestern would win this game. I figured a strongly pro-NU crowd in Welsh-Ryan would give Coble and the ‘Cats just enough to push them past the highly rated Bulldogs. I still expect to see a strongly pro-NU crowd as I’m not sure Butler is going to bring all that many fans to Evanston on a random Wednesday night. However, I think without Coble, NU will be just a little short of the needed fire power to beat this offensively minded Butler squad. Butler, 71 Northwestern, 65
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (7:00 PM November 18th)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Butler returns all five starters and three All-American candidates from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
About the Game
Before Kevin Coble got hurt his was a tough game for Northwestern. Now, it is a very tough game for Northwestern. Before Kevin Coble got hurt I thought Northwestern could win this game. Now, I’m not so sure. The reason for my doubt is that that Butler can score points. They return all five starters from last year’s team. I feel that at least four of those guys are legitimate offensive threats. On the other hand, Northwestern will be limited on offense all year until (or unless) Coble returns. Despite the 77-55 victory over NIU, I still think we’re going to see Northwestern play their old style of basketball where the ‘Cats work the ball around and use all 35 seconds on the shot clock in order to find the best shot more often than not. This might not please fans, but it will give NU the best chance to win against the Bulldogs and other highly rated teams.
Butler’s collection of shooting stars is led by 6-9 207-pound sophomore forward Gordon Hayward. He averaged 13.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season and was the Bulldogs leading scorer with 17 points in their season opening win over Davidson. The other guy that is scary good as an outside shooter is 6-1 junior guard Zach Hahn who will come off the bench. The good news is that other than Hayward and Hahn the Bulldogs aren’t great three point shooters (nobody else made over 40% last year). That means NU can use the 1-3-1 defense and pressure Butler guards Ronald Nored and Shelvin Mack. The 6-3 Mack likely will pressure right back. Mack is a great defender and it will be interesting to see which assignment he draws on defense. Obviously guarding Michael “Juice” Thompson might be more natural, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mack spend time guarding Shurna or Crawford (or after Friday night Nash) to try and take away some of NU’s athletic advantages. This is where NU could get a lift from the athletic skill of Ivan Peljusic or Mike Capocci.
Inside Butler’s smaller than NU with 6-8 Matt Howard and 6-3 Willie Veasley, the Bulldogs second leading scorer with 15 points in their win over Davidson, joining Hayward in the front court. However, Howard is a force having scored 14.8 ppg and grabbed 6.8 rpg last season. The good news is that he is not a great three point shooter. Therefore, if Luka Mirkovic, Kyle Rowley, and Davide Curletti can deny the ball in the post it’ll make it tough for Howard to score unless he gets offensive rebounds. Veasley scored 8.9 ppg and grabbed 4.3 rpg and is another solid defender. He’s a tough matchup for NU, but the ‘Cats should have a size advantage no matter if they play Crawford, Peljusic or Capocci at the small forward spot.
Prediction: Before Kevin Coble’s injury I thought Northwestern would win this game. I figured a strongly pro-NU crowd in Welsh-Ryan would give Coble and the ‘Cats just enough to push them past the highly rated Bulldogs. I still expect to see a strongly pro-NU crowd as I’m not sure Butler is going to bring all that many fans to Evanston on a random Wednesday night. However, I think without Coble, NU will be just a little short of the needed fire power to beat this offensively minded Butler squad. Butler, 71 Northwestern, 65
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