Friday Flashback: The Best Day for NU's Princeton Offense

A lot of questions have been raised about the Princeton Offense at Northwestern of late. As much as I believe in the system, I have to say that some of these questions are legitimate. Right now, NU seems lost on offense. This is not, however, the fault of the offensive system. All basketball fans have to admit that when run right, the Princeton Offense is a thing of beauty. Currently, the ‘Cats aren’t running the PO anywhere near perfect, but on December 21, 2006, Northwestern ran the Princeton Offense so close to perfection that I have no doubt former Princeton mentor Pete Carril and Georgetown coach John Thompson III would have been jealous of the Wildcat's flawless execution had they seen the game. I suspect many would have been impressed with Northwestern’s play had they seen the game. Unfortunately, Northwestern’s 77-44 triumph over Utah occurred in San Juan, Puerto Rico in front of a crowd so small the box score didn’t even report the attendance. I really wish I could have seen the show the ‘Cats put on. They shot 69% for the game overall and 73% from three point range. Kevin Coble and Vince Scott combined to go 8-for-8 from three which opened up the inside for 18 points by Tim Doyle. The Princeton Offense likely has never been run better at NU. If anyone out there was one of the few hundred people who witnessed the game please feel free to send an e-mail to welshryanramblings@gmail.com if you would like to share what I imagine are far more detailed recollections than I have. Personally, I doubt the box score or recap does the day justice. They can, however, bring back pleasant memories of a great day for NU hoops and provide hope for the future.