Really Bad Day for NU

Northwestern lost to Iowa and while I think NU obviously could have played better the loss itself isn't the worst part of yesterday. The worst part is that NU lost forward Jared Swopshire for at least one game but very possibly longer. Swopshire's play has pretty much been the difference between wins and losses for NU so him being off the court is a serious concern. I'll be honest all I want from this season is NU to win enough games to play in the CBI. That postseason touranemnt will even take teams with losing records so I think winning three or four more games will be enough for the 'Cats to qualify. However, that was going to be a challenge anyway and now without Swopshire it'll be an even bigger challenge.

The only hope I have is that NU can beat anybody if they shoot well. The problem is as I've said before this NU team really doesn't have good shooters. They have streaky shooters who have good days, but there isn't any consistency. Also, it seems as if the team as a whole is kind of hit or miss. It has been rare for one guy to be on while others are off. Pretty much the 'Cats get good shooting from everyone or no one.

Northwestern also lost center Alex Olah yesterday when the game was still close. Clearly losing two of the five staters was what made NU go from fairly competitive to getting blown out. If Olah is also out for any length of time it's hard to envision NU having much success. Mike Turner hasn't played a good game in sometime and just seems overmatched. He was a reach in recuirting and regarded as a project and that project hasn't been successfully built thus far. NU does have Nikola Cerina but his health, conditioning, and attitude have all been questioned. Still, unless NU wants to play five guards it seems like those guys will have to do something the rest of the way.

Overall, it's a disappointment to lose a winnable game, but I'm more concerned with the big picture and that's getting the injured players back on the court sooner rather than later.