Showing posts with label Tulsa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tulsa. Show all posts

Monday, March 15, 2010

Northwestern's Postseason History: A Review

Kip Kirkpatrick made a big play in NU's 1994 NIT win over DePaul.


At this time I want to review Northwestern's history in the postseason. Sadly, it shouldn't take you that long to read this post...

The first postseason game in Northwestern’s history sent the Wildcats on a short road trip to the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. Despite the excitement, one look at a calendar might have been enough to convince even the most optimistic of fans some sort of curse hung over the Wildcats program. After seventy-eight years, the Wildcats were finally playing in the postseason. Their opponent was Notre Dame—on St. Patrick’s Day.

Despite fate's seeming alignment with their opponent, the Wildcats managed to defeat the Irish. Led by the play of Jim Stack, Andre Goode, Michael Jenkins (the first one), and fellow senior Art Aaron the Wildcats cruised to a 71-57 victory. It’s the most lopsided score in the school’s postseason history win or lose.

Before getting into the next game, I want to address an issue. Many players, coaches, and fans use the phrases “we could have won” and “we should have won” interchangeably. Personally, I tend to draw a distinction between the two. To me “we could have won” means both teams played to the best of their abilities and the victorious side was fortunate the clock hit zero with them ahead, because if the game had lasted another five minutes, the outcome might have turned. Most importantly, if you have to say “we could have won” there is nothing to feel bad about.

On the other hand, “we should have won” is a phrase filled with frustration and regret. From my point of view, this unfortunate combination of words can be used to describe two types of losses. The first is a game in which a team was in position to win, but made a series of late mistakes which allowed their opponent to turn an apparent loss into a victory. The second is even more depressing. In this instance, some odd occurrence of bad luck caused a sure win to turn into a loss. The winning team never admits such an occurrence was more luck than skill, but the losing side knows fate, not fitness, doomed them. A good example of this occurred in a college baseball super-regional game a few years back. In this contest, Cal State Fullerton advanced to the College World Series when the opposing pitcher balked in the winning run while intentionally walking a Fullerton hitter. As much as they might have wanted to, Fullerton’s players, coaches, and fans could not argue the balk was anything more than good luck. Their runner certainly didn’t cause the pitcher to get nervous by standing like a statue at third base.

From a Northwestern fan’s perspective, DePaul’s winning margin in the teams’ 1983 NIT game came about as the basketball equivalent of an intentional walk balk. Of course, the perspective of DePaul’s fans is probably quite different. They likely attribute the win to great skill. There is one thing both sides can agree on, though, is the game’s finish was unique.

With about a second remaining and the game tied 63-63 overtime seemed certain. DePaul did have possession of the ball, but they were along way from the basket. Under such circumstances the odds against scoring are considerable. Unfortunately, at least from the Wildcats perspective, nobody told DePaul guard Kenny Patterson the odds. On the game’s final play, DePaul inbounded the ball to Patterson who caught it somewhere north of thirty feet from the hoop. Despite the considerable distance between him and his target, Patterson managed to put enough force behind his shot that the ball traveled all the way to the hoop and through the net. By the time the ball slide through the net’s nylon, the buzzer had sounded. The game was over. The final score: DePaul 65 Northwestern 63.

To this day, most DePaul supporters will argue Patterson’s ability to make his thirty-five foot miracle shot was not luck, but the result of his great shooting skills. They cite All-American honors Patterson received after the 1985 season and his well-known ability to hit long-range jump shots. Based purely on the facts it’s a strong argument, but that doesn’t mean Northwestern fans have to buy it. I wasn’t around then, but from the perspective of my father and the other NU fans in attendance that night, Patterson’s shot will forever remain nothing more than a lucky heave towards the hoop which ended another in a long line of games they walked out of muttering in frustrated disgust, “We should have won.”

Eleven years after Patterson’s long-range basket, the NIT selection committee provided the Wildcats with an opportunity for revenge and this time I was in attendance. DePaul’s Tom Kleinschmidt scored thirteen points in the first half to lead the Blue Demon attack. When the second half started, it was clear the Wildcats intended to shut him down. The ‘Cats defense was all over Kleinschmidt doing everything they could to prevent him from getting an open look. As is often the case in sports, that great defense provided the spark for improved offense. One of the keys to Wildcats improved offense was finding ways to get to the free throw line. As it turned out, this was where the ‘Cats would grab the lead, though, not in the traditional way. With just over four minutes left in the game, Kip Kirkpatrick rebounded a missed free throw and tipped the ball into the hoop to giving the ‘Cats the lead. It was lead they’d hang on to all the way to the buzzer. When DePaul’s last shot missed, I jumped up and pumped both fists into the air. To my left, the student section rushed the court.

A few days later the Wildcats hosted the Xavier Musketeers in the second round of the NIT and the matchup resulted in another classic. Unfortunately, the result of this one didn’t go the Wildcats way. When Kevin Rankin missed a three point jumper with less than ten seconds to go in overtime, the Musketeers grabbed the rebound and made two free throws to seal an 83-79 victory.

Normally the team playing on the road would have an advantage if the home team’s fans didn’t make much noise, but it seemed like the lack of atmosphere in NU’s 1999 NIT game at DePaul made the Wildcats lethargic. DePaul came out and put clamps on Northwestern’s All-America center Evan Eschmeyer holding him to only three shots in the first half. The only reason the Wildcats kept the game close early on was thanks to the dead-eye three point shooting of freshman forward Steve Lepore who nailed four three pointers in the first half. Unfortunately for Northwestern, in second half DePaul realized it was Lepore and not Eschmeyer that was hurting them and they started to swarm the Wildcat shooter whenever he touched the ball. With just over seven and half minutes to go, Blue Demons guard Willie Coleman buried a shot to put his team up twelve points. It looked like the ‘Cats were done.

One of the ways to distinguish a great player is to watch how they respond to adversity. Throughout that game, Evan Eschmeyer struggled to score. That was rare. During the 1998-99 Eschmeyer averaged more than nineteen points a game, but DePaul’s double and triple teams kept him away from the basket while they extended their lead. With his team down double digits late in the game, it would have been easy for Eschmeyer to pack it in and start looking forward to his NBA career. Instead, he railed the young Wildcats and ignited a 10-1 run by scoring three baskets to bring the Wildcats to within three points of the Demons with twenty-seven seconds left. After DePaul’s Lance Williams missed a free throw, the Wildcats got the ball to Eschmeyer with eleven seconds left. The senior star turned towards the hoop, shot, and missed. He didn’t give up though. Eschmeyer’s tenacity ignited a scramble for the ball which eventually ended up in the hands of Wildcat guard Sean Wink. Wink, who’d set the school record for three-pointers the year before, readied himself to shoot a three. He eyed the basket, took a dribble, and lost the ball off his foot out of bounds. A few seconds later, Willie Coleman calmly walked to the free throw line and knocked down two shots to seal the win for DePaul. Without a doubt, the loss was disappointing from Northwestern’s perspective, but the effort put forth by Eschmeyer and the ‘Cats to come back when it appeared DePaul was in total control made me proud to be a Wildcat fan. Also, we’ve got a much nicer arena.

Finally, last year the Wildcats played an NIT game at Tulsa. The script turned out similar to the game 10 years earlier at DePaul. Tulsa’s fans didn’t turn out in great numbers, but their team eventually built a solid lead. With just over seven minutes left, the score was 60-49 in favor of Tulsa. Like ten years before, though, a NU senior responded. Craig Moore hit two threes to help rally the Wildcats to within three points. However, just like Evan Eschmeyer, Moore’s last shot fell short and Tulsa hit free throws to ice an eventual 68-59 win.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Northwestern's Season Ends at Tulsa in 68-59 NIT Opener Loss

A season which statistically was the second best in Northwestern history ended this evening when the Wildcats fell to Tulsa in the first round of the NIT. It was Northwestern’s forth postseason appearance and the second in which they lost the first game on the road. Playing on the road no doubt hurt Northwestern as Tulsa overcame a slow start and ended up scoring 40 second half points on route to victory. Tulsa guard Ben Uzoh scored 13 points and hit three big second half threes, but the real key to victory was Tulsa taking 29 free throws and making 25. Northwestern was 6-of-9 from the line. Some of the credit for Tulsa’s great free throw numbers has to go to big man Jerome Jordan who hit 8-of-11, but really the entire Tulsa team was involved from the charity strip. Northwestern probably should have been aggressive to the hoop, but Jordan’s presence keep the Wildcats further from the hoop. There were probably some calls which didn’t go Northwestern’s way, but I still would have liked NU to force the issue a little more inside as it seemed like the officials wanted to blow their whistles. Maybe they wouldn’t have made the calls since NU was the visitor (they did let Tulsa get away with bumping cutters all day), but I wonder if NU would gotten a few more calls had they taken the ball inside a bit more.

Aside from the free throw line what really changed the game was the start of the second half. Ben Uzoh and his teammates came out of the locker room hot and got NU down 10 points in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Eventually Tulsa gained an 11 point lead. As was the recurring theme in later part of the season, NU made a nice attempt at a comeback to try and cut the lead. The Wildcats eventually did cut the lead to three points thanks to some excellent defense and a few threes, but Craig Moore’s last shot didn’t fall. Sadly, he was open, but he rushed a bit and the shot bounced off the rim. It was a disappointing way for NU’s all time best three point shooter to end his career. Personally, I just wish NU would consistently play defense the way they did when making their attempt at a comeback. It is amazing to me how the Wildcats defensive effort sometimes lags and how their opponents instantly take advantage of those lapses.

Northwestern’s best performance came from Kevin Coble who scored 17 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 6 assists. I really feel as though Coble finished this year strong, unfortunately not many of his teammates matched his effort in the Wildcats last few games. Still, Coble’s play at the end of 2008-09 gives hope for him as the leader of the 2009-10 Wildcat team. NU’s leader for 2008-09, Craig Moore also scored 17 points, but the Wildcat’s third leading scorer Michael Thompson scored just 4 points and spent most of the game on the bench due to foul trouble. With Moore gone next season, Thompson must reduce his propensity to foul. He will be the Wildcats top three point shooter and the key guy when NU needs a clutch shot next year.

Speaking of next year, right now it seems like October is years away, but the fact is the Wildcats will be starting practice for the 2009-2010 season very soon. In between now and then it will be critical John Shurna, Kyle Rowley, Davide Curletti, and Luka Mirkovic to improve. Shurna needs to become more consistent from the three point line and the three centers need to improve their ability to take care of the ball, play post defense, and score inside. All these weaknesses were exposed tonight as Shurna struggled from three and NU’s young centers struggled against Jordan, but maybe someday it will be another young team who struggles against NU’s centers.

Finally, I want to thank all those who took the time to read my game recaps and other posts during this season. During the offseason, I’ll continue to post, though, probably not daily. The first set of posts, which should appear in the next few days, will feature a postseason breakdown of each position group. I will start the first day with the guards, move next to forwards, then centers, and finally conclude with the breakdown of the performance of NU’s coaching staff. Welsh-Ryan Ramblings’ postseason programming will also include a discussion of NU’s two recruits for next year, Drew Crawford and Alex Marcotullio. Let’s hope they are the missing pieces which will take the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Tournament.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

NIT Round 1: Northwestern @ Tulsa

The Matchup: #5 Northwestern (17-13) @ #4 Tulsa (24-10)

Location: Reynolds Center (Tulsa, OK)

TV: ESPNU (8:00PM CT)
Radio: WGN 720 AM and WNUR 89.3 FM

Fun Fact: Tulsa has three postseason titles in school history. They won the NIT in 1981 and 2001. They also posted a championship in last year’s inaugural CBI.

About the Game
Northwestern is in the postseason for the first time since 1999. However, the Wildcats dream of hosting a postseason game for the first time since 1994 remains unrealized for the moment (as a #5 seed NU could host if they and the other lower seeds pull upsets). In comparison to Northwestern, Tulsa is a tough tournament tested team. They won the CBI last season and center Jerome Jordan was the tournament MVP.

When looking at Tulsa, Jordan is clearly the player to keep an eye on. If you’re Northwestern, you might want to keep four eyes (aka a double team) on him. Jordan is a junior from Kingston, Jamaica who is 7-0 and 240 lbs. He scores 14.0 pgg and pulls down 8.6 rebounds. He is not, however, a great passer as he averages only 1 assist per game. Therefore, pressuring him with a double team might lead to turnovers. Also, although Jordan is a good shot blocker, he is also known to be prone to foul trouble. That brings up the question of how Northwestern can get Jordan into foul trouble. Kyle Rowley did do an excellent job getting Wisconsin’s Marcus Landry into foul trouble this season. However, Rowley has a 5-inch height advantage over Landry. Jordan is the same size as Rowley and, given his block totals, probably a better leaper. Therefore, NU most likely won’t be able to rely on Rowley to foul out Jordan. Instead, NU’s best dribble penetrators, Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson, must take the ball inside. They might get some shots blocked, but if they can draw enough fouls to put Jordan on the bench it will be worth the effort.

Two other key Tulsa players are shooters Ray Reese (6-5 forward) and Justin Hurtt (6-3 guard). Both these players approach 40% from three point range. If Northwestern plays their 1-3-1 defense, it will be up to Reese and Hurtt to force the Wildcats to alter their defensive plans. Despite Reese and Hurtt’s ability to hit shots, this matchup might favor the 1-3-1. First, as a team Tulsa only shoots 34.3% from three. Second, the 1-3-1 tries to accomplish two tasks: 1) deny the ball to the big man inside and 2) force turnovers. With Jordan’s ability to score inside and the fact Tulsa has a -2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio the situation seems to cry out for NU to play 1-3-1.

For Northwestern to win forcing turnovers is a major key. NU will be on the road in a hostile environment. In order to win NU must follow a game plan similar to how they beat Michigan State in East Lansing. If NU can force Tulsa point guard Ben Uzoh into turnovers in a manner similar to what they did when playing Michigan State guards Kalin Lucas and Chris Allen, NU will have a shot. Of course, NU must also get offensive product. It might be a long shot to believe Kevin Coble can do what he did against the Spartans, but if Coble can get solid scoring help from Craig Moore, Michael Thompson or both NU has a good chance to advance.

Prediction:
This matchup favors Tulsa in a lot of ways. First off, Tulsa will be at home in front of their fans. It is possible the crowd might be small thanks to Spring Break, but Tulsa is making good seats available to their local fans. Also, Tulsa’s strengths in the rebounding game could make the game tough for the Wildcats. When NU gets heavily outrebounded they cannot win (even against weak teams and Tulsa isn’t weak) and the matchup with Jordan might be tough for NU’s young centers. Finally, Tulsa plays a very tough perimeter defense which limits opponents to 28% shooting from behind the arc. Northwestern can win this game, but they will need to shoot the ball significantly better than Tulsa’s past opponents to limit the number of offensive rebounds pulled down by Jordan. Playing the on the road it will be tough, though not impossible, for NU to accomplish those tasks. Tulsa, 71 Northwestern, 60

Monday, March 16, 2009

Wildcats Need Quick Start, Should Start Luka

Regardless of whether you are in agreement with Northwestern’s NIT seed or not the fact is that part of the postseason process is now over. The Wildcats must now focus on getting ready to play their first postseason game since the 1998-99 season. I believe a key to winning this game will be to get off to a quick start. This is something the Wildcats have struggled with recently, but something they must due in order to win on Wednesday night. In order for Coach Carmody and the ‘Cats to accomplish this goal I would recommend a change similar to what was done for the Illinois game. For 36 minutes against Illinois the Wildcats played their best basketball of the year. I believe this was due to the fact they got off to such a great start. Part of the reason for this start was Luka Mirkovic starting at center and hitting two early threes. Against Tulsa I would again start Mirkovic. Some might question the move as Tulsa center Jerome Jordan is 7-0 240 lbs. and it might seem Kyle Rowley would be a better matchup. However, I believe it makes more sense to start the player who would make Tulsa most uncomfortable and therefore would make it more likely Northwestern could get off to a good start.

If Mirkovic can hit some shots and pull Jordan away from the basket, the Wildcats could attack Tulsa like they did Illinois and find themselves with a ton of open lanes to the hoop in the first part of the game. In a postseason game with the season on the line, it is always a good thing to get an early lead as it puts the pressure on the other team. If they want to win at Tulsa the Wildcats cannot start the game Wednesday night like they have their last two contests. Also, considering Tulsa is team known for playing great defense, if Northwestern can get some easy backdoor baskets it might very well discourage the Golden Hurricanes. Mirkoivic is also a better option to facilitate this as aside from his greater shooting skills, he is an excellent passer. Rowley has struggled mightily with turnovers this year and NU cannot afford to start the game with multiple possessions where they do not even get a shot off. I am afraid if Rowley starts against Tulsa’s pressure we will see similar problems with travels and poor passes as we did against Minnesota. If NU gets shots and they miss due to either poor shooting or good defense that’s just part of basketball, but in a postseason game you cannot make the game easy for the other team by turning the ball over. Sure, a lot of the responsibility for taking care of the ball will rest with NU’s guards, but in the Princeton Offense the center does have the responsibility to pass for many backdoor cuts. Right now, Luka Mirkovic is the guy for NU who can best throw those passes and get the Wildcats off to a fast start.