The matchups for the 2010 Big Ten Tournament are now set thanks to wins today by Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Minnesota. Northwestern is the 7-seed and, as expected, will rematch with 10-seed Indiana who just beat the Wildcats in the regular season finale. Another interesting rematch exists in the 4 vs 5 game where 4-seed Wisconsin and 5-seed Illinois will meet to decide their season series. Below are my thoughts on all 10 games in the Big Ten Tournament as I predict who will come out victorious and take home the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Round 1
Game 1
#8 Michigan vs #9 Iowa
WRR Pick: Michigan
I’m picking Michigan in part because Manny Harris is the type of player who can carry a team in the postseason, but he’s Mr. Inconsistent, so really I’m picking the Wolverines because I don’t think Iowa’s young team is ready or talented enough to compete in the postseason.
Game 2
#7 Northwestern vs #10 Indiana
WRR: Northwestern
I like the Wildcats to win the season series over the Hoosiers. Yes, it might be a pro-IU crowd, but it isn’t IU’s building as it was on Saturday when it took overtime for the Hoosiers to win. I think NU will learn from Saturday’s mistakes and get by the Hoosiers in Round 1.
Game 3
#6 Minnesota vs #11 Penn State
WRR Pick: Penn State
I don’t think anybody envies Minnesota’s 6-seed. Penn State has become a very good team in the last month and Minnesota will find out just how good when the Nittany Lions beat them.
Quarterfinal Round
Game 4
#1 Ohio State vs #8 Michigan
WRR Pick: Ohio State
This might be the Big Ten’s most hotly contested rivalry, but I don’t expect much of a contest here. I think the Buckeyes roll to the semi-final behind Big Ten Player of the Year Evan Turner.
Game 5
#4 Wisconsin vs #5 Illinois
WRR Pick: Illinois
I think Illinois is going to be a team on a mission after Sunday’s loss. They need to win to even get sniffed by the NCAA Selection Committee. Also, Demetri McCamey needs to show he isn’t the player who nearly got into a fight with his coach on the bench, but is in fact the guy who nearly set a single season record for assists after an early season benching.
Game 6
#2 Purdue vs #7 Northwestern
WRR Pick: Purdue
I think this is where NU’s road problems really show up. Yes, Indy is closer to the IU campus, but Purdue has a lot more to play for and their fans will know that and descend on Conseco Fieldhouse. I think those fans help push a Boilermaker team that is adjusting to the loss of Robbie Hummel to victory. On the positive side, I think the win over Indiana clinches NU’s NIT bid.
Game 7
#3 Michigan State vs #11 Penn State
WRR Pick: Michigan State
Penn State will make Michigan State work for this victory just as they did twice this year. When it is all said and done, though, I think Tom Izzo will be able to orchestrate a narrow win for MSU.
Semifinal Round
Game 8
#1 Ohio State vs #5 Illinois
WRR Pick: Ohio State
This game will be much closer than either of the two meetings these teams had during the regular season. However, Evan Turner, William Buford, and David Lighty are simply that much better than Illinois’s backcourt of McCamey, DJ Richardson, and Brandon Paul. I also think Dallas Lauderdale can push around Mike Tisdale.
Game 9
#2 Purdue vs #3 Michigan State
WRR: Michigan State
When these teams met the first time MSU star Kalin Lucas played on an injured ankle and Purdue beat his Spartans. The second time, Purdue played without Robbie Hummel and MSU won. With Hummel still out, Lucas and the Spartans will win.
Big Ten Tournament Championship Game
#1 Ohio State vs #3 Michigan State
WRR Pick: Michigan State
No disrespect to Purdue, but considering they don’t have Hummel, I think this final pits the Big Ten’s two top teams right now. Ohio State probably has more talent, but I think after having lost to the Buckeyes earlier in the year, Tom Izzo will have a better idea of how to exploit OSU’s lack of depth. I expect the Spartans to rotate their athletic bigs against Lauderdale, pressure the Buckeye guards to cause turnovers, and get away with a close victory and the Big Ten Tournament Title.
What does everybody else think? Share your predictions for NU’s run and the tourney’s champ below.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Hoosiers Beat Wildcats 88-80 in Overtime to end Losing Streak and Deny NU 20 Wins
Northwestern struggled in several areas in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, but once again the obvious problem was NU’s defense which allowed 88 points. Yes, IU had an extra session to score, but throughout the game Northwestern displayed a total lack of understanding about who and where they needed to defend. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the vast majority of the time Northwestern is a lazy defensive team. Every once and awhile they get fired up to play defense, usually while in the 1-3-1, but overall the Wildcats are not actively seeking to deny passing lanes and fight through screens. I can’t stand how much Northwestern switches when attempting to play man-to-man. I know that some of the concepts of the way NU plays are based on switching, but the fact you get to pass off your guy to someone else whenever the slightest rub screen comes by is ridiculous. All that does is make players not have to play hard, because they don’t have to fight through any screens, and create mismatches like Michael Thompson on a center in the post or Luka Mirkovic on a guard outside. Northwestern’s players are not so physically weak or slow that they can’t fight through a screen every once and while. Maybe such a defense would be necessary if NU played Kansas (though I wouldn’t even advocate it them), but against an Indiana team that hadn’t hit double digit wins until today it sure isn’t. Today’s 1-3-1 did help NU record 10 steals, but against the 1-3-1 Indiana was able to hit 10 threes. Of course, eight were by guard Jordan Hulls who was the only Hoosier starter with a relatively decent three point percentage. For some reason, though, Northwestern refused to find him and guard. If Northwestern would have simply started defending Hulls on the perimeter they likely would have won the game with ease.
Last week I commented that Bill Carmody should fire either Mitch Henderson or Ivan Vujic and bring in a man-to-man defense expert. It was intelligently pointed out to me by several readers that for a number of reasons (loyalty, pride, etc.) Carmody probably wouldn’t be willing to do so. I agree, but I would then ask for the sake of all NU fans that Northwestern A.D. Jim Phillips to make Carmody do so. Phillips has publically said he is going to negotiate a contract extension with Carmody following this season. If I were Jim Phillips, I would tell Carmody that part of the deal was he needed to bring in someone who could teach his team to play man-to-man defense without switching whenever two offensive players run by each other. Carmody’s visceral reaction would probably be to object to Phillips sticking his nose into Carmody’s staff, but I would hope that an intelligent man like Carmody would see the logical outcome would actually be his team getting better and his job getting more secure. Despite some people’s objections, nothing is wrong with NU’s offense. If the Wildcats could play even passable defense, I believe they would have 24 wins right not and be headed for a Big Ten Tournament bye and a top-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they probably will need to turn the tables of Indiana in Indianapolis on Thursday just to make the NIT.
Part of the problem with defense is probably Drew Crawford can’t play it right now. In fact, he can’t do much of anything right now. That’s way he played only 18 minutes, and in truth those were probably 18 more minutes than he should have played. Right now Crawfor simply can’t move on defense and he is getting way to self-centered on offense when he doesn’t score. I think it probably has to do with being frustrated with how the injury limits him, but a couple times today Crawford fired up what I’ll call, “Me First” three-pointers, basically he took bad shots because he wanted points in the scorebook. I know the kid is hurt and I understand that might impact his play, but if he’s as hurt as his play indicates he shouldn’t be on the floor. He probably should have rested earlier in the year. Now, if he gets benched it’s basically too late to do any good, which is way I think he’s trying to play through his pain.
Of course, Crawford wasn’t the only Wildcat to fire up a dumb three. NU got back into a game they were trailing by getting the ball inside to score or setup a good three. In the end, though, the ‘Cats took 42 threes, and many were not good shots. Thompson himself tried 16 (he did make 7) and John Shurna tried 9 (he made just 3). Shurna did record a double-double (31 points, 12 rebounds), however, because he made 9-of-12 shots inside as well. If he’d attacked a little more instead of shooting some of those threes it might have been a different game. It also would have helped if Shurna and Luka Mirkovic hadn’t missed 5 total free throws at key times. Both should be better free throw shooters than they have been of late. Clearly some sort of mental block exists for them.
Actually, a huge mental block exists for all of NU’s team. They can’t play away from home. This loss, bad as it was, was actually one of NU’s best road performances. That’s scary as NU won’t be hosting a home game if they make the NIT (also, a bid to the NIT is certainly not a guarantee at this point). NU also runs the risk of playing Indiana in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tournament. That could seem a road environment as well, but at least the Hoosiers won’t be that much more familiar than NU with the playing conditions at Conseco Fieldhouse.
So Northwestern ends the regular season with a record of 19-12. From the point of view of history that’s pretty good. In fact, it’s a school record for wins. From point of view of November 12th (a.k.a right after Kevin Coble got hurt), it’s also pretty good. In fact, it might be considered remarkable, most teams don’t set school records without their best player. From my point of view today, though, I’m somewhat disappointed. Watching and evaluating team as honestly as possible after every game, I feel the Wildcats didn’t achieve to their potential. Wins over Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Notre Dame showed what this team was capable of doing. Unfortunately, a collection of games like the December 30th contest at Illinois, the game at Iowa, and today’s loss at Indiana are sprinkled amongst the great games mentioned above. On some days this team played with the best of the Big Ten and the nation, but on others they played worse than the worst. That inconsistency isn’t the fault of Coble’s injury or history. Responsibility (both good and bad) for what happened from November 13th to March 6th rests with those who played and coached the games which occurred between those dates.
As the Wildcats prepare for the Big Ten Tournament, I hope the players and coaches take confidence from the games they played well, but I hope even more so that they learn lessons from the games they didn’t, because if NU can’t improve in several areas (such as defense) a season which once stood on the verge of being the fulfillment of many people’s dreams will quickly, and unceremoniously, come to an end. If they do learn from their mistakes, Northwestern could be playing basketball well into the month of March.
Last week I commented that Bill Carmody should fire either Mitch Henderson or Ivan Vujic and bring in a man-to-man defense expert. It was intelligently pointed out to me by several readers that for a number of reasons (loyalty, pride, etc.) Carmody probably wouldn’t be willing to do so. I agree, but I would then ask for the sake of all NU fans that Northwestern A.D. Jim Phillips to make Carmody do so. Phillips has publically said he is going to negotiate a contract extension with Carmody following this season. If I were Jim Phillips, I would tell Carmody that part of the deal was he needed to bring in someone who could teach his team to play man-to-man defense without switching whenever two offensive players run by each other. Carmody’s visceral reaction would probably be to object to Phillips sticking his nose into Carmody’s staff, but I would hope that an intelligent man like Carmody would see the logical outcome would actually be his team getting better and his job getting more secure. Despite some people’s objections, nothing is wrong with NU’s offense. If the Wildcats could play even passable defense, I believe they would have 24 wins right not and be headed for a Big Ten Tournament bye and a top-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they probably will need to turn the tables of Indiana in Indianapolis on Thursday just to make the NIT.
Part of the problem with defense is probably Drew Crawford can’t play it right now. In fact, he can’t do much of anything right now. That’s way he played only 18 minutes, and in truth those were probably 18 more minutes than he should have played. Right now Crawfor simply can’t move on defense and he is getting way to self-centered on offense when he doesn’t score. I think it probably has to do with being frustrated with how the injury limits him, but a couple times today Crawford fired up what I’ll call, “Me First” three-pointers, basically he took bad shots because he wanted points in the scorebook. I know the kid is hurt and I understand that might impact his play, but if he’s as hurt as his play indicates he shouldn’t be on the floor. He probably should have rested earlier in the year. Now, if he gets benched it’s basically too late to do any good, which is way I think he’s trying to play through his pain.
Of course, Crawford wasn’t the only Wildcat to fire up a dumb three. NU got back into a game they were trailing by getting the ball inside to score or setup a good three. In the end, though, the ‘Cats took 42 threes, and many were not good shots. Thompson himself tried 16 (he did make 7) and John Shurna tried 9 (he made just 3). Shurna did record a double-double (31 points, 12 rebounds), however, because he made 9-of-12 shots inside as well. If he’d attacked a little more instead of shooting some of those threes it might have been a different game. It also would have helped if Shurna and Luka Mirkovic hadn’t missed 5 total free throws at key times. Both should be better free throw shooters than they have been of late. Clearly some sort of mental block exists for them.
Actually, a huge mental block exists for all of NU’s team. They can’t play away from home. This loss, bad as it was, was actually one of NU’s best road performances. That’s scary as NU won’t be hosting a home game if they make the NIT (also, a bid to the NIT is certainly not a guarantee at this point). NU also runs the risk of playing Indiana in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Tournament. That could seem a road environment as well, but at least the Hoosiers won’t be that much more familiar than NU with the playing conditions at Conseco Fieldhouse.
So Northwestern ends the regular season with a record of 19-12. From the point of view of history that’s pretty good. In fact, it’s a school record for wins. From point of view of November 12th (a.k.a right after Kevin Coble got hurt), it’s also pretty good. In fact, it might be considered remarkable, most teams don’t set school records without their best player. From my point of view today, though, I’m somewhat disappointed. Watching and evaluating team as honestly as possible after every game, I feel the Wildcats didn’t achieve to their potential. Wins over Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, and Notre Dame showed what this team was capable of doing. Unfortunately, a collection of games like the December 30th contest at Illinois, the game at Iowa, and today’s loss at Indiana are sprinkled amongst the great games mentioned above. On some days this team played with the best of the Big Ten and the nation, but on others they played worse than the worst. That inconsistency isn’t the fault of Coble’s injury or history. Responsibility (both good and bad) for what happened from November 13th to March 6th rests with those who played and coached the games which occurred between those dates.
As the Wildcats prepare for the Big Ten Tournament, I hope the players and coaches take confidence from the games they played well, but I hope even more so that they learn lessons from the games they didn’t, because if NU can’t improve in several areas (such as defense) a season which once stood on the verge of being the fulfillment of many people’s dreams will quickly, and unceremoniously, come to an end. If they do learn from their mistakes, Northwestern could be playing basketball well into the month of March.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Game 31: Northwestern Wildcats @ Indiana
The Matchup: Northwestern (19-11) @ Indiana (9-20)
Location: Assembly Hall (Bloomington, IN)
TV: Big Ten Network (11:00 AM CT Saturday March 6th, 2010)
Radio: WGN AM 720
Fun Fact: Northwestern is looking for the program’s first 20 win season.
About the Game
In some ways it seems and lifetime ago and in some it seems just yesterday, but it has been 4 months since the 2009-10 college basketball season started. This Northwestern squad has been through a lot this season from the low of losing Kevin Coble for year to the high of beating #6 Purdue. Now, the Wildcats regular season portion of 2009-10 will come to a close in Bloomington, Indiana. Their postseason portion will begin Thursday about a half hour north in Indianapolis.
If the Wildcats can beat the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday they will make history in a number of ways. NU will win 20 games for the first time and will have 4 straight wins over Indiana for the first time since the early 1930s. In addition, the Wildcats are trying for their second straight win inside Assembly Hall. That might not seem as significant a mark, but before last season Northwestern had never beaten IU in that building.
In order to get the victory, NU must play defense. Their defense has been questionable overall, but it has been particularly atrocious on the road in the Big Ten. NU played primarily the 1-3-1 zone on Wednesday against Chicago State which makes me think they’ll play the same to start on Saturday. If that is the case, NU must extend out and get into passing lanes. If they do not pressure the Hoosier guards between the rings, then Indiana will be able to easily enter the ball inside to forward Christian Watford (12.0ppg, 5.9 rpg). Penn State took advantage of soft NU defense to score inside almost at will. Even Chicago State got some early easy looks which couldn’t have pleased Head Coach Bill Carmody. Perhaps the best news for Northwestern is that Indiana isn’t loaded with great inside players. However, it’s not just post players that can score if NU’s zone gets soft and lazy (as it has much too often). Quick guards can take advantage and get into the lane as well. Indiana has guard Verdall Jones III (14.7 ppg, 27.3% 3PT) who scored 28 points in the two teams’ last meeting and is very good getting inside off the dribble. If NU is in the 1-3-1, I think Indiana will work both Watford and Jones inside using their various skills.
If NU’s zone is good enough that IU must shoot from the outside, that should help NU. Indiana makes only 33.6% of their three pointers as a team. For what it’s worth, the Hoosiers will look primarily at guards Jordan Hulls (37.3% 3PT) and Devan Dumes (31.3% 3PT) when they need threes. Both are streaky three point shooters, but NU must close out on them. They cannot let these guys get their feet set. IU also has forward Derek Elston who while he doesn’t shoot many threes, can knock them down. Right now, the big man makes 36.4% of his treys.
On offense, Northwestern must reestablish their inside game. This has disappeared recently, but when the ‘Cats are successful they get baskets from Luka Mirkovic in the post and John Shurna sets up his own outside by attacking the basket. NU would also get a boost if Drew Crawford were healthy as he can also serve as an inside option both off the dribble and posting smaller guards. If NU does find someway to get an inside game, they have a great chance to equal their convincing win over the Hoosiers recorded February 7th.
Prediction:
Northwestern is the better team in this matchup, but I think anyone who has watched the Wildcats has to be wary of picking them to win on the road. Northwestern just hasn’t been a good road team since the 1st of December. If NU wants to win in the postseason, though, they must win on the road. They’ll be at a neutral site in Indy, but unless NU falls to the CBI they’ll be playing true road games in the NIT. Therefore, NU needs to learn to win on the road. I think this is as good of time as any to do so, because if they can’t win this one I have my doubts about them winning a game in the Big Ten Tourney. Northwestern, 71 Indiana, 68
Location: Assembly Hall (Bloomington, IN)
TV: Big Ten Network (11:00 AM CT Saturday March 6th, 2010)
Radio: WGN AM 720
Fun Fact: Northwestern is looking for the program’s first 20 win season.
About the Game
In some ways it seems and lifetime ago and in some it seems just yesterday, but it has been 4 months since the 2009-10 college basketball season started. This Northwestern squad has been through a lot this season from the low of losing Kevin Coble for year to the high of beating #6 Purdue. Now, the Wildcats regular season portion of 2009-10 will come to a close in Bloomington, Indiana. Their postseason portion will begin Thursday about a half hour north in Indianapolis.
If the Wildcats can beat the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday they will make history in a number of ways. NU will win 20 games for the first time and will have 4 straight wins over Indiana for the first time since the early 1930s. In addition, the Wildcats are trying for their second straight win inside Assembly Hall. That might not seem as significant a mark, but before last season Northwestern had never beaten IU in that building.
In order to get the victory, NU must play defense. Their defense has been questionable overall, but it has been particularly atrocious on the road in the Big Ten. NU played primarily the 1-3-1 zone on Wednesday against Chicago State which makes me think they’ll play the same to start on Saturday. If that is the case, NU must extend out and get into passing lanes. If they do not pressure the Hoosier guards between the rings, then Indiana will be able to easily enter the ball inside to forward Christian Watford (12.0ppg, 5.9 rpg). Penn State took advantage of soft NU defense to score inside almost at will. Even Chicago State got some early easy looks which couldn’t have pleased Head Coach Bill Carmody. Perhaps the best news for Northwestern is that Indiana isn’t loaded with great inside players. However, it’s not just post players that can score if NU’s zone gets soft and lazy (as it has much too often). Quick guards can take advantage and get into the lane as well. Indiana has guard Verdall Jones III (14.7 ppg, 27.3% 3PT) who scored 28 points in the two teams’ last meeting and is very good getting inside off the dribble. If NU is in the 1-3-1, I think Indiana will work both Watford and Jones inside using their various skills.
If NU’s zone is good enough that IU must shoot from the outside, that should help NU. Indiana makes only 33.6% of their three pointers as a team. For what it’s worth, the Hoosiers will look primarily at guards Jordan Hulls (37.3% 3PT) and Devan Dumes (31.3% 3PT) when they need threes. Both are streaky three point shooters, but NU must close out on them. They cannot let these guys get their feet set. IU also has forward Derek Elston who while he doesn’t shoot many threes, can knock them down. Right now, the big man makes 36.4% of his treys.
On offense, Northwestern must reestablish their inside game. This has disappeared recently, but when the ‘Cats are successful they get baskets from Luka Mirkovic in the post and John Shurna sets up his own outside by attacking the basket. NU would also get a boost if Drew Crawford were healthy as he can also serve as an inside option both off the dribble and posting smaller guards. If NU does find someway to get an inside game, they have a great chance to equal their convincing win over the Hoosiers recorded February 7th.
Prediction:
Northwestern is the better team in this matchup, but I think anyone who has watched the Wildcats has to be wary of picking them to win on the road. Northwestern just hasn’t been a good road team since the 1st of December. If NU wants to win in the postseason, though, they must win on the road. They’ll be at a neutral site in Indy, but unless NU falls to the CBI they’ll be playing true road games in the NIT. Therefore, NU needs to learn to win on the road. I think this is as good of time as any to do so, because if they can’t win this one I have my doubts about them winning a game in the Big Ten Tourney. Northwestern, 71 Indiana, 68
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Record Set: Northwestern Beats Chicago State 72-49 and Sets School Record for Wins
Alex Marcotullio got back on track with 15 points versus Chicago State In a game that started extremely sloppy on both sides, Northwestern emerged with a 72-49 victory on Wednesday night. The outcome of the contest remained somewhat in doubt until late in the first half when the Wildcats closed that half on a 10-2 run. That run was keyed by three pointers from freshman guard Alex Marcotullio and senior guard Jeremy Nash. Nash was playing his final regular season home game in Welsh-Ryan Arena tonight. He started slowly, but finished with 7 points, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Early on it seemed like the Wildcats were working too hard to force a spectacular play from Nash. For example, John Shurna overshot his teammate on two ally-oop attempts early on. Thankfully, Nash got into the scorebook a little later with a dunk off a steal and then followed a Marcotullio three with a big three. As a result of those shots, before Chicago State seemed to realize what happened, the Cougars went from down to two points to down double digits and never got back into the game.
The fact Chicago State stuck around for most of the first half shows Northwestern wasn’t perfect tonight. They did play better defense forcing 19 turnovers, including 14 steals. However, in the first half the Cougars did penetrate NU’s 1-3-1 zone for some very easy looks. In the second half, NU seemed to extend the zone and put a little more pressure on passers. The result was Chicago State seemed less comfortable making passes. Much of the credit for that goes to Marcotullio. Though most people will look at the fact he made 5-of-7 threes to score 15 points, fans shouldn’t ignore the defensive pressure Marcotullio puts on teams at the top of the 1-3-1. Some of that is natural instinct and some he likely learned from watching teammate Jeremy Nash, but I have to say that I think that though NU was miss Nash’s athletic skill, they will still be able to play 1-3-1 with Alex Marcotullio on the floor. Marcotullio also has to get credit for his 3 assists against 0 turnovers tonight. With fellow freshman Drew Crawford (1-of-7 FGs, 2 points) still clearly hurt, it is important for Marcotullio to contribute in multiple ways. He can’t just be a shooter or just be a defender. He needs to play an all around game and he did so tonight.
Aside from Marcotullio, NU got double figures from reliable contributors Michael “Juice” Thompson and John Shurna. Thompson finished with 13 points and 5 assists. He made 3-of-6 threes to reach that total, but his best shot was a runner in the lane with the shot clock running down. John Shurna scored 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but I’d still like to see him attack the basket more. Today, 7 of his shots were threes. With his skill, and often a size advantage, Shurna shouldn’t have to settle for taking threes. He should be able to go to the hoop and have wide open threes as result later. As far as other numbers, Shurna just missed a double-double as he finished with 9 rebounds. He also added 6 assists and 4 steals.
Off the bench, NU got solid minutes from Davde Curletti and Mike Capocci. Culetti played 18 minutes and finished with 4 points and 6 rebounds. Those totals are solid, but Curletti scored all of his points from the free throw line and only made 50% of those tires. For a guy who is a skilled three point shooter to make only 50% of his free throws is unacceptable. NU needs to continue to feed Curletti and NU starting center Luka Mirkovic down low, but both centers must improve their free throw shooter if NU is going to do damage in the postseason.
Mike Capocci scored a season-high 8 points and also had 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. One of the blocks was a spectacular block off the backboard as Capocci hustled the court to ensure a turnover didn’t become an easy basket. With his athletic ability, Capocci offers NU some nice options. The key to keeping him on the court will be to limit his turnovers and make sure he makes smart choices with the ball in terms of passes and shot selection.
As the players left the court today, many young fans approached them for autographs. If that is the final image of the 2009-10 season at Welsh-Ryan Arena, I can live with that. It was a nice moment. Plus, I’m sure both the players and their young fans enjoyed the experience. However, NU might be back at Welsh-Ryan Arena hosting a postseason game. If that happens, I hope NU far exceeds tonight’s attendance of 3,757. Welsh-Ryan ended up a great home court advantage for the 'Cats this year and that’s credit to all the fans who stepped through the arena’s doors. If NU plays at home in the postseason, those fans and many more need to return wearing purple to help push the Wildcats season deep in to March.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Game 30: Chicago State @ Northwestern Wildcats
The Matchup: Chicago State (8-21) @ Northwestern (18-11)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com Big Ten Network On Demand for $2.99 (Wed. 3-3-10)
Radio: WIND 560 AM
Fun Fact: Northwestern has never lost to Chicago State in the history of their intracity rivalry.
About the Game
Northwestern is still trying to set a school record with 19 wins after a disappointing loss to Penn State on Sunday. The odds are the Wildcats will beat a Chicago State team whose best win is over Eastern Washington and who has only twice all year played in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 people, but the real question is how will Northwestern play. In the Wildcats win over Texas Pan-America, NU proved that they can certainly play down to the level of their competition. In addition, Northwestern’s performance against Penn State on Sunday was amongst their worst all year. Many NU fans are understandably disappointed with this loss. As a result, I suspect many fans will choose not show up tonight so NU can’t count on much of a home court advantage.
That’s a shame as Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger will be honored for senior day and NU’s Women’s Lacrosse team will receive National Championship Rings (maybe next year it’ll be a ceremony for the 1931 basketball champs, I’ll get back to working to promote that title in the offseason). I do appreciate the fact Northwestern’s athletic department is taking time to host a ceremony for the lacrosse team, but I’m disappointed they waited until the Chicago State game. At best, 3,500 people will attend this game. The lacrosse team deserves better recognition for their 5th consecutive National Championship. Northwestern should have honored them at the Purdue or Illinois game when Welsh-Ryan Arena was full. Waiting until March 3rd for the lowest profile opponent of the season is silly and, from my perspective, not worthy of the level of respect that five straight National Titles deserves.
As for the game, Chicago State is not the team they were last season when they could have made a case for postseason inclusion. It’s kind of a shame for the Cougars that they and other former independents formed the Great West Conference a year to late as the Great West winner now gets an automatic bid to the College Insider Tournament. CSU could have won that prize last season.
The player to stop on Chicago State is 6-7 forward Carl Montgomery who averages 13.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. He actually really does scare me since NU apparently lets people get inside looks at will, though, they have played better defense at home. Also, Montgomery’s teammates have 462 turnovers and 282 assists this year. Even with Northwestern’s defensive inconsistency, they ought to be able to stop Chicago State from getting the ball to Montgomery enough to make the game a contest. If they can’t get the ball to Montgomery, guard Christian Wall is CSU’s other major weapon. He scores 12.7 ppg and is the team’s best three point shooter at 32.6%. The fact that leads the team shows how bad Chicago State is shooting. As a team they make just 38.1% from the field overall and only 26.5% from three. Wall also leads the team in assists, but has basically a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.
Prediction:
Northwestern should have nothing to fear from Chicago State. Even playing like they played Sunday, Northwestern would probably beat the Cougars. Chicago State is 0-16 on the road and has one of the worst PRIs in D1. However, the goal for Northwestern should be not to play like they played Sunday. They should do what they can to take this game seriously as a tune up for the Big Ten Tournament which starts in just over a week. With only two regular season games left, and a ton of issues on defense, Northwestern must take each opportunity they get to work on defense in game situations as a valuable chance. I hope NU uses the 1-3-1, matchup, and even man-to-man in this game and tries to learn how to play each with the necessary level of effort at all times. It’ll be particularly interesting to see if Drew Crawford plays. Bill Carmody finally made Crawford’s sore groin/back public after the loss to Penn State and said he was considering sitting the freshman down. Given Crawford has played like he was hurt for three weeks, I think that’s overdue. Regardless, I think NU wins this game with ease. Northwestern, 77 Chicago State, 59
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: www.bigtennetwork.com Big Ten Network On Demand for $2.99 (Wed. 3-3-10)
Radio: WIND 560 AM
Fun Fact: Northwestern has never lost to Chicago State in the history of their intracity rivalry.
About the Game
Northwestern is still trying to set a school record with 19 wins after a disappointing loss to Penn State on Sunday. The odds are the Wildcats will beat a Chicago State team whose best win is over Eastern Washington and who has only twice all year played in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 people, but the real question is how will Northwestern play. In the Wildcats win over Texas Pan-America, NU proved that they can certainly play down to the level of their competition. In addition, Northwestern’s performance against Penn State on Sunday was amongst their worst all year. Many NU fans are understandably disappointed with this loss. As a result, I suspect many fans will choose not show up tonight so NU can’t count on much of a home court advantage.
That’s a shame as Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger will be honored for senior day and NU’s Women’s Lacrosse team will receive National Championship Rings (maybe next year it’ll be a ceremony for the 1931 basketball champs, I’ll get back to working to promote that title in the offseason). I do appreciate the fact Northwestern’s athletic department is taking time to host a ceremony for the lacrosse team, but I’m disappointed they waited until the Chicago State game. At best, 3,500 people will attend this game. The lacrosse team deserves better recognition for their 5th consecutive National Championship. Northwestern should have honored them at the Purdue or Illinois game when Welsh-Ryan Arena was full. Waiting until March 3rd for the lowest profile opponent of the season is silly and, from my perspective, not worthy of the level of respect that five straight National Titles deserves.
As for the game, Chicago State is not the team they were last season when they could have made a case for postseason inclusion. It’s kind of a shame for the Cougars that they and other former independents formed the Great West Conference a year to late as the Great West winner now gets an automatic bid to the College Insider Tournament. CSU could have won that prize last season.
The player to stop on Chicago State is 6-7 forward Carl Montgomery who averages 13.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. He actually really does scare me since NU apparently lets people get inside looks at will, though, they have played better defense at home. Also, Montgomery’s teammates have 462 turnovers and 282 assists this year. Even with Northwestern’s defensive inconsistency, they ought to be able to stop Chicago State from getting the ball to Montgomery enough to make the game a contest. If they can’t get the ball to Montgomery, guard Christian Wall is CSU’s other major weapon. He scores 12.7 ppg and is the team’s best three point shooter at 32.6%. The fact that leads the team shows how bad Chicago State is shooting. As a team they make just 38.1% from the field overall and only 26.5% from three. Wall also leads the team in assists, but has basically a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.
Prediction:
Northwestern should have nothing to fear from Chicago State. Even playing like they played Sunday, Northwestern would probably beat the Cougars. Chicago State is 0-16 on the road and has one of the worst PRIs in D1. However, the goal for Northwestern should be not to play like they played Sunday. They should do what they can to take this game seriously as a tune up for the Big Ten Tournament which starts in just over a week. With only two regular season games left, and a ton of issues on defense, Northwestern must take each opportunity they get to work on defense in game situations as a valuable chance. I hope NU uses the 1-3-1, matchup, and even man-to-man in this game and tries to learn how to play each with the necessary level of effort at all times. It’ll be particularly interesting to see if Drew Crawford plays. Bill Carmody finally made Crawford’s sore groin/back public after the loss to Penn State and said he was considering sitting the freshman down. Given Crawford has played like he was hurt for three weeks, I think that’s overdue. Regardless, I think NU wins this game with ease. Northwestern, 77 Chicago State, 59
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Link To View: Thoughts on a Past Hoops Injury
Lake the Posts hosted NU alum and Big Ten Network anchor Dave Revsine for a profile today. You can check out the interview here. I bring this up because Revsine mentions former NU forward Darreion Dean who injured himself walking into a pole and asks in anybody recalls this. Well, I can say I recall this for sure, though, I thought I heard it was a stop sign Dean ran into in San Deigo when NU was at San Deigo State to start the season. Regardless Darreion Dean ended his NU career thanks to a run in with some sort of large metal inanimate object and I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers it.
Road Woes NU’s Biggest Problem
People will have a lot of theories regarding what sent a promising Northwestern team from a possible NCAA Tournament berth to a lower seed in the NIT. They’ll talk about Drew Crawford’s injury, Luka Mirkovic’s inconsistency, and Bill Carmody’s personnel use, but I don’t actually think any of those was the real problem. The real problem is much simpler—Northwestern can’t win on the road.
NU’s only true road wins are over an N.C. State team that is tied for last in the ACC and a Michigan team that should have beat NU handily, but blew a 17 point lead. Northwestern is 1-7 on the road in Big Ten play and 2-7 overall. The Wildcats are 2-0 on a neutral court, but that neutral court was only about 9 miles from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
What Northwestern’s problem is on the road is a matter of speculation. However, in most of the road contests NU has fallen into a large hole at some point and it’s tough to come back from double digits away from home. In many of those cases, NU has cut into that double digit hole and final score has been close, but only once, the aforementioned Michigan game, has NU actually fully overcome their hole. In other contests, such as Sunday at Penn State and at Iowa, NU has never been in the game. The only road contests where NU hasn’t gotten in a huge first half hole are N.C. State (a win), Illinois (which NU lost in overtime), and Michigan State (which NU got into a big hole in the early 2nd half). I strongly believe why NU beat N.C. State and took overtime to lose to Illinois is the fact the Wildcats weren’t chasing double digits early. When a team gets down 10+ points early in a hostile environment, it’s tough to come back. You either pack it in and seal your fate (NU on Sunday) or you make an huge effort to come back, but probably exhaust too much energy to have a shot in the stretch (see NU at Minnesota). This is especially true of teams like Northwestern who don’t get a lot from their bench.
Why does Northwestern often fall into a hole early? I wish I knew. For whatever reason, this team doesn’t seem to play with the constant urgency necessary to play defense in the Big Ten. It isn’t Northwestern’s offense. In blowout first halves against Wisconsin and Penn State, NU still played well on offense. It was the fact that both times the opposition scored more than 40 points which put NU into a bad situation. What’s frustrating is that Northwestern has shown they can play defense. Sometimes even in a contest they get blown out in the first half, they’ll comeback and play good defense in the second. That makes no sense what so ever. If you can do it in the second half, you can do it in the first half. Why NU can’t come out of the tunnel and play hard is a mystery, but they haven’t done so in 6 of the 8 Big Ten road games they’ve played this year. That’s bad. Maybe Bill Carmody needs to be more aggressive in his pregame speeches, maybe the team’s senior leaders need to get on the freshman more. Who knows? But Northwestern has one Big Ten road left. They play at Indiana on Saturday. The Wildcats are much better than the Hoosiers, but Indiana has a reputation for playing hard at home. If Northwestern doesn’t come out with intensity, it won’t matter that Indiana is resting near the bottom of the Big Ten. They too will find a way to continue Northwestern’s road woes.
NU’s only true road wins are over an N.C. State team that is tied for last in the ACC and a Michigan team that should have beat NU handily, but blew a 17 point lead. Northwestern is 1-7 on the road in Big Ten play and 2-7 overall. The Wildcats are 2-0 on a neutral court, but that neutral court was only about 9 miles from Welsh-Ryan Arena.
What Northwestern’s problem is on the road is a matter of speculation. However, in most of the road contests NU has fallen into a large hole at some point and it’s tough to come back from double digits away from home. In many of those cases, NU has cut into that double digit hole and final score has been close, but only once, the aforementioned Michigan game, has NU actually fully overcome their hole. In other contests, such as Sunday at Penn State and at Iowa, NU has never been in the game. The only road contests where NU hasn’t gotten in a huge first half hole are N.C. State (a win), Illinois (which NU lost in overtime), and Michigan State (which NU got into a big hole in the early 2nd half). I strongly believe why NU beat N.C. State and took overtime to lose to Illinois is the fact the Wildcats weren’t chasing double digits early. When a team gets down 10+ points early in a hostile environment, it’s tough to come back. You either pack it in and seal your fate (NU on Sunday) or you make an huge effort to come back, but probably exhaust too much energy to have a shot in the stretch (see NU at Minnesota). This is especially true of teams like Northwestern who don’t get a lot from their bench.
Why does Northwestern often fall into a hole early? I wish I knew. For whatever reason, this team doesn’t seem to play with the constant urgency necessary to play defense in the Big Ten. It isn’t Northwestern’s offense. In blowout first halves against Wisconsin and Penn State, NU still played well on offense. It was the fact that both times the opposition scored more than 40 points which put NU into a bad situation. What’s frustrating is that Northwestern has shown they can play defense. Sometimes even in a contest they get blown out in the first half, they’ll comeback and play good defense in the second. That makes no sense what so ever. If you can do it in the second half, you can do it in the first half. Why NU can’t come out of the tunnel and play hard is a mystery, but they haven’t done so in 6 of the 8 Big Ten road games they’ve played this year. That’s bad. Maybe Bill Carmody needs to be more aggressive in his pregame speeches, maybe the team’s senior leaders need to get on the freshman more. Who knows? But Northwestern has one Big Ten road left. They play at Indiana on Saturday. The Wildcats are much better than the Hoosiers, but Indiana has a reputation for playing hard at home. If Northwestern doesn’t come out with intensity, it won’t matter that Indiana is resting near the bottom of the Big Ten. They too will find a way to continue Northwestern’s road woes.
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