Welsh-Ryan Ramblings Awards 2009-10

Award Winner John Shurna Talks to the Media

Like Major League Baseball I've waited to pass out awards for a while in effort to extent the season, but here are the Welsh-Ryan Ramblings awards for this season. The awards fit into two categories. The first is individual awards. It is in this category where awards such as MVP will be passed out. The second category is event awards. This category will feature awards such as play of the year. Let’s start with the individual awards…

Most Valuable Player: Michael “Juice” Thompson

John Shurna deserves a lot of credit for what he did this year, but anybody who watched this team knows the Wildcats would have stunk without Juice. His numbers are decent with 14.2ppg and 139 assists, but what really made Juice the most valuable Wildcat is the fact he was the only player to consistently handle the ball this year. That makes his only turning the ball over 59 times absolutely amazing. He also made 41.1% of his threes which led the team and I think that number goes up if NU adds a decent backup for Juice next season.

Pervious Winner
2008-09…Craig Moore

Newcomer of the Year: Drew Crawford

Yes, he did disappear a bit at times, but Drew Crawford battle through injury enough to finish the year with a 10.0ppg average and capture Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He also finished the season with two double-doubles in a row. One Rivals poster has already suggested Drew will be “The Man” next season for NU. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but with Crawford, Shurna, and Coble playing together next season NU will have a potent combination of guys who can shoot, but also score inside as well.

Previous Winner
2008-09…John Shurna

Defensive Player of the Year: Jeremy Nash



Jeremy Nash finished the year with 58 steals and 22 blocks. Those are good numbers, but what really made him NU’s best defensive player was the commitment he seemed to show to defense when others lacked such a commitment. Jeremy always tried to be active atop the 1-3-1 and get back and help when playing man-to-man. He wasn’t always successful, but he consistently played harder than many of his teammates.

Previous Winner
2008-09…Jeremy Nash


Now we move to the event awards…



Game of the Year (Individual): John Shurna vs Notre Dame

In the first meeting between the two schools in 25 years, John Shurna scored 25 points to help the Wildcats to a win over #23 Notre Dame and a bid to the Chicago Invitational Challenge Title Game, which they would win a day later. What made Shurna’s day even more impressive was that he scored so well against Luke Harangody. A player many expect to see in the NBA next season. As it turned out Shurna would have even bigger games, but his step up in this contest set the stage for a very successful season individual season.

Previous Winner
2008-09…Kevin Coble vs MSU

Game of the Year (Team): vs Purdue at Welsh-Ryan



Northwestern topped #6 Purdue 72-64 on January 16th and the NU fans rushed the court. When this season is looked back upon, I suspect people will talk about this game and the win over Illinois and forget about everything else. That’s probably fine. To be honest, the second half of the Big Ten season was pretty disappointing. For a few moments on the night of January 16th, though, it seemed like NU was already in the NCAA Tournament. From the opening tip to the last buzzer, NU took the game to the #6 team in the nation and eventual Big Ten Champ. The Wildcats aggressively defended the Boilermakers, something they didn’t do to anyone else, and they got great production from Luka Mirkovic 16 points and 10 rebounds who when he played well often became the key to an NU victory. They also made 26-of-30 free throws, a skill which cost NU in several other games.

Previous Winner
2008-09…vs DePaul


Play of the Year: Jeremy Nash three pointer to put NU up on Illinois 53-52



Welsh-Ryan Arena exploded when Jeremy Nash hit a three to put NU up on Illinois 53-52. Once that ‘Cats grabbed that lead, something they hadn’t had since very early, they held on to the lead to beat their in-state rival for the first time in 6 years. Considering how loud Welsh-Ryan got on that shot with the half the arena cheering for Illinois, it is scary to think how loud the place could get if NU consistently packed the place with Wildcat fans.

Pervious Winners:
2008-09…John Shurna

Dunk of the Year: Drew Crawford at Michigan



Northwestern doesn’t have many tip dunks that I recall, but Crawford recorded two this season, one at Illinois and one at Michigan. I like the Michigan one more because NU won the game and it was the play that got play-by-play man Tom Hamilton to exclaim, “There must be two or maybe even three Crawfords out there for Northwestern.” Drew was all over the place that day.

Previous Winners:
2008-09… Ivan Peljusic

Position Evaluation Group: Guards

This is the first of 4 report cards on NU's 2009-2010 team...

Position Evaluation Group: Guards
Players Included: Michael Thompson, Jeremy Nash, Alex Marcotullio, Nick Fruendt
Grade: B+

This group includes the player I would probably give the highest individual grade to, Michael “Juice” Thompson. However, I can’t overall go into the A-range for NU’s guards because this group never found a solid backup for Thompson and Jeremy Nash’s offensive game disappeared down the stretch of the season.

Thompson was consistently solid during the season and I shutter to imagine this team without him. He averaged 14.2 ppg, converted 41.1% of his three (88-of-214) and made a team best 82.9% of his free throws (92-of-111). Thompson also had a very impressive 139-to-59 assist to turnover ratio. Aside from the numbers, anybody who watched the Wildcats this season could no doubt tell Thompson was the team’s emotional leader. It seemed that whenever Northwestern needed a clutch shot, Thompson ended up taking that shot. Part of the reason was because Thompson remains one of the few NU players who can create a shot on his own. Always able to attack in the paint, Thompson got even better this year with converting his floater in the lane. He also has the ability to get smoking hot from distance as he did in NU’s Big Ten Tournament win over Indiana.

As for the other NU guards, nobody comes close to Thompson in terms of offensive production. Early in the year both Jeremy Nash and Alex Marcotullio displayed good three point range, but both failed to maintain the same consistency Thompson showed. Nash’s three point percentage plummeted to 29.1% or 39-of-134. Marcotullio converted a respectable 41-of-111 three point tries, but early in the year he looked like the type of player who can consistently hit 50% of his tries from deep. He might still become that with an offseason to prepare for the physical stress of the college game. Both Nash and Marcotulliuo proved better than average free throw shooters even when they slumped from distance. Nash finished second on the team at 81.4% and Marcotullio recording a 70.8% mark at the line.

While their offensive slumps reduce this group’s score somewhat, Nash and Marcotullio maintain high B-range scores as they were NU’s two best defenders. Nash led the team with 58 steals and was named to the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team. Marcotullio subbed for Nash at the top of the 1-3-1 when Jeremy went to the bench and got 31 steals of his own. Nash also blocked 22 shots and averaged 3.8 rebounds per game, which is good for a 6-4 guard.

The only other Wildcat guard who saw when games weren’t already decided was Nick Fruendt. In the only extended time he got all year he played well vs Illinois and badly at Minnesota. With Jeff Ryan coming back from injury and a possible recruit at the guard spot, Fruendt will have to work hard this offseason to crack the lineup next year.

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.

Penn State’s Streak Over NU Continues With Dominating 79-60 Win

Disgusting, pathetic, embarrassing. I could go for several pages with descriptive adjectives for Northwestern’s play today, but we really don’t have that much time. To put it simply, Northwestern played their worst game on the season today and it might have been the worst game the Northwestern basketball program played since NU’s loss to Penn State in the 2006 Big Ten Tournament. I don’t know how Northwestern can beat teams like Illinois and Purdue and look like the JV playing the varsity when they play Penn State, but it happens every time. Now, I’ll admit I expected Penn State to win today, but I didn’t expect them to totally dominate the game like they did.

In the myriad of badness which occurred today, I guess Northwestern’s worst performance was on the defensive end of the court. Northwestern tried 1-3-1, matchup, and man-to-man (which was possibly the worst effort at this ever), but Penn State beat all of them. It was impressively bad just how awful Northwestern’s defensive effort was today. NU didn’t fight through screens, didn’t deny passing lanes, and didn’t hustle on switches. Drew Crawford has been rumored to be hurt, and all I can think is he better be. (Update: Crawford is in fact hurt and may not start vs Chicago State) If he’s not hurt, his effort today on defense might have been the worst defensive effort from a Division 1 player all year. He was unbelievably lazy and passive in fighting through screens and getting out on shooters. The play which best explained Crawford’s lack of defense was Chris Babb’s first three of the second half. NU had cut the lead to 11. When PSU came back on offense, Crawford was screened and barely tried to fight through it. As a result Babb got a wide open three and the lead went back to 14. Further evidence of Crawford’s poor defense is how often he has to foul. He got upset when he was called for a foul after an apparent block, but if he’d actually denied the passing lane he wouldn’t have had to try and block the shot. The ball wouldn’t have got to his man.

Of course, Crawford wasn’t the only Wildcat not to play defense. In fact, many of NU’s top players such as Jeremy Nash and Michael Thompson failed to make much effort on defense either. They let Penn State make easy passes from their guards to their big men all day. The defensive effort (if you call it that) NU put forth in the first half was the worst effort by a Big Ten team in conference game all year. The Wildcats allowed a Penn State team which scores 65ppg to score 49 points. Obviously, NU’s guards deserve blame for letting Penn State make easy passes inside, but NU’s big men didn’t do much in terms of fighting for inside position. It seemed that whenever Penn State caught the ball down low they were in great position to score.

What really upsets me about this contest, though, is NU once again looked like they didn’t care. It was like the first half of the Wisconsin game and all but the last 10 minutes of the Minnesota game. I don’t know what goes on in NU’s locker room, but it is amazing to me how often this team gives no effort. What was really embarrassing was it looked like Northwestern quit in the second half. That reflects poorly on Bill Carmody, though, to his credit I think he recognized this and that’s why Ivan Peljusic and Nick Fruendt saw so much time.

The other thing that reflects poorly on Carmody, or his assists, is this team has no idea how to play man-to-man defense. If a team has decoded NU’s zones, which Penn State, Northwestern can’t stop a team when playing man-to-man. Today they fell for every pump fake and routinely got beat to the hoop, even by players who seemed less athletic. This is probably more of an offseason topic, but I’m now convinced Bill Carmody needs to replace either Mitch Henderson or Ivan Vujic with an assistant coach who is an expert in man-to-man defense. Northwestern has improved a lot the last two years, but I think they need to learn to play man-to-man if they want to become a better than .500 team in Big Ten play. The reason for this isn’t just teams decoding the zones, it’s the fact NU plays with zero intensity about 75% of the time. I think if the team was forced to play man-to-man some more natural intensity would develop.

Finally, let me say that NU got 21 points from Thompson, but I would have liked to see both him and John Shurna (who scored just 9) not settle for so many threes. NU is better when they attack inside, but did not do so today. Hopefully, they will do so when they play Chicago State on Wednesday.

Before I go, I want to add that Chris Babb is the latest in a long line of players that would be All-Americans if they just got to play Northwestern.

Northwestern Basketball: The Class of 2010

Seniors Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger with NU's Chicago Invitational Challenge Championship Trophy

Thursday of this week at least two seniors, Jeremy Nash and Matt Steger will play their final Big Ten home game. It’s also possible a third, Jeff Ryan, will also see a Big Ten opponent in Welsh-Ryan for the last time. I’m not a big fan of basketball program keeping Ryan in limbo as they pursue a recruit for next season, but that’s simply the nature of college athletics. You have to recruit the best possible players to be successful or you aren’t employed. I just wonder what the uncertainty of his future is doing to Jeff’s academic and career plans. Whatever the case, I certainly hope NU takes time to honor Jeff with Matt and Jeremy in case he doesn’t come back. It he does return, he can join Michael Jenkins and Ivan Tolic as players with multiple senior days.

What I think is most special about this senior class is that they’ve seen some of the lowest lows and highest highs in NU basketball history. They arrived in 2006-07 to a team which lost a number of senior starters, most notably Vedran Vukusic. As a result, Jeff Ryan and Kevin Coble (who would have been honored as a senior if not for his injury) got the chance to crack the starting lineup. Ryan started ten games that year and played perhaps the best game of his career when he scored 18 points in a narrow loss to #3 Wisconsin at Welsh-Ryan while subbing for an injured Coble. Ryan’s sub-30% three point percentage has been a point of distress for fans during his three years of play, but he made an amazing banked-in three on that day to help NU almost pull of a shocking upset. I’ll never forget the frustration on Bo Ryan’s face as Jeff consistently blew by defenders. Clearly the Badgers weren’t prepared for Ryan playing instead of Coble and it showed.

Unfortunately for Ryan and the ‘Cats, the 06-07 season was mostly filled with close losses like that Wisconsin game. The ‘Cats went 2-16 in the Big Ten. They beat only Minnesota (in a blowout) and Penn State by two, thanks to a Craig Moore miracle heave towards the hoop with the shoot clock running down. The Wildcats were 13-18 overall that season, but I doubt the players look back with much fondness on wins over North Florida by 1 point and Wheaton College by 2 points. Still, the fact that Coble, Ryan, and every once and a while Jeremy Nash, got solid minutes did probably help develop what would become a solid team two years later.

Sadly, before that solid team emerged in 2008-09, NU faced the 2007-08 season. When I said this group faced the lowest of lows, I was talking about this season. Northwestern finished that year 8-22 overall and 1-17 in the Big Ten. Many of those Big Ten losses weren’t close and that was the year the movement to fire NU Coach Bill Carmody really picked up steam. In fact, during player introductions while starters such as Jeff Ryan and Kevin Coble were introduced, the NU student section other gave voice or displayed signs indicting their desire to see NU hire a new coach. The sentiments in the stands probably didn’t make a huge difference of the floor, though, Craig Moore did once to tell group of anti-Carmody students to shut up. Bottom line, playing in a situation where they lost virtually every game and faced uncertainty about their program’s future had to be tough. It was probably especially tough for Jeff Ryan who also ended up missing the season’s final eight games due to injury. While Ryan was out at the end of the season, though, classmate Jeremy Nash made his first major impacts on NU’s basketball program. Nash, who missed the season’s first eight games, started to appear more in the role of defensive stopper and posted career highs in points and rebounds that February before making his first start in the Big Ten Tournament that March. NU lost that BTT game to Minnesota after holding a 10-point, a trend which would depressingly continue the next year, but that game at least showed despite their 1-17 Big Ten record, Northwestern’s basketball team had life.

That life appeared much more clearly in 2008-09. This was the year this class experienced some of the highest highs in NU basketball history, maybe the highest highs since the National Championship of 1931. With Jeremy Nash causing havoc at the point of the 1-3-1 zone, Northwestern upset #7 Michigan State in East Lansing 70-63. It was the Wildcats first ever win at the Breslin Center and their first win over a top-10 team in a decade and a half. Later in the season, the ‘Cats beat Ohio State for the first time in more than a decade and won at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana for the first time ever. Jeremy Nash was active in all those victories, but for classmate Jeff Ryan, the biggest win came when NU won at #19 Purdue. NU’s primary defense in 08-09 was the 1-3-1. However, NU decided to take the rare step on playing man-to-man against Purdue late in the game. When that occurred, Ryan got matched up on Purdue superstar Robbie Hummel and competelly shut him down for a seven minute stretch when the Wildcats surged into the lead.

This season, Jeff Ryan and Kevin Coble have been out virtually all year. Even walk-on senior Matt Steger has spent the majority of the year in street clothes on NU’s bench. As a result, the only senior to any significant time has been Jeremy Nash. With the leadership spotlight on him alone, Nash has responded. People often talk about players making themselves better, but Nash has taken that concept to a whole new level. A guy who looked like he couldn’t through his jump shot into Lake Michigan from the Lakefill as a freshman, Nash now converts about 30% of his threes. That’s not great, but it’s enough that a defense has to respect him as a shooter and that’s given him a much more well-rounded offensive game. It’s the reason he’s second on the team in assists and fourth in scoring. Speaking of Nash making threes, he made what I think is the current front runner for shot of the year when he hit a three to put NU ahead against Illinois on January 23rd. Now, the season isn’t over yet and I hope, and know Jeremy does as well, that both he and his teammates have many more big shots in their future, but it’s impressive that a player who was such an offensive liability in the past can be the guy who made the season’s biggest offensive play. I think it is safe to say that if some players with more talent had Nash’s work ethic they would be far superior to what they are today.

Speaking of work ethic, I’d be remiss if I didn’t end this post with some words of praise for Matt Steger. Thanks to injury Steger, like Coble and Ryan, has spent most of this year sitting behind the bench. But for three years he practiced just as hard as any player on the NU roster and did so not because he needed to get ready to play and beat teams like Michigan State and Purdue, but so his teammates could be ready to beat Michigan State and Purdue. The legacy of this senior class will not doubt be their contributions to some of NU’s best basketball moments, but let’s please remember the member of this class that helped set those moments up even if we as fans didn’t often see him do so.

Finally, best wishes to Jeremy, Jeff, and Matt in their future, whatever that might be, but let’s remember they’ve got at least two more home games and a big Big Ten Tournament at which they could use our support before they leave Evanston.

Go ‘Cats!

Go 2010 Seniors!

Missed Chances Result in Missed Opportunity for NU: Penn State Tops Wildcats 81-70

This loss is significantly worse for NU’s future than last week’s loss to Iowa. Playing at home with some momentum after an impressive overtime win against Minnesota, Northwestern dropped today’s game to Penn State 81-70. With the loss NU’s slim hopes of making the NCAA Tournament are dashed, other than winning the Big Ten Tournament. To be honest, I’m having doubts about NU making the NIT at this point. Other than the Chicago State game, I’m not sure I can predict any wins. If they do get into the NIT, NU will certainly be a 7-seed or an 8-seed in their region. At this point, I suggest all NU fans start reading up on the College Basketball Invitational and check if their cable providers offer HDNet (mine does, but I’d have to up my subscription package). To be honest, the CBI wouldn’t be a bad destination for NU. They’d likely be a high seed and last year’s champ was Oregon State with former NU coach Craig Robinson in charge, which gives Bill Carmody a resource to call on when planning for the tournament.

As to this week’s Wednesday night failure, Penn State played really well on offense using players other than Talor Battle. David Jackson scored 20 points and Chris Babb had 20 points and 6 assists to help Penn State’s offense flow. Honestly, though, I thought once again NU’s defense wasn’t very good. In the first half, Northwestern tried the 1-3-1, but they didn’t deny passing lanes and Penn State got the ball inside easily and got easy baskets. When NU played more matchup and switching man-to-man, but Penn State used a series of screens to always seem to keep NU’s defenders away from shooters. NU has a bad habit of getting lazy in both their regular defenses. In the 1-3-1, NU often doesn’t deny passing lanes or doesn’t step-up to counter drives. In man-to-man or matchup, NU reacts like they’ve never seen a screen before and has no idea how to get over the screen and contest a shot.

I think a lot of this actually goes back to my post before the Minnesota game. The fact is Northwestern is at times a team that doesn’t meet their opponents aggressiveness for 40 minutes. That’s fine against Michigan or Indiana because those teams have players who simply go through the motions. However, other teams don’t. Penn State brought it for 40 minutes tonight and NU didn’t respond.

Part of NU’s failure to respond was a multitude of missed chances. Despite getting easy baskets inside all night, NU settled for 29 threes tonight. Also, Luka Mirkovic missed 6 free throws and a key layup. Jeremy Nash took a three and missed when NU finally cut the lead to two points and following his missed shot, PSU went on an 8-0 (game deciding) run. I don’t really want to pick on Nash for taking the three because he was open, but I think he could have driven the ball or passed to get a better shooter a look as plenty of time remained on the shot clock.

John Shurna and Michael Thompson each will look like they had a good game with 17 points apiece, but they shot really poorly. Thompson was 3-of-8 from three and Shurna was 2-of-9. Combined with Nash’s 2-for-7 it is easy to see when NU lost. NU also got no significant production from Drew Crawford (who looked really lost on defense) and only 4 total bench points. Someone posted a comment on the NU message boards at wildcatreport.com recently indicating Crawford might be hurt. He didn’t look all that hurt in scoring 18 points Sunday, but today he played like a guy who either wasn’t able to get where he needed to be or didn’t know where he needed to be. Either way the result was the same.

NU now heads to Wisconsin on Sunday. It’ll be a tough task, but if NU felt any NCAA Tournament pressure that’s off. The pressure to try and get a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament is also gone. Now NU is competing with Michigan and Minnesota for Big Ten Tournament seeding and still is trying to do enough to at least make the NIT or the CBI.

Extra Thoughts on Some Involved in Sunday’s Game

Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith has got to be one of the nicest people in the world. When he came out before the game on Sunday he shook hands with everybody at the scorer’s table before going to his bench. I’ve worked the scorer’s table at a number of high school basketball games and I’ve never seen this happen. Also, Tubby took several moments to speak with Kevin Coble (as seen above) before he did the regular pregame ritual of talking to Bill Carmody and the officials.

While Tubby might be one of the nicest people around, official Curtis Shaw must be one of the biggest jerks. Shaw ejected two NU fans for, what according to all reports, was relatively tame taunting after his partner Ed Hightower totally missed an out of bounds call. Shaw’s actions shouldn’t surprise, though. He leads all officials in both fouls called and technical fouls called. He also ejected Alabama fans in their game against Purdue and once tossed the Rice University Mascot out of a game. He was also the official who made the horrid call on Jeff Ryan last year in NU’s loss to Purdue which allowed JaJuan Johnson to shot the game winning free throws. People tend to get on Ed Hightower for loving the spotlight when it comes to officiating, but at least Ed focuses on the game. Shaw (and his rabbit ears) seems to be the type to worry about everything. If I were Rich Falk (The Big Ten's top man on refs and NU 1,000-point club member, he had 1,001), I’d tell Curtis Shaw he ought to go work in the CCIW, not the Big Ten.

Alex Marcotullio played an excellent game on defense yesterday. I believe there is no drop-off between Marcotullio at the top of the 1-3-1 and Jeremy Nash at the top of the 1-3-1. At times yesterday, I thought Marcotullio was actually better at pressuring the ball and keeping Minnesota from making easy entry passes.

Bill Carmody used the 1-3-1 most of the game, and though Minnesota’s shooting made the choice scary at times, it was the right move. Nash and Marcotullio provided enough pressure that when NU made its comeback Minnesota didn’t even get shots because Luka Mirkovic and Drew Crawford were benefiting from the Nash and Marcotullio pressure to get steals.

Luka Mirkovic really showed yesterday why I believe he is a much better three point and free throw shooter than he has been to this point. He has a very smooth release and doesn’t have much wasted movement. If Luka can get confident with his shot, NU will be that much tougher to defend.

Davide Curletti played 0+ minutes yesterday and Kyle Rowley also saw limited time. I’ll talk more about this when we get to the offseason, but with those two and Ivan Peljusic backing up Luka, I think either Curletti or Rowley ought to take a redshirt next year.

Wire to Wire Win: Balanced and Consistent Offense Gives NU 78-61 Victory Over IU

Northwestern took the lead on the game’s first possession with a dunk from Drew Crawford. They extended their lead at halftime to 40-29 with a dunk from Mike Capocci. They finished with a 78-61 victory when Ivan Peljusic hit a fade-away. The win keeps NU undefeated at home against unranked opponents and gives the ‘Cats their first three game winning streak over Indiana since 1932. The victory was also NU’s second double-figure win in a row against a conference team. NU’s next game is on the road in Iowa City and this victory makes that contest even more critical for NU’s potential tournament hopes.

How did NU manage to grab today’s lead and hold it the entire game? I believe NU got one their best all around efforts of the season. The ball movement on offense was crisp which set up 10 made threes and a number of other open looks which just missed. The defensive effort was solid overall too. NU blocked 9 shots (John Shurna with 3), grabbed 26 defensive rebounds (Jeremy Nash with 10 rebounds overall), and forced Indiana to 35.3% shoot overall and 11.8% from three. If NU hadn’t committed a ridiculous number of fouls, which allowed IU to get 23 points from the line, Indiana might not have broken 50 points in the game. Aside from the fouls (most of which I thought were good calls if the officials wanted to strictly enforce the rules) Northwestern played outstanding defense. The Wildcats helped and hedged on screens very well, they contested virtually every three point look (which resulted in Jordan Hulls and Devan Dumes going 0-for-8 total), and switched to the 1-3-1 at the exact right time in order to protect against fouls and force Indiana to run off a lot of clock before getting a shot. Indivudally, Luka Mirkovic had 2 steals and overall played well in man-to-man defensive against some on Indiana’s athletic players. He got beat a few times, but forced some bad shots from the Hoosiers as well.

On offense, NU had great balance. All five starters were in double figures. John Shurna lead with the way with 16 points on 5-of-8 made threes and dished out 6 assists as well. Shurna looked remarkably comfortable shooting the ball today. Even some of his misses seemed right on the money. Hopefully, he’ll bring the same accuracy to Iowa City as against the slowdown style of the Hawkeyes, every possess counts.

Luka Mirkovic was mentioned above for defense, but he also scored 14 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out two assist. One of those assists was a key drop-down pass to Drew Crawford at a time when NU’s three point range went a little south and the ‘Cats needed a basket.

Drew Crawford finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds. He had some foul trouble and missed all his three point attempts, but it was good to see Crawford still make a difference even when his shot wasn’t falling.

Michael “Juice” Thompson scored 12 points and had 6 assists in 37 minutes today. Thanks to some foul trouble, Thompson’s 37 minutes actually were slightly below his average giving him a couple mini-rests. When he was on the bench, though, you could tell how NU wasn’t as comfortable on offense. When he came back into the game, NU seemed to stabilize. Thompson had, I think, one of his best assists of the year when he found Jeremy Nash on a sideline cut to setup an and-1 play from Nash.

Speaking of Nash, he was without a doubt the game’s MVP. He recorded his first double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He made a couple big shots both from three point range and going to the rim. Nash still isn’t exactly 100% at going to the hoop, and I’d love to see him try to dunk in order to draw more fouls, but he’s become a real threat with the ball both inside and outside which makes him a serious matchup problem for NU opponents. In addition, he had two blocks on amazing plays where it looked like Indiana would have sure open shots, but Nash’s hustle said otherwise.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning NU got 13 bench points today. Some of those came late, but Alex Marcotullio did hit a key early three and Mike Capocci scored 4 of his 6 points when NU needed something to happen in the first half. Kyle Rowley also added 2 points and 3 rebounds to NU’s bench totals.

NU now takes on Iowa in Iowa City. If the ‘Cats can get that victory it will setup a key showdown a week from today in Evanston against Tubby Smith’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Sweep Complete: 67-52 Win Gives Northwestern First Season Sweep of Michigan in 42 Years

It wasn’t always the cleanest game, but in the end Northwestern came away from tonight’s Big Ten matchup with a key victory in their quest to make the NCAA Tournament. This victory moves the Wildcats to 15-7 overall and puts them in a position to compete for an at-large bid if they finish the season strong. How did Northwestern pull out what turned out to be a very impressive victory? By putting together a total team effort on both offense and defense.

The Wildcats 10-of-20 three point shooting and 21 assists on 25 made field goals were very impressive, but I was even more impressed with the defensive effort NU put forth. Northwestern’s defense has been (correctly) criticized at times this season. Statistics clearly show NU has been much less effective on the defensive end of the court than last season. You could put together a lot of theories for this, but to be honest in my eyes it’s pretty easy explanation. At times it looks like Northwestern simply gets lazy on defense. If you watch closely, you can tell when Jeremy Nash or Alex Marcotullio is really active at the top of the 1-3-1 or when they simply go through the motions. You can also tell when NU seriously fights through screens in the switching man-to-man or when the ‘Cats chose to take an easy and act as if they want to save energy. Early in the game NU looked like they wanted to conserve energy, but from about the under four minute in the first half until the finish of the game, NU got serious about defense. Although he has really struggled on offense, and wasn’t much better today, I have to give credit to Alex Marcotullio for being a big part of that wakeup call. After Jeremy Nash went out with two fouls, Marcotullio had to enter the game at the top of the 1-3-1 and was very active. He tipped and kicked a couple passes and was clearly working hard to move his feet and create difficult passes. Marcotullio’s intensity carried over to Nash and the rest of his teammates in the second half. NU switched out of the 1-3-1 to the switching man-to-man and did a remarkable job defending Manny Harris. NU made a clear effort to make Harris play to his weaknesses. A number of defenders spent time getting in front of Harris and trying to force him to either dribble left and his weak hand, or take a jump shot (where he makes less than 30%) as opposed to take an easy right hand drive to the hoop. Though a number of Wildcats were involved, I want to give special credit to Luka Mirkovic, who despite having obvious athletic disadvantages, played great help defense on Harris when he tried to drive and played man-to-man on DeShawn Sims so well that Sims eventually started committing frustration fouls. Luka also got 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals (one of which was a spectacular effort where he gave up his body). The Big Ten Network show the Journey is supposed to feature Luka this week and he put on a good show for the BTN crew to film tonight.

NU also got a performance from Drew Crawford which might have made Michigan feel as if they were in a time warp. Crawford scored 11 second half points to help put the game out of reach. He made 4 threes, but his runner from the right baseline and his and-1 reverse layup were his most memorable shots. At time Crawford makes silly freshman mistakes and forces passes, but little doubt exists he is NU’s most athletic player and the clear front runner for Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

NU outrebounded Michigan 30 to 27. Jeremy Nash pulled down 11 of those rebounds and John Shurna added 8. This might not have been Nash’s best offensive game in terms of shooting the ball (2-of-9), but he was all over place on the boards and played great defensive, plus he contributed on offense with 5 assists. Shurna scored 15 points and also had 5 assists. I also really liked how Shurna didn’t force things. He let the game come to him and ended up shooting threes at the right time and shooting twos at the right time.

NU’s other double figure scorer was Michael “Juice” Thompson. Thompson scored 12 points and NU moved to 12-2 when Thompson hits double figures. Juice had 3 turnovers in this game, which is a lot for him, but you can tell just how much confidence Northwestern gets from having Thompson run the team. He always seems to know how to find an open teammate or how to get himself open when NU needs a big three. At times I’d really like to see Thompson be more aggressive on offense, but he knows the system so well that he doesn’t seem to want to do things outside of the team’s offense.

Finally, Northwestern got six bench points tonight. That’s actually a lot for NU, however, four of those came with the game decided. Mike Capocci’s ally-op dunk from Ivan Peljusic was awesome, but the fact is NU really needs help on the bench. Kyle Rowley’s two first half points were the only bench points NU got which were meaningful. As the season progresses, I think getting Alex Marcotullio to break through his freshman wall and Kyle Rowley to continue to grow will be important. I’d also be curious to see if Davide Curletti and Mike Capocci start to develop roles. They each have good athletic skill, but haven’t really found a way into the regular rotation.

Michigan State Runs Past ‘Cats in Second Half for 79-70 Victory

Michigan State lead Northwestern 30-28 at halftime, but despite being down two points, it looked like Northwestern might actually have control of the game. Unfortunately, it didn’t take Michigan State long to extend their lead and completely gain control of the game in the second half. While they settled for 11 three point attempts in the first half, in the second half Michigan State shot only 4 threes. Instead, they worked the ball inside against Northwestern’s 1-3-1 zone and rushed down the court to get easy looks (i.e. dunks) in transition. The result was Michigan State shooting 75% in second half overall and 81% on two point field goal attempts. Credit has to go to Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo for making a coaching adjustment which essentially turned the game in his favor.

Of course, Izzo’s ability to make that adjustment has a lot to do with the fact he has a team of superior athletes. Even if Bill Carmody wanted Northwestern to push the ball in transition, I don’t think their effort would be anywhere near Michigan State’s. As far as attacking the 1-3-1, Michigan State’s superior inside athletic skill helped their as well. What also helped was it was clearly evident Michigan State had been fully prepped for facing the 1-3-1. They seemed to know exactly where the openings were and what to do in order to get easy baskets. The day ended with Michigan State committing only 10 turnovers (NU had 11) and getting six steals (NU had 4). Last season Northwestern dominated both those categories in their huge upset win. If NU wants to pull off wins later this year they have to get back to regularly forcing turnovers.

NU made a couple unique personal moves tonight. Kyle Rowley played only three minutes, probably because he didn’t matchup with MSU’s athletic front court. In place of Rowley, Davide Curletti played 18 minutes. Curletti didn’t score, but he did grab 3 rebounds and get 4 assists. That was better than starter Luka Mirkovic who really struggled tonight and ended up with 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. I honestly think Mirkovic could matchup with MSU’s inside players, but he didn’t seem comfortable or confident tonight.

Mike Capocci played 9 fairly strong minutes. He scored 4 points (including a nice dunk on a backdoor pass) and got 2 rebounds. I think Capocci is clearly earning more time and should be used as a backup for Drew Crawford. NU’s guards, however, have virtually no reserve support. Michael “Juice” Thompson played 39 minutes and stayed on the court until he fouled out. Thompson didn’t have a great game shooting only 2-of-8 overall and 1-of-5 from behind the arc. Much like the game in Evanston, MSU did a great job defending Thompson and taking him out of NU’s offense. Drew Crawford had similar struggles with his shot. He finished 3-of-9 from the floor.

NU did get 31 points from John Shurna and Jeremy Nash made 3-of-5 shots and dished out 3 assists without a turnover. Shurna’s 31 points came on a lot of shots (23) and he made 6-of-13 threes. That might seem like a lot of shots, but at times it seemed like NU’s other players didn’t want to shoot the ball.

Northwestern ends January 3-6 in the Big Ten and 4-6 overall for the month. John Shurna has asserted himself as one of the Big Ten’s best offensive players and despite a poor game tonight, Luka Mirkovic has started to give NU an inside game. With their wins over Purdue and Illinois, the Wildcats made a case for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. Now they have to build on that case by being victorious in a number of “should-win” contests in February and March.

State of Joy: 73-68 Victory Gives Wildcats First Win Over In-State Rival in Six Years

In a game some experts termed an NCAA Tournament elimination game, the Northwestern Wildcats persevered and hung around long enough to fight and scrap their way to a 73-68 win over the University of Illinois. That star for Northwestern was senior Jeremy Nash who earned his first career victory over the Illini by posting a career-high 22 points. Along with those points, Nash totaled 4 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists. He also made 9-of-10 free throws, including the final two which iced the game when Illinois cut NU’s late lead to just three points.

What made this win even better, though, was Nash wasn’t the only star. Northwestern played 10 players in the game and all seemed to make at least some small contribution to the victory. Part of the reason for Bill Carmody’s need to clear his bench was early foul trouble for Michael “Juice” Thompson and John Shurna. Juiced played his season low in minutes with only 27. He totaled only 4 points and made just 1-of-5 shots, but in the end his only made three was one of several clutch shots helped NU hold the lead after Nash put them ahead 53-52. Thompson also had 3 assists and one of those assists setup a John Shurna three which also helped NU’s efforts to ice the victory. Shurna finished the game with 19 points total. Like Nash, he made 9-of-10 free throws including a number of which helped NU hold off Illinois.

Another Wildcat who deserves some credit is freshman guard Drew Crawford. Northwestern actually got out to an early lead thanks to 9 early points from Crawford. A couple of those came on drives which showed why some believe Crawford is Northwestern’s most athletic recruit ever.

Illinois took their lead with Thompson on the bench. During that period, it was a combination of guys, but especially Nash, Crawford, and Kyle Rowley who helped keep NU with in striking distance until the ‘Cats could find the range for big threes late from Nash, Thompson, and Shurna.

While Nash, Shurna, and Crawford were NU’s offensive leaders, Luka Mirkovic and Kyle Rowley provided solid efforts in the post and just enough offense. Mirkovic scored 9 points and grabbed 9 rebounds (3 offensive). Kyle Rowley came off the bench and might have played his best six minutes of the year. When Illinois was trying to make a run, Rowley made two huge baskets which ensured the game didn’t fall out of reach for NU.

NU also got solid minutes from Ivan Peljusic, Nick Fruendt, and Mike Capocci. Peljusic and Fruendt more or less just helped keep the game close by not making mistakes. Capocci did the same, but also has to get a major thumbs-up for getting two rebounds, including an offensive rebound which setup a big three, in just six minutes.

One interesting statistical note from the contest was Northwestern won despite allowing Illinois to shoot 55.3%. Even more amazing was that NU only shot 40.4% and made just 7-of-28 threes. NU was able to win despite these stats because they got more offensive rebounds than U of I (10 to 6) and because Northwestern was able to force Illinois to take more difficult shots than they did in Champaign. Yes, the Illini’s guards got some easy drives and open threes, but Mike Tisdale only took 6 shots and Mike Davis only took 6. Those two combined for 51 points in Champaign. Today they got only 14 points (all from Tisdale). Davis scored 0 points and got only 2 rebounds. Credit for stopping U of I’s easy baskets has to got to go to NU’s ability to consistently and successfully change defenses. It looked like U of I was never totally sure what defense NU was playing. That led to 16 Illinois turnovers which also contributed to keeping NU in the game until they made their run.

A few highlight plays from the game included John Shurna throwing down a two-handed dunk on back door pass from Luka Mirkovic. Credit to Coach Carmody for coming up with that play. Also, a great play by Juice Thompson to take a charge from Brandon Paul when NU needed a key stop. Kyle Rowley’s two baskets also showed some of the best footwork on his career and came at key times. I believe we might be seeing signs of a very positive future from Rowley based on his last three games. Finally, I have to say the three by Jeremy Nash which gave NU the 53-52 lead has to be the game’s biggest shot. It was big not just because it gave NU the lead, but because the way Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted after that shot was unbelievable. It might have been the loudest Welsh-Ryan has gotten since March of 1994 when NU defeated DePaul in the NIT. If Welsh-Ryan is like that in NU’s last six home games, I think Northwestern might have one of the best home court advantages in the nation.

Rush the Floor! Northwestern Takes Down #6 Purdue 72-64

Last month I listed the top 10 Northwestern basketball games of the 2000s. A number of those were games which, even though they occurred years ago, fans still talk about today. Tonight’s Wildcat victory over sixth-ranked Purdue will no doubt be another contest fans will talk about for years to come. It was a win which included contributions from all throughout the Wildcat roster. From guys you expect to play well in big wins like Michael “Juice” Thompson to surprises like Kyle Rowley. It also came at a time when the Wildcat program was teetering on the brink on slipping from early season ranked team to NIT-bubble resident. The ‘Cats might not get their ranking back after this win, but at least they have a win over a top-25 program which boosts their NCAA Tournament credibility.

The first half of the today’s game ended with NU holding a 26-25 lead. It was a sloppy first half with nine Northwestern turnovers, but the ‘Cats had done a few small things which setup their second half success. First off, they attacked the paint with Luka Mirkovic. Mirkovic’s ability to get a couple early baskets forced Purdue center JaJuan Johnson into foul trouble. In fact, Johnson didn’t even start the second half because of three fouls. NU also hit the glass aggressively. Kyle Rowley, who has taken a lot of criticism of late, came up big with 4 rebounds in the first half to help NU to a double-digit rebound advantage. Rowley also made four big free throws. Looking closely, it appears Rowley has worked hard at the line. He’s changed his shot to have less of an arc and now it looks much more likely to fall into the net instead of bricking on the back of the iron.

With NU’s centers having helped establish Wildcat inside dominance in the first half, NU started the second half attacking Purdue in the paint with Johnson on the bench. Luka Mirkovic picked up one of his two assists on a slick pass to Jeremy Nash and Mirkovic himself got an early second half look from Juice Thompson. Purdue then put Johnson back in the game and would eventually take the lead away from NU, but that was when NU’s backcourt started making a difference.

Thompson was NU’s leading scorer in the contest with 20 points. Three came when he converted a three point play to help the Wildcats answer a Purdue run on an amazing backdoor pass from Drew Crawford. Speaking of Crawford, when Purdue claimed a 50-48 lead and had NU inbounding with only 2 seconds left on the shot clock, momentum seemed about to swing Purdue’s way. However, Crawford got a huge screen from Jeremy Nash and found himself wide open to drill a three which gave the momentum back to NU.

A few moments later another Wildcat stepped up. Jeremy Nash made a one point game a three point game when he forced one of only six Purdue turnovers by jumping a pass and going all the way to the hoop for a layup. Shortly after that layup, Crawford made another big three with the shot clock running down to get NU up five and added a big three point play when he crossed over Purdue guard Ryne Smith and took the ball to the basket with authority.

To Purdue’s credit, the Boilers never gave up. But with the clock running down, and Purdue desperately trying to foul, the Wildcats went back to Luka Mirkovic when Juice dribbled around the defense and found the 6-11 center in a spread court situation with just over 18 seconds left. It should also be noted big free throws from Juice, Luka, Crawford, and Nash also helped NU salt away the game late. NU made 26-of-30 free throws in this game, almost the exact opposite of Wednesday against Wisconsin. If you look closely you’ll seen that when NU hits free throws (like today and at Michigan) they win Big Ten games. When they miss, they don’t. NU’s continued ability to come through at the line will bear close scrutiny the rest of the way.

Some numbers of note besides the free throw percentage were Luka’s final totals, 16 points and 10 rebounds. Juice’s shooting, 6-of-9 overall, 2-of-2 from three, 6-of-6 from the line. Also, Drew Crawford’s overall day, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7-of-10 free throws, 2-of-2 threes. Finally, NU’s total rebounding numbers, a 42-23 advantage, making up for the fact the ‘Cats struggled to force turnovers and get off three points. In fact, the only 4 made threes NU had were the ones from Thompson and Crawford. The rest of the ‘Cats went 0-of-7 from behind the arc.

The bottom line, though, is this win gave Northwestern’s program a much needed second January victory. If NU gets two more wins this month they’ll be in great shape to make a run to the tourney. The stat people will probably contesting mention is the fact this is Northwestern’s first home win over a top-10 team since beating Michigan 97-93 in overtime at the end of the 1994 regular season. What I think is important is what this game does for NU’s collective psyche. After Wednesday, Northwestern was 0-2 at home in the Big Ten. That had to weigh on a team that knows very well winning at home is the key to making the Big Dance. Also, the ‘Cats also hadn’t recorded a truly big win in their previous 12 victories. Now, they have a marquee victory. Trust me, in the end Purdue might not be top-10 material, but they’ll finish in the top-25. From a fan’s perspective, it was also nice to see the ‘Cats give a big home crowd something to cheer about and a reason to rush the floor.

Opportunity Lost: Badgers top Wildcats 60-50

There really isn’t much to say about this game (but I’ll probably say a fair amount anyway). This contest can be boiled down to Northwestern missing a ton of opportunities to not only win the game, but actually take a solid lead and put Wisconsin away. First, at one point Wisconsin missed ten straight shots and NU couldn’t take control of the game. The biggest lead NU got in that sequence was 3 points. Second, NU allowed Wisconsin a ton of second chances and failed to get steals. If you can’t get rebounds, you have to get steals. Northwestern did neither. Third, Northwestern couldn’t make free throws. They finished 9-of-16 from the line, but all seven misses were big. Luka Mirkovic and Drew Crawford missed opportunities to extend the lead and Michael Thompson missed a chance to keep NU in the game with Wisconsin up 52-48. Thompson’s miss essentially resulted in a five point play when he missed the front end of the 1-and-1 and Hughes drilled a three.

Northwestern has at least 16 games left before Selection Sunday, but in failing to take this game on their home court, a game which Wisconsin wanted to give away, Northwestern looks more like a team destined for the NIT or CBI than the NCAA Tournament. Some will say I’m jumping the gun in that declaration, and for the record I’m not saying NU won’t make the NCAA Tournament, but I’m just evaluating what I see right now. If NU wants to make the NCAA Tournament they will need to take a lesson from last year’s Badgers and at some point make up for a poor stretch with a huge run. Saturday would be a good opportunity to start. Purdue will be looking to preserve their shot at the Big Ten Title, NU will be looking for the key chance for a marquee win they let slip through their fingers today.

Right now, as good as the Wildcats are in some areas, they are seriously flawed in others. Not as flawed as teams like Michigan or Iowa, but the Wildcats do have some clear deficiencies which have kept them from what could have been a 3-1 league start. For starters, what was supposed to be a deep team gets no production off the bench. Injuries aside, the ‘Cats are a five man team. In the last two games, NU’s bench production has been two Kyle Rowley rebounds and a lot of fouls. That’s not a recipe for success. Also, NU really isn’t a consistent free throw shooting team. The ‘Cats came through with free throws Sunday, but could have built an addition to Welsh-Ryan with their bricks tonight. Good teams are consistent from the line, especially from guys who are ball handlers and three point shooters. A little more consistency from behind the arc would also help NU. Somehow, Bill Carmody needs to get some pressure off of Thompson so he can get shots. Wisconsin is a good model. Letting Jordan Taylor handle some of the point guard load helps Hughes get into the offense more as a shooter. NU also failed to get anywhere near the 11 three pointers I said they would need to win. In fact, the ‘Cats hit just 5 and only 1 in the second half.

Looking at the stats, John Shurna played another solid game with 15 points and 6 rebounds (by my unofficial count) and Jeremy Nash added a more than adequate 13 points. I was very pleased see Nash play well. Also, Luka Mirkovic scored 8 points and had 10 rebounds, but as much as Wisconsin controlled the glass, I’m not sure I’d call Mirkovic’s performance his best. Some of those rebounds would have been tough to get too, but Coach Carmody did pull Luka after the two he missed out on when Wisconsin extended the lead and it looked as if he felt Luka didn't get into position.


Finally, I have to say the students did a very nice job of showing up tonight. However, I was still disappointed by the number of Badger fans present. I suspect it’ll be a similar situation Saturday with Purdue. Hopefully NU can fix some of their issues and those fans won’t have as much to cheer about.

The Most Important Player in NU’s Quest to Upset Top-20 Foes

It might surprise some people, but I don’t think Michael “Juice” Thompson or John Shurna will be NU’s most important player when NU takes on two of the Big Ten’s top teams this week. Don’t get more wrong, they’re great players who are critical to NU’s success, but I think the guy who NU needs to show up and play big in order to ensure success is senior guard Jeremy Nash. More specifically, Nash needs to be involved in the offense as a three pointer shooter and the defense as someone who aggressively seeks steals.

Part of the reason for this is the team can greatly benefit from Nash’s experience which seems to stabilize the young ‘Cats , but Nash’s importance isn’t just intangible. It is in fact very tangible. Take a look at NU’s three biggest wins (Notre Dame, Iowa State, and N.C. State) and you’ll find a common element. Jeremy Nash stuffed the stat sheet.

Against Notre Dame, Nash played 39 minutes. He scored 6 points (2 threes), grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, had 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Against Iowa State, Nash played 36 minutes. He scored 10 points (2 more threes), grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out 5 more assists, and had 2 more steals.

Against N.C. State, Nash played only 33 minutes due to foul trouble, but he scored 12 points (again 2 threes), grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, had 2 more steals, and added another block.

If you’ll notice, in all those games Nash made critical threes. This was important because it forced the defense to respect his shot and allowed for more open looks from guys like John Shurna in the post and Juice from the outside. When Nash doesn’t hit shots, like MSU or UTPA, teams are allowed to focus more on NU’s better known three point threats.

Jeremy also helped administer the offense in those three games above. When Nash isn’t involved as a distributer NU struggles. This is because as a senior Nash probably has the best command of NU’s Princeton Offense other than, perhaps, Juice. Nash plays smart. He knows when to attack the basket and when to throw the ball backdoor. However, Nash’s ability to attack and get clear passing lanes is assisted by his ability to make three pointers. On cold shooting nights, Nash’s efforts to attack the hoop tend to be more desperate and forced and they result in nights like the game against Michigan State where Jeremy missed three shots from 2 feet or closer.

On defense, Jeremy Nash had an average of 2 steals per game in those big wins. He also was a massive disruption to Michigan’s offense in NU’s huge comeback. On the other hand, in NU’s recent losses Nash struggled to get his hands on any passes. It seems NU’s entire defense takes their cues from Nash. When he is lazy, the team’s lazy. They don’t hustle to deny passing lanes and they watch other teams grab rebounds. This was evident on Sunday when an aggressive Jeremy Nash started tipping passes and seemed to wake up NU’s 1-3-1 defense.

Bottom line, Jeremy Nash filled up the stat sheet both offensively and defensively in NU’s biggest wins. If the ‘Cats want to pull upsets against Top-20 Big Ten foes they need big games from thier senior leader.

News and Notes: DePaul fired coach Jerry Wainwright. This isn't much of a suprise, but after bringing him back after last year I'm suprised they fired him so early this year. It will be interesting to see if the Demons move to hire a full-time replacement right away or wait until till the end of the year...Wisconsin has lost forward Jon Leuer due to a wrist injury. More on Leuer in the game preview I'll post Tuesday.

Illini Surge in 2nd Half and Overtime to Top ‘Cats 89-83

On the road at Assembly Hall Northwestern played a very solid first half making 11 three pointers and taking a halftime lead of 9 points. However, led by Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis the Illinois Fighting Illini came back to top the ‘Cats with solid play in the second half and the overtime period.

Northwestern did an excellent job in the first half making threes. Jeremy Nash in particular was excellent with 4 first half threes. However, perhaps the ‘Cats ability to make threes in the first half harmed the ‘Cats in the second half. In the second half the ‘Cats made just 3-of-24 threes and seemed to force many of those three point shots. When NU started going inside in the second half John Shurna converted a number of easy baskets, but the Illini had already gotten back in the game by that point. Based in part of those second half baskets, as well as four threes, Shurna was the ‘Cats leading scorer with 27 points. He also added 7 rebounds and four assists.

The ‘Cats leading rebounder was freshman Drew Crawford who had 8 rebounds. Five of those came on the offensive glass including one key rebound put-back dunk which kept NU in the game. Crawford wasn’t great shooting the ball (5-of-13 overall, 2-of-7 three), but his overall performance was solid for a young freshman in his first Big Ten game.

Crawford’s freshman teammate Alex Marcotullio was solid as well with 13 points (4-of-9 threes), however, he struggled somewhat defensively allowing Illinois’s guards to make easy passes to the post.

Overall, the biggest negative for Northwestern was on the defensive end of things. The ‘Cats started well in the man-to-man, but switched to the 1-3-1 and didn’t get the regular production of turnovers generally expected. To be honest, I thought NU was the least aggressive in the 1-3-1 they have been all season. Some of that might have been a result of Illinois being more athletic at the guard spots than NU’s past opponents. However, that’s no excuse. If Northwestern wants to play 1-3-1 they have to produce turnovers. Otherwise teams will take advantage of the fact the zone leaves shooters open or forces mismatches under the basket. Illinois was masterful with this. The Illini comeback was basically tied to NU not switching out of the 1-3-1 when it wasn’t working. Mike Tisdale scored 31 points and much of those came on mismatches or put-backs and Mike Davis scored 20 points and got 17 rebounds. Perhaps the three key plays were the two rebound put-back baskets those two got to start OT and the wide open corner three from Bill Cole late in the 2nd half which in the end forced NU only to be able to tie the game at the end of regulation and not win the game.

News and Notes: Michael “Juice” Thompson (7 points, 8 assists) left the game late with some type of ankle injury…Northwestern’s women’s basketball team has an equally tough test tomorrow (Thursday) vs #6 Ohio State...The men's hoops game vs #11 Michigan State is a sell-out, but football season ticket holders can still get seats under the basket.

10 Things We Know After NU’s First 11 Games

1. Juice Thompson is NU’s best player. He averages 16.7 ppg to lead the team, he has 42 assists and only 15 turnovers, he makes 80.4% of his free throws, and 42.5% of his threes. He is also clearly NU’s leader on the floor. The guy who the ‘Cats can go to when they need a big shot.

2. Alex Marcotullio isn’t just a three point shooter. Marcotullio is second on the team in made threes, but he is also second in steals and his consistently aggressively attacked the glass.

3. John Shurna is a serious offensive threat both inside and out. Shurna’s hasn’t shot that well from three this year (25%), but he still scores 15.9 ppg. That’s because he has become very comfortable attacking the hoop and scoring in the open court.

4. Drew Crawford is a legit scoring threat. At the start of the year Crawford started a tad slow, but since his 35 point output against N.C. A&T he has been in double figures every game. Right now he averages 10.2 ppg and is shooting 53.9% from the field.

5. Luka Mirkovic can hit a three point shot. Right now Mirkovic is only 4-of-10 three pointers, but it is clear from the smooth shot he takes that he can help open up NU’s offense from behind the three point line.

6. Jeremy Nash can hit a three point shot. In the past Nash was just a defensive specialist, but he is making 33% of his threes. That’s not great, but its good enough that teams have to respect him from behind the arc.

7. Kyle Rowley still needs to improve. Rowley is NU’s biggest player, but he still struggles to get rebounds and score. Hopefully he’ll improve in these areas as his size makes him valuable.

8. Davide Curletti is a legitimate option at center. Before he got hurt, Curletti had big moments against Tennessee State and Iowa State. If Rowley can’t perform consistently, I think a healthy Curletti is a good option at center.

9. The Wildcats can win away from home. NU has only played 3 games away from Welsh-Ryan, but they were all against BCS-foes and NU won all three. Two neutral courts and one at N.C. State.

10. Northwestern can make the NCAA Tournament. When Kevin Coble went down many fans thought NU would be lucky to make the CBI, but the ‘Cats are now 10-1 and are getting production from a number of surprising sources in order to make up for the loss of Coble and Jeff Ryan

Wildcats Continue to Show Three Point Range in 84-54 Victory over UNF

Northwestern didn’t match their shooting from Sunday’s game, but the Wildcats still delivered an impressive display of accuracy shooting ball in an 84-54 victory over North Florida.

What was perhaps most impressive in a game which NU expected to win and did so handily was the performance of center Luka Mirkovic. Mirkovic who has shown sporadic three point range at times in his career hit his first three threes of the season tonight. For a guy who hadn’t hit a three all year, and had only tried two, Mirkovic shot the ball with an easy confidence which makes me believe he could be a serious threat from behind the arc this year. For the night, Mirkovic scored a total of 13 points and set up other players with his excellent passing recording 8 assists.

If Mirkovic indeed proves to be a consistent shooter it will be almost impossible for teams to defend NU’s Princeton Offense. Tonight 4 of 5 NU starters hit at least one three. The only player who did not hit a three was John Shurna and although he has struggled recently, I am confident a shooting hot streak from Shurna is just around the corner.

I should also point out that Shurna did score 11 points tonight and did an overall solid job of finishing around the basket. He also grabbed 6 rebounds. I’m actually more concerned with Shurna’s somewhat inconsistent free throw shooting (he was 3-of-5 tonight) than I am about his three point shooting.

Michael “Juice” Thompson, Drew Crawford, Jeremy Nash, and Alex Marcotullio also finished in double figures from Northwestern. Crawford started hot by scoring NU’s first five points of the game and hitting two threes in the first half. He finished the game with 10 points. Thompson hit some big shots early as well and delivered in the first part of the second half as well before leaving for a well deserved rest of nearly 10 minutes. Before taking his break, Thompson scored 14 points and hit four threes. Jeremy Nash had his usual solid game defensively and also finished around the basket very well several times. Nash totaled 11 points. Marcotullio totaled 10 points and made two threes, though, his shot looked a tad off in the second half. Perhaps the best statistic from Marcotullio was that he recorded 5 steals. Although Jeremy Nash might NU’s best option atop the 1-3-1, I really like that Marcotullio can play that spot because it gives NU the chance to put Nash on the wing where he can anticipate passes and get more steals.

Moving down the NU bench a bit, I want to congratulate Reggie Hearn on the first five points of his career. Hearn even got in the NU’s three point act by hitting a long three of his own. Ivan Peljusic also got some extended minutes and had highlights in making a slick behind the back pass to setup a layup and hitting a three. If Davide Curletti’s ankle sprain is serious Peljusic will become a very important player.

The only major disappointments from tonight were NU’s early defense and Kyle Rowley’s continued struggles. NU needs to come out of the locker room with intensity on defense during their future games or contests could get ugly. Rowley needs to be able to finish around the basket when he is open and get off the ground going for layups and rebounds. It’s great he’s a big body, but when he doesn’t jump his height becomes something of a non-factor. It is critically important Rowley improve because NU cannot go with Luka Mirkovic for 40 minutes and Curletti’s status is uncertain.

Eight Threes by Drew Crawford Lead NU to Record Setting 90-65 Win

Drew Crawford scored 35 points and made eight three pointers Sunday afternoon in just his eighth college basketball game. Crawford’s 8 threes were joined by 12 more from his teammates for a Northwestern record 20 made three pointers in a single game.

Crawford’s 35 points also allowed NU to distinguish itself as the only Big Ten team to have four different players score 30 or more points in a game over the past two years. Crawford joins Craig Moore, Kevin Coble, and Michael “Juice” Thompson on that list of NU’s players to surpass 30 in a game. When you consider how much NU struggled to score in past seasons, it is amazing to think that NU has had some of the league’s top scorers the past two years.

Juice Thompson was second on NU in scoring this afternoon with 19 points and five made threes. Juice also distinguished himself in the scorebook with 8 assists against only one turnover. Perhaps most importantly, though, Juice also got the most rest he has had all season playing only 34 minutes in the lopsided NU victory. With the Wildcats playing 3 games this week it was nice to see Juice get some well deserved rest. Two other Wildcats in double figures were Alex Marcotullio who scored 11 points and made 3-of-5 three pointers and Jeremy Nash who scored 10 points, made 2-of-5 threes, had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and finished one of the most impressive alley-op dunks I’ve seen from an NU player on a pass from Juice Thompson.

In the front court, NU got substantial rebounding numbers from both John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic. Shurna had 10 rebounds with 4 coming on the offensive glass and Mirkovic had 8 rebounds. Neither player scored much with Shurna getting 6 points and Mirkovic getting 3, but both guys contributed to the victory. They also combined for 5 assists with 3 from Mirkovic and 2 from Shurna.

As well as Northwestern shot today it is easy to envision the Wildcats having unprecedented success the rest of season, but the truth is this game was far from perfect. Bill Carmody showed clear displeasure with NU’s defense in the first half when the ‘Cats gave up 37 points. NU played much better defense in the second half, but clearly this was far from NU’s best defensive effort. When NU plays in the Big Ten they’ll need more consistency on defense. Also, although he had 10 rebounds John Shurna continues to struggle with his three point shot. Even in his 25 point game against Iowa State, Shurna hit only 3-of-10 threes. Combined with his game at N.C. State and today Shurna has hit just 3-of-19 threes over the past threes games. On the year he’s far below 30% from behind the arc. The good news is Shurna can score in many ways, but I think Big Ten teams will be more prepared for him. Shurna needs to heat up from behind the arc if he wants to be a truly difficult match up from Big Ten teams in the same mode as Purdue’s Robbie Hummel. Perhaps Coach Carmody having some weaknesses to point out is good, because NU can accomplish a lot if they keep winning and not looking past opponents.

Taking a look ahead, Northwestern plays North Florida on Wednesday night and Stanford on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats will be favored in both games and if they can get past those teams and Central Connecticut State on December 22nd, NU will start Big Ten play with their best record since the 1993-94 team was 9-0 to start the year. With two more wins this week NU also has an outside chance to achieve their first national ranking in almost four decades. Granted UNF and Stanford aren’t powerhouses, but if NU is 9-1 after this week, and the right combination of teams go down, the ‘Cats could be ranked by the Tuesday before Christmas. That would be an incredible present for Wildcat fans.

News and Notes: The crowd of 3926 was pretty good today when you factor in the late Sunday start time and no students on campus...the officials today were Ed Hightower, Dan Chrisman, and Eric Curry all three have worked many big games so it was kind of funny to see them working NU and N.C. A&T...NU’s women’s basketball team also won today. The Wildcats defeated Kansas State 53-50 in Manhattan, Kansas. Those ‘Cats are 7-2 and 1-0 in the Big Ten. They like the men’s squad hope to follow the fine example of Coach Pat Fitzgerald’s football team and qualify this year for the postseason...Future Wildcat JerShon Cobb led his team past future Illinois guard Jereme Richmond when their high schools met at the Best of the Midwest Shootout in Marion, Illinois. Cobb posted 26 points to Richmond's 20 and Cobb's Columbia (GA) High School beat Waukegan in overtime 78-71. The current Wildcats open Big Ten play with the current Fighting Illini on December 30th.

Northwestern Survives N.C. State’s Challenge

Kevin Coble might be out, but John Shurna once again helped fill the void

For a game which Northwestern won by a seemingly comfortable margin of 65-53, and which NU lead by as many as 14, this was a major dog fight. Much to the credit of Sidney Lowe’s team, N.C. State never gave up the battle even when NU looked to have control of the contest. I think this actually turned out to be a great thing for Northwestern. The Wildcats learned a lot of positive things about themselves in the process of their successful effort to keep the Wolfpack comeback at bay. Other NU teams would have collapsed when the game went from 14 to 4, but this squad kept silencing the Wolfpack crowd.

The ESPNU broadcast team named Michael “Juice” Thompson the MVP of the contest and while I loved what Juice did tonight, I think I’d have picked Jeremy Nash. It seemed the Wolfpack run started when Nash got his fourth foul and had to go to the bench. I was also impressed, as I have been all year, with Nash’s all around game. Tonight he scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. This will only improve on his season averages which were about 8 points and 7 rebounds respectively. Nash’s ability to score just enough and hit the glass has been a huge help in making up the lost production of Kevin Coble. I should also credit Nash for his four assists and total confidence from the free throw line tonight. His production from a guy who was almost a non-factor on offense to someone who is a legitimate threat to score has been remarkable.

Of course, I also have to give a big thumbs up to Juice Thompson. He led NU’s offense with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Many of those baskets came on great drives to the hoop in which he used his superior quickness to get easy buckets. If that becomes a regular part of Thompson’s arsenal that will make his ability to make passes to the corner for open shots easier. Thompson actually only had two assists tonight, but one of those two set up perhaps the biggest shot of the game. With N.C. State charging back into the contest and NU only up four, Thompson set up Alex Marcotullio for an open three which Marcotullio canned to put the ‘Cats back up seven. That was particularly big as it showed Marcotullio wasn’t fazed by his involvement in a controversial technical call just moments earlier. To be honest, I think of Alex Marcotullio we can say, “Nothing fazes him.” He is the type of competitor which makes a team a winning team and he’s doing that here at Northwestern.

One NU player who played great early in the game was John Shurna. He scored 10 of his 11 points in the first half. Those points even included another nice dunk. In the second half N.C. State clearly remembered Shurna was the Big Ten Player of the Week and started guarding him, but he once again got NU off to a great start. He also had 8 rebounds. One thing which will make opposing teams just put up their hands in frustration against Shurna will be if he starts making threes. He’s only 3-of-12 in his last two games, but I still think he’s due for an incredible hot streak from behind the arc.

I also want to add a comment on NU’s center position. This position remains an enigma to me. Tonight both Mirkovic and Rowley had nice moments. Rowley scored in the post early and blocked two shots. Luka hit two nice turnaround jumpers, two blocks, and grabbed 5 rebounds. However, both centers turned the ball over three times. That means NU had six of their 17 turnovers from one spot on the floor. Rowley is scary whenever he has the ball away from the hoop and Mirkovic seems to travel whenever he tries to score in the post. Again, I’m a strong believe these guys need PT to improve, but I’d really like to see them cut down on the turnovers before Big Ten season starts.

The bottom line, though, is this was a great win. NU is 6-1 and has four winnable nonconference games left before the Big Ten season starts. NU also has two very winnable non-conference games during Big Ten play which means NU will be favored to post 12 wins outside of the Big Ten. That’s big step towards the postseason.

67-65 Victory Over Iowa State Gives Northwestern Chicago Invitational Challenge Title

John Shurna scored 23 points in a follow up effort to yesterday’s 25 to lead Northwestern to a 67-65 victory over Iowa State and the Chicago Invitational Challenge Championship. The win gave the Wildcats their first in-season tournament title since December 30, 1993. Shurna’s 48 points in two days gave him the tournament’s MVP award. Along with Shurna’s MVP honors, Jeremy Nash and Michael “Juice” Thompson represented NU on the All-Tournament Team for the CIC.

In tonight’s game Shurna scored 17 points in the first half. When NU got off to a very slow start, it was 9 early points by Shurna which kept NU in the game. Although Iowa State adjusted to keep Shurna somewhat quiet after his early outburst of points, the Wildcat sophomore still kept himself involved in the NU offensive by dishing out key assists to Luka Mirkovic, Jeremy Nash, and Drew Crawford. Shurna also once again hit the boards hard and helped NU almost match Iowa State rebound for rebound despite the fact ISU had a much larger lineup. Shurna finished the day with 7 rebounds. He totaled 15 for the two days.

Juice Thompson added 16 points against Iowa State on 6-of-9 shooting. He once again looked comfortable both shooting the three and driving towards the basket to shoot his soft floater. If Thompson continues to show such versatility he will be very tough to defend. Credit also has to go to Thompson for his ironman performances this season. He is averaging nearly 40 minutes a game and he doesn’t seem tired at all.

The Wildcats other all-tournament selection was Jeremy Nash. Nash had 10 points tonight including two huge threes which helped NU get back into the game in the second half when Iowa State took a 9-point lead. He also made two clutch free throws which proved to be the game’s winning margin.

A number of other Wildcats played well, but I’ll give special recognition to Alex Marcotullio and Davide Curletti. Marcotullio once again made a couple big threes and showed he wasn’t afraid to keep shooting after a miss. Davide Curletti came off the bench and played excellent defense on Iowa State star (and future NBA draft pick) Craig Brackins. I truly believe that despite being the smallest of NU’s three centers, Curletti is the best post defender on the NU roster. He is also athletic enough that he can get rebounds against bigger guys. I’m not saying he should play 40 minutes, but he should get action in every contest. NU needs to play all three centers for them to learn, but right now I think Curletti should be getting minutes similar to Luka Mirkovic and Kyle Rowley should be the one playing more of a supporting role. One skill which could help Curletti get more minutes is showing the ability to knock down the three. Curletti is a good shooter, but he hadn’t really shown that skill until knocking down a huge three pointer to give NU a 6 point lead in tonight’s game at 61-55. If Curletti or Luka Mirkovic can knock down threes it will make the Princeton Offense nearly impossible to stop.