They finally did it. The Wildcats rebounded both in basketball terms and mentally to get their second quality win of the year. It’s easy to look at today’s game and then look back and really be frustrated by the losses NU suffered to Illinois and Michigan, but you can’t do that. You need to focus on today’s success and use that as a potential jumping off point for a sustained run of success.
The Wildcats still ran into some old problems such as their continued struggles at the free throw line and they seem to have issues at times recognizing that they are being doubled teamed and as a result miss getting the ball to open shooters. However, some of the other major issues the Wildcats have had such as turnover trouble and rebounding were taken care of today. The ‘Cats turned the ball over just seven times compared to MSU’s 14 and while Michigan State did outrebound NU by 12, the Spartans didn’t have many three or four shot possessions which just cut the heart out of NU’s effort to sustain momentum. I truly believe if NU plays as well on the glass as they did today and shoots free throws as well as they can that Northwestern will have a chance in virtually any game they play.
Part of Northwestern’s success on the glass today came as a result of finally getting production from the center spot. Davide Curletti ended the day with a team high six rebounds but it wasn’t just the number. It was that twice he turned offensive rebounds into points. It was that his hustle keep the ball alive and seemed to inspire NU’s other guys to hit the glass.
Thanks to Curletti getting 17 points and finally giving NU a center who was willing to take and make an outside shot, the game seemed to open up for NU’s other players to drive the lane. Dave Sobolewski found his way to the hoop several time as did John Shurna, Drew Crawford, and Reggie Hearn. While Shurna and Crawford were, as one would expect, the big scorers in the game, you can’t discount the performance from the other guys on NU’s team. Especially when you consider that Shurna, Crawford, Curletti, Hearn, and Sobolewski basically played the entire second half thanks to Luka Mirkovic’s ineffectiveness and JerShon Cobb and Alex Marcotullio’s injuries. Those issues also caused Nick Fruendt to get off the bench for seven minutes today and while he really didn’t go anything on offense or get a rebound, he wasn’t abused by superior athletes as so many people have feared he would end up being if he played.
I mentioned NU still struggled from the free throw line, but John Shurna did make 10-of-11 which was huge because he wasn’t hitting a ton from the field. This once again brings up the question why he wasn’t allowed to shoot the technical against Michigan, but I’ll try my best not to dwell on that fact. The guy who did shoot that technical was Drew Crawford and he had a nice day today as well (though only made 1-of-2 free throws) making some nice drives to the basket, mid-range shots, and hitting three threes. Dave Sobolewski took care of the ball with seven assists and only one turnover.
I’m not sure NU can go a real long winning streak without getting healthier, but it was good to see that even without Marcotullio to sub for him in the second half that Reggie Hearn kept making plays. He pulled down some key rebounds and made a couple nice baskets around the hoop which were in key in NU’s ability to hold the lead.
Overall this was a great and much needed win for the mental state of not only this team but the NU fans as well.
If the 'Cats can win at Wisconsin next week then I'll be willing to get back to talking tournament.
Oh yeah, and if the Big Ten is willing to let us wear those black jerseys at home I say we wear them every game until we lose. They've got to be okay on the road becasue they're a dark color and I guess based on the fact we wore them, that we're allowed to wear them at home too.
Showing posts with label MSU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSU. Show all posts
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Wildcats Looking to Rebound (in many ways) versus Michigan State
Rebound. In basketball it’s what you get when a missed shot occurs. In life it’s what you do when something goes wrong. Northwestern’s men’s basketball team and Wildcat Nation as a whole need to do both Saturday afternoon. The last two losses the team has suffered have been by a total of three points and in both cases the ‘Cats failed to pull in the critical rebound which would have perhaps allowed them to win that game. As a result, the team and its fans find themselves extremely frustrated, but plenty of basketball is left to play.
Interestingly enough the Wildcats opponent, Michigan State, excels at rebounding in both on both the basketball court and in the mental aspect of life. The Spartans are monsters on the glass pulling in more than 10 more rebounds a game than their opponents. Mentally, the Spartans rebounded to win 15 games in a row after losing their first two contests of the season. As a result of the winning streak the Spartans record stands at 15-2 and their national ranking stands at #6. If Northwestern were to win this game it would be a significant victory in the quest to see NU rebound from defeat and they won’t be able to do so without rebounding in the game.
MSU’s top player Draymond Green gets 9.8 rebounds per game and seems to always find the ball in the key situations. He’s also a multi-talented scorer who can beat you both around the hoop and from outside. In addition, the Spartans also feature the super-athletic Adreian Payne and the greatly improved Derrick Nix down in the post. That’s not to mention MSU’s athletic guards such as freshman Branden Dawson and transfer Brandon Wood. Both players have shown the ability to step up in key situations. Along with those two players in the back court is MSU’s point guard Keith Appling. The 6-1 Appling is a good shooter and scorer, though, he is still learning to play point guard.
For Northwestern to beat this team will be a tough task. It’ll be even tougher if NU continues to play 4-on-5 while on offense which is what happens when NU’s center refuse to even consider shooting the ball. With MSU’s size the ‘Cats will most likely have to use Luka Mirkovic a lot in this game. If he still handles the ball like it’s a ticking time bomb that he desperately wants out of his hands it’ll be a long afternoon. Somehow, someway Luka needs to hit a couple shots. If that happens the entire NU offense will come alive. When that happens I think the ‘Cats actually become a team which could beat MSU, but I don’t see that happening at this point. I predict: Michigan State, 74 Northwestern, 66
Also of note, NU is once again with JerShon Cobb who has reinjured his hip. With Cobb out NU’s rotation is severely limited. Not a good thing vs a deep and athletic team like Michigan State. I’d also guess based on the end of Wednesday’s game that Alex Marcotullio isn’t 100% either so NU really is suffering health wise.
Interestingly enough the Wildcats opponent, Michigan State, excels at rebounding in both on both the basketball court and in the mental aspect of life. The Spartans are monsters on the glass pulling in more than 10 more rebounds a game than their opponents. Mentally, the Spartans rebounded to win 15 games in a row after losing their first two contests of the season. As a result of the winning streak the Spartans record stands at 15-2 and their national ranking stands at #6. If Northwestern were to win this game it would be a significant victory in the quest to see NU rebound from defeat and they won’t be able to do so without rebounding in the game.
MSU’s top player Draymond Green gets 9.8 rebounds per game and seems to always find the ball in the key situations. He’s also a multi-talented scorer who can beat you both around the hoop and from outside. In addition, the Spartans also feature the super-athletic Adreian Payne and the greatly improved Derrick Nix down in the post. That’s not to mention MSU’s athletic guards such as freshman Branden Dawson and transfer Brandon Wood. Both players have shown the ability to step up in key situations. Along with those two players in the back court is MSU’s point guard Keith Appling. The 6-1 Appling is a good shooter and scorer, though, he is still learning to play point guard.
For Northwestern to beat this team will be a tough task. It’ll be even tougher if NU continues to play 4-on-5 while on offense which is what happens when NU’s center refuse to even consider shooting the ball. With MSU’s size the ‘Cats will most likely have to use Luka Mirkovic a lot in this game. If he still handles the ball like it’s a ticking time bomb that he desperately wants out of his hands it’ll be a long afternoon. Somehow, someway Luka needs to hit a couple shots. If that happens the entire NU offense will come alive. When that happens I think the ‘Cats actually become a team which could beat MSU, but I don’t see that happening at this point. I predict: Michigan State, 74 Northwestern, 66
Also of note, NU is once again with JerShon Cobb who has reinjured his hip. With Cobb out NU’s rotation is severely limited. Not a good thing vs a deep and athletic team like Michigan State. I’d also guess based on the end of Wednesday’s game that Alex Marcotullio isn’t 100% either so NU really is suffering health wise.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Spartans Prevail in OT and Hand NU 4th Conference Loss: Hope Crushing Defeat Might Have Been The Result of Uncalled TOs
The biggest debate in NU fan circles in the last week surrounded Bill Carmody’s contract extension. True, the extension actually got signed in the fall, but its announcement midseason made Carmody’s future contract status a worthwhile discussion point. I wrote a long opus on Carmody earlier in the week and I stand by the positives I mentioned about him. However, he completely mishandled the end of both games vs Michigan State. I hope I’m wrong, but I see Carmody’s performance in the two games vs MSU this year as possibly costing Northwestern the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State isn’t a very good team. Sorry Spartan fans, but beating Wisconsin on a miracle finish and beating Northwestern because in Evanston Carmody forgot John Shurna was hurt and then today because he forgot he had multiple remaining timeouts isn’t anything to be proud of. If NU had beaten MSU twice (which they absolutely should have) then Michigan Stat would probably be ticketed for about eight Big Ten wins and NU might have got even many as 11 or 12. Now, MSU will sneak out 10 or so because they have some freakish athletes and Kalin Lucas at point guard and NU will be looking at another season with at best 10 Big Ten victories, but probably more like eight and, if lucky, a road game in the NIT.
Twice (and maybe three times, but I'm giving Izzo credit for getting his guys to foul on the last offesnsive possession) Bill Carmody, who is an excellent offensive coach, passed up the opportunity to call timeout and draw up a play and Northwestern looked like the Washington Generals trying to run offense. With ten seconds left in the game and TWO timeouts remaining Carmody let Juice Thompson dribble towards the corner (I have no idea what he planned to do once he got there) and Thompson traveled on the way there (see the comments section for my list of great Carmody play calls which he should have called a TO and gone back to). Then with about the same amount of time left in OT and THREE timeouts left Carmody let NU play on despite the Wildcats looking lost on offense and John Shurna, who was clearly hurting, was forced to throw up a 25-foooter which didn’t hit a thing. I honestly believe that Bill Carmody is offensive genius. In my heart and in my mind I KNOW if that he calls timeout when Thompson is brining the ball up the court in the game’s last ten seconds that NU gets a shot they can make and wins the game 62-60 preventing the contest from even going to overtime. For some reason, though, Carmody refused to do what he does the best. The worst part is this isn’t the first time. In 2006 Carmody’s mediocre Wildcats had a chance to pull off a major upset of Ohio State as Sterling Williams took the ball down the court with about ten seconds left. Instead of calling a timeout, Carmody let the freshman Williams try to drive, but Williams panicked and tried to pass to a well covered Bernard Cote and Ohio State got away with the win. I don’t know what Carmody’s problem was that day or what it was today. Did he think he’d need the timeout in OT? I think what makes that OSU loss and this loss even worse for me is I do think Carmody is a smart coach who if he’d done his job probably would have had his team pull off the upset. All the people who think Carmody is a clown probably just shrug their shoulders and move on after these defeats because they don’t think he’s capable, but the I know he is.
The failure of NU’s leadership today wasn’t just Carmody, though. Juice Thompson did some nice things and finished with 15 points, but his inexplicable drive to the corner at the end of the game didn’t help his coach.
NU obviously had some nice moments or they wouldn’t have been in the game. Drew Crawford had a big second half which kept NU battling the Spartans and finished with 16 points. It's just too bad that Crawford's errant pass in OT when NU was up three with the ball and chance to put serious distance between themselves and the Spartans was picked by Draymond Green (who was the game's MVP by far) started MSU's OT run. Even Luka Mirkovic stepped up and scored 10 second half points when he found himself one-on-one with MSU’s post defenders. I do wish Luka could have hit one more free throw or not had as many dumb travels, but he did play better than he looked like he would in the first half. JerShon Cobb played good defense and got several key rebounds and Alex Marcotullio played well on defense as well. In the first half all the Wildcats really played great defense, in the second half MSU was more aggressive and the ‘Cats defense kind of suffered, but I still liked the overall effort from NU. They played and coached well for most of the game, but not enough of it.
In the end, though, this game came down to poor choices from Carmody and Thompson. This is why sometimes I just hate being a Northwestern fan. It seems like whenever the game has nationally relevancy or the ‘Cats can seriously position themselves to do something special something goes wrong or somebody (usually the guy you’re the biggest fan of) does something stupid and the game is lost. I had a friend who said recently that he was going to change his NFL allegiance, he felt so much frustration with the Redskins that he threw out all his ‘Skins gear and bought Bears stuff. Unfortunately, I can’t do that for NU. My parents starting dragging me to NU contests before I even really understood what basketball was, I think I was mostly just excited to eat a soft pretzel. At some point, though, my joy at eating the soft pretzel gave way to my joy of cheering the efforts of guys like Kevin Rankin, Evan Eschmeyer, Jitim Young, and Vedran Vukusic. Even as they struggled and I found myself sitting in an increasingly empty or dominated by visiting fans Welsh-Ryan Arena, I always told people that I was sticking with the ‘Cats because suffering through all the painful losses would make the joyous occasion when NU made the NCAA Tournament all the more meaningful to me. Some part of me still believes, but another part of me is looking at Kevin Coble’s departure, John Shurna’s ankle, and now Bill Carmody and Michael Thompson’s brain cramps and I’m starting to doubt the NCAA Tournament is possible for Northwestern. Ever. Am I being too fatalistic? Perhaps. But it’s not just recent events. It’s everything from Rex Walters’s problems with geography, to Evan Eschmeyer’s foot, to Nick Knapp’s ailing heart that has left this broken hearted Wildcat still hoping to see NU in the Big Dance, but finding less and less reason to make an honest case that it’s possible.
Twice (and maybe three times, but I'm giving Izzo credit for getting his guys to foul on the last offesnsive possession) Bill Carmody, who is an excellent offensive coach, passed up the opportunity to call timeout and draw up a play and Northwestern looked like the Washington Generals trying to run offense. With ten seconds left in the game and TWO timeouts remaining Carmody let Juice Thompson dribble towards the corner (I have no idea what he planned to do once he got there) and Thompson traveled on the way there (see the comments section for my list of great Carmody play calls which he should have called a TO and gone back to). Then with about the same amount of time left in OT and THREE timeouts left Carmody let NU play on despite the Wildcats looking lost on offense and John Shurna, who was clearly hurting, was forced to throw up a 25-foooter which didn’t hit a thing. I honestly believe that Bill Carmody is offensive genius. In my heart and in my mind I KNOW if that he calls timeout when Thompson is brining the ball up the court in the game’s last ten seconds that NU gets a shot they can make and wins the game 62-60 preventing the contest from even going to overtime. For some reason, though, Carmody refused to do what he does the best. The worst part is this isn’t the first time. In 2006 Carmody’s mediocre Wildcats had a chance to pull off a major upset of Ohio State as Sterling Williams took the ball down the court with about ten seconds left. Instead of calling a timeout, Carmody let the freshman Williams try to drive, but Williams panicked and tried to pass to a well covered Bernard Cote and Ohio State got away with the win. I don’t know what Carmody’s problem was that day or what it was today. Did he think he’d need the timeout in OT? I think what makes that OSU loss and this loss even worse for me is I do think Carmody is a smart coach who if he’d done his job probably would have had his team pull off the upset. All the people who think Carmody is a clown probably just shrug their shoulders and move on after these defeats because they don’t think he’s capable, but the I know he is.
The failure of NU’s leadership today wasn’t just Carmody, though. Juice Thompson did some nice things and finished with 15 points, but his inexplicable drive to the corner at the end of the game didn’t help his coach.
NU obviously had some nice moments or they wouldn’t have been in the game. Drew Crawford had a big second half which kept NU battling the Spartans and finished with 16 points. It's just too bad that Crawford's errant pass in OT when NU was up three with the ball and chance to put serious distance between themselves and the Spartans was picked by Draymond Green (who was the game's MVP by far) started MSU's OT run. Even Luka Mirkovic stepped up and scored 10 second half points when he found himself one-on-one with MSU’s post defenders. I do wish Luka could have hit one more free throw or not had as many dumb travels, but he did play better than he looked like he would in the first half. JerShon Cobb played good defense and got several key rebounds and Alex Marcotullio played well on defense as well. In the first half all the Wildcats really played great defense, in the second half MSU was more aggressive and the ‘Cats defense kind of suffered, but I still liked the overall effort from NU. They played and coached well for most of the game, but not enough of it.
In the end, though, this game came down to poor choices from Carmody and Thompson. This is why sometimes I just hate being a Northwestern fan. It seems like whenever the game has nationally relevancy or the ‘Cats can seriously position themselves to do something special something goes wrong or somebody (usually the guy you’re the biggest fan of) does something stupid and the game is lost. I had a friend who said recently that he was going to change his NFL allegiance, he felt so much frustration with the Redskins that he threw out all his ‘Skins gear and bought Bears stuff. Unfortunately, I can’t do that for NU. My parents starting dragging me to NU contests before I even really understood what basketball was, I think I was mostly just excited to eat a soft pretzel. At some point, though, my joy at eating the soft pretzel gave way to my joy of cheering the efforts of guys like Kevin Rankin, Evan Eschmeyer, Jitim Young, and Vedran Vukusic. Even as they struggled and I found myself sitting in an increasingly empty or dominated by visiting fans Welsh-Ryan Arena, I always told people that I was sticking with the ‘Cats because suffering through all the painful losses would make the joyous occasion when NU made the NCAA Tournament all the more meaningful to me. Some part of me still believes, but another part of me is looking at Kevin Coble’s departure, John Shurna’s ankle, and now Bill Carmody and Michael Thompson’s brain cramps and I’m starting to doubt the NCAA Tournament is possible for Northwestern. Ever. Am I being too fatalistic? Perhaps. But it’s not just recent events. It’s everything from Rex Walters’s problems with geography, to Evan Eschmeyer’s foot, to Nick Knapp’s ailing heart that has left this broken hearted Wildcat still hoping to see NU in the Big Dance, but finding less and less reason to make an honest case that it’s possible.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Opportunity Presents Itself for Wildcats in East Lansing
Northwestern plays Michigan State tomorrow in East Lansing. For most of my life I would have written this game off as a loss and moved on to the Wildcats next contest. However in 2008-09 Kevin Coble, Juice Thompson, and a major clutch three by Craig Moore made me believe that beating Michigan State at home wasn’t a pipe dream for Northwestern hoops. Tomorrow, the Wildcats will have a legit chance to score a major significance victory. The Wildcats had a chance to beat Michigan State at home, but imploded in the game’s last 30 seconds. Along the same lines, Wisconsin had a chance to upset the Spartans in East Lansing, but imploded in the game’s final three minutes. To some extent those games prove Michigan State is good enough to eek out wins, but it also shows they aren’t the invulnerable Spartan teams of years past. That means the Wildcats have a chance, although it might be slim, to pull off an upset that will certainly look favorable to tournament selection committees.
In order to pull that upset Northwestern must play defense. The Wildcats have been mediocre on defense all year, but actually defended the Spartans well in Evanston. NU needs to be truly good on defense if they want to pull the upset in East Lansing. That’ll mean causing Spartan turnovers. In Evanston NU didn’t play much 1-3-1, but the fact is that although Kalin Lucas is a great point guard, MSU is turnover prone. If NU can pressure Lucas and force him to give up the ball they could create a number of turnovers. Korie Lucious is a decent ball handler as is Draymond Green, but still MSU has a number of players like Durrell Summers who are great overall players, but tend to turn the ball over. Summers is the Spartans leading scorer, but also has basically a 1-to-2 assist to turnover ratio. The other reason I think NU could benefit from more 1-3-1 or other pressure defense vs the Spartans is that MSU isn’t a great three point shooting team. Yes, they make about 38% overall, but if you can contain Lucas, Lucious, and Green you have a chance. I still would love to see Bill Carmody use a triangle and two defense as I think a number of Big Ten teams are basically two player shows and a good triangle and two would cause major trouble.
NU’s offensive game plan has to be a total team game plan. MSU has very athletic forwards in Green and Delvon Roe, but they are smaller than Luka Mirkovic and John Shurna. Shurna is getting healthier by the day and needs to get involved as both a shooter and driver. Luka had a number of good looks inside that he missed due to the more physical Spartans when the teams met at Welsh-Ryan. NU needs to get him those same looks on Saturday and Luka needs to toughen up and make them count. That’ll be the key to the game as far as I’m concerned. If Northwestern gets inside points from Luka it’ll open up three point looks for Thompson, Crawford, Marcotullio, Shurna (as shooter), and Cobb and then NU will have a chance. If the ‘Cats fail to make easy baskets inside the Spartans will dominate the glass, score easy baskets of their own, and it’ll be a rough day for NU.
I honestly think Northwestern can win this game. However, I think the key to that success is Luka Mirkovic playing a good road game. As these stats from Wildcat Report poster Dugan15 prove, that’s no bargain, therefore, I predict: Michigan State, 72 Northwestern, 65
In order to pull that upset Northwestern must play defense. The Wildcats have been mediocre on defense all year, but actually defended the Spartans well in Evanston. NU needs to be truly good on defense if they want to pull the upset in East Lansing. That’ll mean causing Spartan turnovers. In Evanston NU didn’t play much 1-3-1, but the fact is that although Kalin Lucas is a great point guard, MSU is turnover prone. If NU can pressure Lucas and force him to give up the ball they could create a number of turnovers. Korie Lucious is a decent ball handler as is Draymond Green, but still MSU has a number of players like Durrell Summers who are great overall players, but tend to turn the ball over. Summers is the Spartans leading scorer, but also has basically a 1-to-2 assist to turnover ratio. The other reason I think NU could benefit from more 1-3-1 or other pressure defense vs the Spartans is that MSU isn’t a great three point shooting team. Yes, they make about 38% overall, but if you can contain Lucas, Lucious, and Green you have a chance. I still would love to see Bill Carmody use a triangle and two defense as I think a number of Big Ten teams are basically two player shows and a good triangle and two would cause major trouble.
NU’s offensive game plan has to be a total team game plan. MSU has very athletic forwards in Green and Delvon Roe, but they are smaller than Luka Mirkovic and John Shurna. Shurna is getting healthier by the day and needs to get involved as both a shooter and driver. Luka had a number of good looks inside that he missed due to the more physical Spartans when the teams met at Welsh-Ryan. NU needs to get him those same looks on Saturday and Luka needs to toughen up and make them count. That’ll be the key to the game as far as I’m concerned. If Northwestern gets inside points from Luka it’ll open up three point looks for Thompson, Crawford, Marcotullio, Shurna (as shooter), and Cobb and then NU will have a chance. If the ‘Cats fail to make easy baskets inside the Spartans will dominate the glass, score easy baskets of their own, and it’ll be a rough day for NU.
I honestly think Northwestern can win this game. However, I think the key to that success is Luka Mirkovic playing a good road game. As these stats from Wildcat Report poster Dugan15 prove, that’s no bargain, therefore, I predict: Michigan State, 72 Northwestern, 65
Monday, January 3, 2011
Wildcat Comeback Falls Short and Masks Bigger Problems
People who didn’t see this game are going to think Northwestern played a good game in losing to Michigan State 65-62, but to be honest the Wildcats did not play well, especially on offense. A lot of those offensive problems probably relate to John Shurna’s injury (which obviously was a total freak event), but still NU’s lack of execution in their offense, especially in the second half, can’t all because Shurna is hurt.
Looking specifically at NU’s offensive problems, Coach Bill Carmody highlighted NU’s first half successes and second half problems in his postgame interview with WGN. Those second half problems, as Carmody pointed out, and was clear to really anybody watching, came from the fact that the Wildcats basically stopped running their offense. On many occasions NU’s players basically stood around the perimeter, didn’t cut towards the hoop at all, and then somebody tried to go one-on-one with a Spartan to make a shot. As much as I think NU has upgraded their athletic skill with Drew Crawford and JerShon Cobb, the Spartans still maintained a significant advantage in one-on-one plays. NU also suffered a major disadvantage when they tried to go one-on-one because of Shurna’s injured ankle. Shurna’s size advantage can negate athletic advantages, but because of his injury he really can’t make smooth moves and get good shots. In contrast to NU’s attempt to play macho-ball and go one-on-one in the second half, the Wildcats in the first half did a great job running their offense and getting shots. They didn’t shoot a great percentage, but the number of open shots they got speaks well to what NU can do when they execute their offense correctly.
As far as production overall on offense, NU got a decent game from Drew Crawford. It wasn’t one of his best, but it was better than his last couple. He made 3-of-5 threes and scored 17 points, got 8 rebounds, and recorded 3 blocks. However, he was one of the Wildcats who forced several bad shots when tried to go macho against the Spartans. Still, Crawford played a better game than Juice Thompson who scored just 3 points until he awoke in the game’s final 3 minutes where he scored 9 points to lead NU’s comeback. However, his overall game still wasn’t the strong “Juice-like” game that we all have come to expect from him. I want to quickly point out that Luka Mirkovic went 3-of-9 from the floor for 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. That’s better on the boards and he actually battled more than his 4 rebounds showed, however, his inability to make point-blank layups is driving me nuts so I can’t imagine what it’s doing to his coaches. How can a guy who is 6-11 not be able to make a layup? He’s 70% of the way to the basket just by standing!
NU’s comeback was really good, but I just can’t get over some of the end of the game mistakes they seemed to make after cutting the lead to 63-62. Not only did NU waste an inexplicable 17 seconds before they fouled MSU when down just one point, but then they let Draymond Green grab an offensive rebound that essentially gave them the win. What really upsets me about the rebound is that Green went over Shurna on the block. Shurna showed the whole game that he couldn’t get any elevation when he jumped. He made 1-of-11 from the field and even looked in pain from the free throw line. Why then did Bill Carmody have Shurna on the block? I know it’s the spot Shurna usually goes to in NU’s normal alignment, but given Shurna is obviously hurt I don’t think he should have been on the block. Put Capocci in front of Green or Crawford or Curletti or Cobb or even Luka. Anybody except an injured Shurna would haven given NU a better chance. Overall I thought NU’s coaches had a good plan which fell apart because of poor execution by the players, but that was a coaching gaffe.
The worst part about this loss is I think NU could have won with a healthy Shurna, but he looks so hurt that I’m starting to wonder what advantage NU actually gets from playing him. I know theoretically teams have to still guard him, but watching him hobble around and miss shots I’m not sure that’s an advantage. I’d almost rather have NU sit Shurna and lose a couple more games if it meant he could come back totally healthy in a couple weeks. I don’t know if that’s even possible, but with this loss I think NU’s essentially out of the NCAA Tournament unless they make a run in the Big Ten Tournament and I’d hate to still have Shurna hurt then.
Looking specifically at NU’s offensive problems, Coach Bill Carmody highlighted NU’s first half successes and second half problems in his postgame interview with WGN. Those second half problems, as Carmody pointed out, and was clear to really anybody watching, came from the fact that the Wildcats basically stopped running their offense. On many occasions NU’s players basically stood around the perimeter, didn’t cut towards the hoop at all, and then somebody tried to go one-on-one with a Spartan to make a shot. As much as I think NU has upgraded their athletic skill with Drew Crawford and JerShon Cobb, the Spartans still maintained a significant advantage in one-on-one plays. NU also suffered a major disadvantage when they tried to go one-on-one because of Shurna’s injured ankle. Shurna’s size advantage can negate athletic advantages, but because of his injury he really can’t make smooth moves and get good shots. In contrast to NU’s attempt to play macho-ball and go one-on-one in the second half, the Wildcats in the first half did a great job running their offense and getting shots. They didn’t shoot a great percentage, but the number of open shots they got speaks well to what NU can do when they execute their offense correctly.
As far as production overall on offense, NU got a decent game from Drew Crawford. It wasn’t one of his best, but it was better than his last couple. He made 3-of-5 threes and scored 17 points, got 8 rebounds, and recorded 3 blocks. However, he was one of the Wildcats who forced several bad shots when tried to go macho against the Spartans. Still, Crawford played a better game than Juice Thompson who scored just 3 points until he awoke in the game’s final 3 minutes where he scored 9 points to lead NU’s comeback. However, his overall game still wasn’t the strong “Juice-like” game that we all have come to expect from him. I want to quickly point out that Luka Mirkovic went 3-of-9 from the floor for 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. That’s better on the boards and he actually battled more than his 4 rebounds showed, however, his inability to make point-blank layups is driving me nuts so I can’t imagine what it’s doing to his coaches. How can a guy who is 6-11 not be able to make a layup? He’s 70% of the way to the basket just by standing!
NU’s comeback was really good, but I just can’t get over some of the end of the game mistakes they seemed to make after cutting the lead to 63-62. Not only did NU waste an inexplicable 17 seconds before they fouled MSU when down just one point, but then they let Draymond Green grab an offensive rebound that essentially gave them the win. What really upsets me about the rebound is that Green went over Shurna on the block. Shurna showed the whole game that he couldn’t get any elevation when he jumped. He made 1-of-11 from the field and even looked in pain from the free throw line. Why then did Bill Carmody have Shurna on the block? I know it’s the spot Shurna usually goes to in NU’s normal alignment, but given Shurna is obviously hurt I don’t think he should have been on the block. Put Capocci in front of Green or Crawford or Curletti or Cobb or even Luka. Anybody except an injured Shurna would haven given NU a better chance. Overall I thought NU’s coaches had a good plan which fell apart because of poor execution by the players, but that was a coaching gaffe.
The worst part about this loss is I think NU could have won with a healthy Shurna, but he looks so hurt that I’m starting to wonder what advantage NU actually gets from playing him. I know theoretically teams have to still guard him, but watching him hobble around and miss shots I’m not sure that’s an advantage. I’d almost rather have NU sit Shurna and lose a couple more games if it meant he could come back totally healthy in a couple weeks. I don’t know if that’s even possible, but with this loss I think NU’s essentially out of the NCAA Tournament unless they make a run in the Big Ten Tournament and I’d hate to still have Shurna hurt then.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Northwestern vs Michigan State: A Line in the Sand Game
I don’t believe in the concept of a “must win” game. Until modern sports revert to same rules as the ancient Mayans in their ball games where the losers are killed no such thing as a “must win” game exists. However, there are such things as important games and the men’s basketball contest between Northwestern and Michigan State is a very important game for Northwestern. With the Big Ten season opening loss to Purdue and three road contests out of the next four after they host the Spartans, Northwestern could realistically start the Big Ten season 1-5, if they do so no chance exists in my mind of them recovering and making the NCAA Tournament (barring a miracle run in Indy at the BTT). However, if the Wildcats somehow pull a 3-3 or, being overly optimistic, a 4-2 record in their first six games the Wildcats will in my mind be on their way to the NCAA Tournament. That’s why for me this game is the proverbial line in the sand for the Wildcats. If they can rally back from their loss at Purdue and beat a ranked MSU squad, they have a great chance to get momentum started and I could see them using that momentum to beat an Illinois team that looked good, but not great today vs Wisconsin and certainly to beat mediocre teams from Indiana and Iowa. On the other hand, if the Wildcats lose to MSU, I think Illinois will run them out of the gym and while they might beat Indiana, I won’t have great optimism about any road contest for NU if the ball starts rolling in a negative direction.
So, how can NU draw that line in the sand and beat the Spartans? Well it won’t be easy. Bill Carmody has beaten Michigan State just twice in his career as NU’s head coach. However, the good news is that Michigan State isn’t an overly complex team to defend. As any Big Ten fan knows Coach Tom Izzo’s team’s have a pretty basic road map they follow to success. Izzo’s teams always play great defense, hit the boards hard, hustle to beat teams down the court in transition, and are good passers. When NU has beat MSU, they’ve found weaknesses in at least a couple of those traits. For example, NU’s memorable 2009 win in East Lansing found the Wildcats forcing the Spartans into terrible passes versus the 1-3-1 and making enough shots MSU’s effort to beat NU down the court was fruitless. This year’s MSU team has drawn Izzo’s ire in regards to some issues related to their toughness and they have a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. Now, I can make myself believe the Wildcats can play good enough defense to force the Spartans into turnovers. But can the Wildcats truly hang with MSU on the glass? Izzo said MSU was “a pretty boy jump shooting team” but forward Draymond Green still gets 8.9 rebounds a game. I somewhat question whether NU center Luka Mirkovic who got just one rebound vs Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson can attack the glass vs Green, Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers, and the rest of the super athletic Spartans. Obviously, it isn’t just Luka, but he’s the one I’m looking at the most. Sure, I said it was a line in the sand game for the whole team, but it’s an even bigger one for Luka in my mind. A lot of people went all chuckles the clown over his 16 points at Purdue, but one (1!) rebound from a guy the PA announces at 6-11 isn’t acceptable. He needs to be more of a factor or at least try to be more of a factor. Even if he gets five quick fouls he needs to at least demonstrate some level of toughness.
Aside from causing turnovers and getting rebounds NU obviously has to make shots. More specifically, they need to make three point shots. Even if Luka and Davide Curletti have good games on the glass I suspect that MSU will get some cheap put backs. With size like Garrick Sherman, Austin Thornton, and Adreian Payne that’s just going to happen. Therefore, NU needs to counter that first with turnovers, but secondly by making three point shots. Drew Crawford needs to have a much better day than he had against Purdue and John Shurna needs to either be a factor or realize he isn’t going to be one and give way to a healthy player. With as quick as MSU is we can’t have plays like on Friday where Shurna is trailing the play by ten feet as the ball gets into the front court. NU also needs shooting from JerShon Cobb and Alex Marcotullio. It’ll take a team effort to beat the Spartans and those two young men have it them to get hot from deep and the ‘Cats need to see it. Finally, the Wildcats need a much better game from Juice Thompson than they got vs Purdue. Michigan State will capitalize on turnovers with the quickness of Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious so Juice can’t be committing five turnovers. He needs two or less and needs to score somewhere in the 18-24 point range. If that happens NU has a great chance.
Looking at the numbers I think between this and the Illinois game Thursday this is the game NU has the better chance to win. I also think that NU’s players know this is a huge game and while NU athletics hasn’t exactly been money in key games (see the football team in primetime contests) the Wildcats men’s basketball team did win a supposed “NCAA-Tournament elimination game” last year vs Illinois. It turns out that contest wasn’t what it was billed as, but NU thought it was at the time and they showed up and stood up (as did NU’s fans and I hope to see the same vs the Spartans). Therefore, I’m saying that ‘Cats get this one because they’ve done if before and if they don’t we could be in for a tough year. I predict: Northwestern, 79 Michigan State, 72
So, how can NU draw that line in the sand and beat the Spartans? Well it won’t be easy. Bill Carmody has beaten Michigan State just twice in his career as NU’s head coach. However, the good news is that Michigan State isn’t an overly complex team to defend. As any Big Ten fan knows Coach Tom Izzo’s team’s have a pretty basic road map they follow to success. Izzo’s teams always play great defense, hit the boards hard, hustle to beat teams down the court in transition, and are good passers. When NU has beat MSU, they’ve found weaknesses in at least a couple of those traits. For example, NU’s memorable 2009 win in East Lansing found the Wildcats forcing the Spartans into terrible passes versus the 1-3-1 and making enough shots MSU’s effort to beat NU down the court was fruitless. This year’s MSU team has drawn Izzo’s ire in regards to some issues related to their toughness and they have a 1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. Now, I can make myself believe the Wildcats can play good enough defense to force the Spartans into turnovers. But can the Wildcats truly hang with MSU on the glass? Izzo said MSU was “a pretty boy jump shooting team” but forward Draymond Green still gets 8.9 rebounds a game. I somewhat question whether NU center Luka Mirkovic who got just one rebound vs Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson can attack the glass vs Green, Delvon Roe, Durrell Summers, and the rest of the super athletic Spartans. Obviously, it isn’t just Luka, but he’s the one I’m looking at the most. Sure, I said it was a line in the sand game for the whole team, but it’s an even bigger one for Luka in my mind. A lot of people went all chuckles the clown over his 16 points at Purdue, but one (1!) rebound from a guy the PA announces at 6-11 isn’t acceptable. He needs to be more of a factor or at least try to be more of a factor. Even if he gets five quick fouls he needs to at least demonstrate some level of toughness.
Aside from causing turnovers and getting rebounds NU obviously has to make shots. More specifically, they need to make three point shots. Even if Luka and Davide Curletti have good games on the glass I suspect that MSU will get some cheap put backs. With size like Garrick Sherman, Austin Thornton, and Adreian Payne that’s just going to happen. Therefore, NU needs to counter that first with turnovers, but secondly by making three point shots. Drew Crawford needs to have a much better day than he had against Purdue and John Shurna needs to either be a factor or realize he isn’t going to be one and give way to a healthy player. With as quick as MSU is we can’t have plays like on Friday where Shurna is trailing the play by ten feet as the ball gets into the front court. NU also needs shooting from JerShon Cobb and Alex Marcotullio. It’ll take a team effort to beat the Spartans and those two young men have it them to get hot from deep and the ‘Cats need to see it. Finally, the Wildcats need a much better game from Juice Thompson than they got vs Purdue. Michigan State will capitalize on turnovers with the quickness of Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious so Juice can’t be committing five turnovers. He needs two or less and needs to score somewhere in the 18-24 point range. If that happens NU has a great chance.
Looking at the numbers I think between this and the Illinois game Thursday this is the game NU has the better chance to win. I also think that NU’s players know this is a huge game and while NU athletics hasn’t exactly been money in key games (see the football team in primetime contests) the Wildcats men’s basketball team did win a supposed “NCAA-Tournament elimination game” last year vs Illinois. It turns out that contest wasn’t what it was billed as, but NU thought it was at the time and they showed up and stood up (as did NU’s fans and I hope to see the same vs the Spartans). Therefore, I’m saying that ‘Cats get this one because they’ve done if before and if they don’t we could be in for a tough year. I predict: Northwestern, 79 Michigan State, 72
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Wildcat Flashback: NU's Best Big Ten Tournament Game
Lake the Posts recently did a post on Northwestern rather embarrassing Big Ten Tournament history. Going into Thursday’s game, NU stands at 4-12 in the Big Ten Tournament. This is by far the worst mark of any school. Those four wins were all first round games as NU has never advanced to Saturday in the tournament. Looking back over the years of the Big Ten Tournament, which started in 1998, the Wildcats best run undoubtedly occurred in 1999. Although the ‘Cats only won one game (54-44 in Round 1 over Penn State) they nearly knocked off the nation’s #2 team, Michigan State, in the quarterfinals. I would go so far as to say that the ‘Cats loss on March 5, 1999 to Michigan State was in fact their best performance in the Big Ten Tournament. What you see below is my personal story of that day. I've shared some of these thoughts in the past, but this post has some extra story. Plus, the game itself, despite being a loss, is worth remembering.
I know the obvious joke here is that Northwestern basketball has suffered so many losses that I’ve been forced to dip into that long list of defeats to find NU’s best Big Ten Tournament game, but the truth is any basketball fan that saw the Wildcats and the Spartans play that day would be hard pressed not to list NU’s performance among the most impressive they have seen.
The game was played in front of near sellout crowd at the United Center in Chicago. Sadly, despite the fact Northwestern’s campus is probably less than 10 miles from the UC very few Wildcat fans were in attendance. Perhaps the reason was because it seemed impossible for the Wildcats to pull off the upset of the 26-4 and #2-ranked Spartans. Thanks to the fact not many ‘Cats fans were present, and many Michigan State fans had apparently assumed their game against NU would such a runaway it wasn’t worth attending, the majority of the crowd at the United Center happened to be red clad Wisconsin Badger fans who had shown up early for the day’s second game.
I have to admit that I wasn’t at the game either. As a high school student at the time (and one who wanted to go to NU) I couldn’t very well walk out of school or hang out in the cafeteria missing class, plus I had baseball practice after school. Given this unfortunate, I set my VCR (it was the 20th century) and hoped nobody would tell me what happened before I got home from school and baseball practice. I wasn’t that worried. It wasn’t as if many of my friends followed the Wildcats closely. Most of the guys I was at practice with that day wouldn’t know Evan Eschmeyer from his brother Jeff even though Evan was about ten inches taller.
Given my confidence I wouldn’t find out anything until I got home and watched my tape, I was surprised when waiting for my ride home to overhear Northwestern mentioned in a conversation between my teammate, Mike Cook, and another kid waiting for a ride home.
I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting on the gym stairs looking out the double doors through a light rain waiting for my mom’s car. When I heard NU mentioned I was conflicted. I didn’t really want to know what happened, but I figured if NU was being discussed at all it meant a possible upset. After all, the only time NU gains the attention of Joe-fan is why they doing something remarkable.
As I walked over Mike pointed at me and said, “Tell him, his family has season-tickets at Northwestern.”
“It’s no big deal,” the kid said. “Northwestern played Michigan State today.”
“I know that,” I said exasperated. Who the hell did this guy think was talking to?
“Well,” he said with what I thought was an unnecessarily long pause. “The game was really awesome.”
Having never met the kid before, I assumed he wasn’t trying to drive me crazy, but he was doing a hell of a good job anyway.
“What happened?” I asked a louder than necessary.
I held my breath. Would I have reason to celebrate or reason to despair?
Finally I got my answer, “Northwestern missed a shot at buzzer that would have won the game. Michigan State won by two.”
It would be over dramatic to say I collapsed to the floor, but I do recall stumbling a little. I wasn’t sure what to feel. I was disappointed, but for NU to have some close to the upset was great achievement. I felt pride in the Wildcats effort.
“I guess it was a good game,” I said.
“It sure was,” my informant answered.
With that ringing endorsement I decided despite knowing the unfortunate result of the game I’d still watch my recording of the game. I’m glad I did. In all my years watching sports I may have never seen a better effort from an underdog than what the ‘Cats gave that day. I remember the camera fixing on the Wisconsin fans as they rose to their feet to cheer Evan Eschmeyer as he gave the Wildcats what would be their final lead of the day with about three minutes left in the game.
In the final three minutes, Michigan State managed to scrape together five points. That was enough to secure the victory, but NU didn’t go down easy. Down two with the clocking winding towards zero, David Newman got the ball after an MSU basket and rushed it towards the hoop. Once in the lane, Newman lofted a soft floater which looked on target until Michigan State’s Antonio Smith batted it away. Michigan State’s fans breathed a sigh of relief until they saw the batted ball roll into the hands of Steve Lepore. After one quick dribble, Lepore leaned in over a defender and fired an off balance three point shot. To this day, I believe he came inches from changing Northwestern basketball forever.
When you’re trying to build a program goal number one is a signature win. It’s the win which announces a team’s presence to the nation. It informs all their upcoming opponents that they better be ready to play or they’ll be adding a number on the right column of their record. It’s Northwestern’s 1995 football team beating Michigan or Davidson topping Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament. It might even be Northwestern basketball beating Michigan State last year in East Lansing (you could certainly argue that was a signature win), but without a doubt the loss to Michigan State on March 5, 1999 was the closest Northwestern came to signature win before last January. I’d argue it would have been far more significant that last year’s victory given the stage on which it would have occurred and what it might have setup.
If the Wildcats had beaten the Spartans they would have advanced to play Wisconsin in the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament. Had they beat the Badgers, which they certainly could have, they would have played the last place Illinois Fighting Illini who had made remarkable run to the final in the conference title game. It would have been almost a perfect confluence of events for the ‘Cats to make their first NCAA tournament. Not only would the road there have been relatively easy, but the team would have been playing with a ton of extra confidence after knocking off the number two team in the nation live on ESPN. Beating Michigan State in full view of a national TV audience could have totally changed the national perception of Northwestern basketball. Not only might the ‘Cats future opponents in the Big Ten Tournament have found themselves very worried about NU’s unstoppable momentum, but the national press which such an upset would have generated might have changed how the average college basketball fan and potential recruits viewed Northwestern basketball. Unfortunately, thanks to the United Center rims, NU’s dream of a signature win remained unrealized.
When the ball left his hand, Steve Lepore’s shot for the win looked as if it was right on, but it ended up slightly short and hit the front edge. When the ball hit the rim, it bounced high into to the air and it looked for a moment as if the ball might still manage to fall into the basket. Unfortunately, on the way down the ball stuck the rim a second time before falling to the hardwood floor.
Although it was sad to watch the ‘Cats play so well and come up short, I think my pain was eased somewhat by knowing that despite failing to achieve their signature win, NU earned the respect of the college basketball world. The broadcasters on ESPN effusively praised Eschmeyer’s fantastic play. In his postgame press conference, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo said NU deserved to win and admitted the Wildcats outplayed and outhustled his mighty Spartans. The most memorable praise for the ‘Cats, though, came from the crowd of Wisconsin fans who rose to their feet and saluted the ‘Cats effort with a standing ovation after the final buzzer sounded. It was a fantastic moment.
I know the obvious joke here is that Northwestern basketball has suffered so many losses that I’ve been forced to dip into that long list of defeats to find NU’s best Big Ten Tournament game, but the truth is any basketball fan that saw the Wildcats and the Spartans play that day would be hard pressed not to list NU’s performance among the most impressive they have seen.
The game was played in front of near sellout crowd at the United Center in Chicago. Sadly, despite the fact Northwestern’s campus is probably less than 10 miles from the UC very few Wildcat fans were in attendance. Perhaps the reason was because it seemed impossible for the Wildcats to pull off the upset of the 26-4 and #2-ranked Spartans. Thanks to the fact not many ‘Cats fans were present, and many Michigan State fans had apparently assumed their game against NU would such a runaway it wasn’t worth attending, the majority of the crowd at the United Center happened to be red clad Wisconsin Badger fans who had shown up early for the day’s second game.
I have to admit that I wasn’t at the game either. As a high school student at the time (and one who wanted to go to NU) I couldn’t very well walk out of school or hang out in the cafeteria missing class, plus I had baseball practice after school. Given this unfortunate, I set my VCR (it was the 20th century) and hoped nobody would tell me what happened before I got home from school and baseball practice. I wasn’t that worried. It wasn’t as if many of my friends followed the Wildcats closely. Most of the guys I was at practice with that day wouldn’t know Evan Eschmeyer from his brother Jeff even though Evan was about ten inches taller.
Given my confidence I wouldn’t find out anything until I got home and watched my tape, I was surprised when waiting for my ride home to overhear Northwestern mentioned in a conversation between my teammate, Mike Cook, and another kid waiting for a ride home.
I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting on the gym stairs looking out the double doors through a light rain waiting for my mom’s car. When I heard NU mentioned I was conflicted. I didn’t really want to know what happened, but I figured if NU was being discussed at all it meant a possible upset. After all, the only time NU gains the attention of Joe-fan is why they doing something remarkable.
As I walked over Mike pointed at me and said, “Tell him, his family has season-tickets at Northwestern.”
“It’s no big deal,” the kid said. “Northwestern played Michigan State today.”
“I know that,” I said exasperated. Who the hell did this guy think was talking to?
“Well,” he said with what I thought was an unnecessarily long pause. “The game was really awesome.”
Having never met the kid before, I assumed he wasn’t trying to drive me crazy, but he was doing a hell of a good job anyway.
“What happened?” I asked a louder than necessary.
I held my breath. Would I have reason to celebrate or reason to despair?
Finally I got my answer, “Northwestern missed a shot at buzzer that would have won the game. Michigan State won by two.”
It would be over dramatic to say I collapsed to the floor, but I do recall stumbling a little. I wasn’t sure what to feel. I was disappointed, but for NU to have some close to the upset was great achievement. I felt pride in the Wildcats effort.
“I guess it was a good game,” I said.
“It sure was,” my informant answered.
With that ringing endorsement I decided despite knowing the unfortunate result of the game I’d still watch my recording of the game. I’m glad I did. In all my years watching sports I may have never seen a better effort from an underdog than what the ‘Cats gave that day. I remember the camera fixing on the Wisconsin fans as they rose to their feet to cheer Evan Eschmeyer as he gave the Wildcats what would be their final lead of the day with about three minutes left in the game.
In the final three minutes, Michigan State managed to scrape together five points. That was enough to secure the victory, but NU didn’t go down easy. Down two with the clocking winding towards zero, David Newman got the ball after an MSU basket and rushed it towards the hoop. Once in the lane, Newman lofted a soft floater which looked on target until Michigan State’s Antonio Smith batted it away. Michigan State’s fans breathed a sigh of relief until they saw the batted ball roll into the hands of Steve Lepore. After one quick dribble, Lepore leaned in over a defender and fired an off balance three point shot. To this day, I believe he came inches from changing Northwestern basketball forever.
When you’re trying to build a program goal number one is a signature win. It’s the win which announces a team’s presence to the nation. It informs all their upcoming opponents that they better be ready to play or they’ll be adding a number on the right column of their record. It’s Northwestern’s 1995 football team beating Michigan or Davidson topping Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament. It might even be Northwestern basketball beating Michigan State last year in East Lansing (you could certainly argue that was a signature win), but without a doubt the loss to Michigan State on March 5, 1999 was the closest Northwestern came to signature win before last January. I’d argue it would have been far more significant that last year’s victory given the stage on which it would have occurred and what it might have setup.
If the Wildcats had beaten the Spartans they would have advanced to play Wisconsin in the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament. Had they beat the Badgers, which they certainly could have, they would have played the last place Illinois Fighting Illini who had made remarkable run to the final in the conference title game. It would have been almost a perfect confluence of events for the ‘Cats to make their first NCAA tournament. Not only would the road there have been relatively easy, but the team would have been playing with a ton of extra confidence after knocking off the number two team in the nation live on ESPN. Beating Michigan State in full view of a national TV audience could have totally changed the national perception of Northwestern basketball. Not only might the ‘Cats future opponents in the Big Ten Tournament have found themselves very worried about NU’s unstoppable momentum, but the national press which such an upset would have generated might have changed how the average college basketball fan and potential recruits viewed Northwestern basketball. Unfortunately, thanks to the United Center rims, NU’s dream of a signature win remained unrealized.
When the ball left his hand, Steve Lepore’s shot for the win looked as if it was right on, but it ended up slightly short and hit the front edge. When the ball hit the rim, it bounced high into to the air and it looked for a moment as if the ball might still manage to fall into the basket. Unfortunately, on the way down the ball stuck the rim a second time before falling to the hardwood floor.
Although it was sad to watch the ‘Cats play so well and come up short, I think my pain was eased somewhat by knowing that despite failing to achieve their signature win, NU earned the respect of the college basketball world. The broadcasters on ESPN effusively praised Eschmeyer’s fantastic play. In his postgame press conference, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo said NU deserved to win and admitted the Wildcats outplayed and outhustled his mighty Spartans. The most memorable praise for the ‘Cats, though, came from the crowd of Wisconsin fans who rose to their feet and saluted the ‘Cats effort with a standing ovation after the final buzzer sounded. It was a fantastic moment.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Game 21: Northwestern Wildcats @ Michigan State
The Matchup: Northwestern (14-6) @ Michigan State (18-3)
Location: Breslin Center (East Lansing, MI)
TV: Big Ten Network (6:00 PM January 30th, 2010)
Radio: WYLL AM 1160
Fun Fact: Northwestern’s win over Michigan State in East Lansing last season was the Big Ten Network’s Game of the Year for 2008-09.
About the Game
Michigan State enters this game undefeated in the Big Ten and ranked #5 in the nation. Northwestern enters with a respectable 14-6 overall record, but NU’s loss to Minnesota dropped the Wildcats to 3-5 in the Big Ten and out of most NCAA Tournament predictions. If Northwestern can beat Michigan State, though, they’ll be right back in those tournament projections and probably have an even bigger win on their resume than last season’s titanic upset.
In early January these two teams met in Evanston and Michigan State lit up Northwestern’s defense. MSU scored 91 points and the Wildcats looked entirely helpless against Michigan State’s athletic skill. The good news for NU fans is that the Wildcats seemed to recommit to defense after that loss. The bad news is most of the recommitment occurred in the matchup zone or switching man-to-man. Even matching up and/or switching, it’ll be tough for NU go toe-to-toe with MSU’s athletes. That means the Wildcats might have to get back into the 1-3-1 which produced a ton of Michigan State turnovers last year. Unfortunately, Tom Izzo seemed to have his Spartans more than prepared for the 1-3-1 earlier this year in Evanston. Choosing a defense will be a tough, but very critical decision for NU coach Bill Carmody. The truth is Michigan State isn’t a great three point shooting team. Kalin Lucas makes 38.6%, Chris Allen makes 38.4%, and Korie Lucious makes 34.8%, but none of the other Spartans are great shooters. In fact, Durrell Summers is the only other Spartan who even considers trying threes, but he makes just 25%. Given those numbers, it might make sense to try the 1-3-1 as it looks as if NU won’t get beat from the outside. The 1-3-1 might also help deny the ball inside to Draymond Green (10.4ppg and 58.3% FG) and Raymar Morgan (11.7ppg and 58% FG). Green is closer to a classic post player who wants to catch with his back turned while Morgan can take a lesser athlete off the dribble. Either way, NU’s front court would be best served in keeping the ball away from those guys. To do so, John Shruna and Luka Mirkovic will need to hit the defensive glass. MSU has 290 offensive rebounds already this season.
Michigan State’s other great skill is how fast they push the ball. If you miss a shot you must get back on defense, if you turn the ball over you must get back on defense, and if you make a basket you don’t have time to feel happy because you need to get back on defense. MSU took advantage of some NU laziness in January and got some easy baskets. For Northwestern to win they can’t allow those easy baskets and they must get some easy baskets of their own thanks to turnovers and the open threes the Princeton Offense will produce.
Prediction:
I think Northwestern is a better team now than they were in January. I would be shocked if this game is decided by more than 12 points, but I also don’t think NU can duplicate their feat from last season. Michigan State, 71 Northwestern, 60
Location: Breslin Center (East Lansing, MI)
TV: Big Ten Network (6:00 PM January 30th, 2010)
Radio: WYLL AM 1160
Fun Fact: Northwestern’s win over Michigan State in East Lansing last season was the Big Ten Network’s Game of the Year for 2008-09.
About the Game
Michigan State enters this game undefeated in the Big Ten and ranked #5 in the nation. Northwestern enters with a respectable 14-6 overall record, but NU’s loss to Minnesota dropped the Wildcats to 3-5 in the Big Ten and out of most NCAA Tournament predictions. If Northwestern can beat Michigan State, though, they’ll be right back in those tournament projections and probably have an even bigger win on their resume than last season’s titanic upset.
In early January these two teams met in Evanston and Michigan State lit up Northwestern’s defense. MSU scored 91 points and the Wildcats looked entirely helpless against Michigan State’s athletic skill. The good news for NU fans is that the Wildcats seemed to recommit to defense after that loss. The bad news is most of the recommitment occurred in the matchup zone or switching man-to-man. Even matching up and/or switching, it’ll be tough for NU go toe-to-toe with MSU’s athletes. That means the Wildcats might have to get back into the 1-3-1 which produced a ton of Michigan State turnovers last year. Unfortunately, Tom Izzo seemed to have his Spartans more than prepared for the 1-3-1 earlier this year in Evanston. Choosing a defense will be a tough, but very critical decision for NU coach Bill Carmody. The truth is Michigan State isn’t a great three point shooting team. Kalin Lucas makes 38.6%, Chris Allen makes 38.4%, and Korie Lucious makes 34.8%, but none of the other Spartans are great shooters. In fact, Durrell Summers is the only other Spartan who even considers trying threes, but he makes just 25%. Given those numbers, it might make sense to try the 1-3-1 as it looks as if NU won’t get beat from the outside. The 1-3-1 might also help deny the ball inside to Draymond Green (10.4ppg and 58.3% FG) and Raymar Morgan (11.7ppg and 58% FG). Green is closer to a classic post player who wants to catch with his back turned while Morgan can take a lesser athlete off the dribble. Either way, NU’s front court would be best served in keeping the ball away from those guys. To do so, John Shruna and Luka Mirkovic will need to hit the defensive glass. MSU has 290 offensive rebounds already this season.
Michigan State’s other great skill is how fast they push the ball. If you miss a shot you must get back on defense, if you turn the ball over you must get back on defense, and if you make a basket you don’t have time to feel happy because you need to get back on defense. MSU took advantage of some NU laziness in January and got some easy baskets. For Northwestern to win they can’t allow those easy baskets and they must get some easy baskets of their own thanks to turnovers and the open threes the Princeton Offense will produce.
Prediction:
I think Northwestern is a better team now than they were in January. I would be shocked if this game is decided by more than 12 points, but I also don’t think NU can duplicate their feat from last season. Michigan State, 71 Northwestern, 60
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Another Painful Loss: MSU Thrashes Wildcats at Home 91-70
Good teams make other teams play badly. That’s why they are good teams. They play defense or execute offense in such a way that their opponent is not able to play the game they are accustom to playing. Michigan State is a good team and did a number of things to take Northwestern out of their standard game such as always having a bigger player guard 5-10 Michael “Juice” Thompson and attacking the basket in transition flawlessly. Combined with a less than strong effort from NU on defense and a number of missed easy shots and free throws, Michigan State handled Northwestern with what can only be called from NU’s point of view embarrassing ease.
For example, Michigan State executed their offense well, but NU was pretty unaggressive on defense in the second half in both the 1-3-1 and 2-3 matchup zone. That might have been due to foul trouble, but NU didn't really start the half that aggressive either. NU always seemed to be reacting to something Michigan State did (which to be honest is what resulted in fouls) instead of aggressively trying to play defense and deny the passing lanes. I still think Northwestern is a solid team (a postseason team), but we’ve now seen NU play poorly on defense in both its Big Ten games. Today was particularly bad as MSU shot better than 60% from the field. NU’s next game is at home on Thursday versus Texas-Pan America. UTPA is awful, but if Northwestern plays defense like did the last two contests it’ll be a close game. If I were Bill Carmody I would use practice to put extra emphasis on working on defense. Maybe working more on the press NU has briefly shown.
Northwestern knows how to play offense. Even tonight NU got a lot of good shots. What was disappointing on offense for NU was how many layups NU missed. After John Shurna missed two early layups (though he at least made the rest of his easy shot attempts) I started counting missed layups for NU. The final total for missed layups by NU excluding layups missed when fouled (though I think NU could have finished a number of those) was 10 missed easy layups. That’s 20 points. Add 7 missed free throws and the total is 27 points NU without a doubt should have scored. That’s the difference between a close game and getting manhandled on your home court. If you want to place specific blame on players for not converting at the hoop, Jeremy Nash and Luka Mirkovic each missed three layups, but they had plenty of company in the category of guys who failed to finish.
The only Wildcats who really played well tonight were John Shurna who scored 29 points and does legitimately look like a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate (though his teammates will need to pick it up for him to get real consideration) and Alex Marcotullio who hit enough threes and free throws to score 16 points. Marcotullio also had one of NU’s few good defensive plays when he jumped in front of pass at the top of the 1-3-1 for a steal.
As I said above, I still think Northwestern is a good team, but they’ll really have something to prove their next two games. A home game versus UTPA should be an easy win, but with NU’s recent poor execution they have plenty to work on that night. Then NU starts Big Ten road play at Michigan. If NU seriously wants to be an NCAA Tournament team they need to pick up at least three conference road wins and that game presents an opportunity which can’t be missed after the OT loss at Illinois.
For example, Michigan State executed their offense well, but NU was pretty unaggressive on defense in the second half in both the 1-3-1 and 2-3 matchup zone. That might have been due to foul trouble, but NU didn't really start the half that aggressive either. NU always seemed to be reacting to something Michigan State did (which to be honest is what resulted in fouls) instead of aggressively trying to play defense and deny the passing lanes. I still think Northwestern is a solid team (a postseason team), but we’ve now seen NU play poorly on defense in both its Big Ten games. Today was particularly bad as MSU shot better than 60% from the field. NU’s next game is at home on Thursday versus Texas-Pan America. UTPA is awful, but if Northwestern plays defense like did the last two contests it’ll be a close game. If I were Bill Carmody I would use practice to put extra emphasis on working on defense. Maybe working more on the press NU has briefly shown.
Northwestern knows how to play offense. Even tonight NU got a lot of good shots. What was disappointing on offense for NU was how many layups NU missed. After John Shurna missed two early layups (though he at least made the rest of his easy shot attempts) I started counting missed layups for NU. The final total for missed layups by NU excluding layups missed when fouled (though I think NU could have finished a number of those) was 10 missed easy layups. That’s 20 points. Add 7 missed free throws and the total is 27 points NU without a doubt should have scored. That’s the difference between a close game and getting manhandled on your home court. If you want to place specific blame on players for not converting at the hoop, Jeremy Nash and Luka Mirkovic each missed three layups, but they had plenty of company in the category of guys who failed to finish.
The only Wildcats who really played well tonight were John Shurna who scored 29 points and does legitimately look like a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate (though his teammates will need to pick it up for him to get real consideration) and Alex Marcotullio who hit enough threes and free throws to score 16 points. Marcotullio also had one of NU’s few good defensive plays when he jumped in front of pass at the top of the 1-3-1 for a steal.
As I said above, I still think Northwestern is a good team, but they’ll really have something to prove their next two games. A home game versus UTPA should be an easy win, but with NU’s recent poor execution they have plenty to work on that night. Then NU starts Big Ten road play at Michigan. If NU seriously wants to be an NCAA Tournament team they need to pick up at least three conference road wins and that game presents an opportunity which can’t be missed after the OT loss at Illinois.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Game 13: Michigan State @ Northwestern
I'm posting this preview for the 'Cats home game vs MSU today as I'll be focused on the Outback Bowl on the 1st. However, NU fans should not forget about the women's basketball team's game vs top-10 team Ohio State today.
The Matchup: Michigan State (10-3) @ Northwestern (10-2)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (5:30 PM CT January 2nd, 2010)
Radio: WYLL-AM 1160
Fun Fact: Northwestern beat #7 Michigan State 70-63 in East Lansing last time these teams meet.
About the Game
The Wildcats were on the verge of returning home for this game as triumphant heroes, however, they failed to hold a lead against Illinois and instead return 0-1 in the Big Ten. Odds are the Wildcats will survive if they fall to 0-2, but if NU wants to maintain their national ranking and media focus it will be important to pull of the upset at home in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Like every Michigan State vs Northwestern game since about 1998, the Spartans feature a team that is more athletic than Northwestern. This NU team, though, might be the closest the Wildcats have come to being able to compete with the Spartans athletically in the last decade. Drew Crawford is already a Big Ten caliber athlete as a freshman and other than center Luka Mirkovic, the older ‘Cat starters offer a range of athletic skill as well. In fact, coming off a better performance in man-to-man than in the 1-3-1 against Illinois, I wouldn’t be that surprised to see the ‘Cats attempt to play some man against the Spartans. However, no fan can forget how well NU played the 1-3-1 against MSU in East Lansing last winter. Of course, I doubt Tom Izzo forgot either. For what it’s worth, Michigan State has had trouble with turnovers. They have 191 turnovers in 13 games this year. That’s nearly 15 a game. The key will be for Northwestern to figure out what type of defense is best to force turnovers from the athletic Spartans because NU will need points off turnovers to counter MSU’s second chance baskets.
Michigan State is probably strongest in the transition game so it will be important for NU not to have turnovers of their own and get back on defense after long rebounds. When the Spartans run traditional offense they aren’t complex, but they’re very good at setting up open shots for Chris Allen (10.6 ppg, 38.3% three), inside looks for Draymond Green (11.0 ppg), or one-on-one matchups for Kalin Lucas (15.7 ppg, 40.5% three) and Raymar Morgan (10.1 ppg).
Michigan State has also traditionally been a team who scores a lot of second chance baskets. After giving up two key second chance baskets to Illinois in overtime I’m sure NU will be aware of keeping Green (8.2 rpg) and athletic forward Delvon Roe (7.4 rpg) off the glass, but it’ll be tough. Michigan State averages about 14 offensive rebounds a game and Coach Izzo’s fine ability to coach aggressive intensity in the reason why.
Prediction:
Kyle Rowley played his best game of the season (career?) against Illinois, but NU still got outmanned inside. His partner Luka Mirkovic struggled mightily. The good news is that MSU doesn’t have a 7-1 guy like Mike Tisdale who will score at will and grab rebounds with total ease. The bad news is they’ll be better athletes who can out jump Mirkovic and Rowley when guys like Korie Lucas and Durrell Summers miss threes. NU needs to produce turnovers to win which is why I think Bill Carmody will play 1-3-1 against the Spartans (at least to start), but I think Tom Izzo will have Michigan State ready for that defense. I mean he is generally accepted as the Big Ten’s top coach for a reason. If NU does cause 20-25 turnovers I think the ‘Cats can (and will) win, but I think a Michigan State team that has probably been prepping for NU for the last week plus (which is why they played so-so vs UT-Arlington) will avoid turnovers and get just enough points inside to beat NU. Michigan State, 77 Northwestern, 68
The Matchup: Michigan State (10-3) @ Northwestern (10-2)
Location: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (5:30 PM CT January 2nd, 2010)
Radio: WYLL-AM 1160
Fun Fact: Northwestern beat #7 Michigan State 70-63 in East Lansing last time these teams meet.
About the Game
The Wildcats were on the verge of returning home for this game as triumphant heroes, however, they failed to hold a lead against Illinois and instead return 0-1 in the Big Ten. Odds are the Wildcats will survive if they fall to 0-2, but if NU wants to maintain their national ranking and media focus it will be important to pull of the upset at home in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Like every Michigan State vs Northwestern game since about 1998, the Spartans feature a team that is more athletic than Northwestern. This NU team, though, might be the closest the Wildcats have come to being able to compete with the Spartans athletically in the last decade. Drew Crawford is already a Big Ten caliber athlete as a freshman and other than center Luka Mirkovic, the older ‘Cat starters offer a range of athletic skill as well. In fact, coming off a better performance in man-to-man than in the 1-3-1 against Illinois, I wouldn’t be that surprised to see the ‘Cats attempt to play some man against the Spartans. However, no fan can forget how well NU played the 1-3-1 against MSU in East Lansing last winter. Of course, I doubt Tom Izzo forgot either. For what it’s worth, Michigan State has had trouble with turnovers. They have 191 turnovers in 13 games this year. That’s nearly 15 a game. The key will be for Northwestern to figure out what type of defense is best to force turnovers from the athletic Spartans because NU will need points off turnovers to counter MSU’s second chance baskets.
Michigan State is probably strongest in the transition game so it will be important for NU not to have turnovers of their own and get back on defense after long rebounds. When the Spartans run traditional offense they aren’t complex, but they’re very good at setting up open shots for Chris Allen (10.6 ppg, 38.3% three), inside looks for Draymond Green (11.0 ppg), or one-on-one matchups for Kalin Lucas (15.7 ppg, 40.5% three) and Raymar Morgan (10.1 ppg).
Michigan State has also traditionally been a team who scores a lot of second chance baskets. After giving up two key second chance baskets to Illinois in overtime I’m sure NU will be aware of keeping Green (8.2 rpg) and athletic forward Delvon Roe (7.4 rpg) off the glass, but it’ll be tough. Michigan State averages about 14 offensive rebounds a game and Coach Izzo’s fine ability to coach aggressive intensity in the reason why.
Prediction:
Kyle Rowley played his best game of the season (career?) against Illinois, but NU still got outmanned inside. His partner Luka Mirkovic struggled mightily. The good news is that MSU doesn’t have a 7-1 guy like Mike Tisdale who will score at will and grab rebounds with total ease. The bad news is they’ll be better athletes who can out jump Mirkovic and Rowley when guys like Korie Lucas and Durrell Summers miss threes. NU needs to produce turnovers to win which is why I think Bill Carmody will play 1-3-1 against the Spartans (at least to start), but I think Tom Izzo will have Michigan State ready for that defense. I mean he is generally accepted as the Big Ten’s top coach for a reason. If NU does cause 20-25 turnovers I think the ‘Cats can (and will) win, but I think a Michigan State team that has probably been prepping for NU for the last week plus (which is why they played so-so vs UT-Arlington) will avoid turnovers and get just enough points inside to beat NU. Michigan State, 77 Northwestern, 68
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Stupid Football, Injuries, and Some Decent Play by Michigan State Results in a Wildcat Loss
I was wrong. I predicated a Northwestern win and I predicted the ‘Cats offense would play well. To modify a quote from former NU coach Dennis Green, Northwestern is not the team I thought they were. The offensive line is terrible, the running backs aren’t that quick (though the offensive line makes them look way worse), the defense is a shell of its former self (mostly due to injuries), and the offensive playing lacks any imagination what so ever. Optimistic as I am, if NU doesn’t beat Indiana next week I don’t see them even getting to visit Detroit this winter.
The worst thing Northwestern does is just play stupid. They make dumb turnovers and get ridiculous penalties. At least Mike Kafka avoided interceptions today, but there were still several times when he could have made plays with his feet and instead tried to force a pass. He just got lucky they weren’t picked. I also am starting to think that while Kafka is very accurate in the short passing game he isn’t as comfortable over 15 yards as he missed several receivers for what might have been big gains. Now, overall I still think Kafka has played well and he certainly isn’t helped by the poor line play, but I’d still like to see more of Dan Persa, especially if NU doesn’t win next week. Kafka first year starter problems might be avoidable for Persa if he sees more time this year.
NU also cost itself big time with two fumbles. Jeravin Matthews dropping a kickoff and Drake Dunsmore fumbling away an NU drive which had momentum. The Dunsmore call was questionable as he looked as if his forward progress was stopped, but Matthews has no excuse. I could catch a short kickoff without a problem. Also, Matthews for some reason doesn’t look like he runs full speed on returns. I don’t get that. I also think NU was really lucky Hunter Bates got his fumble back, but I put the punt return problems on the fact nobody in that group apparently knows how to block.
At least the Wildcat defense played okay. They were put in a couple tough situations due to turnovers and injuries have sure hurt. MSU got their first TD because two reserve DBs didn’t make a makeable play. I’d like to think Phillips and Smith would have. Also, Corey Wotton is a shell of his former self. At this point I think he’s better not playing at all. All that can happen now is he can get hurt worse and completely ruin his NFL future. Finally, great as Sherrick McManis has been to date, he got toasted regularly today on play action. It reminded me of Iowa a few years back. Ugh.
On the positive side NU started basketball practice last night and I should probably write about that since that’s what this site is supposed to be about. Unfortunately, I’m too focused on NU’s massively under achieving football team right now. NU needs to beat Indiana next week to even consider a trip to the Motor City Bowl. I guess I hope Illinois wins tonight and IU is really down in the dumps, but who knows. It’s not as if NU will get any home crowd advantage, so maybe the psychological aspects aren’t even worth thinking about.
Congrats to Purdue for the win over OSU. I knew the Boilers were too good not to get some wins, but I didn’t really expect OSU to be their first victim. What that wins does show is the Big Ten is pretty even, but I’m not sure that helps NU’s bowl hopes unless the ‘Cats can actually scratch out 7 wins and not just 6.
It that possible? Sure, Purdue just beat OSU, but something needs to change on offense. Could Mick McCall be any less imaginative? One nice looking option to Matthews was as creative as McCall got today. McCall needs to use the zone read more and take some more chances downfield. If Kafka can’t throw those passes than Persa needs to get another chance. Once MSU started getting tight on the NU receivers and taking away the dinks the NU pass offense really suffered. Also, with the way teams pursue NU, a reverse more than once every three weeks might be nice. Finally, this isn’t a McCall issue, but his a Fitz team ever faked a punt. I think they’ve faked a FG, but I can’t remember a Fitz team faking a punt. Can anyone?
The worst thing Northwestern does is just play stupid. They make dumb turnovers and get ridiculous penalties. At least Mike Kafka avoided interceptions today, but there were still several times when he could have made plays with his feet and instead tried to force a pass. He just got lucky they weren’t picked. I also am starting to think that while Kafka is very accurate in the short passing game he isn’t as comfortable over 15 yards as he missed several receivers for what might have been big gains. Now, overall I still think Kafka has played well and he certainly isn’t helped by the poor line play, but I’d still like to see more of Dan Persa, especially if NU doesn’t win next week. Kafka first year starter problems might be avoidable for Persa if he sees more time this year.
NU also cost itself big time with two fumbles. Jeravin Matthews dropping a kickoff and Drake Dunsmore fumbling away an NU drive which had momentum. The Dunsmore call was questionable as he looked as if his forward progress was stopped, but Matthews has no excuse. I could catch a short kickoff without a problem. Also, Matthews for some reason doesn’t look like he runs full speed on returns. I don’t get that. I also think NU was really lucky Hunter Bates got his fumble back, but I put the punt return problems on the fact nobody in that group apparently knows how to block.
At least the Wildcat defense played okay. They were put in a couple tough situations due to turnovers and injuries have sure hurt. MSU got their first TD because two reserve DBs didn’t make a makeable play. I’d like to think Phillips and Smith would have. Also, Corey Wotton is a shell of his former self. At this point I think he’s better not playing at all. All that can happen now is he can get hurt worse and completely ruin his NFL future. Finally, great as Sherrick McManis has been to date, he got toasted regularly today on play action. It reminded me of Iowa a few years back. Ugh.
On the positive side NU started basketball practice last night and I should probably write about that since that’s what this site is supposed to be about. Unfortunately, I’m too focused on NU’s massively under achieving football team right now. NU needs to beat Indiana next week to even consider a trip to the Motor City Bowl. I guess I hope Illinois wins tonight and IU is really down in the dumps, but who knows. It’s not as if NU will get any home crowd advantage, so maybe the psychological aspects aren’t even worth thinking about.
Congrats to Purdue for the win over OSU. I knew the Boilers were too good not to get some wins, but I didn’t really expect OSU to be their first victim. What that wins does show is the Big Ten is pretty even, but I’m not sure that helps NU’s bowl hopes unless the ‘Cats can actually scratch out 7 wins and not just 6.
It that possible? Sure, Purdue just beat OSU, but something needs to change on offense. Could Mick McCall be any less imaginative? One nice looking option to Matthews was as creative as McCall got today. McCall needs to use the zone read more and take some more chances downfield. If Kafka can’t throw those passes than Persa needs to get another chance. Once MSU started getting tight on the NU receivers and taking away the dinks the NU pass offense really suffered. Also, with the way teams pursue NU, a reverse more than once every three weeks might be nice. Finally, this isn’t a McCall issue, but his a Fitz team ever faked a punt. I think they’ve faked a FG, but I can’t remember a Fitz team faking a punt. Can anyone?
Friday, June 19, 2009
NU Upset Over MSU is Big Ten Network Game of the Year for 08-09
Northwestern's 70-63 upset over Michigan State was named the Big Ten Network Game of the Year for the 08-09 season on tonight's Big Ten Network Awards. This is a nice win for the 'Cats, though, I'm sure they'd have traded the award for an NCAA bid. Still, it has been a long time since an NU basketball win could have even been considered for such an award. If the BTN was around in 93-94 then NU's OT win over the Fab Four (No Weber) might have taken home the title, but honestly that's about it in the last 15 years (I mean personally I plan to vote the Michael Jenkins game as Game of the Decade, but I think that's more a personal view because of the fun I had that night at Welsh-Ryan than a fair look at how meaningful the win was). Anyhow, I say thanks to the BTN for the award, but like Coach Carmody and his team I'm hoping for bigger and better awards and rewards next season.
As a look back here's my postgame report: http://welsh-ryanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/01/stunner-cats-upset-7-spartans-70-63-in.html
Thanks to NUBears, here are the highlights: http://northwesternhighlights.blogspot.com/2009/02/northwestern-wildcats-basketball-vs_4452.html
As a look back here's my postgame report: http://welsh-ryanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/01/stunner-cats-upset-7-spartans-70-63-in.html
Thanks to NUBears, here are the highlights: http://northwesternhighlights.blogspot.com/2009/02/northwestern-wildcats-basketball-vs_4452.html
Monday, April 6, 2009
Tar Heels are Tops
In one of the more lopsided title game in any sport North Carolina took home their fifth title with a victory over Michigan State. Coach Roy Williams has now won two titles at UNC after failing to win a title at Kansas. Tom Izzo is now 1-1 in title games and MSU is 2-1 overall. I can’t even begin to say what impressed me most about North Carolina as they did everything so well. They played lockdown defense, made a ton of long shots, and passed so well that they kept getting point blank layups. Also, I don’t think I have ever seen a Michigan State team seem so overmatched on the boards. It certainly wasn’t what we wanted for Big Ten or for the City of Detroit, but the bad loss does not diminish a great tournament run by Michigan State. I also believe that if the experts look at the Big Ten’s performance objectively, they will see that next year’s Big Ten has a chance to be very strong. Michigan State might be the favorite, but Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State all will feature strong junior class players with postseason experience. Hopefully that will result in a better finish for the Big Ten next year.
Final Game Half Time: UNC in Total Control
Wow. I know UNC is better than MSU but this is crazy. It's too bad this game is basically over as it will be the last college basketball contest until November and the Big Ten isn't looking too good. Still, it is nice to see a Big Ten team in the final game, but unless they turn things around 180 degrees it will be UNC taking home the school's fifth title and Roy Williams his second with his second victory over a Big Ten school.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Michigan State in Final Game
I don't generally spend time worry about teams that aren't Northwestern, but I will have a postgame report on the NCAA Title Game tomorrow night. For now, let's review NU's win over the Spartans.
Here's the link to video: http://northwesternhighlights.blogspot.com/2009/02/northwestern-wildcats-basketball-vs_4452.html (Thanks to NUBears at Youtube and check out the great site for all sorts of NU highlights)
Here's my recap:http://welsh-ryanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/01/stunner-cats-upset-7-spartans-70-63-in.html
Let's hope MSU pulls off the upset tomorrow night. Maybe then the Big Ten will finally get some respect.
Here's the link to video: http://northwesternhighlights.blogspot.com/2009/02/northwestern-wildcats-basketball-vs_4452.html (Thanks to NUBears at Youtube and check out the great site for all sorts of NU highlights)
Here's my recap:http://welsh-ryanramblings.blogspot.com/2009/01/stunner-cats-upset-7-spartans-70-63-in.html
Let's hope MSU pulls off the upset tomorrow night. Maybe then the Big Ten will finally get some respect.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Stunner!!!!!! ‘Cats upset #7 Spartans 70-63 in East Lansing
A program changing win. That’s what Bill Carmody has been searching for since coming to Evanston in 2001. Today was that win. The Wildcat coaches planned and the players executed a nearly flawless game plan this evening in East Lansing. The man of the hour will of course be Kevin Coble who scored 31 points and made a collection of circus shots which will be featured on highlight films far and wide. As great as Coble was, though, I want to highlight Michael “Juice” Thompson’s play. Juice (20 pts) came through tonight in the clutch multiple times. He hit 4-of-8 threes and many of them were late in the shot clock. Even more important, he connected on 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch. For a guy who has struggled from the line this season, that was as mentally tough a performance as I have seen. It seemed like Juice actually wanted to get fouled and go the line. That’s the kind of leadership you need from your point guard. The other Wildcat in double figures tonight was Craig Moore who battled through an unbelievably rough first half (0-of-7) to end up with 11 points. Moore’s three to put the ‘Cats back on top after Michigan State took a 49-48 lead should be the play of the game. It showed that tonight NU would not go away.
Perhaps the stat which was most important tonight was that NU forced 18 turnovers while only committing 7. The Spartan guards seriously struggled with NU’s 1-3-1. Kalin Lucas turned the ball over a remarkable 6 times for the Spartans. Chris Allen had 7 TO’s. As noted before the game, this ability to force turnovers negated Michigan State’s substantial rebounding edge. Tonight, MSU outrebounded the ‘Cats 39-23, but it should be noted the Spartans only had a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass. This is a huge step forward for NU. Another huge step was the play of Luka Mirkovic who grabbed four rebounds, hit a big shot (missed one too, but still) and grabbed a late key rebound and had the presence of mind to call timeout. NU’s other centers also had good moments. Kyle Rowley made a nice shot early in the game and provided an early presence. Davide Curletti got off the bench early to play 7 minutes and recorded an assist and a steal. Finally, Ivan Peljusic got four points and continued his habit of scoring his points in bunches when at the end of the half he scored on a put back and then made a jumped as time expired.
Jeremy Nash played well again at the top of the 1-3-1 and did a remarkable job of avoiding his fifth foul for nearly ten minutes. I wish Jeremy were a better shooter, I really don’t understand why he isn’t, but he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen for a guy who scored zero. Aside from three rebounds, all of which seemed big, Nash added a team-high 3 assists against 0 turnovers. Nash also had 1 steal, but the number of bad passes he forced was probably in the double digit range. Kevin Coble proved to be the recipient of many of those bad passes and he ended up with 4 steals. Overall NU had 9 steals meaning NU steals accounted for half of MSU’s turnovers.
Finally, where Northwestern goes from here will dictate how big this win really is, but this win is significant for Coach Carmody and the ‘Cats. It shows wherever they go, they can compete. This attitude should help as many tough road tests remain on the schedule. It should also help at home where many more fans will likely show, especially if NU sweeps the state of Michigan by beating the very talented Wolverines on Saturday night.
Perhaps the stat which was most important tonight was that NU forced 18 turnovers while only committing 7. The Spartan guards seriously struggled with NU’s 1-3-1. Kalin Lucas turned the ball over a remarkable 6 times for the Spartans. Chris Allen had 7 TO’s. As noted before the game, this ability to force turnovers negated Michigan State’s substantial rebounding edge. Tonight, MSU outrebounded the ‘Cats 39-23, but it should be noted the Spartans only had a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass. This is a huge step forward for NU. Another huge step was the play of Luka Mirkovic who grabbed four rebounds, hit a big shot (missed one too, but still) and grabbed a late key rebound and had the presence of mind to call timeout. NU’s other centers also had good moments. Kyle Rowley made a nice shot early in the game and provided an early presence. Davide Curletti got off the bench early to play 7 minutes and recorded an assist and a steal. Finally, Ivan Peljusic got four points and continued his habit of scoring his points in bunches when at the end of the half he scored on a put back and then made a jumped as time expired.
Jeremy Nash played well again at the top of the 1-3-1 and did a remarkable job of avoiding his fifth foul for nearly ten minutes. I wish Jeremy were a better shooter, I really don’t understand why he isn’t, but he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen for a guy who scored zero. Aside from three rebounds, all of which seemed big, Nash added a team-high 3 assists against 0 turnovers. Nash also had 1 steal, but the number of bad passes he forced was probably in the double digit range. Kevin Coble proved to be the recipient of many of those bad passes and he ended up with 4 steals. Overall NU had 9 steals meaning NU steals accounted for half of MSU’s turnovers.
Finally, where Northwestern goes from here will dictate how big this win really is, but this win is significant for Coach Carmody and the ‘Cats. It shows wherever they go, they can compete. This attitude should help as many tough road tests remain on the schedule. It should also help at home where many more fans will likely show, especially if NU sweeps the state of Michigan by beating the very talented Wolverines on Saturday night.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Game 16: Northwestern @ Michigan State
The Matchup: Northwestern (9-6) @ #7 Michigan State (15-2)
Location: Breslin Center (East Lansing, MI)
TV: Big Ten Network (5:30 PM CT)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Craig Moore has scored 75 points in his career against Michigan State, an average of 15 per game.
About the Game
The first matchup this year between these two teams was decided by a 12-0 Michigan State run at the start of the second half. That run erased a 33-32 Wildcat halftime lead and provided the winning margin in a 77-66 Spartan victory. Overall, that game was similar to many I’ve seen from Michigan State this year. It seems the Spartans will often let a team hang around for a half or for 30 minutes, but will then turn up the dial and run past their opponent. Run is really the operative word as Wildcat fans who saw the Spartans at Welsh-Ryan have to acknowledge the Spartans showed tremendous team speed. Despite the fact NU tried to slow the game down, Michigan State still got down the court with speed and scored 77 points. A key to a Wildcat upset has to be controlling the pace of the game better. Of course, Michigan State will get some breakaways, but the Wildcats cannot let the game turn into a Raymar Morgan dunk show. Morgan is still the Spartans leading scorer with 14.8 ppg. He also averages 7.0 rpg. Although he showed some high-flying skills against NU at Welsh-Ryan, he also showed a nice jump shot as well. Morgan had the flu for Saturday's game and missed a workout Monday with the virus. No word on what that means for Wednesday.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Michigan State to me is the fact they don’t seem to miss open shots. As a group, they shoot 46.8% overall and 38.3% from three. Kalin Lucas is the Spartans other top scorer at 13.7 ppg. It is Lucas’s great speed that often triggers the impressive Spartan break. Off the bench, NU will have to contend with shooter Chris Allen who scored double figures at NU. As much as Morgan, Suton, or Lucas, it was Chris Allen’s dead-eye shooting which overpowered NU at Welsh-Ryan.
The other major area where NU is at a disadvantage in taking on the Spartans is, of course, on the glass. The Spartans outrebound their opponents by 10.2 per game. NU averages about four less than the teams they play. Goran Suton leads the Spartans with 7.4 ppg, but don’t forget guys like Marquise Grey and Delvon Roe who also can crash the glass and get easy twos after a teammate’s miss. Perhaps the strategy to counter this for Northwestern will be to force turnovers. In the last two games Northwestern has forced more than 30 turnovers. Perhaps Michigan State’s only unimpressive stat is they have more turnovers than assists. I expect Jeremy Nash to get a lot of time based on his play the last two games, however, I believe it would be a mistake for Coach Carmody to simply stick him at the top of the 1-3-1 and let things be. If Northwestern tries to play the 1-3-1 all day, Michigan State will shoot them right out of the gym. How well Coach Carmody varies his defensive looks might be a key to the game for NU.
Prediction: Michigan State has several advantages in this game. First, MSU is playing at home, second NU has a terrible rebounding margin, and third MSU’s total talent is far superior. Based on these stats you might expect a blow out, but I think Craig Moore’s love for playing in and against the state of Michigan will give NU a boost. As a result, I expect a close game. Michigan State, 69 Northwestern, 65
Location: Breslin Center (East Lansing, MI)
TV: Big Ten Network (5:30 PM CT)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Craig Moore has scored 75 points in his career against Michigan State, an average of 15 per game.
About the Game
The first matchup this year between these two teams was decided by a 12-0 Michigan State run at the start of the second half. That run erased a 33-32 Wildcat halftime lead and provided the winning margin in a 77-66 Spartan victory. Overall, that game was similar to many I’ve seen from Michigan State this year. It seems the Spartans will often let a team hang around for a half or for 30 minutes, but will then turn up the dial and run past their opponent. Run is really the operative word as Wildcat fans who saw the Spartans at Welsh-Ryan have to acknowledge the Spartans showed tremendous team speed. Despite the fact NU tried to slow the game down, Michigan State still got down the court with speed and scored 77 points. A key to a Wildcat upset has to be controlling the pace of the game better. Of course, Michigan State will get some breakaways, but the Wildcats cannot let the game turn into a Raymar Morgan dunk show. Morgan is still the Spartans leading scorer with 14.8 ppg. He also averages 7.0 rpg. Although he showed some high-flying skills against NU at Welsh-Ryan, he also showed a nice jump shot as well. Morgan had the flu for Saturday's game and missed a workout Monday with the virus. No word on what that means for Wednesday.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Michigan State to me is the fact they don’t seem to miss open shots. As a group, they shoot 46.8% overall and 38.3% from three. Kalin Lucas is the Spartans other top scorer at 13.7 ppg. It is Lucas’s great speed that often triggers the impressive Spartan break. Off the bench, NU will have to contend with shooter Chris Allen who scored double figures at NU. As much as Morgan, Suton, or Lucas, it was Chris Allen’s dead-eye shooting which overpowered NU at Welsh-Ryan.
The other major area where NU is at a disadvantage in taking on the Spartans is, of course, on the glass. The Spartans outrebound their opponents by 10.2 per game. NU averages about four less than the teams they play. Goran Suton leads the Spartans with 7.4 ppg, but don’t forget guys like Marquise Grey and Delvon Roe who also can crash the glass and get easy twos after a teammate’s miss. Perhaps the strategy to counter this for Northwestern will be to force turnovers. In the last two games Northwestern has forced more than 30 turnovers. Perhaps Michigan State’s only unimpressive stat is they have more turnovers than assists. I expect Jeremy Nash to get a lot of time based on his play the last two games, however, I believe it would be a mistake for Coach Carmody to simply stick him at the top of the 1-3-1 and let things be. If Northwestern tries to play the 1-3-1 all day, Michigan State will shoot them right out of the gym. How well Coach Carmody varies his defensive looks might be a key to the game for NU.
Prediction: Michigan State has several advantages in this game. First, MSU is playing at home, second NU has a terrible rebounding margin, and third MSU’s total talent is far superior. Based on these stats you might expect a blow out, but I think Craig Moore’s love for playing in and against the state of Michigan will give NU a boost. As a result, I expect a close game. Michigan State, 69 Northwestern, 65
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Spartans Run Past 'Cats 77-66
Northwestern actually played pretty well against Michigan State except for a 5 minute stretch at the start of the second half in which Northwestern only got one shot in 6 possessions. That allowed MSU go on a 12-0 spurt which ended NU's chance to win a game the 'Cats led 33-32 at half. The positive thing is that except for those five minutes, NU probably played better against MSU than they did against Penn State. Unfortunately, Michigan State is an excellent team and you have no chance to beat them unless you play at a high level the entire game. In fact, in the Big Ten, NU will need to play forty minutes to beat anybody, with the possible exception of Indiana.
One major positive from last night was the play of Luka Mirkovic. He scored nine points and had three assists with no turnovers. Kyle Rowley actually started the game with some good baskets for NU, but he looked tired and missed two easy layups late in the first half. Rowley also looked majorly indecisive early in the second when he got the ball in the post and traveled. I will also say the Mike Capocci had some nice minutes and it will be interesting to see if he gets more playing time. This could help, because last Jeff Ryan really struggled, returning to his frightened self instead of the aggressive player he had become earlier in the year.
On the negative side, NU still struggled rebounding, though, the effort was better than against Penn State (NU got 10 offensive boards vs MSU). Michigan State is also the most athletic team NU will face this year. NU should matchup better against the other top Big Ten teams because Wisconsin and Purdue do not have the athletic monsters of Raymar Morgan, Kalin Lucas, Goran Suton, Delvon Roe, etc. Unfortunately, NU once again shot poorly from three point range going 9-of-29, 31%. This is a serious problem. Some people wanted to call NU’s shooting against PSU an aberration, however, I worry that it is the better Big Ten opponents who are forcing NU into shooting struggles. If NU really is a good shooting team, they are due for a hot shooting night soon (please at Wisconsin) as they’ve struggled in their last three contests (SMU, PSU, MSU). Hopefully we’ll see that against Wisconsin. If not, it will be a long season as Northwestern must hit threes to win. Hopefully, at lest Craig Moore (4-of-11) Kevin Coble (2-of-7) will shoot better as the season continues. They have a track record which proves they can. Northwestern desperately needs Kevin Coble to have a game where he gets sizzling hot if they want to pull some big upsets.
One major positive from last night was the play of Luka Mirkovic. He scored nine points and had three assists with no turnovers. Kyle Rowley actually started the game with some good baskets for NU, but he looked tired and missed two easy layups late in the first half. Rowley also looked majorly indecisive early in the second when he got the ball in the post and traveled. I will also say the Mike Capocci had some nice minutes and it will be interesting to see if he gets more playing time. This could help, because last Jeff Ryan really struggled, returning to his frightened self instead of the aggressive player he had become earlier in the year.
On the negative side, NU still struggled rebounding, though, the effort was better than against Penn State (NU got 10 offensive boards vs MSU). Michigan State is also the most athletic team NU will face this year. NU should matchup better against the other top Big Ten teams because Wisconsin and Purdue do not have the athletic monsters of Raymar Morgan, Kalin Lucas, Goran Suton, Delvon Roe, etc. Unfortunately, NU once again shot poorly from three point range going 9-of-29, 31%. This is a serious problem. Some people wanted to call NU’s shooting against PSU an aberration, however, I worry that it is the better Big Ten opponents who are forcing NU into shooting struggles. If NU really is a good shooting team, they are due for a hot shooting night soon (please at Wisconsin) as they’ve struggled in their last three contests (SMU, PSU, MSU). Hopefully we’ll see that against Wisconsin. If not, it will be a long season as Northwestern must hit threes to win. Hopefully, at lest Craig Moore (4-of-11) Kevin Coble (2-of-7) will shoot better as the season continues. They have a track record which proves they can. Northwestern desperately needs Kevin Coble to have a game where he gets sizzling hot if they want to pull some big upsets.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Game 12: Michigan State @ Northwestern
The Matchup: Michigan State (10-2, 1-0) @ Northwestern (8-3, 0-1)
Location: Welsh Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (6:00 PM CT)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Michigan State is 6-0 this season when Goran Suton plays.
About the MSU Game
Northwestern and Michigan State enter this game seemingly going in different directions. MSU beat previously undefeated Minnesota in their Big Ten opener, while the Wildcats lost to Penn State. The initial reaction upon seeing this is the Wildcats are in trouble. However, Minnesota probably isn’t as good people thought and Penn State probably isn’t as bad. Despite that, though, this remains a tall task for Northwestern. Michigan State is one of, if not the most, physically talented team Northwestern will play this season. The Spartans are unbelievably quick with the ball, led by point guard Kalin Lucas, and have a whole host of future NBAers on the roster. Position for position Northwestern will struggle to matchup.
Besides their speed, the Spartans have size. 6-10 Goran Suton is back at full speed after early injuries and he leads MSU with 6.7 rpg, he also scores 10.3 ppg. Alongside Suton in the front court are 6-8 forwards Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe. Morgan is regarded by some as the best all around player in the Big Ten. He currently averages 14.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg in addition to shooting 62.3%. Roe was the highest rated recruit to enter the Big Ten this season and although slowed by injuries early, he still averages 5.3 ppg and 5.1 rebounds.
Off the bench, MSU can bring in two sharp shooters who have decent size as well. 6-3 reserve guard Chris Allen averages 10.2 ppg, despite not being a starter, on the strength of his 23-of-61 three point shooting. Fellow reserve Durrell Summers, despite receving the wrath of Coach Tom Izzo early on, now shoots 50% from three and is a key member of the Spartan rotation.
How can NU stop this team? The first thing they must do is play much better defense on the perimeter than they did in the second half against PSU. Open shots cannot be allowed. A hand needs to get in every shooter’s face. This is potentially scary as every Spartan shooter, save Lucas, towers over Michael Thompson. It will be interesting to see if Sterling Williams gets any time as a defensive sub. Another thing the Wildcats must do is control the pace of the game. Michigan State wants to play very fast. NU wants to play very slow. NU cannot rush shots as they did at times against PSU. Certain Wildcats must learn that just because you are open doesn’t mean you have to shoot. Finally, NU must place bodies on MSU’s rebounders. One of the killers against PSU was the fact NU got creamed on the boards. Part of the problem was Kyle Rowley only playing 12 minutes. Although he doesn’t pull down a lot of rebounds personally, the fact he can occupy space and bang with another team’s center allows for Kevin Coble, John Shurna, and Jeff Ryan to get rebounds. This needs to happen against MSU. It would also help the Wildcats if Davide Curletti could get over his nagging injuries and get some court time. He would give the Wildcats another bigger body to fight with Suton and company.
Prediction: I think this game will be much closer than many think. I expect Northwestern to stay in the game for about 30 minutes, however, the lack of a home student crowd might be an intangible which works against the Wildcats. I suspect that it will be about 30 minutes into the game when MSU’s talent starts to win out. I believe this will be the first time, and the only time for a while, an opponent breaks the 70 point barrier against NU. Michigan State, 78 Northwestern, 65
Location: Welsh Ryan Arena (Evanston, IL)
TV: Big Ten Network (6:00 PM CT)
Radio: WGN 720 AM
Fun Fact: Michigan State is 6-0 this season when Goran Suton plays.
About the MSU Game
Northwestern and Michigan State enter this game seemingly going in different directions. MSU beat previously undefeated Minnesota in their Big Ten opener, while the Wildcats lost to Penn State. The initial reaction upon seeing this is the Wildcats are in trouble. However, Minnesota probably isn’t as good people thought and Penn State probably isn’t as bad. Despite that, though, this remains a tall task for Northwestern. Michigan State is one of, if not the most, physically talented team Northwestern will play this season. The Spartans are unbelievably quick with the ball, led by point guard Kalin Lucas, and have a whole host of future NBAers on the roster. Position for position Northwestern will struggle to matchup.
Besides their speed, the Spartans have size. 6-10 Goran Suton is back at full speed after early injuries and he leads MSU with 6.7 rpg, he also scores 10.3 ppg. Alongside Suton in the front court are 6-8 forwards Raymar Morgan and Delvon Roe. Morgan is regarded by some as the best all around player in the Big Ten. He currently averages 14.8 ppg and 6.3 rpg in addition to shooting 62.3%. Roe was the highest rated recruit to enter the Big Ten this season and although slowed by injuries early, he still averages 5.3 ppg and 5.1 rebounds.
Off the bench, MSU can bring in two sharp shooters who have decent size as well. 6-3 reserve guard Chris Allen averages 10.2 ppg, despite not being a starter, on the strength of his 23-of-61 three point shooting. Fellow reserve Durrell Summers, despite receving the wrath of Coach Tom Izzo early on, now shoots 50% from three and is a key member of the Spartan rotation.
How can NU stop this team? The first thing they must do is play much better defense on the perimeter than they did in the second half against PSU. Open shots cannot be allowed. A hand needs to get in every shooter’s face. This is potentially scary as every Spartan shooter, save Lucas, towers over Michael Thompson. It will be interesting to see if Sterling Williams gets any time as a defensive sub. Another thing the Wildcats must do is control the pace of the game. Michigan State wants to play very fast. NU wants to play very slow. NU cannot rush shots as they did at times against PSU. Certain Wildcats must learn that just because you are open doesn’t mean you have to shoot. Finally, NU must place bodies on MSU’s rebounders. One of the killers against PSU was the fact NU got creamed on the boards. Part of the problem was Kyle Rowley only playing 12 minutes. Although he doesn’t pull down a lot of rebounds personally, the fact he can occupy space and bang with another team’s center allows for Kevin Coble, John Shurna, and Jeff Ryan to get rebounds. This needs to happen against MSU. It would also help the Wildcats if Davide Curletti could get over his nagging injuries and get some court time. He would give the Wildcats another bigger body to fight with Suton and company.
Prediction: I think this game will be much closer than many think. I expect Northwestern to stay in the game for about 30 minutes, however, the lack of a home student crowd might be an intangible which works against the Wildcats. I suspect that it will be about 30 minutes into the game when MSU’s talent starts to win out. I believe this will be the first time, and the only time for a while, an opponent breaks the 70 point barrier against NU. Michigan State, 78 Northwestern, 65
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