Northwestern had a lead going into halftime, but couldn't hold onto it in the second half and lost 69-61 in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue. Now the Wildcats find themselves wondering "What if?" While Bill Carmody after the game said that he hoped the Wildcats would get a bid into the NIT, the fact is that the soft bubble and Northwestern's weak 20 wins (and second half swoon) are probably not going to be enough.
There are too many bad losses on Northwestern's profile and thus the Wildcats will probably be headed to the CBI. On the plus side, if you believe NIT-ology - which I tend to do - then the Wildcats are going to be in good company - at least in terms of name recognition. Charlotte, N.C. State, North Carolina, Wright State, Alabama, Portland, Iona, Missouri State, Miami (Fl) and Harvard are all in the group right around Northwestern. What you might also not there though is that I named more than eight teams. (Also, note that Miami is still up for a possible NCAA Tournament
automatic bid as they have survived to the ACC semifinals.)
Thus I think Northwestern is going to get to continue to work on their road woes in the postseason. The Wildcats should view this as a learning experience. It's not easy to go into an opponent's gym and win.
On television yesterday's game against Purdue sounded like a road game. The Boilermakers got rousing applause during their run. But that didn't make the difference, what made the difference were the poor decisions down the stretch.
Whether it was Alex Marcotullio's forced three, Davide Curletti's foul on Chris Kramer on a lay-up in the final possession or Juice Thompson's charge with a little under two minutes remaining in regulation, the Wildcats didn't make the play they needed to down the stretch. (Welsh-Ryan Ramblings chronicled more of these in its recap.) Good teams make those plays. Northwestern isn't a good team yet.
It could be said that Carmody got out-coached on Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse. Matt Painter is a very good coach and he did a great job of subbing JaJuan Johnson during the first half. Painter knew that Johnson had to be in the game for Purdue to keep it close, so he judiciously allowed his junior center to play mostly offensive possessions. His handling of Johnson - and the center's ability not to pick up a key third foul - were very important in this game.
Finally, it looks like Drew Crawford's balky body is finally catching up with him. Near the end of the game he looked like a freshman that has gone through the wear and tear of a collegiate season. He has a bad hip and a bad back - and those are the injuries we know about. While he's able to block it out sometimes and make explosive plays, he'll be even better once he finally get the rest those types of injuries need to heal. Crawford made some spectacular plays on Friday - the blocked shot and hanging floater down the stretch come immediately to mind - but in his sophomore season people are going to expect even more of them.
And then there is the guy standing on crutches on the sideline - Kevin Coble. Lots of people have Tweeted about how he's one of the most vocal and engaged people they've ever seen whose injured on a sideline during a collegiate game. Coble should be commended for that. Still, I don't know what his return next season will do for the 'Cats. Coble's biggest strength is his play on offense. Northwestern has reached almost the peak of efficiency at that end of the court. Even while being hounded by a good Purdue defense the Wildcats scored 61 points in 61 possessions. It's the defense that needs work. Whether Coble - or Jershon Cobb - is the answer to the defensive woes will probably determine how 2010-11 goes for Northwestern.
But this season isn't over yet. Let's see what the postseason brings.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Big Ten, Bill Carmody, CBI, Drew Crawford, Kevin Coble, NIT, Northwestern
