Heartbreaker

54-53, Depaul. A gut-wrenching loss for an NU team on the road, looking for its first win of the year. Depaul has a ridiculous home record the last couple of years. And the 'Cats almost had them.

Up 53-52 with a little over 45 seconds to go, Northwestern needed to make a stop. A missed shot by Draelon Burns could have done it. But the ball went off Northwestern (although several players insist that it should have been their ball), and with 6.4 seconds left, Burns hit an off-balanced shot to win it for Depaul.

It's hard to continue to take positives from close losses, but through two games, NU has played two quality opponents tough. The 'Cats really struggled on the road last year, so the fact that they had a lead against Depaul with under a minute is definitely encouraging.

And how about Juice? On a day when the football team couldn't handle Illinois' Juice Williams, Depaul's defense couldn't handle NU's Juice Thompson. He racked up 24 points before fouling out with 3 minutes to go. Through two games, Thompson has been playing like a diaper dandy, and NU fans can only hope he continues to get better and Bill Carmody keeps tweaking the offense to capitalize on his strengths.

Now, if only Kevin Coble was playing. The 'Cats would probably be 1-1, if not 2-0. The fact that they have played so well without him can only mean good things when he returns.

Next up: Benedictine. It will be the first time I get to see the 'Cats in person, and it should also be the first win for NU. Let's hope they have put their habit of allowing bad teams to stay in games behind them