Its Gameday

Ahhh...the Northwestern Men's basketball season is hours from tip-off and you can just feel the excitement building around campus. (Note: a portion of the previous sentence is not true). As usual at Northwestern, only a select number of students know that the basketball team opens its season at home tonight against #20 Stanford. And sadly, only a small number of those who know will even attend the game.
Leading into each Northwestern basketball season there are always reasons for optimism. Northwestern basketball fans must have hope because, well without hope, there isn't much left to cling onto. So, here are 3 things to be excited and happy about before your thoughts about this team turn negative after the first loss.

1. THE MIKES: Mike Capocci and Mike "Juice" Thompson enter this season with huge expectations. They come to Northwestern as top recruits and they are expected to make an immediate impact, and should. Coach Carmody has called Capocci the best leaper he has coached at NU and should bring a new dynamic to the offense with his athleticism. Thompson is going to be running the offense from game 1, and his speed, strength, and hustle should allow the 'Cats to employ a faster paced offense.

2. FASTER PACED OFFENSE: In the exhibition game last week against the University of Chicago, the 'Cats scored 84 points. Last year the 'Cats eclipsed that point total once. That was on December 31st against Northwestern State, a game where the 'Cats shot 73% in the first half and 63% for the game. In the game last week against U of C, I had a hunch that there was a change in philosophy for the 'Cats. They were taking advantage of fast break opportunities and taking open shots instead of waiting for the shot clock to click down. This hunch was confirmed on the Sportsvoice last Sunday where Sterling Williams confirmed that the 'Cats were shooting sooner in the shot clock with the support of Coach Carmody. This change in philosophy should lead to a more exciting brand of basketball at Welsh-Ryan this fall.

3. A NEW SEASON FOR CRAIG MOORE AND JASON OKRZESIK: Last season, these two struggled mightily down the stretch. Sure there were games where they made their shots, but for the majority of the second half of the season Moore and Okrzesik struggled both offensively and defensively. The good news is, it’s a new season for these two and a fresh start. The offense will be depending on their 3-point shots this season and it’s important that they knock it down on a consistent basis. During the exhibition against U of C, they appeared confident, motivated, and very intense. Their leadership and play will prove important for this team come Big Ten season.

So get ready ‘Cats fans. This season is sure to have its ups and downs. Hopefully they get off to a good start tonight against Stanford.