For the second consecutive season, with the game on the line in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats gave up a costly turnover in the final seconds. Last season, Jeremy Nash threw the ball away with the ‘Cats trailing by 3 to Michigan State with under a minute to go. This season, the culprit was Sterling Williams who inexplicably did not use the Wildcats final timeout while trapped on the baseline with the ‘Cats trailing by 1 with under 10 seconds to go.
NU was in control of this game for the entire first half, too. They led by double digits and were hitting shots from all over the court. Their offense was at a comfortable pace and their defensive rebounding was stout. However, right as the second half began, their shots came quicker and the offense transitioned to a more up-tempo style that favored Minnesota. In turn, they crept back into the game with strong offensive rebounding and an extended-full court press. In the end the Gophers prevailed 55-52.
Overall, this season was a step-back for the Wildcats. They lost Tim Doyle and Vince Scott, but no one was expecting only 1 Big Ten victory this season. Even Bill Carmody supporters such as myself, recognize that next season will be very important for the future of the program. Coach Carmody has taken a lot of heat from students and alumni throughout the season. Despite being the all-time wins leader in Northwestern history, he still has yet to make it to the postseason in his time at NU. With a 1-18 record in the Big Ten, Coach Carmody is entering a critical season. Next year needs to be the season NU breaks through. Significant improvements are imperative and the progress can no longer be monitored by improvements by individual players, but rather should be monitored in win totals. Coach Carmody needs to use his 3 highly touted incoming recruits to make significant progress next season. With new Athletic Director Jim Phillips entering NU in April and longtime Carmody-supporter Henry Bienen exiting NU after the 2009 school year, the end could be near for Coach Carmody.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Fitting End
I feel disgusted after sitting through the home loss to Wisconsin, more so than most of the other losses the 'Cats have piled up this year. Maybe it was all the Badger fans. Maybe it was another late 1st-half-second half collapse. Maybe it was the fact that there was NO BAND FOR THE FINAL BIG TEN GAME OF THE SEASON.
Whatever it was, I feel worse about this program now than I have all season. And that's saying something.
It's easy to pile on the fans who didn't show (and who can blame them?) or the no-show band. There are deeper problems with this program, from the coach and players on the court to the lack of any institutional support coming from Northwestern. How do you expect to compete in a first-rate conference with a second, or dare I say, third-rate program?
Could NU pull out a win over Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament Thursday? Sure, I guess so. But that's not the point right now. Things need to change with this program. It starts at the top- hopefully Jim Phillips can work with the NU administration to building up this program.
Today was an embarrassment. I'm glad I don't have to sit through another game like that this year. Don't think I can handle it.
Your depressed blogger,
Gotty
Whatever it was, I feel worse about this program now than I have all season. And that's saying something.
It's easy to pile on the fans who didn't show (and who can blame them?) or the no-show band. There are deeper problems with this program, from the coach and players on the court to the lack of any institutional support coming from Northwestern. How do you expect to compete in a first-rate conference with a second, or dare I say, third-rate program?
Could NU pull out a win over Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament Thursday? Sure, I guess so. But that's not the point right now. Things need to change with this program. It starts at the top- hopefully Jim Phillips can work with the NU administration to building up this program.
Today was an embarrassment. I'm glad I don't have to sit through another game like that this year. Don't think I can handle it.
Your depressed blogger,
Gotty
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Just Adjust
Coming off their first Big Ten win of the season, Northwestern was looking for glory this afternoon in West-Lafayette, Indiana. It seemed like good things would happen with Ivan Peljusic leading the charge with a career high 13 points in the first half alone. However, the ‘Cats were never able to maintain their lead and eventually fell to the Boilermakers.
The game was there for the taking, but the ‘Cats just couldn’t come up with key buckets or defensive stops. Sound familiar?
On a positive note, there have been some recent good signs within the basketball program. As of late, Ivan Peljusic has emerged from bench-warmer and towel waver extraordinaire, to a legitimate post presence, playing a big role for the Wildcats. He’s shown a nice touch around the basket, good energy, and aggressive rebounding. Even though he makes you scratch your head a few times a game with some decision-making, his energy and aggressiveness will only help the team going forward.
Additionally, in recent games the ‘Cats have gotten into a good rhythm in the first half. Their offense is crisp and they’re aggressive on the boards. However, with the exception of the Indiana game last Saturday, their play continues to regress in the second half.
It’s been clear all season that Coach Carmody needs to work on his in-game adjustments. But these recent second half struggles have pushed the problem over the top. Despite their clear second half struggles; he rarely makes personnel or defensive changes. It is no coincidence that in the last 5 games opponents have shot 52.2%, 54.2%, 52.6%, 52.2%, and 61.9% from the field in the second half. In addition, over that same 5 game stretch NU opponents’ field goal percentage has improved by an average of 13.2% from the first half to the second half. Now some of the credit certainly should go to the opponents for their play and halftime adjustments. But, Coach Carmody definitely deserves some blame for his lack of in-game adjustments.
What’s causing these struggles down the stretch? Is it fatigue? If so, balance the minutes of the players. Cut down some of the minutes of Juice Thompson, Craig Moore, and Kevin Coble from the 35+ they’re currently averaging, down to a more manageable 30. At the same time, give more minutes to youngsters Peljusic, Jeremy Nash, and Mike Capocci. Not only are they better rebounders than the aforementioned Moore, Thompson, and Coble; but they would also benefit greatly from consistent minutes.
Unfortunately, the cause of the ‘Cats second half struggles may not be fatigue, but rather in-game defensive adjustments. All season long, I, among others, have been crying for Coach Carmody to change things defensively. He has started to occasionally switch out of the 1-3-1 defense, but the results of this adjustment tend to vary from game to game. Still, his stubborn nature and lack of creativity has hit a boiling point with most Northwestern fans. Game after game, opponents say in postgame press conferences that they were confused with the Northwestern zone early, but once they figured it out things really started to click offensively. After today’s game Purdue’s Tarrance Crump said, “We started getting adjusted to their zone, and how they were playing us. Once we started attacking we got some open looks. Once we made some shots, it opened up the zone.” Hmmm…once the Boilermakers got comfortable in the zone they were able to adjust and find the shots. I’m not saying that the ‘Cats should immediately abandon the 1-3-1 for the remainder of the game once they start struggling in the second half. I just think the ‘Cats would be better served to constantly switch defenses throughout the entire game in order to confuse opponents. They would force opponents to take extra time on offense, in turn slowing the pace down to a more comfortable speed. Until the ‘Cats add more defensive strategies to their arsenal, they’ll continue to struggle in the second half.
Up next: Home vs. Iowa on Tuesday at 8 PM…could this be the second Big Ten win???
The game was there for the taking, but the ‘Cats just couldn’t come up with key buckets or defensive stops. Sound familiar?
On a positive note, there have been some recent good signs within the basketball program. As of late, Ivan Peljusic has emerged from bench-warmer and towel waver extraordinaire, to a legitimate post presence, playing a big role for the Wildcats. He’s shown a nice touch around the basket, good energy, and aggressive rebounding. Even though he makes you scratch your head a few times a game with some decision-making, his energy and aggressiveness will only help the team going forward.
Additionally, in recent games the ‘Cats have gotten into a good rhythm in the first half. Their offense is crisp and they’re aggressive on the boards. However, with the exception of the Indiana game last Saturday, their play continues to regress in the second half.
It’s been clear all season that Coach Carmody needs to work on his in-game adjustments. But these recent second half struggles have pushed the problem over the top. Despite their clear second half struggles; he rarely makes personnel or defensive changes. It is no coincidence that in the last 5 games opponents have shot 52.2%, 54.2%, 52.6%, 52.2%, and 61.9% from the field in the second half. In addition, over that same 5 game stretch NU opponents’ field goal percentage has improved by an average of 13.2% from the first half to the second half. Now some of the credit certainly should go to the opponents for their play and halftime adjustments. But, Coach Carmody definitely deserves some blame for his lack of in-game adjustments.
What’s causing these struggles down the stretch? Is it fatigue? If so, balance the minutes of the players. Cut down some of the minutes of Juice Thompson, Craig Moore, and Kevin Coble from the 35+ they’re currently averaging, down to a more manageable 30. At the same time, give more minutes to youngsters Peljusic, Jeremy Nash, and Mike Capocci. Not only are they better rebounders than the aforementioned Moore, Thompson, and Coble; but they would also benefit greatly from consistent minutes.
Unfortunately, the cause of the ‘Cats second half struggles may not be fatigue, but rather in-game defensive adjustments. All season long, I, among others, have been crying for Coach Carmody to change things defensively. He has started to occasionally switch out of the 1-3-1 defense, but the results of this adjustment tend to vary from game to game. Still, his stubborn nature and lack of creativity has hit a boiling point with most Northwestern fans. Game after game, opponents say in postgame press conferences that they were confused with the Northwestern zone early, but once they figured it out things really started to click offensively. After today’s game Purdue’s Tarrance Crump said, “We started getting adjusted to their zone, and how they were playing us. Once we started attacking we got some open looks. Once we made some shots, it opened up the zone.” Hmmm…once the Boilermakers got comfortable in the zone they were able to adjust and find the shots. I’m not saying that the ‘Cats should immediately abandon the 1-3-1 for the remainder of the game once they start struggling in the second half. I just think the ‘Cats would be better served to constantly switch defenses throughout the entire game in order to confuse opponents. They would force opponents to take extra time on offense, in turn slowing the pace down to a more comfortable speed. Until the ‘Cats add more defensive strategies to their arsenal, they’ll continue to struggle in the second half.
Up next: Home vs. Iowa on Tuesday at 8 PM…could this be the second Big Ten win???
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