Unfortunate End

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.