Each week our basketball beat writer, Benjamin Kamisar, will evaluate NU’s odds of reaching the tournament.
Another week of basketball, another week of questions left unanswered. How much did the wins over Michigan and Indiana really mean? The Wildcats did hold Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims, two of the Big Ten’s top six scorers, to a combined 15 points. Against Indiana, the ‘Cats spread the wealth as their entire starting lineup reached double figures in points. John Shurna played an essentially flawless game solely out on the perimeter, going 5-8 from downtown en route to 16 points. A physical Jeremy Nash grabbed 10 boards despite being in foul trouble for most of the game due to questionable calls, proving that he could be a threat on the boards and posting his second consecutive game of double-digit rebounds. Even Kyle Rowley, who I love to poke fun at, had moments where he looked like the physical defensive presence I hope he will one day become, whipping the crowd into a “Kyle Rowley” chant after an incredibly physical defensive stand. Continue reading →

Super Bowl Sunday always throws a kink into the intramural basketball season, and 2010 is no exception. No games after 5 PM on Sunday due to kickoff means that a handful of White and Co-rec teams are on a bye, and the entire Purple league is taking the week off. That said, there’s still plenty to talk about, and plenty of rankings to re-evaluate. We’ve added last week’s scores into the rankings, so that all your info is now in one place. Of course, if you’re fiendin’ for more, head over to the NUIM site to find the mathematical power rankings. Continue reading →

It was a ho-hum signing day for Northwestern, relative to what you might have seen around the country on ESPN. Starting at 6am, recruits faxed in their signed letters of intent to play for the ‘Cats, and by noon all 17 had been collected. There were no last minute commitments or de-commitments, and no high school senior was surrounded with cameras deciding whether or not to put on a Northwestern hat.

Northwestern did not sign a 4-star player like they did last year with offensive lineman Patrick Ward, and they didn’t get many commits from the state of Illinois like they did in 2008 (only one this year, defensive lineman Chance Carter—from Evanston).

ESPN Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg ranked NU’s class as the 8th best in the Big Ten. Rivals.com ranked them 9th in the conference and 77th in the country (Auburn, who beat the ‘Cats in the Outback Bowl had a class ranked 4th). Continue reading →

Afroman, the poet behind “Because I Got High” and “Colt 45″ and the scribe of such iconic lines as “I was gonna go to class before I got high,” will perform at NU the first week of Spring Quarter, says Lodge sophomore Alex Grubman, who is promoting the event. Continue reading →

Get turned away from the Deuce and still full from all of the birthday cake? (Seriously, was the spring of ‘87 the summer of love’s second coming?) Get some memories from the weekend with this week’s Party Report, after the jump. Continue reading →

Every so often, The Lip talks to the faces behind our favorite local businesses. This week, Eddie Lakin of Edzo’s serves up burgers with a side of neurosis.

Eddie Lakin’s eyes lock on the serpentine cash register print-out of the day’s transactions. A bald man wrapped in a fur-lined parka pops open the door to Edzo’s Burger Shop. “Sorry, we’re closed,” the owner shouts. The customer stands dumbstruck. “It’s only 3:58. See?” he says, stretching out his wrist and revealing a sporty watch. Without lifting his head, Lakin points to a yellow plastic wall clock on the opposite end of the counter. “It’s 4:03, now.” Continue reading →