Shot and Edited by Joshua Calixto and Derek Tam.

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Co-Rec

Fighting Quakers 6, Pike / Tridelt 2:
The two biggest questions for the Quakers coming into the co-rec final were “could they shut down or at least contain Pike’s Sam Wheeler” and “would their goalie, Patricia De Boer, come up big when tested.” The answer to both was a resounding “Yes”. The Quakers dominated puck possession with three guys on the “ice” versus Pike’s two, and shadowed Wheeler all game with one of their defenseman. Jeff Weishaar scored the first three Quaker goals, ending up with four on the night and the Quakers had the game won late in the 2nd period.

MVP: Jeff Weishaar

White

Fighting Quakers 2, Neutral Zone Parent Trap 0:
In white league sports it’s rare to see a team with a regular season loss end up in the championship game. Two losses, and you should probably count on an early playoff exit. But Neutral Zone Parent Trap (2-2 in the regular season and #14 playoff seed) won 4 straight games by a combined 5 goals to earn a birth in Monday’s final. The Quakers opened the scoring in the first period when Jeff Krimmel fired a wrist shot past the Parent Trap goalie. He scored again with five minutes to go in the 3rd period sealing the victory. Quakers goalie Simeon Wrobel came up huge all night, stopping several point-blank scoring chances. The white league championship capped off a two-title quarter for the Fighting Quakers, a nice rebound from a disappointing football season.

MVP: Simeon Wrobel

Purple

ZBT 2, Pike 1:
The top 2 purple league teams duked it out in front of a raucous crowd. More than 75 rowdy fans from both frat houses crammed into the cozy Patten Gym sideline. Pike controlled the tempo early, but ZBT took a page from the Quakers defensive scheme and had a man follow Wheeler the entire game. Weishaar started the scoring midway through the first period. ZBT held the lead through an uneventful second period, but failed to convert on two power play opportunities. With four minutes to go in the 3rd period, Bill Pulte scored the equalizer for Pike. Overtime seemed imminent, but with only 32 seconds left, ZBT’s Adam Croft took the puck down the right side and wristed a shot past the screened Pike goalie.

MVP: Adam Croft

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Starters
Backcourt: C+
The one bright spot in the relatively quiet back court was the stellar energy of Juice Thompson. Statistically, he may have not had one of his best games, with only eight points to go along with four fouls and two turnovers on dreadful passes. But when the game was on the line, Juice was there to deliver, scoring all of his points in the last seven minutes of the game. With eight of the last 13 Wildcat points, Juice was the spark that brought the life back into the struggling NU team. But that spark failed to inspire his backcourt mates Jeremy Nash and Drew Crawford. The two had incredibly similarly quiet stat lines: both scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds, and posted three assists. The duo’s main problem was shot selection, as Nash went 2-7 from the field while Crawford went 0-2 from beyond the arc. Against one of the best teams in the conference with tournament hopes all but demolished, Northwestern needed to take advantage of every possession and put points on the board, something that couldn’t be accomplished with Nash throwing up a dumb three or Drew rushing to shoot with plenty of time left on the shot clock.

Frontcourt: B-
This grade would be mercifully lower if it wasn’t for Shurna’s great offensive performance. NU’s star player led all players with 26 points, skillfully slicing his through the Badger defense. But in Big Ten games that Shurna scores over 20 points, the ‘Cats are a disastrous 1-5. When Shurna drops such huge numbers, it is usually because opponents are shutting down the rest of the team and forcing Shurna to carry them. This game was no exception. The tough Wisconsin defense kept the rest of the Northwestern starting five to eight points apiece, daring Shurna to single-handedly win the game. And while he almost did carry them to victory, a Shurna mental error with just a minute left to go killed all comeback hopes the Wildcats had. After a 7-2 NU run that brought the game within two, Shurna took the ball down low and spun off his man, creating enough contact to toss the defender to the ground, but apparently not enough for a foul. Shurna froze after the contact, assuming the referee would blow the whistle, but when none was to be heard, a rattled Shurna bricked a wide-open shot that should have tied the game. Instead, the Badgers scooped up the rebound and NU failed to score the rest of the way.

For the forward opposite Shurna, this game was a return to the Luka of old. Although he played somewhat sparingly in the first half as Coach Carmody seemed to prefer Davide Curletti at center, Luka lacked the awkward spark that has slowly become his trademark. Instead of the aggressive cuts to the basket and dominated the boards to post double doubles, we instead got the uninspired Luka from the majority of the non-conference schedule. He let the ball hit him in the head off a rebound, leading to a Wisconsin 3, and missed an open layup that could have brought the ‘Cats within three points late in the second half.

Bench: C+
What do you know, another Davide Curletti sighting. Curletti rewarded Coach Carmody, who gave him a season-high 18 minutes, by tying his career high in points with five. Although Curletti looked awkward at times controlling the ball, he proved to be a fine substitute for the sedated Luka, as he stretched the defense after nailing a three from the top of the key. When the center gets the ball at the top in the Princeton offence, it is incredibly beneficial for the team if the center has the option of shooting, instead of immediately giving up the ball like Kyle Rowley, and Carmody must find some solace in the fact that he can bring a big man off the bench that demands attention from three-point land. Other than Curletti however, the Wildcat bench was mainly quiet, with Alex Marcotullio and Mike Capocci seeing minimal action.

Coaching: B-
This game was full of second guessing of Coach Carmody and his staff. First of all, with one last shot to prove anything to the Selection Committee against a top 25 team in the regular season, why was there a lineup consisting of both Capocci and Curletti? Don’t get me wrong, I love Capocci and get excited every time he steps on the court due to his incredibly leaping ability and I just spent a paragraph commending Curletti on a nice game, but was the team really better with Luka and Drew both on the bench? Furthermore, the defense in the first half was atrocious, yet Carmody failed to do much about it. Face it, the 1-3-1 was not working in the first half. Defenders failed to rotate and fell victim to double screens that left Badger after Badger wide open for a shot. After the thrashing that Trevon Hughes subjected NU to last game, there was simply no excuse for him to be left wide open from three. But to be fair, whatever Carmody said during halftime lit a fire under the ‘Cats, as an entirely different team emerged from the locker room, but it was a shame that they could not channel that sense of urgency to start the game.

NU GPA: 2.51
Another up and down day for the Northwestern Wildcats in a game that seemed to be a microcosm of their entire season. Everything that NU has shown throughout the season was visible tonight from their glaring flaws to their bold strengths. They fought back in the second half to a point where it looked as though they might win, but ultimately just as their last hope for the season looked to be within grasp, the ‘Cats faltered and essentially eliminated themselves from NCAA Tournament contention.

Related posts:

1. NU road struggles continue in nail-biting loss in Minnesota Last night’s game against Minnesota looked, at times, like the ‘Cats win over Michigan in Ann Arbor a couple weeks back. On the road against a more athletic team, NU fought back from behind, but unlike against Michigan, it was too little, too late, as they fell to the Golden...
2. ‘Cats can’t build off Purdue win, walloped by Ohio State There’s something you should know about Northwestern. While they may have finally gotten over the hump this season when it comes to winning close games, and may even reach the summit and make it to the Big Dance, consistency is not their strong suit. After Saturday’s marquee victory over Purdue,...
3. ‘Cats can’t make grades in failed effort to upset the Badgers Maybe it was too much to ask for Northwestern to beat Wisconsin in both football and basketball. NU will have to settle for a win on the gridiron this year and an upset on the hardwood last year. (Unless they find a way to win in Madison—doubtful.) For anyone who...

PURPLE LEAGUE

Perculatin’ Region

The Favorite: #1 Perculatin’
The Competition: #5 Lodge
The Sleeper: #4 Old Balls
Finals Pick: #1 Perculatin’

There’s absolutely no reason to doubt that Perculatin’ will cruise through the playoffs to another Purple league title game. Their first round game will be a joke, and then they play either Old Balls, who they handled last Sunday, or Lodge, who has yet to win a game beyond a forfeit.

ZBT Region

The Favorite: #2 ZBT
The Competition: #3 Pike Garnet
The Sleeper: #6 MJR
Finals Pick: #3 Pike Garnet

I know, I’m a sucker for making this pick, because Pike always self-destructs in the postseason. But I’m a believer in this year’s team. Finally junior guard Pat Garvin has other scoring options to lean on, and the addition of Terrance Brown is a big deal.

WHITE LEAGUE

Dazzling Rainbows Region

Region Strength (1-4): 4
The Favorite: #1 Dazzling Rainbows
The Contenders: #16 Footprints in the Jungle, #8 E3
The Sleeper: #40 Mat Sci 1
1st-Round Upset Special: #48 Destiny’s Childs over #17 Iso YY
Quarterfinals Match-up Pick: #1 Dazzling Rainbows vs. #8 E3
Final Four Pick: #1 Dazzling Rainbows

The best matchup in this region (and maybe the tournament), assuming the favorites win out, will be the Rainbows versus the Footprints. The winner should have no trouble with the bottom half of the bracket, the weakest part of the entire 64-team field.

Deep Friars Region

Region Strength (1-4): 1
The Favorite: #5 Evans Scholars
The Contenders: #4 Deep Friars, #12 Sigma Chi, #20 Minority Report
The Sleeper: #21 JKFLB
1st-Round Upset Special: #52 EQ Ballers over #13 PHIve Duge Hicks
Quarterfinals Match-up Pick: #5 Evans Scholars vs. #20 Minority Report
Final Four Pick: #5 Evans Scholars

This region probably will not produce the eventual champion, but it is by far the deepest, top to bottom. 5 teams in this part of the bracket were ranked at some point in The Post’s Top 10 this season, and others, like PHIve Duge Hicks and DU me in the asquatch 1, think they have a chance to make a run.

Beastmode Region

Region Strength (1-4): 2
The Favorite: #18 The Family Institute
The Contenders: #2 Beastmode, #7 The Fighting Chabraja’s
The Sleeper: #10 Dynamic Mechanisms
1st-Round Upset Special: #50 Fighting Quakers over #15 ZBT
Quarterfinals Match-up Pick: #7 The Fighting Chabraja’s vs. #18 The Family Institute
Final Four Pick: #18 The Family Institute

The Quakers are 2-0 against ZBT teams so far this season, including a 32-18 blowout win over ZBT2. I won’t go against history here. The Quakers likely consolation prize? A date with The Family Institute in round two. Yikes!

SAE Zed Region

Region Strength (1-4): 3
The Favorite: #3 SAE Zed
The Contenders: #6 Jersey Shore Blowouts, #22 Beta A, #19 Twine Flu presented by Golden Olympic
The Sleeper: #30 Maybe She Likes It
1st-Round Upset Special: None
Quarterfinals Match-up Pick: #3 SAE Zed vs. #22 Beta A
Final Four Pick: #22 Beta A

SAE’s region is wide open. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see any of the teams favored in round one make it all the way to the Elite 8 or Final 4. With no powerhouses lurking with low seeds (like Family Institute or Footprints in other regions), Beta’s A team might quietly march into the semis.

CO-REC LEAGUE

Barring a miracle, the finals will be Treemeisters vs. Sig Ep/KD. The rest of the co-rec playoffs will be “cute” and “fun” but essentially meaningless. None more need be said.

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If there is any benefit to supporting a perennially awful basketball team, it’s that you don’t have to experience devastating losses that kill postseason hopes. The football team has had its fair share (if I may digress: 1995 Miami (OH), 1996 Rose Bowl, 2000 Iowa, 2004 Hawaii, 2005 Sun Bowl, 2006 New Hampshire, 2007 Duke, 2008 Indiana, 2008 Alamo Bowl, 2010 Outback Bowl–to name a few).

Last year’s epic loss in basketball to Illinois came close to that kind of defeat. But NU was 13-9 at that point, and 4-7 in the Big Ten. The heartbreak came from the way NU lost as opposed to the postseason ramifications.

Then there’s last week’s loss in Iowa. It was essentially a goodbye to NCAA Tournament hopes, but the game was also in Iowa City, and the Hawkeyes at least had a couple wins in the Big Ten as opposed to winless Penn State. There was still hope after the Iowa loss, albeit a glimmer. Now, after a home loss to Penn State 81-70, the only “hope” ‘Cats fans can have is for a home game in the NIT.

Earlier this year, I talked about how the 2009-2010 ‘Cats are not your typical Northwestern.This team was pulling off games in crunch time (see: Stanford, @ Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota), beating out-of-conference BCS schools (see: NC State, Notre Dame, Iowa State) and pounding teams they were ‘supposed to beat’ (see: Michigan, Indiana). But tonight, NU regressed to the ‘Cats we are used to. Penn State was 0-12 in the Big Ten heading into Wednesday night’s affair, but NU was cold from the field and could not come back, nor could they defend the Nittany Lions in the loss.

Teams that beat Northwestern find a hole in the defense and attack it, relentlessly. With Iowa, it was the 3-point shot. With Penn State, it was attacking the 1-3-1 defense by getting the ball under the basket for easy lay-ups. I’m one of the biggest Bill Carmody supporters there is on this campus, and he should be a candidate for Big Ten Coach of the Year, but he got out-coached by a team that acted like they needed the win more than Northwestern.

This season’s success up to this point has garnered the ‘Cats tons of well-deserved accolades and publicity, from being on the back page of Sports Illustrated to a frequent part of ESPN’s Andy Katz’s Twitter page. And considering the losses of Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan and a gauntlet of a schedule, this team has still shocked many with its wins.

And that’s exactly what made tonight’s defeat arguably one of the most disappointing—definitely in my four years, maybe in ‘Cats history (remember, it’s not that much of a history). At 17 wins, NU was just one away from a school record, and everyone at Welsh-Ryan Arena knew the ‘Cats had to sweep the rest of their games to stay on the bubble of making history. I guess all of us should have expected a shocking loss, but that should have been Iowa. This season has spoiled us, even with an uninspiring first half that left NU down four, I wasn’t concerned at all. But the ‘Cats didn’t come back like they have all season. Luka Mirkovic didn’t hit free throws like he did against the Golden Gophers. Drew Crawford didn’t put the game on his back like he did against Purdue. Jeremy Nash didn’t hit clutch threes like he did against Illinois. It was the perfect storm for Northwestern to lose pretty much all hope of finding themselves on the NCAA Tournament bracket in March.

Let’s face reality: NU heads to Madison on Sunday where virtually no one beats the Badgers, and the ‘Cats haven’t come close in a long time. They have winnable games the rest of the way (Iowa, @ Penn State, @ Indiana, Chicago State) but their RPI will be in the 70s, if not 80s come Selection Sunday. Northwestern needs to sweep the rest of the season (which, yes, would include a win in Wisconsin) and get a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament. If they don’t sweep the season, they can only hold on hope to a miraculous run in Indianapolis to a Big Ten Tournament title (a daunting task for a team that hasn’t won a game in the Big Ten tourney since 2005).

Now that reality has set in, let’s step back and put this into perspective in an attempt to not dwell on the heartbreak. This will end up being the best team in Northwestern basketball history based on wins. They did it without their leading scorer and rebounder, and one of their most dependable bench players. They have done it against a brutal schedule and still without a whole lot of student support. This season will go down as a huge success, even if Northwestern only has a trip to the NIT to show for it.

And then we can get excited about next year.

Related posts:

1. ‘Cats showing symptoms of March Madness It’s not time to bring out the paddles just yet, but Northwestern has to show some heart in the next month if they don’t want to spend their March in the NIT. ...
2. Two convincing wins crucial, but ‘Cats still far from making history 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...
3. Illinois is still very bad There were no upsets last week in the Big Ten, but rather a wild finish in East Lansing as Iowa continued their mediocre climb to the top of the national rankings. Ohio State and Penn State are back on track, and Illinois should just quit now before things get worse....

With that said, now seems like as good a time as any to remind you what the rankings you see below are all about.

The teams listed are a reflection of what we think are the best teams in intramurals as of this moment. So while your team might be 4-0 and ranked in the top 15 of the NUIM web site’s power rankings, that’s no guarantee that you’ll be mentioned here. Take White league’s Minority Report for instance. Their week one loss to Dynamic Mechanisms (who is now 3-0, and a pretty good team in their own right) has them hovering around 20th on the IM web site’s ranks. But in reality, they played that week one game with 4 players for the first half, including a girl they pulled of a treadmill at Blomquist. At full strength, they are potent offensively and pesky on D, a team that will be a nightmare second-round match-up for one of the league’s top seeds.

So, again, if your team is ranked in the top ten via the mathematical power rankings, congratulations, that’s no small feat. But the point of The Post’s rankings is to sort out strength of schedule and give you an overall look at who’s record is deceiving and who the hottest teams are, even if they have a loss on their record. With that said, drink in this week’s White league Top 10 (Purple league was off due to Super Bowl hi-jinks, so refer to last week’s Post ranks in anticipation of Sunday’s games.)

WHITE LEAGUE RANKINGS

Dropped out: Deep Friars (4-0, Last week: W 49-34 vs. Pike All-Stars)

On the Bubble:
JKFLB
Dynamic Mechanisms
Maybe She Likes It
E3
The Sun Wah Ducks

News & Notes:
• When we tell you about the Games to Watch, it’s no casual selection of match-ups. Take last week, for instance, when the #1, #4, and #10 seeds in White league all lost, all in games we suggested you keep an eye on.
• Footprints in the Jungle continues to be the most underrated team in White league, and will probably stay that way after a hard-fought loss to The Fighting Chabraja’s, a team with size and length but little firepower in the backcourt. The key to beating Footprints, though? The Chabraja’s went to a 2-3 zone in the second half, holding the Jungle boys to 3 points in the first ten minutes of the half. The zone neutralized Footprints’ superior cutting, screening and passing, and forced them into settling for outside looks.
• Evans Scholars looks like the real deal this year, but don’t read so much into Family Institute losing. They rarely bring their full complement of players, but you can bet your ass they will be there come playoff time. Still, the Scholars are a feisty bunch, and will outwork you to death. If Justin Smith and Daniel “D Speedz” Spedale are hitting from the perimeter, ES is tough to stop.
• Beta A-Sigma Chi was one of the best games of the week, but it ended in surprisingly anti-climactic fashion. Beta will be scary as a middle-seed in the postseason, because they play great defense and have exceptional balance. As for Sigma Chi, if they had a scoring threat at point guard, they’d rank much higher. Even without one, they dominate on the boards and play stingy enough D to beat about anyone.

This Week’s Games to Watch:

White League:

#5 The Family Institute vs. Pike-Gold, Sunday @ 2PM
Can the Institute right the ship down the stretch and play spoiler to a top team in the postseason? Is Pike Gold legit? Word on the street is Pike’s top White league team guaranteed a victory vs. either Evans Scholars or TFI. So far, 0-for-1.

#1 Dazzling Rainbows vs. Sigma Kill, Sunday @ 7PM
The Rainbows last chance to impress before heading into the postseason as a #1-seed. Are they quick enough to blow past teams with size? Or do they lack an inside presence? We shall see on Sunday, even though it should be an easy win.

DU me in the asquatch 1 vs. Blandpandas, Tuesday @ 7PM
Two fringe teams sit at 2-1 (both teams lost to powerhouse SAE) and want to make a push into the postseason. One will likely end up a 5-seed in the 64-team White League tournament, but which one? And does either have a shot to make a run?

Purple League:

#2 ZBT vs. North Pole, Sunday @ 6PM
ZBT can lock up the two-seed in the Purple league playoffs with a win over North Pole, meaning a potential ZBT-Perculatin’ championship game at Welsh-Ryan in a few weeks. On the other side, North Pole needs to win in order to avoid the 8-9 play-in game, which, even if they win, would mean an almost-sure thrashing at the hands of Perculatin’ in the 1-8 match-up.

#3 Pike Garnet vs. #4 Lodge, Sunday @ 6PM
Pike still has a shot at the two-seed in Purple, and is coming off a monster win two Sundays ago. Lodge is playing just its second game this season, and would hate to go into the playoffs with only a forfeit win to their name. This game’s winner is at least the 3-seed, which means avoiding Perculatin’ until the finals, should they make it that far.

No related posts.

Drew Crawford: C+
Where did Drew go tonight? With only 22 minutes logged it was the shortest he has played since mid-December. In limited time, Crawford went 1-2 from beyond the arc as one of the only Wildcat players showing restraint from the three-point arc, and netted three rebounds. As one of the more exciting players on the team, Crawford should have remained in the game to hopefully provide a spark like the one he did to will the team back to a victory against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.

Luka Mirkovic: D
Oh the inconsistency of the Wildcats…and Luka is no exception. With a double-double against Robbie Hummel and Purdue as well as a stretch of eight out of nine games with seven or more rebounds, it looked like a passionate and intense Luka was here to stay. But if the passionate Luka is the real Luka, he left that emotion back in Evanston. In one game, he reverted right back to his pre-season form, lacking intensity or awareness. Down 12 points with a minute left in the first half, he missed an easy layup that the Hawkeyes turned into a three pointer. Even holding on to the ball was a problem for Luka today, as he dropped a pass and was stripped down low. With a game like this, there’s no questioning why Coach Carmody only let him play 17 minutes.

Juice Thompson: A-
Juice played almost as well as he could have today; 20 points and a number of clutch threes while playing the entire game. With the team down 11 in the first half, a deep three by Thompson started NU on a mini-run to bring the game within six, the smallest margin since the start of the game. While it’s great to see the old Juice back and playing like a scoring machine, it can’t be all him if the Wildcats want to win a game.

Jeremy Nash: A-
Nash can do it all. If you need him to step back and let the offense flow through Shurna or Juice, he will do that. If you need him to throw the team on his back like he did against Illinois and essentially secure a victory, he can do that to. Hell, if you need him to bang down low as the only aggressive rebounding presence on the team, he can do that too. During a disgusting rebounding display by the NU big men, Nash took advantage and recorded seven rebounds to go along with his six points. Nash also did a great job creating opportunities for his struggling teammates as he netted six assists. Despite some questionable three-point shooting that led to a 0-4 mark from downtown, Nash helped pick up the slack wherever the Wildcats needed him to.

Alex Marcotullio: B
It’s tough for a bench player to score well if he receives significantly less playing time than the rest of the starters, but Marcotullio did his part scoring seven points, his highest since the first Michigan State game over a month ago. Marcotullio seemed to have been lacking confidence recently and it’s good that he knows that he can be a scoring threat.

Kyle Rowley: B- and a gold star
Rowley fans, remember today. With 9:56 left in the second half, Kyle Christian Rowley made his first big man move in a college game that I have witnessed. A beautiful drop step before turning around and laying the ball in over a Hawkeye defender, all that was missing was the emphatic two-handed slam, but hey, let’s not go overboard here. However, he wouldn’t be Rowley if he didn’t turn the ball over or commit a few fouls while he was in, but in only eight minutes, he grabbed two offensive rebounds to match his two points. Not a bad line coming off the bench.

Mike Capocci: C
Not a bad game for Capocci, who got a season high 15 minutes, but the four fouls killed him. It’s a shame whenever we get to see Capocci and he doesn’t throw down. Besides the fouls he grabbed three rebounds and score four points for a relatively productive game, all things considered.

Ivan Peljusic: C+
A quiet line for Ivan, three points, two assists and one rebound in 11 minutes of playing time. It would be nice to see him play big, but just like most of Northwestern’s big men, he would much rather play a few steps further away from the rim.

Davide Curletti: Pass
You know what’s great about the pass/fail option? If you don’t fail, you pass by default. Same idea goes for Curletti, who played a whopping three minutes. The way I see it, he didn’t do anything terrible, so he gets a passing grade. But unfortunately for NU, a pass doesn’t affect their overall GPA.

Coach Bill Carmody: C
If the blame for an uninspired Wildcat showing has to fall somewhere, it may very well fall at the feet of Coach Carmody. After two emphatic wins, it was essential that the Wildcats do not lose any winnable games if they wanted even a shot at the tournament. Whatever coach said in the locker room did nothing to impress upon the Wildcats the gravity of this game: win and you stay alive, lose and you are essentially done. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, if the three is not working, you need to change your strategy. After watching his team go 3-12 in the first half from three-point land, you’d think that he would begin to limit the desperation threes instead of having his team shoot another 16 more. And after Iowa continued to rain threes of their own upon the heads of the Wildcats, you’d think that Carmody would change up his defense to put more pressure out on the perimeter.

Overall GPA: 2.54 and a gold star
The gold star counts for something, but ultimately, the ‘Cats came out of the locker room cold and unfortunately played one of their worst games of basketball at one of the worst possible times. Even if the team realistically has little chance of making it to the tournament, the season is far from over and they still have an excellent shot of breaking the school’s single season wins mark. It may not be in the way we hoped for, but there is a great chance that this team will make NU history as one of the best teams to ever don Wildcat jerseys.

No related posts.

But how do the ‘Cats stack up in lacrosse lore? By most accounts, five titles would add up to a sports dynasty. Surprisingly, it’s not the most impressive one, though. That achievement goes to the Maryland Terrapins, who won seven straight titles from 1995 to 2001 and two more in 1986 and 1992. A little unfair given that NU’s lacrosse program is very young. And while NU may be building something pretty special this decade, students still probably won’t check out the ‘Cats until spring, when results actually matter. Which means that until then, the only sport that matters to NU students is the men’s basketball quest to get to the NCAA Tournament (and how many students actually follow them from game to game?).

Shannon Smith Shines In Season Opener [The Daily]

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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.

But even though the ‘Cats looked great this past week, they are not safe just yet. As far as the ESPN RPI rankings are concerned, Michigan is the 143rd best team in the nation, while Indiana is the bottom feeder of the Big Ten with an RPI of 226. So as we continue through the home stretch of the season, let’s take a look at the Wildcats’ resume, see what they have to offer the tournament committee and what else they need to secure their first tournament appearance in school history.

RPI (according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi): 65
The most straightforward of all statistics: all eligible teams are ranked. In the 65-team NCAA Tournament, the top 65 teams by RPI should be the ones given bids. But unfortunately, due to automatic bids for conference champions, this is not the case. Therefore, if Northwestern wants a coveted bid, they are going to have to end the season ranked much higher than 65.

Strength of Schedule: 62
Most of the Northwestern hype was fueled by the Wildcats’ non-conference record of 10-1. Despite wins over Notre Dame and NC State, the game against 270th ranked Tennessee State was much closer than it needed to be, same with Texas-Pan American and Iowa State. A weak non-conference schedule coupled with a Big Ten that declined greatly from last year will not help Northwestern down the stretch.

Overall Record: 16-7
Ultimately, the Wildcats need to almost win out for the rest of the season if they want to even be in the discussion; simply settling for eclipsing the school single-season record of 17 wins will not be enough. In order to even be relevant, the ‘Cats will need to reach 20 wins, with many under the impression that they will need 22 or 23 to have a legitimate shot. This puts a lot of pressure on Northwestern down the stretch, as it would mean that they could only lose one or two more games. With match-ups against Minnesota and Wisconsin looming, the Wildcats cannot afford take any of the remaining games off.

Big Ten Record: 5-6
In the 2009 tournament, the conference brought a stellar seven teams to the NCAA tournament, a number that most likely will not be matched this year. Michigan is all but out, and Northwestern sits alongside Minnesota and Illinois on the bubble. However, the Illini greatly improved their chances after Saturday’s win against Michigan State. Even though the Spartans were without their star guard Kalin Lucas, the game could be a season-defining win that could help them pull ahead of Northwestern in the tournament discussion. As for Minnesota, they have big wins over Butler and Ohio State, as well as a significantly higher strength of schedule ranking at 33. Position for sixth in the Big Ten may very well come down to this Sunday’s game at Welsh-Ryan. If NU can dominate the Gophers, they can assert their right to the sixth spot in the conference, but if not, Northwestern may be out of luck. Let’s just hope that the selection committee looks that far down the standings when choosing teams.

Big Wins: Notre Dame, Purdue, Illinois
As both Kevin and I have mentioned in earlier columns, when the ‘Cats are on, there is no stopping them. Against Notre Dame, the 1-3-1 defense worked to perfection, forcing the Fighting Irish to shoot just 32% from the field as they struggled to find open looks. In the biggest win of the Wildcats’ season, Juice Thompson led the upset of Purdue with 20 points and emotional play. And after a loss in overtime to the Illini, NU was able to get revenge in front of their home fans as Jeremy Nash emerged as a scoring threat by dropping 22. Time and time again, Northwestern has proved that they can hold their own with some of the nation’s top teams, and when it comes to Selection Sunday, some of these big wins may be on the minds of the committee.

Tough Losses: Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin
This team wouldn’t truly embody the Northwestern spirit if they were without any heartbreaking losses. Any overtime loss is tough for a team to stomach, but one against your in-state rival hurts the most. Northwestern’s biggest flaw was exploited in this game, as Illinois’ Mike Tisdale dominated the paint on his way to a 31 point explosion. It’s a fact: Northwestern just doesn’t have the size to match up against players like Tisdale, and although they did an amazing job bottling up the seven-foot-one-inch center in the second game, the ‘Cats still are anything but impervious to a physical game of basketball. As for Wisconsin, I know, they were ranked and heavily favored when Northwestern played them, but I consider this game a tough loss only because NU could have won the game. Up by two with five and a half minutes left, the ‘Cats were in position to win the game and add another marquee win to their tournament resume if not for a few perfectly timed shots by Trevon Hughes. And as far as Minnesota goes, this may be the one that hurts the most. As I mentioned earlier, in the fight for sixth in the Big Ten, it would be much easier for Northwestern to go into Sunday’s game with a command over the spot, instead of being forced to come from behind.

Diagnosis: Signs of life

The road ahead for Northwestern is anything but smooth. In my opinion, anything less than 23 wins should spell the end for this wild ride of a season. The ‘Cats must beat Minnesota this weekend, they must at least hold their own against Wisconsin, and they must not lose any game to a beatable opponent. Their work may be cut out for them, but if the Wildcats can do just that, they will be tournament bound.

Related posts:

1. With 10 games left, the clock is ticking on the ‘Cats tourney chances Each week our basketball beat writer, Benjamin Kamisar, will evaluate NU’s odds of reaching the tournament. The time for cautious optimism is over. After watching the Wildcats almost destroy their tournament hopes against Texas-Pan American, I declared the worst to be over. After the disaster in Columbus, I took solace...
2. ‘Cats can’t build off Purdue win, walloped by Ohio State There’s something you should know about Northwestern. While they may have finally gotten over the hump this season when it comes to winning close games, and may even reach the summit and make it to the Big Dance, consistency is not their strong suit. After Saturday’s marquee victory over Purdue,...
3. ‘Cats showing symptoms of March Madness It’s not time to bring out the paddles just yet, but Northwestern has to show some heart in the next month if they don’t want to spend their March in the NIT. ...

Purple League

Dropped out: North Pole (1-1, Last week: Loss vs. Pike Garnet, 57-30)

On the Bubble: Old Balls (1-1, Last week: Bye)

Stock Up: Pike Garnet
Pike looked terrible in a Week 1 loss to ZBT, but has since added some firepower, and blew the doors off North Pole last Sunday, leaping them into the Top 3 this week. In their drubbing of North Pole, Pike went without leading scorer and point man Pat Garvin for the first half, and still built a double-digit lead before the break. A lot of that may have to do with the addition of Terrance Brown, a lanky grad student rumored to have played varsity ball at Vanderbilt before coming to NU to continue his studies and prey on unsuspecting frat boys with his smooth outside stroke. Brown, a hot commodity in IMs because of the limits on club players, had been moonlighting for the White League’s Dazzling Rainbows for the first few weeks, but made the jump to Purple last week before rosters were frozen. He gives Pike another ball handler to help Garvin, something they’ve been in desperate need of for two years.

Stock Down: Lodge
In what was without question the best game of the intramural season to this point, Lodge lost by 2 points in overtime to ZBT. The Lodge-Delt combo team saw a potential W go by the wayside when PG Tyler McGuire was called for a reach-in foul 30 feet from the basket as time ticked under 20 seconds in overtime, sending ZBT’s Nathan Enfield to the charity stripe for the free throws that sealed the game. Lodge is clearly athletic, talented, and intimidating, but also rarely organized and easily distracted, whether by the officiating or their opponents. Thanks to Super Bowl Sunday and a forfeit win in week one, Lodge will end up playing just two regular season games before the postseason, so a Valentine’s Day showdown with Pike looms large.

White League

Dropped out: JKFLB (2-1, Last week: Win vs. Maybe She Likes It, 49-43), Sigma Chi (2-0, Last week: Bye)

On the Bubble: Dynamic Mechanisms (2-0, Last week: Bye), DU me in the asquatch 1 (Last week: Win vs. Pike Pledges, 36-18)

Not as Bad as their Record: Maybe She Likes It (0-2), EQ Ballers (1-2)
You gotta feel for Maybe She Likes It. That, or you better beware, because this team is the definition of a sleeper. Currently, they sit below brutally bad teams like ZBT3, SAE Eta, and AEPi Challah Farmers in the NUIM power rankings. But MSLI’s two losses have come at the hands of Top 15 teams (Jersey Shore Blowouts, JKFLB) by a combined 8 points. Swingman William Perge can stroke the three and finish on the break, and if captain Paul Drake gets hot from three-point land, look out. EQ Ballers have had a similarly rough road to this point, losing to Beta A and Sigma Chi by a combined 11 points. In both losses, the Ballers led for at least 10 minutes, but sometimes struggle to find scoring beyond senior sharpshooter John Moore.

Not as Good as their Record: E3 (3-0), Pike All-Stars (2-0)
E3 is the beneficiary of a soft schedule. When the best opponent you face in the regular season is Twine Flu (presented by Golden Olympic), you’ll have a hard time impressing, and E3, ranked 13th in the NUIM rankings, has the worst official’s rating of the Top 16 teams that have played at least two games. Pike All-Stars barely squeaked out a 27-25 win over AEPi Tip-Offs in week two. That’s hard to do (like, it’s pretty difficult to only win by 2 against an AEPi team). Don’t fret if you end up opposite one of these teams come playoff time.

Week 3 Games to Watch:
#1 The Family Institute vs. #5 Evans Scholars, Sunday @ 2PM
#10 Footprints in the Jungle vs. The Fighting Chabraja’s, Monday @ 8PM
#4 Beta A vs. Sigma Chi, Thursday @ 6PM

Related posts:

1. Contenders and Pretenders separate at midway point of IM season Week three of intramural basketball has arrived, and that means no more double-rostering hi-jinks and rule clarification shenanigans. With the meat of the schedule at hand, it’s time to bust out the first rankings for this season. So while your squad might be tops according to the power ranking formula...
2. Delt shines, Lodge flops Week one of flag football is always chaotic—freshmen don’t know the rules, teams are still getting organized, and raw excitement leads to sloppiness. This year was no different, and league standings are already sorting themselves out. Below is a recap of this weekend’s notable outcomes. Numbers before the teams represent...
3. It is crunch time in IM land Four weeks in, and weather has still yet to become a factor for flag football, a rarity this time of year. Top teams continue to hold their own, and with one week to go, it’s desperation mode for the winless and business as usual for the playoff-bound. Below is a...