John Shurna lit it up again from the field, but did not have enough help from his team for Northwestern to pull off the upset
Photo: Derek Tam
In forty minutes, we got a glimpse of the two Northwestern basketball teams that fans have grown to love and hate over the course of this season. With lackluster defense, little hustle, and poor shot selection, the ‘Cats of the first half resembled the team that staggered onto the court against teams like Texas-Pan American, Ohio State, and the first game against Michigan State. But in the second half, out of the locker room ran an inspired, tough team with a sense of urgency, not unlike the team that upset Purdue, demolished Michigan, and handed Illinois a tough loss. Unfortunately for Northwestern, it took way too long for the team to finally realize how vital this game was, something that becomes very apparent in the report card.
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.
