Juice Thompson will need to be even more of a leader for the 'Cats due to Coble's injury. What could be his breakout season starts tonight
Photo: NU Athletic Communications
There are 347 NCAA Division I basketball teams. As of last year’s NCAA Tournament, only five teams had never made it to the Big Dance:
Army
William and Mary
St. Francis (NY)
The Citadel
And of course, Northwestern
North Dakota State—in its first ever season of Division 1 basketball—did what NU hasn’t done in 71 years, made the tourney.
I’m sure you notice a clear difference between NU and its partners of college basketball futility, Northwestern is a Big Ten school and considered to be a part of big time college athletics. Looking at the six major conferences (Big Ten, Big East, ACC, Pac 10, SEC, Big 12), Northwestern is the only team to never make it onto your brackets in March.
Mostly everyone familiar with the team knows these haunting facts, but as the season begins tonight, it’s important to put in perspective that history can be made during the 2009-2010 campaign.
We have spent this week giving you a full rundown of this year’s ‘Cats and we, like many publications, are extremely optimistic.
The guards are led by a seasoned point man in Juice Thompson. John Shurna will help an improving frontcourt thanks to his summer experience playing for Team USA. Three years ago, people wanted Coach Bill Carmody fired; now we are starting to see his genius.
While NU basketball fans are few and far between, as well as fare-weathered, we want you to know how to be a good fan when you come to Welsh-Ryan Arena this season. And while the Big Ten may be as good as it has been in years, that will just make NU’s strength-of-schedule better when it comes to impressing the committee in March. Hey, even the women could be good.
Yea, yea, I saw the news too. Kevin Coble could be out for an extended period of time, 4-6 weeks at the minimum. Did that make me depressed all week? Absolutely. Does it put a huge dagger in the ‘Cats’ chances to shock the nation? Definitely. But it shouldn’t stop you from going to see this team play, there are enough weapons around that if Coble can return for the Big Ten season, magic can still happen in Evanston, at least we think so.
Even if you are not a football fan at Northwestern, you know what happened in 1995. Northwestern made it to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1949, made the cover of Sports Illustrated, and won the hearts of millions throughout the country. Since 1995, the football program has been in quite the renaissance. Due to the Big Ten’s resurgence and Coble’s injury, I cannot go nearly as far as to say this could be the basketball team’s version of ‘Taking the Purple to Pasadena.’
But it will happen. If not this year, then next year. If this is the year, though, you do not want to look back and say you missed the season that Northwestern’s name finally popped up on Selection Sunday. I’ve been to almost every basketball game in my three years in Evanston, even the games over Winter Break when the student section population is two. I was there when the Tim-Doyle-led ‘Cats could only manage two conference victories. But I was also there last year to see John Shurna’s game-winner to beat Ohio State. And I plan to be at Welsh-Ryan for every game this year, but I need some company in those stands. Convince yourself, (like most of us have), that despite the schedule, the Big Ten, the history, and Coble’s injury, that this could be the year, and you wouldn’t want to miss it, at least we think so.
71 years of basketball futility could end this March, and the road begins tonight.
