Cats’ Corner: Your source for NU basketball

This game mattered. Don’t let the calendar, or the circumstances or the players tell you differently.

Northwestern’s 73-59 win over Florida State was a statement. It was a call out to the rest of the Big Ten: Throw your best at us, the Wildcats will not roll over.

Forget last year’s disappointing 8-22 effort. That was erased like the four-point margin the Seminoles held early in the second quarter when Craig Moore unleashed his fury and energy on the Welsh-Ryan Arena floor.

It was Moore who took a charge, hit a three and then drew another offensive foul on consecutive possessions with 16:33 left that sparked a 20-2 run that gave the Cats a 56-44 lead with 11:16 left. His primal scream echoed through the rafters of the arena as the crowd grew louder, heightening the excitement and intensity of the nationally televised game.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Adam Fusfeld

The players were fired up, showing emotion at each stoppage and throwing themselves at each loose ball igniting the crowd.

Northwestern (5-1) played energetic and inspired ball to the tune of a 73-59 victory over Florida State on Wednesday. Still, it was the team’s commitment to defense and rebounding behind all the emotion that led them to win.

The Wildcats forced 22 turnovers, and held the Seminoles to just 7 of 26 shooting in the second half, to come back from a five-point halftime deficit.

“We got much tougher in the second half,” sophomore forward Ivan Peljusic said. “In the first half we were kind of letting them push us around. They were like grown men, and we were like kids.”
Read the rest of this entry »

By Matt Forman

After Northwestern’s 16-point victory over UC Riverside on Monday, coach Bill Carmody wished for his team to be tied or trailing at halftime in a game to see how it responded.

On Wednesday, Carmody got exactly what he was hoping for. NU went into halftime down three points to an undefeated Florida State.

“I was pretty disappointed heading into halftime,” Carmody said. “I was not pleased at all.”

In the second half, Carmody got more than he ever could have hoped for.

The Wildcats (5-1) responded with arguably the best 20 minutes of basketball during Carmody’s eight seasons in Evanston and topped the Seminoles 73-59.

Read the rest of this entry »

Coach Bill Carmody was curious how his team would perform in a tight game at the half. He is going to find out tonight.

Florida State has dominated the game in almost every facet, shooting 56 percent, blocking six shots and holding Northwestern to 10-of-30 shooting. But the Seminoles have been unable to pull away because of their poor ball handling.

Something NU is doing is giving Florida State problems. The Seminoles have committed 11 turnovers and seem to be giving the ball away on every other possession. It has given the Wildcats plenty of opportunities to stay competitive.

Florida State opened a 27-19 lead with about five minutes left. But the Cats battle back thanks to some nice drives by Coble and a strong offensive rebounding performance — you read right, they have 10 offensive rebounds in this game.

There is a lot of fire in this game. Carmody has picked up a techinical foul — that contributed to a five-point play by Uche Echefu — and he is not holding anything back. This is clearly a must-win game for the Cats.

The freshmen have struggled a lot in this one. John Shurna has struggled getting to the inside and has settled for some rushed 3-point shots. Kyle Rowley has had difficulties on the inside and has bobbled a few passes. Luka Mirkovic got some minutes early but has not seen a lot of action.

Instead, NU has used some of its veterans to establish a defensive tone. Junior guard Jeremy Nash provided his usual defensive spark off the bench and even hit a 3-pointer with one minute left to make it a four-point game.

This is certrainly a game that is still in reach, but the Cats have to continue their aggression on offense and work inside-out for their 3-point shots. Mor importantly, they have to make free throws. NU was only 7 of 14 in the half.

Don’t expect Florida State to commit another 11 turnovers in the second half. When the Seminoles have taken shots, they have made them. That might continue. NU will need another strong defensive effort to keep this one close until the end.

Northwestern is off to its best start since 2001 witha 4-1 start. But the Wildcats will be playing for more than a 5-1 start tonight as they battle the Seminoles. NU’s game against Florida State may very well determine who wins the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, a competition the Big Ten has never won.

Obviously, that is the last thing on the Cats’ mind as they hope to continue their fast start. The 2001-02 season, interestingly enough, is the only season NU has finished with an overall record above .500 under coach Bill Carmody. More interestingly, that team defeated Florida State 57-50 at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

NU easily defeated UC Riverside 59-43 Monday night. The Cats have been able to race out to early leads and, except for the loss to Butler, have held on to the lead. The Bulldogs have been the toughest team NU has seen this season and the Seminoles should offer a stiffer challenge.

Florida State has gotten off to a 7-0 start, the team’s best in five season, and went to the NIT last season. The Seminoles lost some players from that squad, but they have gotten off to a quick start by winning some tight games. Florida State has won four games by four points or less.

Senior guard Toney Douglas is the team’s best player. He is averaging 19.0 points per game after being All-ACC Defensive Team selection and earning a spot on the All-ACC third team. He has gotten some help from freshman Chris Singleton down low. Singleton has added 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Keys to the Game

1. Keep the Seminoles in front on the perimeter- coach Bill Carmody said it simply after NU’s 81-39 opening game win over Central Arkansas: the difference between this year and last is the team’s ability to keep opponents in front of them on the perimeter. Stopping dribble penetration is a key for any team’s victory, but it was something the Cats struggled with especially last season.

Florida State is the most athletic team NU has faced so far this season and it will be a test for the team’s perimeter defense. Keeping players like Douglas from driving into the lane, will be important to maintaining the pressure the Cats want on defense.

2. Trust the system – it sounds real hoeky and a lot of people may not like it. But in the past, NU has closed the gap with strong teams by using its time-consuming Princeton offense and its pressure 1-3-1 zone. The 1-3-1 zone might not be used as much (although expect some of it tonight), but the pressure on defense and the methodical workings of the Prineceton will still be there.

It has been successful in the past and Florida State has not seen an offense like the Prinecton. Points are there to be had, but the Cats have to remain patient within their system and look for opportunities to attack. They have work within the system to find offense and they cannot get discouraged or rush when things go poorly if they want to win.

3. Rebounding – NU has already faced a solid rebounder, but probably none like Florida State can offer. Singleton has eight rebounds per game. While the Cats have done a good job rebounding, behind junior forward Kevin Coble’s 5.4 per game.

The big men have alleviated some pressure on the boards, but they will need to be on their game tonight crashing the glass. Florida State has given up more than 10 offensive rebounds per game (89 in seven games), so chances on the glass will be there.

Whoever wins the battle on the boards is most likely to win this game.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Northwestern has not been in this position often in recent years. Holding a double-digit lead throughout the second half, coach Bill Carmody was able to empty his bench for the third time in five games with about a minute to play Monday night against UC Riverside.

In three of the Wildcats’ four wins this season, they have held a substantial lead and had to hold on to it in the second half to pull out the victory. The results with these leads have been a bit mixed.

“We’ve had leads at halftime this year, some pretty sizeable leads and lost them,” Carmody said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime. You can’t just try to maintain and coast out and finish the game. You have to a killer instinct there and have an edge and go after guys. We haven’t gotten to that point.”

NU eventually pulled out the win Monday night, but lost the second half 29-27 to UC Riverside. It was not the first time the Cats struggled to hold a large lead after 20 minutes.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Matt Forman

With a minute and a half remaining in Northwestern’s non-conference game against UC Riverside on Monday, fans started filing out of Welsh-Ryan Arena to a calm 13-point victory.

Those fans should have stayed an extra few seconds to see the most exciting play of the game.

As the Highlanders moved down the court for a quick hitting 3-point shot, freshman forward John Shurna came out of nowhere and blocked Sean Cunningham’s long-range attempt.

Shurna caught his own block, drove the length of the floor and layed a perfect finger roll into the basket while getting fouled. The 6-foot-8 freshman connected on the free throw, providing the Wildcats’ final point of the game, en route to the 59-43 win.

Shurna provided the games’ highlight-reel play, but it was his contribution on the backboard that made the biggest difference.

“We haven’t traditionally been a good rebounding team, so I was just proud to see that they didn’t get too many extra shots on us,” coach Bill Carmody said. “That has plagued us the last couple of years.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Northwestern has started the year undefeated thanks to its renewed commitment on the defensive end. Coach Bill Carmody has emphasized defensive drills in practice. After each win, the team assessed its defensive performance before even mentioning its renowned Princeton offense.

Though the Wildcats (2-0) have shot at a blistering 51 percent rate this season, the offense is still not where it needs to be.

“We’re probably at about 70 (percent),” senior guard Craig Moore said. “We’ve got so much to work on. I mean it’s great when we can win games and not play our best. I shot one for seven. We had a lot of miscues. We were turning the ball over in the first half, but we kept stretching the lead. And that’s nice when you have the talent, with the big men, to win games when it’s not your best night.”

To read more, click here.

The Islanders were shooting four of 11 from the field while the Cats have hit on 58 percent of their shots.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi though went on a 7-2 run with about three minutes to play that closed the lead to 12 points. The Islanders are starting to make shots after the struggles on offense. And it is not for a lack of trying on NU’s part.

Instead the Cats’ offense has become lethargic and perimeter oriented. They are taking quick shots early in the shot clock and letting the Islanders get out on the break. It is not boding well for NU as the lead tightens.

The Islanders then got a chance to meet John Shurna. Shurna came on strong in the last stages of the second half, hitting a three to end the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi run and then getting a steal at mid-court that set up a fast break for Michael Thompson and Craig Moore. The two found Shurna streaking to the basket and he hit a layup that put the lead back at 18 points at halftime.

NU leads 39-21 at the break.

The defense is winning this game again for the Wildcats. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is struggling with turnovers and breaking the press.

Coach Bill Carmody was not lying when he said he would continue to tinker with the defense and use the press. The Cats are pressing full court and trapping at the midcourt line and then falling back into a 2-3 zone. It has been pretty effective as NU went on an 18-4 run (which included a shot clock violation) to take a comfortable double-digit lead.

It was the Cats’ 3-point shooting that really seemed to calm the team down. Moore hit his record-setting three, but Coble has drained a few and it really helped keep the Cats in the game early and has helped them maintain a healthy lead — not to mention open up cutting and driving lanes that has led to such a high shooting percentage.

Those 3-pointers were created off of dribble penetration and the ample driving and cutting lanes the good shooting created. Those are not there anymore as the Islanders have tightened up their defense.

But it seems like the team is calming itself down and finding a way to get ahead and stay ahead.

After years of losing and one of the worst seasons in team history last year, it seems like it is going to be quite a task.

After all, all five starters and all but one of the key players returned from last year’s team. That fact may not be the best omen for this year’s team – even with the addition of five freshmen who figure to contribute heavily to this year’s team.

But with another year, comes another year’s worth of experience, I guess. Because something has changed with this team.

Read the rest of this entry »