The WNUR Basketblog

Unfortunate End

2008-03-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

For the second consecutive season, with the game on the line in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats gave up a costly turnover in the final seconds. Last season, Jeremy Nash threw the ball away with the ‘Cats trailing by 3 to Michigan State with under a minute to go. This season, the culprit was Sterling Williams who inexplicably did not use the Wildcats final timeout while trapped on the baseline with the ‘Cats trailing by 1 with under 10 seconds to go.

NU was in control of this game for the entire first half, too. They led by double digits and were hitting shots from all over the court. Their offense was at a comfortable pace and their defensive rebounding was stout. However, right as the second half began, their shots came quicker and the offense transitioned to a more up-tempo style that favored Minnesota. In turn, they crept back into the game with strong offensive rebounding and an extended-full court press. In the end the Gophers prevailed 55-52.

Overall, this season was a step-back for the Wildcats. They lost Tim Doyle and Vince Scott, but no one was expecting only 1 Big Ten victory this season. Even Bill Carmody supporters such as myself, recognize that next season will be very important for the future of the program. Coach Carmody has taken a lot of heat from students and alumni throughout the season. Despite being the all-time wins leader in Northwestern history, he still has yet to make it to the postseason in his time at NU. With a 1-18 record in the Big Ten, Coach Carmody is entering a critical season. Next year needs to be the season NU breaks through. Significant improvements are imperative and the progress can no longer be monitored by improvements by individual players, but rather should be monitored in win totals. Coach Carmody needs to use his 3 highly touted incoming recruits to make significant progress next season. With new Athletic Director Jim Phillips entering NU in April and longtime Carmody-supporter Henry Bienen exiting NU after the 2009 school year, the end could be near for Coach Carmody.

Fitting End

2008-03-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

I feel disgusted after sitting through the home loss to Wisconsin, more so than most of the other losses the 'Cats have piled up this year. Maybe it was all the Badger fans. Maybe it was another late 1st-half-second half collapse. Maybe it was the fact that there was NO BAND FOR THE FINAL BIG TEN GAME OF THE SEASON.

Whatever it was, I feel worse about this program now than I have all season. And that's saying something.

It's easy to pile on the fans who didn't show (and who can blame them?) or the no-show band. There are deeper problems with this program, from the coach and players on the court to the lack of any institutional support coming from Northwestern. How do you expect to compete in a first-rate conference with a second, or dare I say, third-rate program?

Could NU pull out a win over Minnesota at the Big Ten Tournament Thursday? Sure, I guess so. But that's not the point right now. Things need to change with this program. It starts at the top- hopefully Jim Phillips can work with the NU administration to building up this program.

Today was an embarrassment. I'm glad I don't have to sit through another game like that this year. Don't think I can handle it.

Your depressed blogger,
Gotty

Just Adjust

2008-03-02T00:33:00.000-08:00

Coming off their first Big Ten win of the season, Northwestern was looking for glory this afternoon in West-Lafayette, Indiana. It seemed like good things would happen with Ivan Peljusic leading the charge with a career high 13 points in the first half alone. However, the ‘Cats were never able to maintain their lead and eventually fell to the Boilermakers.

The game was there for the taking, but the ‘Cats just couldn’t come up with key buckets or defensive stops. Sound familiar?

On a positive note, there have been some recent good signs within the basketball program. As of late, Ivan Peljusic has emerged from bench-warmer and towel waver extraordinaire, to a legitimate post presence, playing a big role for the Wildcats. He’s shown a nice touch around the basket, good energy, and aggressive rebounding. Even though he makes you scratch your head a few times a game with some decision-making, his energy and aggressiveness will only help the team going forward.

Additionally, in recent games the ‘Cats have gotten into a good rhythm in the first half. Their offense is crisp and they’re aggressive on the boards. However, with the exception of the Indiana game last Saturday, their play continues to regress in the second half.

It’s been clear all season that Coach Carmody needs to work on his in-game adjustments. But these recent second half struggles have pushed the problem over the top. Despite their clear second half struggles; he rarely makes personnel or defensive changes. It is no coincidence that in the last 5 games opponents have shot 52.2%, 54.2%, 52.6%, 52.2%, and 61.9% from the field in the second half. In addition, over that same 5 game stretch NU opponents’ field goal percentage has improved by an average of 13.2% from the first half to the second half. Now some of the credit certainly should go to the opponents for their play and halftime adjustments. But, Coach Carmody definitely deserves some blame for his lack of in-game adjustments.

What’s causing these struggles down the stretch? Is it fatigue? If so, balance the minutes of the players. Cut down some of the minutes of Juice Thompson, Craig Moore, and Kevin Coble from the 35+ they’re currently averaging, down to a more manageable 30. At the same time, give more minutes to youngsters Peljusic, Jeremy Nash, and Mike Capocci. Not only are they better rebounders than the aforementioned Moore, Thompson, and Coble; but they would also benefit greatly from consistent minutes.

Unfortunately, the cause of the ‘Cats second half struggles may not be fatigue, but rather in-game defensive adjustments. All season long, I, among others, have been crying for Coach Carmody to change things defensively. He has started to occasionally switch out of the 1-3-1 defense, but the results of this adjustment tend to vary from game to game. Still, his stubborn nature and lack of creativity has hit a boiling point with most Northwestern fans. Game after game, opponents say in postgame press conferences that they were confused with the Northwestern zone early, but once they figured it out things really started to click offensively. After today’s game Purdue’s Tarrance Crump said, “We started getting adjusted to their zone, and how they were playing us. Once we started attacking we got some open looks. Once we made some shots, it opened up the zone.” Hmmm…once the Boilermakers got comfortable in the zone they were able to adjust and find the shots. I’m not saying that the ‘Cats should immediately abandon the 1-3-1 for the remainder of the game once they start struggling in the second half. I just think the ‘Cats would be better served to constantly switch defenses throughout the entire game in order to confuse opponents. They would force opponents to take extra time on offense, in turn slowing the pace down to a more comfortable speed. Until the ‘Cats add more defensive strategies to their arsenal, they’ll continue to struggle in the second half.

Up next: Home vs. Iowa on Tuesday at 8 PM…could this be the second Big Ten win???

Broken Record

2008-02-19T23:31:00.000-08:00

The 'Cats keep it close in the first half. They make a run in the second half. And then things fall apart, and they lose.

Sounds familiar, eh?

It is a formula that breeds no success, a sure recipe for an 0-18 conference season. Northwestern simply cannot finish ballgames. They come out with plenty of intensity, especially defensively, in the first half. Teams cannot figure out their defense and miss shots. Meanwhile, they can never fully capitalize offensively.

So they go into the half fairly even with their opponent. They come out playing pretty well in the second half most of the time, before completely sputtering with 8-10 minutes to go. Tonight, that collapse was greater vs. Iowa because they took a 14 POINT LEAD IN THE SECOND HALF. And they still blew it. Surprised? Not at this point.

Look at the games that have followed the above formula: PSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Iowa. That is 8 of the 11 big ten teams. And nobody should doubt that this formula will not play out a few more times this season.

So why can't they play well until the final buzzer? Well, to make a long story short, it is depth. For some reason, teams can rarely match Northwestern's intensity at first. Energy goes a long way, and for the first 20 minutes, the 'Cats have enough to make up for noticeable disparities in talent. But then the lack of a deep bench starts to show. They cannot keep the intensity up for a full 40 minutes; adrenaline only takes you so far. And so then they falter, and lose.

Obviously it is frustrating. It has to be for the players more so than the fans. It just does not seem like there is a way to solve the problem any time soon. Unless some of these bench players start developing some serious game soon, Carmody will be forced to trot out the same players for 30-35 minutes a game. It is taking a toll.

And speaking of taking a toll, these losses keep taking a toll on the fans. It's hard enough to get fellow students to come to the games as it is- now try fighting the 0-18 argument. It's not easy to counter.

Next up: Indiana on Saturday night. Many Indiana fans will be there, but will Kelvin Sampson?

NU @ Minnesota - WBB Live Blog

2008-02-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Thought we'd try something new today. As Aaron Morse and Ranjan Rohathgi bring you the action over the airwaves on WNUR 89.3FM, I'll be providing my running commentary on this blog. Could be fun. Could be stupid. Probably won't be read. But why not try it.

1:40pm -- Pregame begins...both team shooting around...We have starting lineups: Erin Dickerson is starting again. She got her first start on Thursday. Aaron and Ranjan talked to Coach Combs about this...she wants to use Meshia Reed off the bench. She did that a lot with Foamy two years ago. Not sure if it was effective, since they still only won 2 games in the BT, but hey, that's better than this year.

1:52pm -- Just heard the interview with Coach Combs. Most truthful quote: "we've got a lot of problems this year." It's tough to narrow it down to one issue. Turnovers, low field goal percentages, lack of offensive rhythm. No one else in the BT has less than 4 wins. It's a rough season...hopefully the main cause is injuries, because that will get better next year.

1:58pm -- What a ridiculous atmosphere in the Barn. This is a decent Minnesota team, receiving some votes, but they're bringing out fans like they're at the top. Probably around 6,000 people in stands. There is a special "Think Pink" event for breast cancer, which NU will host next week. But I this is the atmosphere they get every year. Borton's clubs play extremely well at home...and NU struggled at the best BT venue, Purdue (32 turnovers, anyone?)

2pm -- The guys are discussing guard play and how poor its been as a whole. I wonder how much of that is due to only one guard on the bench! Dickerson's the only sub with Stutz, Marshall, Hicks, and even Cartwright out. That's an awful lot of playing time.

Tip-off -- Ranjan's keys --- 1. limit turnovers (NU bad, MIN good)...2. win the three-point battle...3. Shut down Fox/Knight/Ellis-Milan

Tip-off -- Melissa Miller surprising start. It's gotta be because she's from Bloomington, MN and is a senior. Can't think of a reason she deserves it over Amy.

2:10pm -- The defense has been giving up an open look every possession. The Gophers have missed a lot and the turned the ball over twice...but they should be leading by 10.

2:13pm -- I know Aaron loves seeing Jenny Eckhart score early. How many times has he said "Eckhart needs to shoot more." She looked more comfortable just driving inside. Let's hope she does it again.

2:16pm -- Luck be a Lady today. The Wildcats, leading the Big Ten in turnovers, they've handed it to Minnesota 4 times so far. Luckily, the Gophers can't seem to hold on, giving NU plenty of chances. They've wasted them, though, with two shot-clock violations.

2:19pm -- First time in weeks I've seen a new inbounds play for the Wildcats. Instead of the quick spin around the right wing, usually Eckhart, they gave it to Reed underneath. What happened? A lay-in and one. Let's see it again.

2:23pm -- MESHIA REED. Misses a three, fights for her own rebound, gets it to Bibbs, follows up that shot with a put back. What a possession for her. Maybe being on the bench actually does give her a fire in the belly.

2:27pm -- Emily Fox just checked out. I'm very glad I put her on my pre-season All-Big Ten list. She is fantastic. My most vivid memory of her is last season, stealing the ball with 1 second left in Evanston and putting up a jumper to win the game.

2:31pm -- What is going on here? It's such a pleasure to finally see Northwestern playing well. The difference so far has been intensity on both ends. Every player seems focused and determined more than any game I've seen. I guess that big steak dinner last night isn't slowing them down.

2:34pm -- NU's got a completely different gameplan. They're attacking the basket, purposely looking to draw fouls. Bibbs, Reed, Eckhart, they've all done it. Unfortunately, Reed hasn't put it away at the line, but Minnesota's already in the bonus.

2:42 -- The reason NU's suddenly fallen is Korinne Campbell. Six straight points for her thanks to wide-open layups. The defense is so worried about the outside shot of players like Fox they're shading in front. A lack of awareness lets Campbell get behind her. 30-22 now.

2:44pm -- Melissa Miller got the start today because she lives 20 minutes away. She just made a shot from her patented location inside the arc and a whole contingent of fans behind the NU bench started cheering. I'm assuming her family and friends, including what looks like her grandparents. The grandfather's wearing a long-sleeve NU t-shirt with black suspenders. A man after my own heart.

2:47pm (halftime) -- It's 34-24. A 17-2 run in the last 7 minutes. The defense didn't break down...it was already broken. Minnesota has just figured out how to use it. Offensively, the problem lies in not understanding the offense, 12 games into the season. Ellen Jaeschke has been great on the boards, but she's tried nothing but off-balance hook/push shots. Amy's attempts have been nearly as ugly. If the Cats are going to come back and win, they'll need to actually post up, not get the ball and immediately shoot.

2:55pm -- The most frustrating thing to see from Northwestern is downright sloppy play. Of the 9 turnovers in the first half (which isn't terrible), three in a row, late in the half, were simply throwing the ball out of bounds. There were three shot clock violations, plus the end of the first half not getting the shot off in time. That's 5 inexcusable turnovers. Steals happen. But those unforced errors show a talent disparity.

2:59pm -- Usually both teams return from the locker room with 4 minutes left in halftime. The Gophers got on the court at 5 minutes remaining...the Wildcats walked out 2 and a half minutes later. That must have been quite a speech from Coach Combs.

3:00pm -- Kevin Fishbain and Andrew Gothelf, our in-studio crew, just mentioned Emily Fox's hidden talent: speed stacking. My 11-year-old sister is very good at it...it's tremendously difficult. Not sure how much that skill can translate into basketball, but I'll assume it increases her ball-handling ability and improves her concentration on fast breaks. I have no idea.

3:05pm -- Ellen Jaeschke just checked out for her cousin. I liked the adjustment though through the first two minutes. She twice faked that off-balance hook I mentioned earlier and passed it away quickly. Minnesota was left out of position. Unfortunately the Wildcats couldn't hit.

3:07pm -- Ellen hasn't done much on offense, but her absence was just felt on the defensive end. She's the only one who's able to box out. Amy allowed two offensive boards on one possession. She could really learn something from her older cousin.

3:12pm -- It's been a rough year for Sara Stutz. Poor shooting followed by an injury a few weeks ago. She's hoping to recover enough to play again before she graduates, but she's contributing right now on the bench. The majority of that last NU timeout was spent by Stutz giving the team a speech, not Coach Combs. Perhaps the peer motivation will turn things around.

3:14pm -- Ranjan's doing a great job assessing Savannah Stedman. I don't remember hearing anyone breaking her game down this much. But with so many post players, Stedman's getting the call today. No Boyd, no Bielawski. It's been a challenge finding suitable replacements for the Jaeschkes. Stedman's getting her shot, but like Ranjan said, she needs to build up some strength for next year.

3:17pm -- Just as I posted that, Boyd came in. Boyd needs to work on just the opposite of Stedman. She's got all muscle, but little finesse. Her shots seem designed solely to draw a foul, but she is a presence down low. If she can find the line between charging and posting up, she'll be a solid contributor.

3:23pm -- I'm confused why Amy Jaeschke doesn't get the ball more often right below the basket. She obviously has difficulty posting up, but she needs to work on it. Most of the time, she gets the ball well outside the lane and if she can't get closer, she just turns around and chucks it up. That's not taking advantage of her height.

3:25pm -- Today's a "Think Pink" event for Minnesota. It's quite a show of unity when everyone on the bench is wearing a bright pink t-shirt, and every coach a bright pink tie/dress/shirt. Breast cancer has made a number of headlines at NU due to Carlys Coble's situation. Hopefully Northwestern can get a lot of support next week against the Badgers when they host a Think Pink event of their own.

3:26pm -- Meshia Reed is clearly the best athlete on this team. I like Combs strategy of starting her on the bench, but she needs to play more. Just hit her first three, giving her 11 points, the other 8 in only 11 minutes in the first half. When Foamy would come in off the bench, she'd be on the court within 2 minutes. Reed's too valuable on both sides of the ball to be kept on the sidelines.

3:32pm -- Amy Jaeschke picked up her 4th block. She's played just 15 games but already has 37 blocks. That ties her on the single-season list with Anucha Browne and Sarah Kwasinski, the last highly touted NU recruit. A top 50 player who never really panned out. Decent player, but not the game-changer people expected. Hopefully Amy continues to exceed her.

3:34pm -- The women's tennis team loses to Georgia Tech this time, 4-2, but they're still a force to be reckoned with. They beat GT less than two weeks ago when they were #1, and they needed to go through a string of top 15 teams to get to the championship game. They'll probably get a Big Ten win before the women's team does (Tennis plays PSU on Saturday)

3:43pm (game over) -- The final score: 68-48. Northwestern looked great for most of that first half, but finally Minnesota's athleticism prevailed. This would have been a much closer game if the Cats did three things: Box out successfully on defense, limit careless turnovers (throwing the ball out of bounds, shot clock violations), and consistently feeding the ball inside. Two of those are coachable. Let's hope they focus on it before facing Michigan on Valentine's Day.

3:45pm -- One more thing, on a personal note. Today completed my Tour de League at WNUR. Minneapolis is my eleventh and final Big Ten city that I've had the pleasure of visiting for a broadcast. Thank you to all those previous and current Sports Directors who helped me attain this prestigious goal (following in the footsteps of Ray Garcia and Dan Platt, among others). But a special thanks to the teams and coaches who have been so generous to allow WNUR broadcasters to travel with them, especially Coach Beth Combs and this women's basketball team. I was lucky enough to call the lone road win for the Cats these past four years in conference play (@ Michigan). Hopefully, many more are in store after I graduate.

That's it and that's all for this waltz down memory lane (and periodic updates from the Barn). Thanks for reading. - Ryan "Bobo" Morton

Wanted: Scorers

2008-02-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating. Even when Northwestern plays well, they still can’t find a way to win. For most of the first half, much like when they traveled to Indiana last Sunday, they shot the ball well and were executing their offense to perfection. Craig Moore was finding teammates on backdoor cuts and the ‘Cats spacing was much improved.

But even while leading 18-14 in the first half, the ‘Cats never had a chance. Michigan State was bound to make a run, and eventually their tenacious defense, timely shooting, and good rebounding helped them pull away from the pesky ‘Cats. However, not all was lost for the ‘Cats. Jeremy Nash played nicely on both ends of the court, and finished with 10 rebounds, including 4 offensively. Nash also caused some havoc at the top of the 1-3-1 defense using his good athleticism. In the end though, the Spartans were just too much. The ‘Cats couldn’t stop Drew Neitzel, as he finished the game with 21 points on 8-12 shooting.

Going forward, the ‘Cats desperately need 2 players to step up and become consistent scorers. Right now, the only players who can be counted on, game in and game out are Moore, Kevin Coble, and Juice Thompson. But with a fourth and fifth threat, more opportunities will open up for the aforementioned big 3. So with that said, who are the candidates for these two spots?

Candidate 1: Jeff Ryan

He already plays 25+ minutes a game and has proven that he can score when needed. With that said, he still needs to bring his game to the next level. If Ryan develops a consistent 3-point shot, he can become a huge asset for the ‘Cats. Opponents will finally be forced to respect his perimeter game, and in turn, he’ll open lanes for backdoor cuts. He clearly has struggled with his confidence this season, but the potential is there.

Candidate 2: Jeremy Nash

He’s improved light years from last season, and is finally getting some consistent minutes in Carmody’s rotation. He’s arguably the best rebounder on the team, his 3-point shot is starting to come around, and he has shown the ability to slash into the lane and finish at the basket. Even though, he plays out of control at times, Nash is a talent who, if given the minutes, could turn into an all-around player the ‘Cats need to compliment Coble, Moore, and Thompson.

Candidate 3: Mike Capocci

Even though he’s currently stuck in Carmody’s doghouse and doesn’t always appear to completely understand the offense, Capocci’s leaping ability and athleticism are attributes the ‘Cats badly need on the court at all times. With time and improved confidence, Capocci can become a solid player in the Princeton Offense. He showed a nice touch around the rim in the non-conference season, and the ‘Cats need to add a low-post presence to their offense.

Up next: Home vs. Ohio State on Wednesday at 8

Avoiding Disaster

2008-01-31T12:09:00.001-08:00

That could've been really bad.

The 'Cats, as usual, started off sluggishly against the Texas Pan-American Broncs. Everyone kept waiting for them to wake up and go on a run.

It took a while.

Northwestern trailed by 4 at halftime, and a fan base already incredibly frustrated with the team's lackluster performance this season was ready to pounce on one man: Bill Carmody.

Fortunately (or unfortunately if you really want Carmody to be fired no matter what), Northwestern had a flexible game plan that allowed them to score 34 points in the paint. Neither team had a size advantage, which allowed the 'Cats to finally use a talent disparity in their favor.

Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson, particularly in the second half, drove to the basket, drawing fouls and creating easy scoring opportunities. Coble finished with 29, Thompson with 18 and 7 assists.

Carmody has to be given credit here. He is often called inflexible and stubborn for refusing to match his team's style of play to the talent on the floor and the opponent on the court. That is a major fault of his, and among other things, could lead to his firing. But for one game, Carmody seemed to make the right moves in his half-time adjustments.

I was also happy to see Carmody keep Jeremy Nash on the floor in the second half. Though against Big Ten teams Nash might not be much of a scoring threat, he seems to be gaining confidence in the offense, which might prove helpful next season.

Still, this was Texas Pan-American. The 'Cats next travel to Bloomington to take on #11 Indiana, which probably won't be pretty. Northwestern needs to somehow find a way to save this momentum for next week when they take on Minnesota at home.

The Clock is Ticking for Bill

2008-01-28T18:26:00.001-08:00

Illinois’ 70-37 destruction of Northwestern last night left coaches, players, and fans alike searching for answers.

From the outset, this game was heading in Illinois’ favor. A raucous crowd was behind them, and they were flying all over the court. They had three highlight reel alley-oops in the first ten minutes. Everything was going their way. But that wasn't surprising. Assembly Hall has always been a house of horrors for the Wildcats. However, on Sunday night, the ‘Cats’ play dropped to a level that the program has not seen in years. The ‘Cats loss to 10-11 Illinois wasn’t even competitive.

In previous years under Bill Carmody, Northwestern would usually give elite teams in the Big Ten good games at home. The Princeton Offense would give opponents fits on the court, as NU’s slow pace, good spacing, and tricky backdoor cuts allowed the ‘Cats to stay in most games. Well, those days of happiness and satisfaction under Bill Carmody and the Princeton Offense are coming to an end. The traditionally apathetic student body and fan base have started calling for change, and longtime Carmody supporters, such as myself, are struggling to defend him.

During games this season, the team is often lost on offense and overmatched on defense. Carmody typically waits too long to make adjustments and even when he does, they rarely seem to have an affect on the game. Their consistently terrible starts to both the first half and second half indicates that the coaching staff is not making any adjustments to whatever gameplan they have put together. This came to a boiling point last Thursday when the ‘Cats hosted Michigan State. They opened both the first and second halves with shot clock violations and finished the game with five of them. Carmody’s refusal to adapt his schemes to the personnel and stubborn substitution rotations haunts this team every game.

In addition, the ‘Cats defense and rebounding has deteriorated from terrible, to atrocious 2 ½ months into the season. The 1-3-1 wasn’t working against Brown on November 24th, but they continued to employ it until recently, despite obvious personnel problems. However, when the ‘Cats finally switched to the 2-3 matchup zone, new problems arose. Last night, the Illini were able to take advantage of the ‘Cats inexperience in the 2-3 matchup zone by feeding the ball to Shaun Pruitt in the post and finding soft spots on the wings to hit 3-pointers.

Heading into this season, no one had postseason expectations. However, all fans expected this team to be competitive, especially after the return of Kevin Coble. The ‘Cats got a free pass through the non-conference schedule because of Coble’s absence, but the recent lack of competitiveness in Big Ten season is disheartening. Coach Carmody needs to salvage what could have been a year of growth for an improving program, or it could signal an end to his time at NU.

So Close, yet So Far

2008-01-20T10:12:00.000-08:00

Northwestern’s 62-50 loss last night at Wisconsin was similar to nearly every other big game the Wildcats’ have played in the last several years. They kept it close and entertaining for a good portion of the game, but slowly fell behind, before eventually losing.

The game was a tale of two halves. In the first half, the ‘Cats were able to keep the Badgers off the glass. However, in the second half, as the pace of the game began to pick up, the ‘Cats’ rebounding became worse, and Marcus Landry and Brian Butch were able to control the glass for the Badgers.

In addition to their typical rebounding struggles, the ‘Cats seemed lost on the offensive end. Their spacing was poor and they lacked confidence in the Princeton offense. They were never able to get into a rhythm, and they struggled from behind the arch, shooting only 29% for the game.

The lone bright spot for the ‘Cats was Juice Thompson. He finally started taking people off the dribble before the last 2 minutes of the game. He can break down anybody in the conference 1-on-1, and his ability to get into the lane appears to be the only consistency in the ‘Cats’ offense.

Another major factor in the loss was Kevin Coble’s passive approach on offense. For long stretches of the game, he disappeared and seemed unable to break free from his defender to get an open shot. If the ‘Cats are going to win some conference games, Coble needs to stay aggressive on the offensive end.

Up next: Home vs. #11 Michigan State, yikes…

Flashes of Brilliance

2008-01-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

As I watched yesterday's contest from my courtside leather recliner (thank you NU Sports marketing department), I could have sworn a different team was donning the Wildcat jerseys. Crisp, accurate passing into the low block, where either Jaeschke effortlessly hooked, shot, or laid it in. And this wasn't against a Loyola. This was Ohio State, the 19th ranked squad in the nation, boasting arguably the best freshman center in the nation.

By the end of the first half, Ohio State had retaken the lead (once down by 10, led by 5 at the break) and proved they could adjust to prevent the entry passes. So that shut the NU offense down. You knew before the second half began that this game was over. Northwestern showed about 16 minutes of brilliance, but they just don't have the fire power to compete with the Buckeyes.

Still, this was a very good game for the Cats...as good as a 22-point loss could be. I'm not usually one for moral victories, but this would qualify. Especially for Amy Jaeschke. She went toe-to-toe with one of the few girls ranked higher than her out of high school, Jantel Lavender. Lavender brought down more boards (12-8), but Jaeschke shot much better, 11-17 compared to 7-15.

This was Amy's coming out party. After struggling throughout conference season, averaging less than 30% from the field, she finally found her stroke, and more importantly her post presence. If her teammates can continue to feed her the ball in the same style, where she's taking the bulk of her shots from within 8 feet, she can average 16-20ppg in this league fairly easily.

Everyone before the season talked about Jaeschke's versatility and ability to take the outside shot. And for several games, that's what she kept attempting. Against the Buckeyes, she still didn't attack the rim like a typical center (though she did have one beautiful reverse layup). Her bread-and-butter is the 3-4 foot jumper, a high percentage shot where she can use her height without worrying about playing the glass.

A few more thoughts:
- Ellen Jaeschke has played very consistently throughout this season. She nabs a lot of rebounds, especially on the offensive end, and is able to create in the post fairly well. As she settles into her role of complementing her cousin, she will only improve.
- As my colleague Aaron Morse pointed out 3 months ago, Meshia Reed is the real deal. Two 20-point performances in the Big Ten. Averaging nearly 7 rebounds per contest. The ability to both drive and shoot. Cartwright has that ability but never took the shots. Reed wants the ball in her hands...and even though she's a freshman, she's the only one I trust to make a jumper.
- Reed's increased playing has for some reason diminished Nadia Bibbs' scoring output. They are very similar players, so with Reed in the game, Bibbs seems to let her drive the hole, thus leaving outside shots to the senior. But Bibbs can't hit those. Her best moves come on the baseline.
- Jenny Eckhart continues to frustrate. At first, I thought the non-shooting point guard is just what Combs wants out of that position. Marshall rarely took shots. Eckhart hasn't. Bibbs didn't when she was at the point. But Combs says she told Eckhart to be more agressive, take more jumpers, even move into the paint. But she won't do it. She has brilliant speed and a determination that should scare off most defenders. But for some reason, she'd rather give it up than take the shot herself.
- The last of the Original Five is down. First Cartwright, then Marshall, then Jaeschke, then McInerney, and now, Sara Stutz. A partial ligament tear, sidelining her for three weeks. This has been a brutal year for the senior captain, with on-the-court struggles, a benching, and now this. Still, I respect her tremendously for sticking with this program, despite her reported differences with Combs.

Searching for answers...

2008-01-13T11:13:00.001-08:00

...and coming up empty. Last night's loss to the Michigan was disgusting, especially because of the fashion in which it came. The final score makes the game look a lot closer than it actually was.

The 'Cats were down by 30 points at one point in the second half, and despite a late rally following a monstrous dunk from Mike Capocci, Northwestern was pretty much embarrassed by the Wolverines.

At this point, I don't think there's much Bill Carmody can change in his team to produce better results. NU has started the Big Ten season relatively light as far as opponents, and have produced no wins. When the Indiana's, Michigan State's and Wisconsin's roll through, it's going to be even uglier.

Hopefully something clicks with this team, or an 0-18 Big Ten season does not seem so far out of the realm of possibility.

Identity Crisis

2008-01-10T10:23:00.001-08:00

In a winnable game at Minnesota last night, Northwestern played with the wrong mindset and lost 82-63. For the first 7 minutes of the game, the ‘Cats played an up-tempo attack. This approach was successful at first, but quickly turned sour. After taking and making shots early in possessions, the ‘Cats hot shooting cooled off and they seemed lost on the court.

They started forcing shots early in possessions and were careless with the basketball, both of which are not characteristics of a Bill Carmody coached team. When their shooting inevitably cooled off, the ‘Cats continued to play up-tempo and out of control, and Minnesota promptly went on a 22-2 run, turning a 20-14 Northwestern advantage, to 36-22 margin in less than 10 minutes.

If the ‘Cats are going to have success in-conference this season, they need to understand their identity. They cannot continue to play up-tempo basketball in the Big Ten against bigger and better athletes. I know both fans and players were excited about this up-tempo pace at the beginning of the season, but other than scoring in transition the ‘Cats can’t continue to play this faster-paced game. They don’t have the shooters or athletes to keep up with other Big Ten opponents in a faster-paced game.

Up next: Home vs. Michigan on Saturday at 5:30.

Live from Ann Arbor!

2008-01-05T20:52:00.001-08:00

I know, my women's entries have been sparse. Maybe it'll pick up with conference season.

After I see more of this team this BT season, I plan to go on a long rant about Coach Combs and her coaching ability. So far, recruiting can't stand on its own. But I'll give her a little more time to adjust to Amy being in the lineup.

So let's talk about Amy. Tomorrow's match-up with Michigan features the first time in conference where Amy will go up against a girl taller than her. Krista Phillips is not a huge threat on the boards, and is barely averaging double figures. But the way Jaeschke's been playing down low, Phillips' 6'6" height might be enough.

The single most frustrating aspect of this NU team (and it's hard to pinpoint that) is the lack of post-presence. McInerney, both Jaeschkes, Boyd, Bielawski, Stedman: none of them move naturally in the paint. McInerney flops the ball up. Ellen pushes it toward the glass from 4 feet out. Boyd picks up a foul every other posession. And all of them drop the ball immediately when they get the pass inside before posting up...which they're unable to do.

Instead of following through on the post up, continuing to move inside, they give up on it, and decide quickly to try and draw a foul instead, which they rarely get. I hardly ever see them actually use the glass on the layup. I know it's possible...every other team does it against NU.

Unfortunately, Amy Jaeschke has been a disappointment thus far. How much can we blame on being a greenhorn? She settles for outside shots because she has "range", rather than positioning herself for the high percentage roll-ins, which her height naturally gives her a greater advantage in.

There seems to be no offensive game plan or philosophy. They go down the court with one play, and if it breaks down, Bibbs or Reed just try to do it all alone.

Tomorrow's game will be a solid challenge. Michigan's the only team NU has beaten consistently the past three years, but they seem to have improved more than Northwestern has. They don't do well on the glass, but they take their time, set up plays, share the ball, and take high percentage shots . They have a new coach who had tremendous success at UW-GB, and just beat Iowa handily. Maybe I'll finally see a new Northwestern team (like the last time they won here, two years ago, my first play-by-play....ah, memories). But I doubt it.

Good and Bad

2008-01-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the good and the bad from yesterday's Big Ten home opening 79-68 loss to Penn State:

Good: First half intensity- It was nice to see Northwestern come out strong at home for once. After several times falling behind big early on in non-conference games, the 'Cats scored the first six points of the game, all from Craig Moore, and were up 18-9 before Penn State began chipping away.

Bad: Halftime Adjustments- Northwestern was leading by a point at halftime, and the 'Cats were playing well offensively and defensively. It had all the makings of another close game, one that Northwestern could pull out at home. But in between the time the 'Cats went in and out of the locker room at halftime, Penn State figured out how to beat Northwestern, and crushed the 'Cats in the paint. ESPN color man Steve Bardo said Northwestern was probably hoping no other Big Ten teams get their hands on the tape from last night's game, and he's definitely right.

Good: Coble back on the floor- He looked rusty and not exactly comfortable in the offense, but it was nice to see Kevin Coble back out there. He showed glimpses of the type of player he was last year and will be down the road this year. Coble has an ability that only Juice Thompson has on this team, which is the ability to create his own shot. Hopefully once Coble gets his legs back under him he'll return to the form that led to him to the freshman All-Big Ten team.

Bad: Craig Moore after the first 5 minutes- Moore was red-hot throughout the non-conference season, and it appeared that the woes of last year that plagued him throughout Big Ten season were behind him. After he scored the first 6 points of the ball game, there was no indication that his play was going to suffer at all. But then Moore got into foul trouble, sat on the bench for most of the first half, and was awful in the second stanza. Moore was throwing up air balls and blew a 4-on-1 break for the 'Cats that ended any chance of them coming back in the game. I think Moore needs one of those things that Will Smith used in Men In Black to completely erase someone's memory, because Moore gets down on himself far too easily and lets it affect his play.

Good: Juice- There was some concern among Northwestern fans about whether Juice would be able to keep up his great play once Big Ten season rolled around. It is still early, but Juice showed that he has what it takes to compete in this conference. He hustles on defense and simply creates on offense. Now that he has Coble back to take some of the pressure off of him to score, look for Juice to continue to rack up the assists. And next time Northwestern has a 4-on-1 break, pray Juice is the one bringing the ball up.

Really really really bad- Interior Defense- The 'Cats had problems guarding the perimeter during non-conference play, causing fans to clamor for Carmody to switch out of the 1-3-1. Last night, the exact opposite happened. Penn State still shot well from the outside, but the play of Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley took Northwestern out of the game in the second half. Why could Northwestern not adjust to Penn State's game plan? I understand the 'Cats don't have size, but there are other ways to defend big men. Namely, double teams and denial of entry passes. It was extremely frustrating to watch the 'Cats hit a three on one end and then get dunked on 10 seconds later. And Penn State does not even have close to the best inside game in the Big Ten. Here's hoping Bill Carmody and his staff figure this one out.

So bad I might not even watch: Sunday, 11 a.m.- NU @ Ohio State- This one is going to get ugly very quickly. Remember Virginia? Could be worse.

And...Exhale

2007-12-20T22:04:00.001-08:00

Is it strange that following Northwestern’s 77-51 victory tonight, I feel more relief than joy? Shouldn’t a win feel good and be a cause for celebration, not exhalation? After seeing past non-conference debacles, it was nice to finally see the ‘Cats avoid disaster and take care of business.

The ‘Cats got off to a quick start tonight, jumping out to a 25-5 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half, and only expanding upon that lead throughout the rest of the game. Howard was short-handed, with only 8 men dressed, and it was evident that they couldn’t withstand the hounding 1-3-1 defense Northwestern employed. The ‘Cats were able to put pressure on Howard due to the Bison’s inept ball handling; and their incompetence along with Northwestern’s defense can be credited equally toward the ‘Cats victory tonight. Nonetheless, the ‘Cats capitalized on Howard mistakes and took advantage of fast break opportunities.

The ‘Cats win tonight was truly a team effort. Seven players scored 8 or more points and even the walk-ons got some significant playing time down the stretch.

Jeff Ryan shined early with his hustle on the boards and efficiency around the basket. Later in the game, it was Sterling Williams using his defensive energy to spark his aggressive offense. And finally, late in the second half Jeremy Nash entered the game; returning after missing the first eight games due to injury. He looked timid and rusty at first, but got comfortable quickly. He was disruptive defensively, highlighted by a huge block late in the game. With Kevin Coble expected back for the Big Ten opener, it appears that the ‘Cats will be at full strength for the first time this season.

The age-old Northwestern basketball adage reminds us to consider what to draw from a game like this. Sure, the ‘Cats won convincingly, looked smooth and efficient offensively, while playing aggressive and savvy defensively. But, this happens year in and year out. The ‘Cats seem to have a way of building you up during the non-conference season (see Northwestern State last season), only to break your heart shortly thereafter (see everything after that). Now, I’m not saying that this team has any chance of postseason glory this season, but with performances like tonight they put a glimmer of hope in your mind. And it’s that hope that keeps us all coming back as Northwestern fans.

The New Age Has Finally Dawned

2007-12-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

It took five weeks, but the new and improved Northwestern Wildcat Women's Basketball team finally made a full game appearance last night in Milwaukee. The Lady Wildcats beat Marquette 65-63 thanks to a tremendous effort from freshman Amy Jaeschke.

It's still too early to call her a phenom, but if her next 20 games resemble her first two, she could be a serious contender for Freshman of the Year (can't say a "lock" because of her counterpart, Lavender, at OSU).

Jaeschke scored 21 points in her return to the lineup on 9 of 15 shooting. She also blocked a potential lead-taking shot at the very end, after making a key free throw, thus securing the win. Through two games, she has 40 points and obviously becomes the team's focus on the court.

I'm a little surprised Coach Combs put Jaeschke in yesterday's lineup, but I completely agree with the decision. She could have played it safe, letting her rest up completely for the Big Ten season opener. But against the Illini, she'll be facing off against Jenna Smith, one of the best big girls in the conference. Playing against a good Marquette team and a great/ranked DePaul team will give her some much needed warm-up experience. Also, it seems like Amy's 100% since she played 38 minutes.

I'll finally get to see Jaeschke play Thursday night against the #16 Blue Demons, tip at noon. I'll report back afterward.

Some other notes from the Marquette game:
- Today also marked the first game with the Jaeschke cousins in the starting lineup. With K-Mac out for the year, Ellen will probably get the majority of the minutes at the 4, especially if Amy can continue to play an entire game. Ellen had 8 points on 3-7, with 4 assists but no rebounds. Up to this point, cleaning up the glass had been a strength for this team. But against Marquette, they were out-rebounded by 18. Amy only had 4 boards, while Eckhart/Bibbs combined for 13.
- Yesterday also marked another big change in the lineup. Senior captain Sara Stutz was on the bench as freshman Meshia Reed got the start. Reed twice led the team in scoring this season, including a 20-point effort against BC. She looks like she could be a huge contributor, especially with Stutz struggling mightily, but her first start was less than impressive: 1-9 (0-4 from downtown) in 27 minutes.
- The perimeter defense is still a huge concern for the Cats. They allowed Marquette's point guard to score 30 points, which single-handedly kept them in the game.

Winter Break Plans?

2007-12-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Its currently winter break at Northwestern, so while most of the students have left the campus, a few remain.

Some of those men and women currently on campus include both the Men’s and Women’s basketball teams. While the women continue to play games over break (even starting their Big Ten season shortly before the New Year), the men have only three games scheduled over their three week break.

So you might ask, what would a 4-4 team do with so much time off? Well, based on the early season results, one would hope they would spend some time practicing. And at the top of the list of practice priorities needs to be defense.

For the season Northwestern is giving up 68 points per game. That number appears average and definitely doesn’t scream out improvement needed here ASAP. Unfortunately that number is not indicative of NU’s quality of defense, but more their style of play. The ‘Cats slow down Princeton offense can sometimes mask their defensive struggles.

Through the first 8 games of the season, Northwestern’s opponents are shooting a scorching 44.8% from behind the arch. That high percentage is a direct result of a team not suited to play the 1-3-1 zone. This defense has been the ‘Cats’ identity since Mohamed Hachad arrived on campus, but it just isn’t working for this Northwestern team. They currently don’t possess the personnel to run the defense effectively, and it’s turning an already bad rebounding team, into a historically inept rebounding team. The aggressive, pressure-oriented 1-3-1 works against weaker opponents, but against hot-shooting opponents with good ball handlers the ‘Cats poor rotations around the perimeter get them burned by outside shooting.

The ‘Cats need a fresh start on defense and should implement a new defense over their break, not necessarily to entirely replace the 1-3-1, but to give Coach Carmody an option in times of poor perimeter defense. The solution to that problem is the 2-3 zone defense. The positioning of players defensively will eliminate the corner 3’s, and put less pressure on Juice Thompson by moving him out to the top of the key; unlike in the 1-3-1 where he plays the “baseline” position and races back and forth along the baseline. The ‘Cats will still need to rotate around the perimeter to prevent the 3’s from the wings, but eliminating the constant threat of a 3 from the corner should help alleviate some of the pressure on the ‘Cats defensively. The rebounding should improve in the 2-3 zone by bringing players back to more traditional points on the court. This defense provides more stability around the perimeter while allowing the ‘Cats to still play aggressively if Carmody chooses.

Nonetheless the most important aspect of this defense or any zone defense is rotating by following the ball. The ‘Cats have struggled in this area since game 1 and must improve to have success in any zone defense they choose to play.

Thursday’s matchup against Howard would be a good time to try out a new defense.

Road Warriors

2007-12-09T23:24:00.000-08:00

Very solid win for the 'Cats against Western Michigan on the road, 65-63. Definitely the best win of the young season. The Broncos had already beaten a tough Davidson team at home, and the 'Cats were facing a hostile crowd in an arena similar to Welsh-Ryan. And somehow, after being down by 15 after 12 minutes in the first half, they tied the game at halftime and finished it down the stretch.

Craig Moore has been on fire this year. He scored 24 points, and hit 5-6 free throws in the last 17 seconds to preserve the win. The overmatched Wildcats are going to need Moore to play with this sort of consistency during Big Ten season if they want to have a chance.

Props also to Jason Okrzesik and Nikola Baran. J.O. has never really performed well at Northwestern except for short spurts, and in his senior year he is really stepping up.

Baran has been criticized by fans early in his career at NU, and has been benched many times by Bill Carmody, but he was able to put together a decent game.

Nice to see the 'Cats hit free throws. They were 7-9, all coming in the second half. It is a little discouraging that they don't get to the line very often, but that is probably a product of their lack of rebounding, particularly on the offensive end, and the fact that they don't take it to the hole very often. It doesn't really matter if they continue to shoot over 40% from beyond the arc.
Now Northwestern will take a break for finals, and play one more home game before the start of the conference season vs. Howard. I think most people wish the 'Cats had another few games before they host Penn St. on Jan. 2 to see this team continue to mesh and grow before the grueling start of Big Ten play, but the Wildcats will just have to do it in practice.

Hopefully Kevin Coble will start practicing with the team in the next couple of weeks. Northwestern had two players play all 40 minutes vs. Western Michigan, and another play 38. Coble will, at the very least, add another viable player for Carmody to put in the rotation. These guys are going to need it.

Tale of Two Halves

2007-12-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

The first half was ugly. Really ugly. And, of course, it was to a team that nobody has ever seen play: Arkansas St.

I was booing by the first media timeout, when the 'Cats were down 11-1. I was really not in the mood to sit at a mostly empty Welsh-Ryan and see Northwestern lose to a terrible team. Not my idea of fun during "Reading Week."

But then the light switch went on, and NU actually started playing like a team that should take care of inferior opponents. The 'Cats went on a 13-2 run to close the first half, capped off by a Craig Moore three-pointer at the buzzer, to tie the game at 34.

Whatever Bill Carmody told his team at halftime worked, as Northwestern used 15 straight points as part of a 21-2 run to start the half. From there, the 'Cats never looked back.

Props to Craig Moore. The junior had 20 points and 5 assists, including 6 three-pointers. When Moore is shooting well (and he was dead on last night), this offense really clicks.

In fact, if the Princeton Offense worked to perfection like it did last night in every game, Northwestern could make the Big Dance. Of course, physical Big Ten teams might have something to say about that, but every once in a while Northwestern plays a game offensively that reminds people why Carmody is considered such an innovative coach.

It has happened now twice this season, though both times against very poor teams, and it happened a few times last season (Utah, anyone?). So if Northwestern can capture the offense from the last 25 minutes of last night's game, and release it once in a while during Big Ten season, the 'Cats might not go winless in conference play.

We can hope, right?

Also, Andy Katz of ESPN.com posted a great story today about Kevin Coble and his time being spent with his mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. Really puts Coble in a great light, and says that he should be back for the conference opener against Penn State on Jan. 2. Definitely worthy of a read.

Winning Ugly

2007-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Northwestern wins? Northwestern wins! Yes, the Wildcats finally won today defeating Savannah State in a very ugly and painful 68-58 game. Sure, it’s nice to see the ‘Cats get their first win against a Division 1 opponent, but leaving that game I did not feel good about this team.

Coach Carmody essentially went with a six-man rotation in the second half, which might work against Savannah State and Arkansas State, but it won’t work in Big Ten schedule. Conference play is too physical to rely on playing only six or sometimes seven guys a game. Carmody needs to find some players off the bench to chew up minutes on the court before Coble and Nash return to the team.

However, on a positive note, the heavily criticized defensive play was better today, as the ‘Cats were able to come up with 32 turnovers. However, many of those turnovers can be credited to Savannah State’s inept offensive play, not the ‘Cats’ aggressive defense. The ‘Cats played the 1-3-1 for most of the game, but were still giving up wide-open 3-point attempts. For the game Savannah State was 6-14 from behind the arch. During a short stretch in the first half the ‘Cats appeared to play a 2-3 zone. It slowed the game down on the perimeter and allowed the ‘Cats to get stops and creep back into the game after trailing early on. Northwestern would be wise to continue playing this defense as the season progresses. At this point, with the current personnel group, the 1-3-1 doesn’t suit this team best.

The ‘Cats have plenty to work on in practice and they’ll head back to the court on Monday night at 7 looking to improve their record to 3-4 as they host Arkansas State.

Starting Over

2007-11-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

It's official. Sophomore forward Kaitlin McInerney tore her ACL Wednesday night against Wake Forest. She will miss the rest of the season.

The Northwestern bench has become a hospital ward. There are now 6 players missing time due to injury. At the risk of hyperbole, all systems are breaking down.

Take a look at what the projected starting lineup looked like in June versus what it is tonight.

C - Amy Jaeschke // Ellen Jaeschke
F - Kaitlin McInerney // Melissa Miller
G/F - Sara Stutz // Sara Stutz
F/G - Kristin Cartwright // Nadia Bibbs
G - Beth Marshall // Jenny Eckhart

The only starter still healthy is ironically the one struggling the most (see "A Case of the Yips" below). Stutz is playing like she's injured while the rest of the team tries to fill roles they weren't expecting to.

Of those 4, Bibbs is the most prepared. She basically knew since Cartwright's season-ending ACL tear (yep, two on this team) that she'd be starting as a senior. Her defense has been fabulous and she' shown some life offensively.

Eckhart was competing for a starting job, but didn't think she could play until December because of transfer rules. Ellen Jaeschke was competing for the 4-spot, which she would have slid into for McInerney if her cousin hadn't gotten injured first. So she's been doing an admirable job in a position she wasn't primed for. And finally, Melissa Miller, who has struggled throughout her career, gets new life now as the temporary starting forward until both Jaeschkes are back in their element.

This team is being held together by scotch tape and toothpicks. Not sure what that means, but you get the idea. It's a rag-tag group of would-be reserves starting.

Which brings up what is now the weakest part of the team. Who comes in for Miller? Freshman Savannah Stedman. Freshman Shantina Boyd is Jaeschke's replacement. And that's where the rotation stops.

The guards are just as week. Erin Dickerson and Meshia Reed. That's it and that's all. Reed could do very well, as she led the team in points against Wake. And Dickerson has a nice stroke. But right now, they shouldn't be the first two off the bench.

Garth Brooks once wrote "a dream is like a river." Well, this river has run dry. A collection of crutches are stuck in the mud bank and these players are thirsting to travel down the stream to the post-season. But it's not going to happen this year.

I'm afraid to say this is bad as it could get. That's what I said before K-Mac went down.

A Case of the Yips

2007-11-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ever hear of "the yips?" No, not the obscure golf term. The even more obscure term used this past Monday on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." Never have I learned something from TV at a more appropriate time. You see, one of Northwestern's players has a serious case of the yips.

It's not the first time in NU history. Chuck Knoblauch is the classic example. If there was an NU Yips Hall of Fame, Evan Seacat would be a charter member. Craig Moore at certain times last season. Corey Wootton, Marquice Cole, and various other under-performing defensive players over the years. Now, Sara Stutz.

HIMYM defines "the yips" as "over-thinking something simple to the point where you can't do it at all."

That's Sara Stutz's season in a nutshell. Everyone expected her to be the senior go-to player this year. She was already the team's leading three-point shooter (top 10 in school history) but now with AJ Glasauer gone, there was even more pressure for her to be a perimeter threat. Pressure she apparently can't handle anymore. Her field goal percentage on the season is 21.7%, she's 2 of 15 behind the arc, and even 5 of 12 from the free throw line.

It's hard to pinpoint a cause of "the yips." But I blame it on the "sense of urgency," a phrase Coach Combs threw around constantly before the season. "Sara Stutz has come in with a real sense of urgency her senior season." That's the problem. Stutz feels like everything is on her shoulders right now if this team is going to finally perform well. After suffering through three terrible seasons, she urgently wants to go out on top.

Imagine how much more pressure she felt when Marshall went down. And then Jaeschke. She must feel like she's the team's only option right now. That's not good for the team and it's not good for her. The pressure has ruined her shot and taken away a primary scoring threat for the 'Cats.

So how do you lose "the yips"? On HIMYM, the character had to revisit what caused his yips and conquer it. So should Stutz just keep shooting until they fall? Should her teammates be taking all the shots? Does she need to hit a game-winner before it all falls into place?

I'm not sure. Neither is Combs. This is something Stutz needs to just work through. Hopefully, a relaxed December can take the pressure off. Hopeffuly Jaeschke's return alleviates it.

Until then, Stutz needs to stay in the starting lineup. Last year seemed like a breakout season for Stutz. She shot over 40% from the field for the first time, averaged 11 points per game, and led the team in free throw percentage. She has it in her. It's just going to take time. And contrary to popular belief, she has time. If she keeps pushing herself because of this "urgency" it's never going to improve.

But it could be worse. Like Knoblauch, she could be tossing the ball into the stands every time.

Ugly, Ugly, Ugly

2007-11-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

I doubt many people were expecting Northwestern to beat Virginia; those that were are probably delusional. Even the most optimistic guy I know, me, didn't expect Northwestern to win tonight. Most fans probably didn't even think Northwestern would keep it close.

But what was that?

Well, it was the worst loss during Bill Carmody's tenure at Northwestern.

A 94-52 thrashing on the road at the hand of the Virginia Cavaliers left a lot of NU fans searching for answers to some of these questions:

"Are we going to win a conference game?"
"Was that a JV team out there?"
"Do we know how to play defense?"
"Do we know how to play offense?"
"Do we know how to play basketball?"
"Is the team really as bad as they looked tonight?"

Let's address the last question first. Northwestern is not 42 points worse than Virginia. They are significantly worse than the Cavaliers, but Virginia shot an insane 16 for 32 from behind the three-point line. The Wildcat perimeter defense is notably horrible, but there were times, particularly in the first half when NU was still within 10, where a UVA player would come down the court, launch a longer-than-NBA-range three and hit nothing but net.

So the 'Cats had that going against them. Then there were the normal rebounding problems. Northwestern was out-rebounded by 15. So even when Virginia was missing three-pointers, they were getting their own rebounds and getting second chance baskets. That's not going to change.

The 1-3-1 stunk tonight. Bill Carmody, on the WGN postgame show, said that he was probably going to switch the defense, most likely to a 2-3, because his team simply can't play the 1-3-1. I agree with that assessment. The defense was atrocious.

And the offense was horrid, too. Rushed shots, turnovers, broken plays, air balls. It was all ugly. I don't even know how to fix that one. Most of this team is lacking any sort of grasp on the Princeton Offense.

And why can't this team shoot free throws? You would think a team that is so undersized at such an athletic disadvantage would capitalize on FREE POINTS. Instead, the 'Cats shot FOUR FOR FIFTEEN from the stripe.

I'm frustrated, but I guess I shouldn't have expected much. I just didn't think it would be THAT ugly. If we are playing this poorly on the road against UVA, I don't want to think what games against Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana are going to look like.

It's going to be a long season.

Disappointing Loss #1

2007-11-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Dismay, shock, disappointment…all words that can be used to describe the emotions most Northwestern fans are feeling following this crushing loss to Brown at home.

The Bears came into Welsh-Ryan Arena and exploited nearly every one of the ‘Cats’ flaws. It seemed that Craig Robinson knew Bill Carmody’s offense a little too well from his days as an assistant in Evanston, as the Bears picked apart NU all day long on offense.

Brown hit a scorching 52.2% from behind the arch. Yes, they had some good shooters, but is the Wildcats’ perimeter defense really bad enough to give up that high of a percentage? Game after game the ‘Cats are unable to stop 3-point shooters from behind the arch. I love the 1-3-1 defense as much as anyone else, but there are definitely alternative defenses that would help NU defend the weakside 3-pointer. In games against Stanford, Benedictine, and Brown, NU has failed to stop 3-point shooters. They’ve been lethargic and late on their rotations on the perimeter. Is the risk of giving up an open three-pointer, worth the reward of getting a steal a few times a game? This defense needs to be tweaked to avoid such open 3-point attempts.

Another reason to tweak the defense is to help out the rebounding. If the ‘Cats tweak the defense, the rebounding is bound to impr…wait, who am I kidding, this rebounding problem is not going away.

Something that should go away is the 7-man rotation Coach Carmody continues to use. He has never been a man who trusts his bench, but with his reluctance to give big minutes to Mike Capocci and Nikola Baran, will Moore, Okrzesik, Ryan, Thompson, and Williams break down because of too many minutes? This problem will go away when Nash and Coble return, but in the meantime this short rotation could cause fatigue late in games.

On the brightside, it looks like the ‘Cats got their disappointing non-conference loss out of the way early in the season, so everything should be smooth sailing from here. (Ehh…if it only were that simple).

Takin' Care of Business

2007-11-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

Sure, it was only Benedictine, a D-III school. But Northwestern is off the shnide and has its first win of the season, defeating the Eagles 95-63.

And this was not a non-conference squeaker that fans have grown used to seeing from this team. Rather, this is the kind of win you see from the established programs during this time of the season. NU jumped out to an 18-3 lead early in the game and never looked back. In fact, Jean Marc Melchoir was in the game in the first half.

Great games by Jeff Ryan, who was very effective in the paint, and Craig Moore, who, when he's hot, can shoot with the best of the Big Ten. I was also impressed with Mike Capocci, especially defensively. Rumors have been that he has been slow to pick up Bill Carmody's system, and at times he looked a bit lost on the floor, but it seemed to me like he had a pretty good grasp and will only continue to be more effective.

Props to Ivan Peljusic for a fast break dunk, prompting the loudest cheers of the night and bringing the entire NU bench to its feet. It was really the only thing he did well tonight, though.

And lost in the 95 points was the performance of Juice Thompson, who sat most of the second half with Northwestern in complete control of the game. Thompson already has a great grasp of the offense, and had 7 assists in the game.

The most impressive thing about him is his leadership on the court. It takes a lot for a freshman to come in and assume the role that he has, point guard or not, but Thompson seems willing to embrace it. He seems to hold his teammates accountable for their play on the court, which was something that seemed to be lacking last season.

At one point in the game Thompson made a nice entry pass to Nikola Baran, who didn't go up very strong, was fouled, but missed the shot. Juice was visibly upset with Baran for not finishing strong. It's that sort of accountability that can push this team forward.

It's an unimpressive win in regards to the opponent, but important because NU took care of business like a legitimate program should. This team still has a ways to go, but it was another step in the right direction. Eventually, if these steps keep adding up, we may see some real progress