Moore was not scared of the shot, however; and that’s what’s most important. MJ missed a lot more last second shots than he made, but he was never afraid and that’s why he was the best of all time. Moore won’t play in the NBA, but next time he has a three like that at the end of a game, he’ll make it. Indiana made two more foul shots next trip down the floor to go up by three, 81-78, with just 34 seconds left.
Following a thirty second timeout, somehow Nikola Baron took a three to try and tie it, but barely missed. Making his biggest play of the season, diminutive senior guard Jason Okreszki battled for the rebound and managed to get a jump ball. The possession arrow was pointed purple, and following the inbound pass, Kevin Coble got fouled.
He made his two free throws, and in turn, Eric Gordon made two more to respond. Down by three, coach Carmody called for Juice Thompson to take the ball to the hole, and he did, making a layup to bring the ‘Cats within one with just 14 seconds left.
Showing he still has a long way to go, Gordon inexplicably walked following the Hoosier inbound pass, and the ‘Cats had the ball back.Hope lives!
Trusting the freshman once again, Carmody put the ball in Thompson’s hands and told him to go back to the rim. Beating his man, Thompson put up a good shot with DJ White in his face, but missed the layup. Two more Indiana free throws, and the game was over.
Some criticized Juice for not passing to Coble, but I felt it was a good play by him; The shot, unfortunately, just didn’t fall. He has come so far since his scoreless performance against MSU earlier this year. He has the makings of a true general from the point guard spot, and brighter days are indeed ahead for the ‘Cats.
Nevertheless, the loss puts them squarely at 0-14 for the year in the Big Ten. Coming close is nice, but winning is all that matters. As coach Dakich and Gordon noted afterwards, NU is much improved since their game in Bloomington, but they still are not where they need to be.
This ‘Cat team has more talent than people realize, and given their youth could be pretty good next season. First though, they need to win at least ONE Big Ten game to get some momentum and put a positive spin on what has been a really tough year, to say the least.
In the postgame press conference, Coble said he told coach Carmody, “it’s not that hard, just come up to me and talk.”
If he can keep improving on his Saturday performance, that win will take care of itself.
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Écrit près: Charlie Danoff - Homepage
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