Wildcats Welcome Nebraska Cornhuskers to Big Ten in Style, Look Toward Illinois

Nebraska’s first-ever game in Evanston as a member of the Big Ten was an affair both dominated by and almost lost by the Wildcats.

In a contest that featured six lead changes, it was a one-possession game midway through the first half.  The ‘Cats and their crowd finally came alive, going on an 11-3 run that featured three three-pointers and a Drew Crawford dunk.  Nebraska had to call a timeout to stop the rush.

Going into the locker room with a 15-point lead, Northwestern comfortably controlled the game.  However, the Wildcats again came out flat and were outscored by 14 points in the first 9:30 of the second half.

Back up by 12 with only 5:32 left to play, the Wildcats seemed to be completely in control and ready to simply wind down the clock.  Another run by the Huskers, this time 11-2, brought the game once more to only a one-possession difference with 1:33 left to play.

Northwestern was able to hold on, but the team’s third conference win was unnecessarily close.

The Negatives

Nebraska, 11-9 going into the game, should have been an easy opponent at home.  Weak interior play, injuries, mistakes and lackluster fan support let the Huskers keep the game tight.

Neither Davide Curletti nor Luka Mirkovic started the game, so John Shurna was forced to give up some of his perimeter role to post up in Bill Carmody’s Princeton offense.

When Curletti finally came in, he added no field goals, no offensive rebounds and no blocks.  While he did have eight assists, he needs to secure the starting spot at center by providing a real interior presence that draws defenses away from the perimeter.

Although Mirkovic suited up, he never got into the game and is recovering from an ankle injury. He is one of several Wildcats battling injuries, which led to only six players seeing action against Nebraska.

Alex Marcotullio seems to be recovering nicely after putting in 28 minutes on the floor, but he has fought a toe injury and a concussion.  JerShon Cobb is a big loss with his hip problems, and did not suit up against the Huskers.

Freshman Tre Demps’s shoulder surgery put him out for the season, and preseason expectations had him helping fellow freshman Dave Sobolewski shoulder the load at guard.  Sobolewski had another 38-minute outing this game, and Carmody rarely sits him.

This perhaps led to several rare mistakes by Sobolewski at the end of the game.  Also, Northwestern’s mostly tough defense left Huskers open at the end of the shot clock, and Nebraska shot 51.9 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from three-point land.

It also seems that Northwestern’s historically laughable fan support is trending back towards its former self.  After three straight sellout crowds, Welsh-Ryan Arena saw just under 3,000 fewer fans than capacity welcome Nebraska to the Big Ten.

The Positives

Not all can be bad if a team collects a Big Ten win.  Shurna and Crawford were their consistent selves and added 28 and 21 points, respectively.

The team regained some of its three-point shooting confidence and pulled the trigger 31 times, hitting 45.2 percent.

Aside from two costly turnovers, Sobolewski has been as consistent as a freshman can be asked to be in the Big Ten.  He added another five assists and looked comfortable shooting, recording seven three-point attempts.

The offense was not an issue, and if the defense can finish playing the last few seconds of the shot clock, opposing offenses will find it hard to get off any decent shots.

The Second Half of the Big Ten Season

Northwestern travels to Champaign for an in-state matchup against Illinois.  The Orange Krush always make Assembly Hall a tough venue, but the question is who needs this game more.

Illinois has fallen to 5-4 in the Big Ten and wants this game, but if Northwestern can hold a presence in the paint, then the ‘Cats have the potential to take this game off the Illini and keep their NCAA Tournament dreams alive.

A home game against Iowa should give the ‘Cats some momentum for a tough road stretch in Indiana, where Northwestern has two straight road games against Purdue and Indiana.

Rematches follow against Minnesota, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa.

Postseason Outlook

Northwestern needs to go at least .500 in conference play to have a chance at going Dancing.  However, the Wildcats are 3-6 in Big Ten play, and would need to turn that around with a 6-3 finish.

Last year, they made a decent run in the Big Ten Tournament, so if they could recreate that without Michael “Juice” Thompson, their NCAA Tournament chances would greatly improve.

However, the Big Ten is not lacking in strong opponents, and the ‘Cats need to step up in the second half of conference play to stake their claim in conference.