Northwestern Basketball Tears Down Iowa, Takes Win Streak into Indiana Road Trip

Northwestern and Iowa might just start hating each other outright.  Right now, Northwestern has no storied rivalry, no Ohio State to its Michigan, no Purdue to its Indiana.  Could Iowa be that hated foe, the game that every player and fan alike circles on the calendar months in advance?

Thursday night's meeting was not a sell-out, but over 6,000 fans, including a full student section, watched the ‘Cats pick apart the Iowa Hawkeyes, 83-64, in what had the beginnings of a rivalry atmosphere.

Northwestern dominated this contest.  The ‘Cats took the lead at 3:34 into the game and never relinquished it.

Iowa had no answer for the 1-3-1 defense, and a young point guard stepped up big to give Northwestern its third straight win as it prepares for a tough road stint through the Hoosier state, basketball’s heartland.

The ‘Cats find their groove

An explosive offense coupled with a rigid defense to produce the Wildcats’ 19-point victory, arguably their most complete game of the season.

The offense thrived with balanced scoring, as five players put up double digits.  Freshman Dave Sobolewski stepped up and scored a game-high, and career-high, 23 points while playing 40 minutes.

The ‘Cats have both lived and died by the three pointer, and recently their stroke has returned.  They shot 52 percent from behind the arc, hit 13 threes, and Sobolewski, Alex Marcotullio, John Shurna and Reggie Hearn all hit three threes.

Defense added to a clean offensive performance.  While only committing seven turnovers alongside 22 assists, the ‘Cats forced 18 Iowa turnovers and scored 20 points off those turnovers.

Northwestern deployed a solid combination of 1-3-1 and man-to-man defenses to record 11 steals and three blocks.

Interior play was still lacking with only three points from Davide Curletti. However, Curletti added a strong defensive presence and much-needed size inside.

JerShon Cobb, who has not played since January 4, and Luka Mirkovic, who has not seen action since January 22, were both finally suited up for the same game, although they did not play.  After suffering a concussion earlier in the season, Marcotullio looked healthy in his 26 minutes in which he scored 13 points and dished out six assists.

In addition, Nick Fruendt added 10 decent minutes, showing more presence from the bench than coach Bill Carmody has allowed in weeks.

The only real issue was poor rebounding where Iowa won the battle on the boards.  Every other aspect of the game was dominated by smart team play from Northwestern.

Purdue

A hot Northwestern team with a roster that is healthier than it has been in over a month heads into West Lafayette on Sunday.

If the healthy ‘Cats can carry momentum from their three-game winning streaking to Purdue, the game might be their fourth-straight Big Ten win.

The last time the two teams met was in Evanston where the Boilermakers escaped with a two-point win.  In West Lafayette, Purdue does not have too much home court advantage, as it is 2-3 in conference play at home.

This is a very winnable game for Northwestern.  Purdue, the No. 60 RPI team, has only two players averaging over 10 points per game, so Northwestern’s 1-3-1 defense should try to force the ball into the hands of secondary players.

Purdue’s only win in its last five Big Ten games was against Northwestern.  The Wildcats will be looking for revenge as they claw back up the conference standings.

Indiana

Indiana’s Assembly Hall on Wednesday presents a much more difficult challenge.  The Hoosiers are 5-1 in conference at home, are the No. 16 RPI team and are ranked 23rd in the nation.

Indiana has been scoring 12.8 more points per game than its opponents, and the team has four players averaging double digits in the scoring column.  If the Wildcats want a chance to win in Bloomington, they have to slow down Cody Zeller, the 6'-11" freshman forward averaging 15.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Northwestern, 3-7 against RPI top-50 teams, will have its hands full dealing with Indiana’s offensive strength, especially in the paint.  The Wildcats’ keys to success are staying calm in a stadium that will be rocking and playing help defense without giving up open shots.

However, the game is not a guaranteed loss because after beginning the season on a tear, Indiana has lost five of its last nine games.  Although they are coming off big wins over Purdue and Illinois, the Hoosiers’ shaky Big Ten play exposes them as far from invincible.

While losing both games on the road would make the Wildcats’ fight to finish .500 in-conference even more improbable, at least one win in this stretch would keep their postseason dreams alive and well.