NUHoops.com

A report from an attendee of the NU Fast Break Club gathering before Saturday's game noted that assistant coach Paul Lee mentioned that freshman guard Brandon Lee was suspended for violation of "university rules." This means he did not violate specific team rules and would lead one to believe his suspension is related to theft, property damage, fights or drug/alcohol problems in university housing.

Newspaper links from Sunday:

• Incentive gets Wildcats in gear -- By John Mullin / Chicago Tribune (subscription)
• Sharpshooting Cats thump Wolverines -- By Brian Hanley / Chicago Sun-Times
• NIT berth still in sight for Cats  -- By Adam Rittenberg / Arlington Heights Daily Herald
• Michigan hits low in defeat -- By Jim Spadafore / The Detroit News
• Postseason hopes dunked? -- By Nathan Fenno / Ann Arbor News

Posted by nuhoops at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Northwestern opened on a 24-2 run in Saturday's dominating 69-53 victory over hapless Michigan. And, as we know, those 24-2 runs will just kill ya.

"I thought our full-court press gave them problems," coach Bill Carmody said. "Michael Jenkins did a great job. They had trouble getting into their half-court offense and we had a lot to do with that."

Vedran Vukusic hit 11-of-13 shots and scored 26 points as the Cats improved to 14-13 (6-8 Big Ten) on the season. Mohammed Hachad had another solid game with 14 points and some key defensive plays.

Vince Scott also continued his year as the team's most improved player with four threes. Scott is turning into the Cats' newest Aaron Jennings. He's deadly from the top of the key and hit 4-of-5 three-pointers. Carmody joked that Scott was calling plays for himself in the huddle.

On the negative side, T.J. Parker scored only three points and was non-existent on the floor. Tim Doyle gave another of his patented scoreless games where he makes two no-look passes and everyone oohs and aahs.

And Evan Seacat continued to ruin any chance for playing time next year. Seacat missed another wide-open three, but saved his best moment for late in the first half. After the Cats worked the clock and missed the rim on a three-pointer, Seacat retrieved the ball at the top of the key and motioned for the team to reset the offense as the shot clock nearly expired. Carmody immediately yanked him from the game. One would assume that Seacat's seemingly endless chances at playing time have expired.

Jenkins had another great game with nine points and defensive pressure on Michigan's guards. Jenkins' play has opened eyes this year and the walk-on senior has one more year of eligibility. Would he return as a fifth-year player?

Carmody said earlier this week that forward Ivan Tolic would not be able to play next year and his career was over. Northwestern could then take a medical waiver on Tolic and use his scholarship on another player. Would they give that scholarship to Jenkins for one season? He deserves it.

NU continues to have a chance at the NIT and needs a win over Michigan State at home Wednesday or at Indiana on Saturday to stay above .500 heading into the Big Ten tournament.

Posted by nuhoops at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody met with fans at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant in Evanston Thursday night and, since we have absolutely no life, we were there. (The free Red Hook beer didn't hurt.)

One thing we admire about Carmody is his candor and honesty at all times. Facing fans after an 84-48 loss couldn't have been fun. Some remarks that caught our ear...

Carmody discussed suspended guard Brandon Lee briefly, but there has been no further illumination on the cause of Lee's suspension. Lee is suspended for the season. From the sense of things, I tend to see Lee's future in doubt at Northwestern. I hope this isn't the case because he had real potential and looked like the point guard of the future.

Carmody said freshman Sterling Williams asked to redshirt before the season because he "didn't feel he was quite ready yet" for Big Ten play. Carmody said that Williams has been one of the team's best players in practice over the last four weeks. He's tall at 6-5 and can score much in the same way that Jitim Young could score in the lane against taller players. Carmody said that Williams is a scorer and is looking for big things from him next year. From my own personal experience in seeing Williams play in high school at Whitney Young, I thought he would be the best freshmen on the team. His redshirt was a surprise.

Kentucky transfer Bernard Cote is the team's best shooter, according to Carmody, and the coach is expecting him to contribute next year.

Carmody continues to be mystified by Evan Seacat's play. He just has to hit shots in games, not practice. Carmody told a story about how Michael Jenkins' three-pointer to beat Iowa really was a spot for Seacat, but he didn't have the confidence in him, even if he is a better shooter than Jenkins.

Carmody didn't have an answer for why the Cats struggle on the road, but mentioned that it's a common theme for Big Ten teams this year.

Center Mike Thompson can be a force for the Cats and is needed, especially on the defensive end. But the center needs to develop his offensive game.

Mohammed Hachad is the most frustrating player for Carmody, but he's been playing better of late. Carmody told a story about how Hachad's girlfriend has been in town from graduate school and Hachad has played better of late. Carmody has told Hachad that he needs to keep her in town.

Carmody downplayed talk that the Cats may have to win two games in the Big Ten tournament to make the NIT. "We have to win two of our final three," Carmody said.

It couldn't be more simpler than that.

Posted by nuhoops at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looked like the JV against the varsity.

It was over quickly as Illinois raced to a 23-point halftime lead in an 84-48 victory over Northwestern. (Audio: Bill Carmody's postgame comments)

The story of the first half can be summed up from the three-point line. Illinois hit 8-of-12 and Northwestern missed all seven attempts. On the game, NU made only one of 17 three-point attempts while the Illini made 14-of-24 (58 percent).

Illinois used superior ball movement to score easily on offense and tremendous defensive pressure to disrupt NU's offense. On the multiple occasions that Illinois had an open three-pointer, the Illini drained it. On the rare occasion that the Wildcats had an open shot, it resulted in a Tim Doyle airball or a clanked three by Mohammed Hachad.

A game against a superior opponent can clearly define the weaknesses of a team and nothing was more evident Wednesday night. T.J. Parker's game is clearly useless against quicker opponents. Without Mike Thompson, Northwestern's front-line of Davor Duvancic, Vedran Vukusic and Vince Scott was overmatched on the boards. Scott, who had shown tremendous strides in recent games, looked like a deer in headlights. Doyle is woefully unathletic and shoots a set-shot, possibly the only set-shot in Division I.

The only players who showed any offensive ability against Illinois were Vukusic, who scored 14, and Hachad who had 15 points and created his own shot even if he made only 7-of-17 shots.

"We've been looking for it all year," Carmody said of Hachad's play. "He continued his good play in the second half, but he still has to knock down his shots, though. When he takes it to the rim, he's making three out of four or four out of five, but he wasn't able to make his (outside) shot."

Northwestern faces Michigan, losers of 10 straight before Wednesday's win over Penn State, on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Welsh-Ryan. The Cats need to win two of their final three games to be over .500 heading into the Big Ten tournament for NIT eligibility.

Posted by nuhoops at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Daily Northwestern reported that coach Bill Carmody said that center Mike Thompson (ankle) will likely miss tonight's game against Illinois. Vince Scott or Davor Duvancic will start in his place.

Northwestern is a 21-point underdog to the top-ranked Illini in tonight's game at Champaign.

Posted by nuhoops at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite losing to Illinois in January by 12, Northwestern fared pretty well against the top-ranked Illini. Traveling to Champaign for Wednesday's game (7 p.m. CT) will be much tougher.

Illinois not only has a major talent advantage, it also poses a major challenge for NU with its athletic team and three-guard lineup. Guards Dee Brown, Luther Head and Deron Williams are all better than any player on Northwestern -- and will be a difficult matchup defensively.

It poses the question: What is the Wildcats' best lineup?

My vote is to start Mike Thompson, Vedran Vukusic upfront and then go with a quick lineup of Mohammed Hachad, T.J. Parker and Michael Jenkins. Davor Duvancic and Tim Doyle would come off the bench.

The best bet to spring a major upset will be to contain the three guards and then slow the clock to keep the game in the low 60s. It will be a tall order. To nobody's surprise, Northwestern is 0-13 in games against No. 1 ranked teams.

Posted by nuhoops at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Northwestern has seven regular season games left.

Wins:
Texas Corpus-Christi
Penn State

Must-wins:
Iowa
Indiana

Chance at upset:
Michigan

Likely losses:
Illinois
Michigan State

If NU wins the games it should and the must-wins over Iowa and Indiana and then loses the rest, the Cats would be 15-14 heading into the Big Ten tournament. It's probably going to be difficult to win two games at the Big Ten tournament, since if NU remains a No. 7 seed the team will play a No. 2 seed in the second round (Wisconsin or Michigan State). I'm not sure 16-15 will cut it for the NIT. Northwestern may need to win five of its final seven and beat Michigan as well.

Posted by nuhoops at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vince Scott's three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining tied it and T.J. Parker's jumper with 0.9 seconds won it as the Cats defeated Minnesota, 55-53.

Northwestern trailed by 10 with four minutes remaining, but made a valiant comeback with the help of a technical foul by Minnesota for hanging on the rim.

Parker scored 19 points to lead the way on 8-for-12 shooting. He also added six steals to key the win.

"It's good to see him play defense again," coach Bill Carmody told the AP.

Parker's scoring made up for subpar games by Mohammed Hachad and Vedran Vukusic. The pair combined to shoot a miserable 7-of-22 from the field and scored just nine points apiece.

Center Mike Thompson missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle. This begs the question of whether Northwestern is playing better without Thompson. The team is 4-5 without Thompson and 7-6 with the transfer from Duke. Still, two wins in a row without him and you start to wonder.

The victory not only hurts Minnesota's chances at the NCAAs, but gives NU a legitimate shot at the NIT. Northwestern is now 11-11 on the year (4-6 Big Ten). An NIT bid is within reach with winnable games against Iowa this Saturday and Texas Corpus-Christi next on the docket.

Notes: Freshman Brandon Lee is suspended for the second time this season for violating a team rule and didn't make the trip to Minnesota. The transfer watch is on for Lee, who showed promise early in the season, but has barely played since December. 

Posted by nuhoops at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest RPI ratings have Northwestern at No. 155. At 10-11 (3-6 Big Ten), the Cats are currently a long shot for the NIT. But what might have been?

Where would NU be if they had held a comfortable lead against Ohio State? Where would they be if Mike Thompson isn't suspended and the Cats didn't play listlessly against Penn State? Yep, they'd be 12-9 (5-4 Big Ten). Things would look a little rosier, wouldn't they?

Of course, let's not talk about the Top of the World Classic early in the season when NU lost winnable games to Utah State (RPI No. 82) and New Mexico State (RPI No. 281).

The loss to New Mexico State, currently 3-17 on the season, is the most embarrassing of the year. 

Posted by nuhoops at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Northwestern sophomore Tim Doyle discussed the Cats' season after the Purdue game with the Chicago Sun-Times.

"We talked about last year, and everybody said what a great year we had," Doyle told the Sun-Times. "We were 8-8 [in the Big Ten], but we were 3-5 at this time. So being 2-6, we knew that if we just string some wins together, we'll be right back where we were last year."

Northwestern at 10-11 (3-6 in Big Ten play) has slim hopes for an NIT bid. With eight regular season games left before the Big Ten tournament, NU has realistic chances at victories over Iowa, Penn State, Michigan, Indiana and a non-conference game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. They have to win all five or pull off an upset over Minnesota, Illinois or Michigan State.

This week's games on the road against the Gophers and Hawkeyes are key, especially in light of Iowa's suspension of leading scorer Pierre Pierce.

Links from Sunday:
Wildcats nearly let victory slip away - By Brian Hanley, Chicago Sun-Times

Cats feast on turnovers - By John Mullin, Chicago Tribune (subscription)

Boilers bring sickly effort - By Michael Pointer, Indianapolis Star

Posted by nuhoops at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A 14-point halftime lead, a 20-point second-half lead only to barely hang on for a 67-61 victory over Purdue? Yep, that's Northwestern basketball.

The Cats entered the game on a down note as a near-suicidal coach Bill Carmody (you really had to hear him) announced on the pregame show that center Mike Thompson had injured his ankle and would miss the game. Carmody did have the good news that Ivan Tolic was finally able to practice this week as he recovered from a knee injury, but added that he broke his hand in practice and would be lost for the year.

Northwestern played nearly flawless basketball in the first half and the early second half to cruise to a huge lead, but Purdue clawed back to cut the lead to single digits in the closing minutes. NU held on and made their free throws down the stretch to ice the game. NU shot 85% from the line on the game.

Vedran Vukusic led all scorers with 21 points, while T.J. Parker added 18. The offense appeared to click more without Thompson. The Cats seemed more confident without having to think about switching to an offense where they have to occasionally dump the ball down low to Thompson.

Mohammed Hachad played only 22 minutes off the bench, scoring five points. Welcome to the doghouse.

The game was won in the turnover department as NU forced 23 turnovers and committed only 10. NU increased the tempo on defense. Picking up with full-court pressure appears to do wonders for the intensity of the Cats in general. The full-court press should be a mainstay of the defensive strategy.

Notes:
The strangest moment of the game occurred at halftime when the Northwestern marketing department ran its usual halftime entertainment games, including a contest where a student has to dribble the length of the court and make a layup in five seconds to win a prize. An NU student dribbled, tripped and fell and was injured. The student had to be taken off on a stretcher. Only at NU...

In other news, Carmody had little new to say at Thursday's Cat Chat at Wolfgang Puck's in Evanston. The only noteworthy items of interest were Carmody's admission that Kentucky transfer Bernard Coté is the team's best shooter, something that gives a little hope for the Princeton offense next year.

He also noted that Vince Scott's minutes would increase in the season's final month and that he would work Brandon Lee back into the rotation due to his defense. Carmody said that Michael Jenkins had earned playing time when Lee was out with suspension. The coach also praised Ivan Tolic as the team's best center in a half-court setting, but his constant injuries have derailed his career.

Posted by nuhoops at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bill Carmody lamented the team's propensity for turnovers at practice Thursday.

"Turnovers. We have to cut them down," Carmody told the Daily Northwestern. "Sounds like a broken record, doesn't it?"

But are turnovers the biggest problem the Cats have this year? The defense has been non-existent for long stretches this season and the shooting from the foul-line and outside hasn't been up to par for a Princeton-style team.

Even more disconcerting has been the effort. Carmody alluded to the challenge of facing the Boilermakers on Saturday.

"Purdue is a team that scraps for everything," Carmody said in the game notes. "And so hopefully that will rub off on us and we will put forth the effort necessary to win."

Effort and enthusiasm have been challenges all season. Saturday's game against the last-place Boilermakers (3:30 p.m. CT Saturday) is a must-win. Let's hope the effort is up to snuff.

Posted by nuhoops at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Coach Bill Carmody tried switching up the starting lineup by inserting Mike Thompson and Michael Jenkins for Vince Scott and Mohammed Hachad, but it failed to ignite Northwestern in a 73-58 loss to Wisconsin.

The Cats (9-11, 2-6 Big Ten) fell behind by 16 at halftime before making a second-half run to cut the game to eight with 6:58 remaining. But then leading scorer Vedran Vukusic fouled out followed shortly after by Davor Duvancic fouling out.

Clearly, the season is long over, so the question remains as to why Carmody does not play some of the young players. Brandon Lee saw garbage-time minutes against Wisconsin. Vince Scott should start taking Davor Duvancic's playing time in anticipation of next year. And why is senior walk-on Michael Jenkins playing so many minutes? He's not on scholarship and he's not playing for the team next year.

It's time to move on, but to what? Hachad and T.J. Parker have regressed significantly, Thompson is not a savior and the Cats have no outside shooters in a Princeton offense. Good luck winning with that.

Posted by nuhoops at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)