Best lineup against Illini?
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.
Comments
No doubt, the Cats have to play a perfect game to win tonight. Control the tempo. Shoot over 50%. Make their free throws. And even that might not be enough -- but it'll likely keep them in the ballgame.
I think the first 10 minutes are crucial. If NU falls behind by double-digits early on, this game could get out of control in a hurry.
Posted by: Matt | February 23, 2005 09:51 AM
I have a strange feeling about tonight's game. I don't believe they'll be blown out and I have hope for a close game. They'll need to play flawlessly.
Posted by: Greg Shea | February 23, 2005 10:02 AM