It's a wrap: Cats' season over
Links:
Cats offer evidence of brighter future
By John Mullin / Chicago Tribune (subscription)
Augustine, Powell spoil NU's plan to play small ball
By Brian Hanley / Chicago Sun-Times
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And, now, it's time to move on to next season.
Illinois ended Northwestern's season with a 78-55 whupping in front of an orange-clad contingent at the United Center in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
The Cats finished 15-16 for the year, a similar fate to the 14-15 campaign of the previous season. Just one game short of being eligible for the postseason.
The game exhibited the same fatal flaws displayed all season: poor shooting, turnovers and few offensive threats.
Mohammed Hachad had 23 points and added nine rebounds, but turned the ball over an amazing seven times. Vedran Vukusic added 15 point, but no other NU player scored more than four points.
The Cats turned the ball over 18 times against a quick Illinois defense.
"When you play a team the caliber of Illinois, I do not think you have to play perfectly to win," coach Bill Carmody said in his press conference after the game. "You certainly can not have as many turnovers as we did today. We had too many possessions where we did not even get a shot."
Vukusic admitted the team lost some winnable games early in the season that doomed the chances for a postseason berth.
"Next year we need to focus on the non-conference games," Vukusic said. "They are grounds for the Big Ten season, and if you win those that can really help improve your confidence. ... It is also important for us to work hard in the offseason on getting better team unity and chemistry."
Next: Where do we go from here?