That's more like it
Yes, it's too early to call the second game of the season a huge win. But, let's face it, it was.
Not only did the Cats defeat Charlotte, 61-47, to advance to the Black Coaches Association finals Tuesday night, but they did it with ease. And did we mention that Charlotte was an NCAA tournament team last year?
But the bigger news than the win and the 2-0 start to the season may be the fact that NU appeared to show that the major deficiencies of last year's team may be in the past.
Poor free throw shooting? The Cats shot 77 percent from the line Monday night, (17-for-22) including 10-of-12 in the closing minutes.
Can't hit a three if their life depended on it? NU hit 8-of-18 trifectas in the contest (44 percent).
Trouble maintaining intensity on defense? The Cats held Charlotte to 31 percent shooting on the night. (16-of-52)
Can't stop a legitimate big man from dominating inside? Charlotte's Curtis Withers only managed 12 points on the night.
No depth on the bench? Well, ok, we can't ask for everything, can we? Coach Bill Carmody stuck to a small playing rotation with Vedran Vukusic, Michael Jenkins, Mohammed Hachad and Vince Scott getting the majority of playing time. Bernard Coté and Sterling Williams played only eight and seven minutes apiece, respectively.
Starting center Michael Thompson played only 13 minutes and scored only two points (albeit on a monster dunk) while giving way to Scott off the bench. Thompson picked up his fourth foul very early in the second half.
Northwestern faces the winner of the UNC-Wilmington-Wyoming game at 9 p.m. CST on Tuesday night for the championship of the BCA Invitational.