The Craig Moore Show
Craig Moore drained 7-of-10 three-pointers for a career-high 24 points -- and the Cats gave an inspired, hustling effort to beat Miami, 61-59, Tuesday night.
As opposed to a few previous outings, that Cats hustled and played with a lot more emotion before an ESPN2 TV audience. The Cats shot 51 percent from the field and held Miami to 34 percent shooting in the win.
Of course, the win did not come without a few moments that made you pull your hair out. NU almost blew a 10-point lead late in the game with poor free throw shooting (a continual Achilles heel) and turnovers against the Miami press. But they held on for the win against an ACC opponent.
The Cats stayed clear of turnovers for much of the game and finished with only eight in the game. However, shooting the ball so well and not turning it over AND still only winning by two are a concern. The fact is that NU will need to play near flawless basketball to beat any good team in the Big Ten. It's not impossible because the Cats will knock off a few teams this year. However, there will be nights when the Cats chances at victory are too razor-thin.
But Tuesday was not one of those nights. The Cats now stand at 4-3 on the year and play at home on Saturday, Dec. 9 against Western Michigan at 7 p.m.