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After a 13-point halftime deficit, the Cats made a game of it before falling to Stanford on Saturday, 65-59.

Kevin Coble led the Cats with 15 points, including back-to-back threes that cut the lead to 55-50 with 4:44 to play. Unfortunately, no other player scored in double figures. John Shurna, who had 20 points against Missouri-Kansas City earlier in the week, had early foul trouble and finished with only five points. Craig Moore and Jeff Ryan both had eight points for Northwestern.

This is a disappointing loss for the Cats. It was a chance to prove their ability to win against a quality non-conference opponent. However, at this point, the bigger concern is how to find consistent scoring from players other than Coble.

Moore and Michael Thompson need to be double-digit scorers. Shurna needs to be a consistent scoring threat.

But the Cats also need to figure out ways to slow down a team's high scorers. Stanford's Anthony Goods and Mitch Johnson had 20 and 16 points, respectively. They combined to shoot 13-for-17 (76 percent) from the field.

Clearly, there is still a long way to go before the Cats can claim to being a solid Big Ten contender this year. Tuesday's home game against SMU will be another chance to gear up for the conference schedule in January. SMU at 3-5 should be a very winnable game.

Posted by Greg Shea at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After Monday's 77-62 dismantling of Missouri-Kansas City, the Cats look like they could be a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team. Maybe.

This much is clear about this year's Cats:
1. They have the most talent in a loooonnnng time at Welsh-Ryan
2. John Shurna is a legit scoring threat as a freshman
3. Shurna, Coble and Michael Thompson give the Cats three players who can create and score on their own.
4. Kyle Rowley can be a threat in the middle. (Now, if they can just get him more than 20 minutes ... )
5. Craig Moore, although 2-for-8 from three-point land on Monday, is a deadly outside threat and is displaying all the right senior leadership.

I've said in the past that coach Bill Carmody has to make the NIT this year or he's out. The Cats look well on their way to an NIT season. Is it crazy to even think about an NCAA Tournament bid?

Yes, it is. This team has some skill, but they look like a 16-win team and appear to be a year away. But it looks real promising for the future. And this could be a fun year.

Saturday's road game against 5-0 Stanford will be a serious test and a game that the Cats will need to win to further their postseason hopes. Game is at 9 p.m. CT.

Posted by Greg Shea at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)