ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Three weeks ago the Northwestern men’s basketball team won its first Big Ten game in two years. Then the Wildcats followed it up with a one-point victory over Penn State. Wednesday’s 75-70 triumph at Michigan gave NU its first win on the road in its last regular-season game.
Things are finally looking up.
The pieces are now in place, the Cats said, to make a run through next week’s Big Ten tournament in Chicago. NU didn’t indicate it needed to work on anything in particular after Wednesday’s win, other than continuing to improve. But the players said they’re feeling confident heading into the postseason.
“People are starting to believe,” said guard Winston Blake, who scored a game-high 23 points, including a breakaway layup that sealed the win. “We showed we can beat top-notch teams. We can compete in this tournament.”
Behind Blake, guard Ben Johnson (20 points) and center Tavaras Hardy (16 points), NU (11-18, 3-13 Big Ten) put up its largest point total of the conference season Wednesday. Hardy said the Cats are developing an offensive rhythm with the tournament just around the corner.
“Guys are comfortable stepping up and knocking down shots,” Hardy said. “And definitely the offense helps us do that. It helps us a lot with our confidence going in. We can try to beat some teams and play guys hard.”
Blake matched his season high in scoring – he also scored 23 in NU’s first meeting with the Wolverines (10-16, 4-11). Meanwhile, Johnson, who fell two points shy of his season high, also was instrumental in the Cats’ offensive success.
In a span of about two minutes, Johnson converted two free throws after a technical foul, found Blake for a three-pointer on the ensuing possession and knifed to the basket for an acrobatic layup three possessions later, extending NU’s lead to 10 points with six minutes to play.
The Cats now have a week to rest and practice for the tournament after an encouraging end to the regular season. NU coach Bill Carmody said the team will use the time to continue working on its fundamentals – focusing on the long-term task of developing its young players rather than working on game scenarios for the postseason. And Blake said NU will do whatever fine-tuning it needs to in scrimmages.
But Carmody said the caliber of play over the last few weeks has pleased him. Fatigue has not bothered NU, Carmody said – an auspicious sign this late in the season.
“They seem like they have a little basketball left in them,” Carmody said. “They have some zest, and practices have been good. With winning teams, February and March seem like drudgery almost. I don’t see that in these guys, and that’s a good sign.”
NU likely will face Iowa or Penn State – both teams it has beaten this season – in the first round of the tournament, pending the outcome of the last week of Big Ten play. Hardy said the potential matchups are encouraging.
And while the Cats said they still must improve for the postseason, Johnson said they might be hitting their stride at an opportune time.
“You always want to end on a high note,” Johnson said, “and I think we’ve been able to do that.”
