There’s a lot of shuffling going on at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and it’s not just the Ladycats dance team strutting its stuff at center court. Rather, the Northwestern men’s basketball team has been moving to a tune of its own – a jumbled starting lineup.
The Wildcats (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten) have been hampered by injuries to two starters and two other key contributors, leading NU head coach Bill Carmody to tweak his starting five. The injuries have also limited the second-year coach’s possibilities off the bench.
“The lack of depth hurts us,” said Carmody, whose team has lost four straight games.
Although guard Collier Drayton started Saturday against Ohio State, the senior came off the bench because of a sore ankle in Wednesday’s loss to Iowa. Forward Vedran Vukusic has been out of the starting lineup with an injured shoulder. Vukusic has a torn labrum – a tissue in the shoulder – and has not been at full strength.
“It’s very painful for him to play,” Carmody said. “They’re going to tighten up his shoulder – there’s too much space in there.”
Off the bench, guard Drew Long has been bothered by an injured hip, while swingman Jason Burke is playing with a broken hand.
But Drayton’s injury allowed Long to see his only start of the season in last week’s contest at Iowa. Long was not a factor, however, scoring two points on free throws in 10 minutes. Long’s lack of productivity has made Carmody hesitant to give him playing time. Long saw just one minute of action against Ohio State.
“He doesn’t have the quickness and can’t jump like he did last year,” Carmody said. “Last year he was above the rim on everything.
“When (Ohio State) put the press on, I just didn’t feel good about him bringing the ball up the court. But we certainly need his shooting.”
Long is taking his dimished role in stride.
“You’re always going to be frustrated at not playing,” he said. “Coach has a plan, and he knows what he’s doing.”
Vukusic, who has seen significant minutes despite his injury, has had to leave numerous games this season because of his injured shoulder. It’s “hard to tell” whether or not his injured shoulder is affecting his shooting, Vukusic said.
“My shoulder is pretty weak,” said Vukusic, who has been replaced by center Aaron Jennings in the starting lineup. “It can pop out if I move it (in any way). It can go a year without happening or it can pop out every day. It’s unpredictable.”
FIRING IT UP: Carmody’s outburst during Saturday’s contest against Ohio State was a display of something the Cats have been lacking in the first half of games this season: a spark.
NU has fallen behind early in each of its three Big Ten games. The Cats trailed Indiana by as many as 12 in the first half, they fell behind 10-4 in the first five minutes against Iowa, and they allowed Ohio State to jump to an early 8-0 lead.
“I have to get more fiery before the games,” Carmody said. “Why are we down 8-0, 10-2?”
POROUS PROTECTION: While NU has put up some big numbers on the defensive end, the Cats are struggling to protect the ball on offenese.
In its three conference games so far, NU has turned the ball over 51 times for an average of 17 per game. The Cats also have the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten.
