The only difference between the Northwestern men’s basketball team and Michigan’s squad may well be their school colors. Just check out the tale of the tape:
The Wildcats and the Wolverines both finished at the bottom of the Big Ten last season – Michigan was 10th, while NU was 11th. The Cats returned eight players from last year’s team, while the Wolverines returned seven. NU head coach Bill Carmody is in his second season with the Cats, while Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker is in his first with the Wolverines.
But the numbers most suggestive of the similarities between NU (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten) and Michigan (6-7, 2-2) are seven and five – the margins that decided the outcome of their two meetings in 2001.
After splitting those two games, NU and Michigan square off again tonight at 6 p.m. at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Although both squads appear to be identical on paper, Carmody said he’s putting that aside for this evening’s matchup.
“The teams are similar,” Carmody said. “But every year when you have the same guys, the chemistry and the way things are is so different – where you are during the season, how your team is feeling that particular week.”
In their trip to Crisler Arena for last year’s regular-season finale, the Cats got their third Big Ten win as they knocked off a then-fading Wolverines squad, 75-70. Although Michigan hasn’t changed much this season, Carmody said he’s not focusing on last year’s uplifting victory in Ann Arbor.
“Their guys will know that we beat them there and our guys will know we beat them there,” he said. “I don’t make a big deal of it either way. We’re just trying to improve.”
Like NU, Michigan is in the middle of a slump. After starting Big Ten play with wins over Penn State and Purdue, the Wolverines dropped their last two contests to Minnesota and Illinois. And despite NU’s 0-3 Big Ten start, Amaker said tonight’s game won’t be a walk in the park.
“It’s a very tough game for us with the unorthodox style of the Northwestern team,” he said. “It’s going to be a difficult task, given how difficult they can be to defend and knowing that they use a lot of the shot clock.”
The biggest threat to NU won’t be Michigan’s bulk inside. Instead, the Cats must contain forward LaVell Blanchard and guard Bernard Robinson. At 15.1 points per game, Blanchard is the Wolverines’ leading scorer, while Robinson is a close second at 12.9 points a game.
“Blanchard is certainly one of those guys who is one of the best players in the league and can erupt for a big night,” Carmody said. “Robinson is an explosive kid.”
Michigan will be without some of its inside strength, as 7-foot-2, 300-pound center Josh Moore was dismissed from the university for academic reasons, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. But the Cats must handle the Wolverines’ main low-post threat: 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward Chris Young. He averages 10.7 points and 5.4 boards a game.
Still, the Cats won’t worry about Michigan’s specific threats, Carmody said. NU will be looking to adjust to the Wolverines’ style of play.
“What we try to do is figure out what they’re doing on offense and get our guys ready,” Carmody said. “We’re really concentrating on our own stuff. We’re just trying to eliminate turnovers, trying to find out why they happen.”
