Competing on the glass against a shorter line-up Wednesday night, the Wildcats were doubled up on the boards.
“And I thought this was one of the teams we matched up pretty well with,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said.
Wisconsin used a combination of superior quickness and a level of desire that was a notch or six above NU’s to yank down 42 rebounds.
“The thing about the Big Ten is you have to play with passion and motivation,” NU guard Jitim Young said. “This is a very emotional league and the best teams are the ones that display that night in and night out.”
Despite sending out a starting five that’s tallest man was 6-foot-8, Bo Ryan’s Badgers came away with the rebound on 75 percent of their missed shots in the first half — good for 12 offensive boards.
“We try to go after everyone like that,” Ryan said after the game with a grin. “Hungry and aggressive. We tell our big guys, ‘If you can’t grab it, deflect it so the guards can pick up some garbage.'”
NU starting center Aaron Jennings — who was at least three inches taller than every player on the floor — managed just one rebound in 19 minutes during the first half. His team pulled down a total of five boards before the break.
The Cats have been beaten on the glass by size against Indiana and strength against Minnesota. Now they’ll have to counter the Buckeyes’ speed.
The 21-rebound deficit against Wisconsin was NU’s largest in a conference game this year.
“You just can’t get out-rebounded like that,” Carmody said. “If there’s a solution, I don’t know what it is right now.”
NU has not out-rebounded a Big Ten opponent through six contests — although it tied Michigan with 27 boards — and has a firm grasp on the 11th slot in the conference with a rebounding margin of minus 8.5.
Unfortunately for the Cats, their trip to Columbus, Ohio, means facing their first 7-foot opponent in the conference, Ohio State starting center Velimir Radinovic.
The Toronto native is coming off a 20 point, nine rebound performance in the Buckeyes’ 70-65 loss to Purdue.
To go along with the Buckeyes’ size, the Cats also have to deal with one of the quickest players in the league, senior guard Brent Darby.
The Buckeyes’ leading scorer stands at 6-foot-1 and still manages nearly five rebounds per contest to go along with his 18.1 points.
“Our strength is in our front court, even though our best player is Brent,” Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien said.
To compete with the Big Ten’s third-best rebounding team, the Cats will have to hit the boards with more enthusiasm.
“We’re almost at the halfway point of the season, and you look at Michigan and all the other teams around the league, watching the passion they play with,” Young said. “Then you look at us, we’re waiting for things to come instead of getting them ourselves. If we want to get better that’s something we have to focus on.
“Not just talk about, but do.”
NU (8-9, 0-6 Big Ten) at Ohio State (9-9, 2-5)
11 a.m., Saturday
Value City Arena
Columbus, Ohio
