On a day when Ivan Tolic played, anything seemed possible.
Wearing a brace on his left knee, Tolic made his Northwestern debut Friday — more than a year after enrolling at NU. But not even an appearance from the 6-foot-9 Croatian forward, who played just one minute, could help NU earn a victory over Colorado. The Cats (1-1) dropped a 67-56 decision to the Buffaloes (1-0).
NU didn’t even need Tolic in their second game of the weekend, a 76-60 victory over Chicago State (0-2) on Sunday.
While the win over the Cougars seemed assured before game began (Chicago State was 3-23 last year), the Cats the night before had been gunning for an upset of Colorado — a squad that reached the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Things looked good for NU in the first half, as the Cats jumped out to a 32-27 lead. NU shot 52 percent from the field, including 3 for 8 from beyond the arc.
But the second half was a different story, as the Buffaloes capitalized on the Cats’ woeful shooting — 24 percent — and outscored NU 40-24.
“We just didn’t run the offense,” guard T.J. Parker said. “Everyone wanted to do their own thing, trying to be a hero.”
The Buffaloes broke the game open with a 16-2 run, capping it off on David Harrison’s dunk with four minutes remaining.
Both Harrison, Colorado’s 7-foot All-America candidate and Michel Morandais, the Buffaloes’ leading scorer, were on the bench during most of the run, as each racked up four fouls midway through the second half.
“I think the thing that killed us is that we lost focus,” senior guard Jitim Young said. “You get two of their best players out of the game and I think we got too excited. We need to calm down as a team.”
The Cats’ big men, Davor Duvancic and Vince Scott, got into foul trouble of their own, mostly trying to guard Harrison. Duvancic fouled out with six minutes left and Scott finished the game with four fouls. NU lost the battle of the boards 43-29.
“They had like two or three people boxing me out and I’m trying to shake them off and go for the rebound,” Young said. “And the ones I tip fall out of my hands.”
The Cats used a seven-man rotation, with Young playing all 40 minutes and Parker and Duvancic each logging 35. Young paced the Cats with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
“These guys are 20 years old,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “They shouldn’t be getting tired.”
There weren’t any second half troubles for the Cats on Sunday, as NU outplayed Chicago State for all 40 minutes. The Cats led 39-29 at the break, shooting 72 percent from the field and making 6-of-9 3-pointers.
NU cooled down a bit in the second half, but still led by as many as 20, taking a 71-51 advantage with three and a half minutes left. After the break, the Cats made 12 of their 24 shots.
Young recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, marking the fourth time in his career he’s notched a double-double. Reserve guard Evan Seacat came off the bench to score a career-high nine points, hitting 2-of-3 3-pointers.
With the win over Chicago State, the Cats now need victories over neighbors DePaul and Illinois-Chicago to claim area bragging rights.
