When Bill Carmody gets a week off between games, there’s no telling what he’ll do.
“I went fishing,” he said. “I went hunting. I did some fly fishing. …”
He wishes.
Actually, Carmody spent the bulk of the week in his office at Welsh-Ryan Arena overseeing practices, watching game tape and communicating with recruits. For the fourth-year coach, it wasn’t different from any other time during the season. The Cats will be playing two games a week from now until regular-season conference play ends March 6 against Michigan.
He’ll be well-prepared, then, for Northwestern’s game tonight at Penn State — the team’s first in seven days.
The Wildcats (7-9, 2-3 Big Ten) have won three straight over the Nittany Lions, dating back to the 2001 season. Last year in Evanston, the teams battled into double overtime before NU came out on top, 85-79.
After starting conference play with two victories, the Nittany Lions (8-8, 2-3) have struggled, dropping three consecutive games. On Jan. 21, Penn State lost to Illinois by 43 points.
Despite these losses, the Nittany Lions have improved since last year.
First-year coach Ed DeChellis inherited a team that finished last in the conference in 2003, ending the season with just two conference wins.
Carmody, who’s also had to struggle through tough seasons, doesn’t have too many words of encouragement for DeChellis.
“I don’t know,” he said. “He wouldn’t take my advice if we’re 7-9, would he?”
Davor Duvancic regaining his shooting touch could be a key for the Cats if they’re going to win this battle of rising programs. Duvancic has yet to come close to matching the career-high 22 points he scored against Illinois.
Still, the junior forward said he’s confident he can duplicate that performance.
“I hope so, I mean why not? I think I can do it again,” Duvancic said. “I think it might be the old Davor, I guess.”
Carmody said he plans to stick with his squad’s 1-3-1 zone defense, even though Michigan State’s shooters picked it apart last week. Spartans guard Maurice Ager hit six straight threes in that game. To avoid such outbursts from the opposing offense, the Cats might switch to a man-to-man setup if need be.
The coach also expects to dust off the full-court press, which NU has used intermittently this season.
The Cats haven’t deployed the press much, mainly because Carmody has worried about his team’s lack of depth. Over the course of the season, the Cats’ five starters have played nearly 82 percent of the team’s minutes — the highest percentage of any team in the nation. NU also has three rarely-used walk-ons on its roster.
The Cats weren’t expected to leave for tonight’s game until early this morning because of inclement weather around State College, Pa. NU usually leaves for away games the night before tip-off.
“It would have been better to have a good night’s sleep in a hotel,” guard T.J. Parker said. “It’s not like our beds aren’t good over here, but we’re leaving at 7 a.m. You’ve got to wake up at 6:30.”
But an entire week off gave the Cats time to rest for tonight’s game. NU didn’t practice Thursday or Sunday, giving the players a chance enjoy life away from the court.
Parker went home to Lisle, Ill., to visit his father and younger brother. Pierre Parker, a senior at Lisle High School, is still deciding what college he’ll attend next year.
“I’ve got to look out for him like my older brother looks out for me,” Parker said.
