When Wisconsin took us out, the game was already over.
A pair of red-clad, 6-foot-8 oafs pummeled through our seats on press row, knocking computers, notebooks and Daily staffers everywhere.
But by then the Wildcats had already ensured those oafs would go back to Madison as losers, along with their teammates and thousands of dumfounded Badgers fans.
With less than two minutes to play, Northwestern was about to notch its second home upset of a ranked opponent in the conference season. The Cats ended the contest on top 18 points — their largest margin of victory this season — against their best competition of the year in trouncing the No. 14 Badgers, 69-51.
But it was more than NU’s first win over a top-15 team since upsetting then-No.14 Iowa on Feb. 10, 2001.
It was an excuse to hold on to dreams of postseason play going into the second half of the conference slate. After losing by a total of 34 points in two games against Wisconsin last season, NU shoved the Badgers from their spot atop the Big Ten standings.
The sellout crowd of 8,117 featured a red-wearing contingent that outnumbered the NU fans 2-to-1. The victory was that much sweeter when the Cats finally silenced the Badgers’ fans — who had drowned out the Wildside at will with semi-sensible, Wisconsin-esque chants whenever their team managed to bring the ball past midcourt.
“I love their fans. They’re so funny,” NU captain Jitim Young said. “They’re coming out to support their school — you’ve gotta respect that.”
The Wisconsin fans’ enthusiasm even went so far as to upset the Ladycats dancers’ second-half routine set to Outkast’s “Hey Ya!”
“They should know you don’t boo the Ladycats,” sophomore dancer Jenni Smith said.
“They were awful!” sophomore Marieke Lahey said. “We couldn’t hear (the music) at all. It totally threw us off our game.”
On the other hand, the NU basketball team hadn’t been so on its game all season.
Wisconsin guard Devin Harris was coming off a 38-point performance, but Young put the Badgers’ star on lockdown — a situation not unfamiliar to Harris’ teammate Boo Wade, who spent Wednesday night in a county jail.
And after the Cats fell behind 8-2 in a slow start, they embarked on a 22-3 run. NU took a 17-point lead into halftime and later fended off the inevitable Wisconsin run.
The Badgers got within 10 points when guard Zach Morley hit a three-pointer. And after a pair of NU free throws, Morley cut the lead to 10 again on an alley-oop from Harris.
With the Grateful Red at its loudest, the Cats stayed calm. NU guard Mohamed Hachad found an open look after disciplined ball movement and drained a three with 9:08 remaining to push the Cats’ lead to 13. Wisconsin would never again come closer than 12.
NU’s end game was even more impressive.
The Cats masterfully milked the clock and kept the contest out of reach on the foul line — making all 12 of their attempts in the final two minutes with the Badgers in desperation mode.
As NU moved to 3-1 at home in conference play, a few proud fans were convinced they had a little more to cheer about than just the team’s finest game of the season, chanting, “NIT, NIT.”
A game like this against the best team in the conference can get you dreaming.
With NU’s 9-11 record, that would mean five wins in the next eight games — or some kind of run in the Big Ten tournament — to reach the required .500 mark for eligibility in the National Invitational Tournamant.
The smart money may say, “Wait till next year.” But “smart” and “NU” don’t always have to go in the same sentence.
Deputy Sports Editor Nick Collins is a Weinberg junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
