In a game that scarcely went two minutes without a Northwestern highlight, the move that set the evening’s tone couldn’t have been less worthy of a replay.
It was No. 00 hopping past the scorers’ table to replace Mohamed Hachad after the first media timeout. NU trailed Indiana by three points.
But 50-some-odd seconds after Tim Doyle in his double-rolled socks took the floor for his first Big Ten action, the crafty transfer from St. John’s put NU in the driver’s seat for good with 12:57 left in the first half.
After picking the pocket of preseason All-Big Ten selection Bracey Wright, Doyle sent a 40-foot home run pass to Vedran Vukusic for a no-dribble-necessary lay in.
The sophomore’s lengthy touch pass gave a 10-9 edge to the Wildcats, who never would trail again.
Of course, the win wasn’t assured until well into the second half, but the play was the beginning of an unyielding wave of momentum that eventually carried NU to a 73-52 win. That margin marked NU’s largest against Indiana since before World War I began.
The assist was the first of a game-high six for Doyle. And the pass wasn’t even his most spectacular.
With a little more than two minutes before halftime, Doyle grabbed an offensive board that bounced out to the wing. He drove to the foul line and, without so much as a nod in Mike Thompson’s direction, speared the ball through the lane to the center with an over-the-head hook pass that resulted in a poster-worthy slam.
Doyle was the difference maker in the first half. But his game-changing impact didn’t surprise his coach.
While Doyle sat on the bench last season because of NCAA transfer rules, coach Bill Carmody would go on and on about the things the 6-foot-5 swingman could do.
Catching glimpses of Doyle in practice, it was hard see what got Carmody so excited. Doyle’s speed was on the slow side, he didn’t have an All-World handle and his shot was iffy.
Yeah, Carmody would say, but he can do everything else. He can provide something extra.
All those extras — and even a little bit of shooting — were on full display in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
“He threw up a couple of those flippers that haven’t been going in, and tonight they went down,” Carmody said after the game.
Doyle’s best “flipper” came with 1:10 left in the first half. With the shot clock winding down, he called for the ball in the post.
He ducked around his defender on the baseline side and put up an underhand scoop from about two feet below his waist. The ball nudged the underside of the rim before crawling up along the iron and dripping through the nylon.
But under close observation, Doyle’s other contributions were even more fun to watch.
He consistently cut hard, whether he was going to receive ball or not. The intensity of his streaks through the lane and along the perimeter kept the young Indiana defenders on edge throughout the game.
His ball fakes opened shots and passing lanes. And he always clicked his pure white shoes together before his frequent changes in direction to help a teammate who needed to pass out of trouble.
Enjoy watching No. 00 with the double-rolled socks. He probably won’t shock you with a tomahawk slam, but his attention to those extras just might leave you in awe.
Sports Editor Nick Collins is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
