For the third straight year, Northwestern is hovering around .500 heading into the final week of Big Ten play.
But beginning this year, a .500 record no longer is needed to qualify for the postseason. The NCAA, which bought the National Invitation Tournament last August, decided to change the requirements for NIT eligibility by allowing teams with a sub-.500 record to make it.
Even with the new standards, the Wildcats likely will need to pick up another quality win to boost their chances of receiving a bid to the NIT.
A victory Wednesday against No. 9 Ohio State would certainly be that.
With a .500 record and just two regular season games remaining, NU (13-13, 5-9 Big Ten) faces Big Ten-leading Ohio State (21-4, 10-4) Wednesday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The last time a first-place team came to Evanston, the Cats pulled the upset, beating then-No. 19 Iowa 51-48 on Feb. 8. NU hopes for the same result against Ohio State, which fought off a late NU rally to win 61-52 in Columbus 11 days ago.
“We can only make the NCAA tournament if we run the table,” NU coach Bill Carmody said. “But right now I’m not thinking about that. I’m preparing for Ohio State. I’m looking forward to the game to see how we do the second time around.”
Last time the two teams met, Carmody said the Buckeyes’ defensive pressure on the NU guards hurt the Cats offensively. Ohio State played the last game without senior forward Matt Sylvester, who averages 8.2 points per game.
Ohio State senior center Terence Dials punished NU in the paint with 14 points and 15 rebounds. He scored eight straight points in the last two minutes to put the Cats away.
Dials has recorded a double-double in five straight games, and Monday he was named Big Ten Player of the Week.
“The light has gone on for Terence,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. “He’s seeing the sand run out of the hourglass. I think he’s playing with more passion, more intensity on the floor.”
On Saturday, a positive in NU’s 13-point loss to Penn State was the shooting performance of senior guard Evan Seacat.
Seacat made 6 of 11 3-pointers in scoring a career-high 18 points against the Nittany Lions.
“I told him before the second half, ‘This is your half. I’m not going to take you out,'” Carmody said. “Maybe that helped his confidence. I’m happy for him, but I wish we could have won the game. Unfortunately my disappointment with the loss outweighs my happiness for Evan.”
The tough road loss at Penn State forced NU to have to win these next two games to guarantee a .500 record.
For senior forward Vedran Vukusic the goal remains the same as before the season. He said he wants to help take the Cats to the postseason for the first time since 1999.
“We have at least three games left,” Vedran Vukusic said. “But we could do a lot more if we win these next two games.”
Reach Scott Duncan at [email protected].
