By Ben LarrisonThe Daily Northwestern
Three wins.
That’s all it would take for Northwestern to put aside any worries about earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
If the Wildcats can win this weekend’s Big Ten tournament, they will receive an automatic spot in the championship draw.
Then again, picking up three-straight wins in the Big Ten isn’t easy.
After a regular season where the Cats were dominant at times and disappointing at others, NU (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) will look erase any doubt about the postseason when it takes on Penn State (6-10-2, 3-3) in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
“We will be in the championship in the Big Ten,” senior Brad North said. “We’re going to beat some teams that we owe a couple goals to, we’re going to get out there in the Big Ten, and we’re playing every game like it’s our last.”
The last time the two teams met was a turning point in the Cats’ season. NU had started the year with a 7-1 record and a No. 14 national ranking, its highest ever, and had just defeated Ohio State for the first time in program history.
Despite outshooting Penn State 24-12, including 17-6 in the second half, the Nittany Lions prevailed 2-1. It was the first of what would be four difficult defeats for the Cats – games they lost by one goal and said they played just as well as if not better than their opponent. Throughout the season, NU coach Tim Lenahan has said that the only game this fall in which he thought his Cats did not play well enough to win was in a 2-0 loss at Wisconsin.
“I think Penn State is one of the games we let get away from us a little bit,” Lenahan said. “We played very, very well but we didn’t get the result we wanted to there, with a chance to get a crack at the defending (Big Ten) champs.”
The Cats ended their regular season on a high note with a 1-0 double-overtime victory over a ranked Northern Illinois squad. NU is hoping to ride the momentum when it takes on the Nittany Lions.
Their 2-4 regular season conference record notwithstanding, the Cats are feeling confident as they enter the first of what they hope will be three games in the Big Ten tournament.
“We’ve played all the Big Ten teams, and I don’t think any Big Ten team is better than us,” senior Gerardo Alvarez said. “I firmly believe that, and for me it would be a big letdown if we didn’t win the tournament.”
For the Cats to make the finals, as North proudly promised, they will have to defeat not only 2005 Big Ten champion Penn State, but also this year’s regular-season champ, Indiana, in the second round. Wins over Penn State and Indiana would help earn an NCAA tournament bid for NU, but according to Lenahan, the Cats’ four wins against top-50 opponents should already be good enough for a spot.
“As far as I’m concerned, we’ve earned the right to go into the tournament already,” Lenahan said. “A win solidifies out place, but I think we’ve earned the right already. Whether the NCAA committee sees that or not isn’t up to me.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
