By Zach SilkaThe Daily Northwestern
Not a proponent of labeling a game as a must-win this early in the season, Northwestern coach Bill Carmody quickly dismissed the idea of the Wildcats’ win over intercity rival DePaul being just that Tuesday.
But Tim Doyle had no such reservations after NU’s 49-39 victory, calling it a “huge win,” describing the final score as “hysterical” and comparing it to a “Picasso.”
Before the season, Doyle called the impending matchup with the Blue Demons the most important game for the Cats, thinking then about the possibility of being undefeated heading into Friday’s road contest against Stanford.
Instead, the Cats needed this victory to salvage their season, and their demeanor on the floor pointed to an urgency missing from the loss against Cornell in NU’s home opener.
Just as the troops follow the general, the Cats change in attitude came from the top to the bottom. While he didn’t have a brilliant game, Doyle willed this team to win, picking up a block, a steal and a rebound in the final minute to seal the victory.
Standing with fellow senior Vince Scott while Craig Moore was on the opposite end of the court shooting free throws with 40 seconds left, Doyle was all smiles as he admired NU’s masterpiece.
It wasn’t pretty, and just in the same way ears aren’t usually attached to someone’s forehead, teams don’t normally win games scoring only 49 points. But a win is what counts and this ostensibly hideous piece of art could have sold for millions.
“Looking up at the scoreboard, it was more of like what an ugly game it was. I missed six lay-ups in the first half,” Doyle said.
“Big Vince really didn’t do much. Craig (Moore) didn’t score until the last (nine) minutes of the game. But you look at the scoreboard, and you’re up 10. That’s what I was laughing about because we just executed our gameplan. Like I said, if we play like that every game, we’re going to be within a couple of points every game.”
Moore admitted after the win that the team had taken the loss to Cornell especially hard, meaning the season could have spiraled out of control before the Cats even had a chance to hit a stride.
But again, leaning on Doyle’s carefree, never-say-die leadership and receiving a higher level of production from the starters than in the Cornell loss, NU pulled out a gritty victory over a team that was more athletic, more intimidating and had more players with “big muscles and tattoos,” according to Doyle.
“It just gets our confidence up. With the Cornell (loss), we were a little depressed after that game,” Moore said. “We just had to respond. The last couple days of practice, we came out and practiced hard, but there was always that in the back of our minds. We had to respond, and that’s what we did.”
Sports editor emeritus Zach Silka is a Medill senior. He can be reached at [email protected].
