By Andrew SimonThe Daily Northwestern
This time Northwestern has home-court advantage, its leading scorer and rebounder in the lineup and a Big Ten victory under its belt.
As a result, NU is in a significantly better position to face No. 5 Ohio State than last Wednesday, when the Buckeyes drubbed the Cats 73-41 in Columbus, Ohio.
It remains to be seen whether any momentum generated by Saturday’s win against Minnesota, the return of freshman Kevin Coble from injury or playing at Welsh-Ryan Arena will make a difference when the Wildcats (11-8, 1-5) take on the Buckeyes (16-3, 4-1) tonight in Evanston.
At least the Cats no longer have to face the pressure of being winless in the Big Ten, after earning a big 55-40 road win against the Golden Gophers.
“It was good to get that off our shoulders,” Coble said. “We all knew it was just a matter of time and that we were capable of doing it. To come back and play strong against Minnesota and get one on the road was a big thing for us.”
Coble averages 12.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game to lead the Cats, but missed the first Ohio State game with ankle and foot injuries. He showed he was over his ailments with a 13-point performance against Minnesota.
“Kevin returning, that helps us, because it gives (Tim Doyle) another guy when he penetrates, so that he doesn’t always have to dish it Craig Moore,” said coach Bill Carmody.
While having Coble back helps, the Cats still have to figure out a way to avoid some of the pitfalls that doomed them in their first matchup against the Buckeyes.
Offensively, there is the problem of penetrating Ohio State’s zone defense, which is anchored by 7-foot freshman phenom Greg Oden. The potential top NBA draft pick blocked five shots against NU last time, but altered or prevented many more with his enormous frame and wingspan.
“You really can’t (avoid being intimidated by Oden),” sophomore Sterling Williams said. “He really changes the game. You have to know where he is every time you’re in the paint.”
In Carmody’s opinion, Oden affects a game on the defensive end more than any other player he has seen since Patrick Ewing dominated at Georgetown in the mid 1980s.
With Oden clogging up the middle, Carmody said good outside shooting would be crucial to the Cats’ offensive success.
“We don’t have much of an inside game, and it’s especially difficult to get that going when a team is playing zone,” Carmody said. “Against the zone, no matter where you look across the country, you have to knock down some 3s.”
On the defensive end, NU must do a better job of containing Ohio State’s attacking guards, namely freshman Mike Conley, Jr.
The Cats emphasized the importance of stopping the Buckeyes’ guards from slashing into the middle, where they can either go for the score or dish it back out to an open teammate. Conley Jr. is a particularly worrisome threat, as he burned NU for 17 points and 10 assists in the last meeting.
“In the last game, I would say he was the most important part of their team,” Williams said. “He made everything go. Everything started with him – his penetration, his passing, his scoring, stripping the ball, handling the ball under pressure.”
With all these lessons in mind, the Cats are happy to have the chance to redeem themselves only a week removed from their last failure against the Buckeyes.
“Personally I’m glad we’re playing them again so soon, just selfishly, having missed that game,” Coble said. “It being so close, it’s still fresh in our minds, and hopefully that will be something that gives us a little extra energy.”
Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].
