By Ben LarrisonThe Daily Northwestern
After entering the year billed as the Wildcats’ top scoring threat, Craig Moore has had a Big Ten season riddled by inconsistency and, lately, a shooting drought.
Moore followed up his disappointing 2-for-9 performance against Ohio State, which included a dismal 1-for-8 mark from 3-point range, with a 6-point showing in Wednesday’s 62-55 loss to Minnesota.
The sophomore managed just five shots against the Gophers, who held Moore to zero first-half points and three for the game before he hit a meaningless 3 with under a minute remaining. Moore even sat out three of the game’s final five minutes, with NU coach Bill Carmody opting instead for junior Jason Okrzesik.
“I don’t think he’s shooting the ball as well as he can,” Carmody said. “And you know that plays on your head a little bit. And it’s harder, because he’s one of our only threats from the outside, so that makes it a little tougher on the guy that he knows that he’s got to make shots. But, I mean, he’ll break out of it.”
Last year, Moore earned all-Big Ten Freshman honors as he led the Cats with 54 3-pointers. He is still NU’s top long range threat, with a team-high 46 3’s, but many of his attempts now come from well behind the arc as opposing squads try to limit his looks.
Having been forced to take more tough shots that result in more misses, Carmody and NU players said, Moore’s shooting struggles are now perhaps more mental than they are physical.
“On the scouting reports, all the teams are going to know that (shooting 3’s is) what he wants to do,” freshman Kevin Coble said. “I mean, he’s a great shooter. We just need to continue to find ways to get him good shots.”
Moore, who was unavailable for comment after the game, remains a critical part of the Cats’ offense. But as his struggles have curbed his productivity, Moore’s NU teammates have also felt the pressure of filling the offensive void.
“I’ve been put in the position to take a lot more shots than I’m used to, because they’re all focusing on Craig, and he’s not getting looks he likes,” senior Tim Doyle said. “And then you pass up a shot you’re supposed to shoot, and you’re shooting the shot you’re not supposed to. It’s just a matter of getting out of a funk. I’m not a shooter so I don’t know what to tell him, but hopefully he starts making them soon.”
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