Welsh-Ryan Arena is empty before practice except for two lone figures shooting on opposite sides of the court. The two players work on their own games, but their shots seem to fall through the net simultaneously every time the balls leave their hands.
It is tough to imagine these two players have been struggling to find their range in games since conference play began Jan. 2. But senior guard Jason Okrzesik and junior guard Craig Moore were in the gym early trying to work their way out of a mid-season dip in shooting production.
Northwestern (5-8) will need them to find their shooting touch when the team heads south to play Chicago State (6-13) tonight.
“We need to make shots, first and foremost,” said Moore on what NU needs to do to snap its four-game skid. “I think it’s just a couple games here and there that happen in the season. For the most part, it’s on defense. We need to shore up our defense.”
The Wildcats started the season 5-4 but shot 48 percent from the floor. NU has struggled since then, shooting 41.5 percent in its four conference losses. Much of the difference is due to Moore and Okrzesik’s struggles.
Moore is shooting 34.9 percent from the field and 22.9 percent on 3-point shots in conference play, compared with 45.5 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc in the team’s first nine games.
Okrzesik has struggled more. He was shooting 48.1 percent from the floor during non-conference play. But he has shot 6 of 26 (23.1 percent) in four Big Ten games.
The senior guard said there is no difference between playing in the Big Ten and playing non-conference teams.
“The teams we’re playing now are obviously more talented (than the teams we played before),” Okrzesik said. “But when it comes down to it, it’s just a mental thing. There’s no difference between the size of the ball during the non-conference and the size of the ball in conference play.”
Working out of a cold streak like this can be difficult, especially when the pressure is on to deliver. But Okrzesik said the only way to snap the slump is to keep shooting. It can take one shot to break free and start scoring again.
Moore said he is confident he and Okrzesik are good shooters, and the numbers will eventually bear that out.
“We’re not in a slump,” Moore said. “We’ve just missed a couple shots. We know we’re 45 percent 3-point shooters or so. We know we’ve got a lot of makes coming up. It’s frustrating when you lose and you didn’t feel like you shot your best.”
Okrzesik said it is important that he, Moore and the other shooters do not put their heads down if they are not playing well offensively. He said they need to realize there are other areas in which they can help the team.
But when they finally do make that one shot, it can build confidence for the entire team.
“It starts with that one shot you make, and then it turns into a few shots,” Okrzesik said. “Then you get that one win that you need and it kind of propels you forward. I think playing Chicago State is a good chance for us to build some confidence.”
Reach Philip Rossman-Reich at [email protected].
