Down nine points late in the first half, the Wildcats were performing exactly as expected. Two days separated Northwestern from a heartbreaking loss to No. 19 Purdue, and with visiting No. 17 Minnesota on fire from the opening tip, a poor bounce-back effort seemed inevitable.
NU flipped the script en route to its 74-65 victory on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The Cats started the first half in a 2-3 matchup zone, but the Golden Gophers demolished it to the tune of 78 percent (14-for-18) shooting from the field in the game’s opening 15 minutes. Coach Bill Carmody reacted by switching to his patented 1-3-1 zone, the defense that flustered Purdue for most of Thursday’s loss, and effectively changed the complexion of the contest.
“They were getting too many good looks on us,” Carmody said. “So we went to the 1-3-1 and that helped. I think it really put them back on their heels a little bit, just that change there. I think it was more the change than anything.”
With the switch, Minnesota finished the half missing all but one of its last six attempts from the field, and stayed cold in the second half when it shot 34.5 percent. In addition, the Gophers recorded 15 of their 19 turnovers in the last 25 minutes of the game.
“That’s the one thing about the Northwestern style of play,” said Minnesota coach Tubby Smith of the 1-3-1 zone. “Their’s is a brand that you don’t see all the time. We didn’t do a good job of attacking it, and their ability to close down the passing lanes and get their hands on the ball and force turnovers was pretty impressive.”
The zone starts with a single defender on top who is responsible for pressuring the ball almost immediately after it crosses center court. Junior guard Jeremy Nash held this position for the Cats during most of the second half. The box score shows an impressive three steals for Nash, but that doesn’t tell his whole story.
The Chicago native forced the Minnesota guards out of their comfort zone, and they didn’t play up to their abilities, Smith said.
“He’s really a tough guy there at the top of that 1-3-1 zone,” Carmody said. “He just managed to slow them down all the way through the game.”
In addition to his defensive efforts, Nash scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds (three of them on the offensive end) and dished three assists off the bench. Though the Nash-led zone defense stood out in particular against Minnesota, NU has successfully discomforted its opponents all season.
The Cats force an average of 16 turnovers per game, a number that has stayed consistent throughout both conference and non-conference play. They have forced the third most turnovers per game in the Big Ten, and lead the league in turnover margin, averaging almost four-and-a-half fewer than their opponents.
The turnovers can help offset NU’s constant rebounding deficiency and should help the squad stay close in many of its remaining conference tilts.
