After Joe McKeown began his Northwestern career with a dominating win in the Wildcats’ first exhibition game last year, NU lost seven of its first 10 games.
If the Cats want to avoid a similar slide after cruising through this year’s exhibition game, they are going to have to start with a strong showing on Friday against Toledo. The Rockets will present a tough opening test. After finishing second in the Mid-American Conference last year, the Rockets enter this season favored by the media to win the MAC’s West Division.
“(Starting strong) is huge,” sophomore guard Allison Mocchi said. “We’ve come from previous losing seasons and we’re not about that this year. Winning the first game is going to send a message not only to ourselves, but to everyone else that we’re here to do business.”
NU made a statement in its only exhibition of the year, pummeling Robert Morris 119-60. The Cats were able to take advantage of their size, as junior center Amy Jaeschke, freshman forward Dannielle Diamant and junior forward Kaitlin McInerney combined for 52 points. Sophomore forward Brittany Orban led all scorers with 25 points. NU shot 54.7 percent from the field, an offensive explosion that bodes well for a group that averaged 57 points per game last year.
“We shot the ball really well and set records offensively,” McKeown said. “That gave us confidence, but you don’t want to get a false sense of confidence.”
In addition to scoring, the Cats have placed an increased emphasis on defense. The team worked with a new strength and conditioning coach in the offseason, and the work paid off against Robert Morris. The Cats notched 13 steals, more than double their 2008-09 average.
NU allowed a conference-worst 64.3 points per game last year, but it has focused on McKeown’s unique “Blizzard” defense in hopes of limiting opposing offenses this season. A combination of zone and man-to-man schemes, it takes time to become comfortable with the intricacies of Blizzard. With five newcomers and several veterans taking on new positions, the process has been slow but steady.
“It is hard to learn at first,” senior guard Kristin Cartwright said. “Once you start to understand it and build on it, you get set in it and it’s such a hard defense to beat once everyone’s really comfortable and really confident in their positions.”
NU had a chance to test out the special scheme when it faced Notre Dame in a scrimmage last weekend.
Still, McKeown is most concerned about fundamentals this early in the season.
“It’s more important to play well and do the things that you’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re not going to make or break our season in November.”
