They say a win is a win and a loss is a loss.
I don’t buy that. And neither did the two coaches at Thursday’s game.
Northwestern may have defeated Texas-Pan American 53-44, but Wildcats coach Bill Carmody was the one sounding downtrodden after the game. Though far from ecstatic, Broncs coach Ryan Marks said his team had its best performance of the season.
Those reactions are far from surprising. Since being ranked in the AP Top 25, NU has been reeling, losing in overtime at Illinois and then getting blown out of Welsh-Ryan Arena by Michigan State. This game was supposed to be a way to fine-tune inconsistencies before completely plunging into Big Ten play.
Instead, the Cats had to fight for their life against a 1-16 team that has been outscored by an average of 20 points per game.
Carmody said Texas-Pan American deserved to win the game. And I couldn’t agree more.
In economics, “nominal” numbers are always scrapped in favor of “real” values, which use a base year to give context to the raw statistics. Hence, something that cost a nickel in 1930 and five dollars in 2010 can be compared fairly.
The Broncs typically lose by an average of 20, and the Cats won by nine. Opponents usually turn the ball over about 14 times against Texas-Pan American, and NU had 19 turnovers. Texas-Pan American has allowed its competition to make 52.7 percent of its shots, and the Cats converted 32 percent of their field goal attempts. If those nominal numbers turned real, it would project an NU loss.
Marks admitted he wasn’t expecting NU to shoot so poorly from the field. That’s an understatement. Considering the height advantage the Cats had over the Broncs, this game should have been a perfect opportunity to break the habit of relying on the 3-pointer. Instead, with its centers unable to convert down low, NU put up 22 treys. The Cats-or rather John Shurna-made five of those attempts.
This should have been a relaxing game for Shurna. Instead, with supposed second option Michael Thompson turning the ball over five times and going 1-of-9 from the field, Shurna had to do everything in his power to stem the Broncs’ attack in the first half. For the first 20 minutes, it was basically Texas-Pan American against Shurna, prompting Carmody to say basketball “isn’t an individual sport.”
Sure, the lack of team play proved problematic in the win, but it’s even more worrisome for upcoming Big Ten play. NU is no longer under the radar after its 15 minutes of fame in the AP Top 25, and Shurna is among the conference’s leaders in points and rebounds. With the sophomore forward gaining recognition from sources such as ESPN as a potential Big Ten Player of the Year, it’s obvious teams will make shutting down Shurna a top priority.
Perhaps the basketball team took a page out of the football team’s book and played down to its opponent. Let’s not forget NU’s three-point win over Eastern Michigan in the second week of the season. Though far from reassuring, it would be nice to think this is the worst the team will play.
One play from the game particularly stands out. Thompson was at the top of the key, jumped in the air and threw an overhead, soccer-style pass up to Shurna in a failed alley-oop attempt. The pass looked promising at first but ended up sailing way out-of-bounds, practically into the stands.
That pass was emblematic of what this season could become for the Cats if they don’t fix their problems in a hurry. A great start in nonconference play could be wiped out in a few Big Ten games, and the goal of making the NCAA Tournament could sail out of sight.
