I apologize, Northwestern. I jinxed the game against Wisconsin.
With about 10 minutes left in the contest, I commented to my fellow Daily staffers on how amazing it was that the Wildcats were able to hold the Badgers’ Trevon Hughes, their leading scorer coming into the game, to only one point.
The Wisconsin senior guard proceeded to score 15 of the Badgers’ next 19 points, extending their lead to 55-48 with three minutes to play and putting the game out of reach.Compared to NU’s effort against Texas-Pan American, this performance was spectacular. But I have higher standards for this team. The loss against the Badgers showed me the Cats are close to becoming a team to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. But they are missing one crucial element-a closer.
As a Chicago Bulls fan, I hated Ben Gordon. I thought he was a cancer, hurting the team with his one-on-one play and lack of ball movement. But I could never dispute his performance in the clutch. He was willing and able to take shots that would make him either a hero or a scapegoat.
Trevon Hughes did the same thing in Wisconsin’s win. Despite a horrendous shooting day by his standards, he drove to the basket and fired 3-pointers when the game was even. Sure enough, he caught fire, so much that teammate Jordan Taylor just handed the ball off to Hughes to drain another 3-pointer.
John Shurna has become the Big Ten’s worst-kept secret, and the Badgers keyed in on making his life difficult throughout the game. Though he recorded a respectable 15 points and five rebounds, Shurna’s ineffectiveness in the final minutes of the game put the Cats in a tough spot.
At the 6:13 mark, a Shurna layup put NU back in the lead, 45-44. But after that basket, he disappeared until 1:38 remained, when he wildly spun in the lane and lucked out by drawing a foul on Hughes. Shurna knocked down both free throws to cut the Badgers’ lead to five, but the late-game damage was done. Shurna missed two more jumpers, and the game was over.
The loss is not all Shurna’s fault. Michael Thompson had a poor outing and Drew Crawford missed two-thirds of his free throws.
But with the game on the line, there has to be someone who takes charge. There has to be some fight. There has to be a sense of urgency, an awareness that this is a game NU can’t afford to let slip away.
Instead, NU watched Wisconsin grab the last 11 rebounds as Hughes caught fire. Meanwhile the Cats played hot potato with the basketball before realizing they should probably give the ball to their best player. Wonder if Hughes’ performance gave them a clue?
This is the second close conference game NU could not close out. Against Illinois on Dec. 30, NU lost in overtime, again due to a strong performance by an elite opposing player. Illini center Mike Tisdale paced his team in overtime and finished with 31 points. While Shurna scored 27 of his own, he did not score until overtime was more than half over. By then, Illinois had taken a five-point lead.
Shurna is only a sophomore, and he’s expected to be the star of this team in senior Kevin Coble’s absence. It’s a lot to ask, but it’s not hard to give him the opportunity. Why he gets the ball when the game is already out of hand is beyond me. When the contest is in its final stage, you put the ball in the hands of your best player. Period.
Shurna is ready to be that guy. But until he can produce when the game is still within reach, NU will lack the final piece it needs to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
Sports editor Brian Chappatta is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected]
