Northwestern’s 72-49 rout of Chicago State had all the makings of a great win. NU’s seniors were honored with their families prior to tipoff. The victory was the Wildcats’ 19th on the season, setting a school record. The lacrosse team was awarded rings for notching its fifth straight National Championship at halftime to add to the winning atmosphere.
Yet the actual scene at Welsh-Ryan Arena was far from perfect. In fact it was almost pitiful.
No offense to Chicago State, but this game was basically a scrimmage for the Cats. And NU treated it like one. The Cats botched two alley-oops to freshman Drew Crawford early in the game, hot-dogging their way to a 5-5 tie.
If the show on the court was bad, the audience watching it was worse. The stands were barren, and so few students showed up to the home finale that half the student section was allocated to kids who were 10 years too young to be going to NU.
So much for a huge fan turnout to witness the winningest team in school history.
Can anyone blame them for not coming? This monumental win should have come weeks ago. Instead the Cats went 1-3 against Iowa and Penn State, teams that would be at the bottom of the Big Ten if wins over NU hadn’t boosted their rankings.
Against the Cougars, the Cats showed why they were topped by the Big Ten’s cellar-dwellers. There is no reason it should have been a two-point game at 27-25 with less than four minutes to go in the first half. NU proved earlier in the year against Texas-Pan American it’s not good enough to blow out inferior teams with a minimal effort.
The final score indicates a lopsided victory, but the contest sure didn’t feel like one. It was painful to watch NU-the same team that fought tooth-and-nail to topple then-No. 6 Purdue-lackadaisically rain 3-pointers on lowly Chicago State in an overall sloppy affair. The Cats seemed to have no energy or will to play the best they could. And fortunately for them they didn’t need to.
This NU squad may have set the school record for wins, but it’s clear it overachieved this season, and as a result the fans feel let down. Never mind Kevin Coble and Jeff Ryan were knocked out for the season-NU was ranked No. 25 and went toe-to-toe with the conference’s cream of the crop through the first half of the Big Ten campaign. And that was with youngsters John Shurna and Crawford leading the charge.
But the starters have been asked to carry the load all year long, and recently the burden seems to have caught up to them. Crawford is battling a hip flexor injury and scored only two points in 23 minutes of action. In addition to the missed alley-oops, Chicago State rejected a few of the dunks that he would have thrown down earlier in the season.
This tells me one thing: This once youthful team no longer has the same spring in its step. It wasn’t as clear-cut in Big Ten matchups because the opposition is quick too. But when the Cats are jumping in the air to pass and turning the ball over 17 times against a team that’s not even close to NU in talent, something is wrong.
In fact, the most exciting part of the night came with a kid won the Harris Bank Shots competition. Not kidding-Welsh-Ryan Arena erupted more when his last shot went in than when senior Jeremy Nash dunked on a fastbreak.
The Cats still have a chance to give their fans something to get excited about. This record-breaking group has the potential to play a lot more games this season. It could start by figuring out its road woes this weekend against Indiana.
If NU starts playing the way it did earlier in the season, anything is possible. Perhaps a blowout win was just what this squad needed heading into postseason play. Imagine if the Cats were able to pull a few upsets in the Big Ten Tournament and then make some noise in the NIT.
Then when next year’s team eclipses the current record for wins, you can bet the fan turnout will be plentiful, not pitiful.
Sports Editor Brian Chappatta is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
