The only redeeming stretch of Northwestern’s embarrassing loss at No. 20 Illinois on Thursday was the 17-minutes John Shurna’s sprained left ankle rested in the second half.
Unfortunately, Shurna did not have the luxury of relaxing his injury during the much-needed win against Indiana because of NU’s inability to put the game out of reach early in the second half.
Luckily, the member of the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 is dealing with only a high ankle sprain, unlike the former Wildcat, he-who-must-not-be-named, whose career ended because of a seriously bum foot.
NU’s dream of reaching the Big Dance has by no means been deferred until 2012. After Shurna’s performance against Indiana, it appears the basketball gods are not so cruel that they would cripple NU’s top scorer and its NCAA Tournament aspirations for the second year in a row.
But the timing of the ankle sprain could not have been worse, considering the challenging start to the Big Ten season and NU’s failure to boost its postseason resume with a single top-only 20 upset.
Realistically, this team’s margin of error for the remainder of the season has been reduced. The Cats do not need to run the table, but they cannot drop games to teams they are expected to beat like they did last season.
Losses at Iowa and Indiana, not at Wisconsin and Michigan State, are what kept NU from breaking into last year’s field of 65.
NU’s three-game losing streak proved that this team cannot compete with the upper echelon of the Big Ten without a fully healthy Shurna. Based on the current national rankings, NU has seven more cracks at ranked Big Ten opponents, including rematches at Michigan State and at home against Illinois.
The 24-point effort against Indiana is a positive sign that Shurna may have turned the corner with his recovery. Shurna’s line drive shot was on point as he went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc against the Hoosiers. During the losing streak, Shurna shot 3-for-10 and most of his three-point attempts fell short off the front rim.
“I don’t have any excuses for missing them,” said Shurna, after the 93-81 win over Indiana. “I’ve been trying to practice and just try and get repetitions and try and make shots.”
Some critics of coach Bill Carmody may argue that he should have rested Shurna for at least the entire Purdue game. But fortunately, Shurna appears to have that bounce and balance back in his step as NU travels to Iowa City and East Lansing this week.
When Shurna is the team’s top offensive threat and knocking down three pointers at will, opponents have to give him extra attention on defense, creating more open opportunities for the rest of the Cats. It’s Shurna or bust; that’s the only way the Cats make it to the tournament.
Justin Schecker is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
