Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Men’s Basketball: Wildcats have a shot at redemption

It is tough to articulate precisely what went wrong during Northwestern’s 88-63 loss at then-No. 20 Illinois on Jan. 6.

The game marked NU’s third conference matchup in what was projected to be a memorable season that could produce an all-important, historic NCAA Tournament bid. After falling just three points shy of upsetting then-No. 18 Michigan State on Jan. 3, NU’s game against Illinois should have at least been a contentious one.

So not a lot went right on a night where Illinois broke its own field goal percentage record, shooting 70.5 percent, and dismantled both NU’s zone and man-to-man matchup.

Illinois guard Demetri McCamey may have said it best when he called the showing an “offensive clinic” for Illinois.

“It was an absolute embarrassment,” sophomore forward Drew Crawford said. “We know that. We’ve got a lot to prove this time around.”

The Cats (13-8, 3-7 Big Ten) will get a shot at redemption when they take on the Fighting Illini (15-7, 5-4) on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game will be aired on CBS for the first time since NU lost 73-61 to Illinois at the United Chicago Center in 2003.

It is unclear if NU will have star junior forward John Shurna for the game. The Cats will make a decision about their leading scorer, who has been sidelined due to a concussion, by Friday, according to the team’s information director.

NU is facing what most likely amounts to a series of must-win games in its final conference stretch if it hopes to qualify for its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. According to the team’s information director, the team will make a decision regarding Shurna’s status by tomorrow.

NU came dangerously close to notching its first marquee win of the season last Saturday when it nearly upset No. 1 Ohio State. Even though they played without Shurna, the Cats kept their upset hopes alive by applying something of a schoolyard tactic: they refused to give up the ball. The game marked the slowest conference matchup of the season, totaling just 49 possessions on the night. A free-throw by Ohio State guard Jared Sullinger with 3.5 seconds left was the deciding shot in the 58-57 loss as NU failed to convert on its final half-court attempt.

Still, the strategy limited Ohio State to its lowest conference scoring performance of the season and kept NU in a game that was forecasted to be nothing short of a blowout.

“That’s something we’re going try to implement against Illinois,” guard Michael Thompson said. “We learned that’s how we play best, when we control the pace and we control the ball. That’s when we control the game.”

Thompson sparked NU’s rally against Ohio State, helping the Cats come back from a 13-point second half deficit and finishing the evening with a team-high 16 points and eight assists.

“Juice really pulled through for us there at the end,” Crawford said. “We need everyone to step up against Illinois and help him out.”

It’s an effort that will require shutting down the nation’s 12th best 3-point shooting team in the nation. NU sits at eighth on that list, but it struggled against both Minnesota and Ohio State, shooting a combined 31 percent average from behind the arc over the course of the two games.

McCamey leads Illinois with a 14.8 points-per-game average, and center Mike Tisdale is an ominous presence under the boards, averaging 9.7 rebounds.

Though NU out-rebounded Ohio State 31-20 on Saturday, the Cats have struggled in the paint for most of the season.

“We are definitely hoping to make that sort of rebounding more of a habit,” Crawford said. “We are always looking to work on that as well as our defense. That’s where we’re weak. We’re going to have clean up in both if we want to beat Illinois.”

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Men’s Basketball: Wildcats have a shot at redemption