Men’s Basketball

Just a week ago, Northwestern found itself ranked for the first time in years, with national buzz building.

Now, the Wildcats (18-6, 7-4 Big Ten) are mired in a two-game losing streak after muddling to a disappointing 68-61 home defeat against in-state rival Illinois (14-11, 4-8) on Tuesday.

Both teams got out to slow starts offensively. But while the Fighting Illini began to find their footing on that end, NU struggled to get anything going for much of the first half. After falling behind briefly in the game’s opening minutes, Illinois used a 15-0 run to surge into the lead in the middle part of the period.

In their second-straight game without leading scorer, junior guard Scottie Lindsey, the Cats took a while to show signs of life on the offensive end. NU shot just 34.4 percent from the field and notched six turnovers before the break, but a quick 7-1 run in the final minutes of the first half brought the Cats back into a 28-28 tie at halftime.

Illinois didn’t go away, as the visitors took their first second-half lead with 14:25 remaining and held it for more than nine minutes. NU kept things close despite offensive struggles, though, but a 3 from junior guard Bryant McIntosh pushed the Cats back into a 55-53 lead with five minutes remaining.

NU had the home crowd on its feet and the apparent momentum, but the Fighting Illini never folded. Solid offensive execution in crunch time helped Illinois regain the lead late, while the Cats turned the ball over twice and went scoreless after the 1:57 mark to slump to defeat.

Takeaways

1. Northwestern’s offense remains flawed

The Cats have been dependent on the 3 this season, but their shooting abandoned them Tuesday for the second straight game. After hitting 2-of-14 attempts from behind the arc last Wednesday in a blowout loss at Purdue, NU connected on just 6-of-20 3-point tries against the Fighting Illini. That poor shooting, combined with an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers, gave the team little margin for error in a close conference contest.

2. The Wildcats need Scottie Lindsey back

Maybe it’s his consistent shooting, secondary ball-handling and defensive versatility. Maybe it’s the ineffective play of his replacement in the starting lineup, freshman Isiah Brown, who turned the ball over three times and committed four fouls in 18 minutes Tuesday.

Whatever it is, NU is definitely a far worse team without Lindsey, as proven by the team’s offensive struggles against one of the Big Ten’s lesser lights. In the midst of what could be a special season for the team, the Cats might have little recourse but to hope for a speedy recovery from illness for their leading scorer.

3. Northwestern fans should feel a little nervous about March

There are still seven games remaining in the regular season, plus an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament left for the Cats to finalize their tournament resume. For the first time this season, though, NU suffered a loss to a team that will likely be sitting at home when the tournament comes around, the dreaded “bad loss” that can make a difference on Selection Sunday. There’s a long way to go before that point, but the Cats aren’t a lock for the NCAA Tournament yet, and Tuesday’s loss could come back to bite them if the team slumps late in the season.

Stats
– Sanjay Lumpkin: 0 points on 0-of-2 shooting
– The Cats’ bench scored 13 points on 2-of-10 shooting
– Illinois outscored NU 24-12 in the paint

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @maxschuman28