Just three days after nabbing an overtime upset of No. 10 Illinois, Northwestern prepared to defend its home territory Saturday against Ohio State.
Although coach Chris Collins’ group had secured a momentous result versus its archrival, he said his team entered the matchup battered from its Wednesday wrangle and needed to avoid the much-maligned trap game.
“Coming off Wednesday night and how physical, tough and competitive that game was, as a coach you worry about the quick turnaround and playing against a really good team that’s hungry for a win,” Collins said. “I shouldn’t be worried because we have great leadership.”
During a first half that appeared destined for an arduous rock fight, one of the Wildcats’ (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) most savvy veterans catalyzed an offensive explosion and fortified a defensive barrier that left the Buckeyes (13-7, 3-6 Big Ten) unable to match the hosts’ firepower.
A player Collins swiftly moved to recruit this past spring, graduate student guard Ryan Langborg helped fuel Princeton’s Cinderella Sweet 16 run last March. The former California high school state champion held a winning pedigree at every level.
His standout Ivy League career — capped off by a 26-point downpour in the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament loss to Creighton — left Collins anticipating the potential for production and impact for the purple and white.
“He’s a really good player,” Collins said. “We brought him in here to have a major impact on our team, and he has. He knows how to play, the ball moves well, when he gets going like you saw in the first half, his shooting can be electric.”
When Welsh-Ryan Arena’s dimmed lights gave way to game action, Langborg looked to swiftly find his shooting touch, attempting two jumpers in a 30-second span. Though neither shot fell, Langborg soon struck gold from beyond the arc.
After junior guard Brooks Barnhizer stole an errant Ohio State pass, Langborg drained his first 3-pointer of the night to give NU a 5-4 lead. The ‘Cats never relinquished their lead from this juncture.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable … with transfers it takes a little time,” Collins said of Langborg. “He’s starting to find his rhythm — find his stride.”
Although points appeared at a premium beyond the half’s midway point, the former Princeton guard poured in a pair of downtown jumpers that flipped the matchup’s fate on its head.
With six and a half minutes remaining in the first frame, NU led by just three points. The Buckeyes had scored five straight, shifting momentum to the visitors’ side. Then, Langborg canned a pair of treys in 72 seconds, extending his tally to 14 points and stretching his team’s advantage to seven.
“Ryan’s outburst there — his 14 first-half points — his shooting gave us the lead,” Collins said.
While Langborg wouldn’t attempt another shot following his 4-of-6 first half clip from 3-point-range, his effort and intensity remained on full display.
Collins said the graduate student’s defensive output garnered him significant locker room praise.
“I told him in the locker room ‘that’s the best defense you played all year,’ and everybody kind of chuckled because we’re always on him about his defense,” Collins said. “He made those shots, but I thought he was everywhere on the defensive end. His rotations — he was getting deflections, he was in the right spot … keeping the ball in front of him.”
For Langborg, the collective defensive effort proved pivotal in sustaining points at the other end.
He said defense has been a major point of emphasis for him in practice, and that work came to fruition Saturday night.
“If you put the effort on the defensive side of the ball, everything else will take care of itself,” Langborg said. “It’s kind of just playing as hard as I can, and I’ve been starting to get some of this stuff as we play more and more.”
Now 20 games into his Evanston tenure, Langborg has his new squad in the hunt for a March Madness return. Although NU stands months away from turning its hopes of a program first back-to-back NCAA Tournament bid, consistent performances from the team’s key cogs make the road back to the dance far smoother.
Though Collins echoed that adjusting to a new program and meshing with a new rotation takes time, Langborg deemed Saturday’s statement win an embodiment of the team’s chemistry and cohesion.
“Our team has gotten really close,” Langborg said. “Whenever someone scores … the team just lights up for whoever it is. I’ve been very comfortable, get along with all these guys and it’s been a great 20 games. Hopefully we make a run this year.”
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