MADISON, Wis. — When Northwestern hit the court against Wisconsin on Wednesday, it appeared sloppy, unphysical and timid.
As the opposition’s star guard, John Blackwell, poured in triples to open a 23-point halftime lead, the Wildcats (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) offered little resistance. In fact, they didn’t force a single turnover all period, while the Badgers (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) dished out 15 assists, leaving little room for NU to mount a comeback inside the raucous Kohl Center as it fell 85-73.
While coach Chris Collins was stoic in his postgame comments, it’s evident that his squad is a ways away from recapturing the stout defensive identity that marked its recent NCAA Tournament teams.
“We’ve got to be a lot better with our grit and physicality and toughness,” Collins said. “I’m not sure the last time I remember a half where we didn’t force a turnover.”
The ’Cats, who have sought to implement a quicker style of play than Collins typically operates, with eight new players this season, looked disjointed early on. They failed to pressure the opposing ball-handler, leading to basic Badgers baskets in a 55-point first half, and their usually productive offense couldn’t keep up.
A defense that once looked formidable in season-opening victories against Mercyhurst, Boston University and Cleveland State has only decayed as competition has improved. NU has allowed at least 77 points to each of its previous five foes, dropping three of those contests. In each of the defeats, it has yielded 83 or more points.
Continuing the early portion of conference play, the ’Cats are challenging themselves to regain their identity.
“It’s my job, it’s our staff’s job, and it’s our players’ accountability to say that we’re going to defend better,” Collins said. “If you follow my track record, I have never been afraid to find the right things that are going to make our team successful, and I will continue to do that as long as we have games to play.”
As made evident by the drubbing at the hands of Wisconsin, NU’s offense, while potent, can still struggle to match opponents if it frequently allows 80-plus points.
Junior guard Jordan Clayton attributed the poor first-half intensity to the plethora of new players embarking on their first Big Ten contest. He said he tries to provide leadership to the fresh faces, having gone through similar troubles before, but knows there is still work to be done.
“We just got to look ourselves in the mirror and make the proper changes,” Clayton said. “Because we can’t come into games like that.”
The ’Cats saved face in the second half, outscoring Wisconsin by 11 points, but the game was well over by that point. As margins narrowed, the Badgers’ other mighty guard Nick Boyd unleashed an 18-point second-half output to slam the door closed.
Junior center Arrinten Page and Clayton led that charge for NU, finishing the period with 15 and nine points, respectively. These were Clayton’s first points of the year after averaging under 10 minutes per game across four early contests before dealing with a neck injury, he said.
Page ended with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while logging six rebounds and three blocks in 31 minutes.
“I really challenged our guys, regardless of what the score was, to find some fight and to find some competitive spirit (in the second half),” Collins said. “And I thought we played a lot better.”
But on the night, the ’Cats finished with 18 fouls and 12 turnovers, leading to 40 of the Badgers’ 85 points.
Last year’s Big Ten leading scorer, senior forward Nick Martinelli, assumed to step up following the departures of veteran starters Brooks Barnhizer, Ty Berry and Matthew Nicholson, looked out of place. After recently losing a 29-game double-digit scoring streak in a loss to Virginia, the southpaw only dropped in 14 points while contributing three fouls and two turnovers.
Meanwhile, transfer junior guard Jayden Reid, brought in to guide the offense, was a minus-21 as he went 3-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Collins knows if his team doesn’t turn up the intensity soon, the ’Cats’ path to the NCAA Tournament will become a farce. And NU doesn’t have long before returning to the conference hardwood, facing Ohio State at home Saturday.
“We all have to stay on board,” Collins said. “We all have to rally around each other, and we all have to look inside each individual, me, including coaches, and figure out a way to be successful. That’s kind of always been my motto, is: figure it out, find a way.”
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