The alarm bell is sounding for Northwestern.
If there’s such a thing as a must-win game in early December, the Wildcats (5-4, 0-2 Big Ten) just squandered such a contest, failing 86-82 to Ohio State after blowing a nine-point lead in their Big Ten home opener.
NU, which has given up 77-plus points to its previous six opponents, allowed the Buckeyes (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) to exploit its poor paint defense, where it allowed 62 points.
“I’m sick of losing,” senior forward Nick Martinelli said after his joint-career-high 32-point effort was not enough to stave off defeat. “That’s just not what this program’s about, that’s just not who we are.”
Ohio State’s Brandon Noel dropped 29 points on 13-of-15 shooting after playing just nine minutes in the Buckeyes’ previous contest against Pittsburgh. Playing as a center, instead of his usual wing-forward role, he was the beneficiary of the ’Cats’ defensive lapses that allowed Bruce Thornton, John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal to drive into the paint easily, coach Chris Collins said.
While NU had momentous opportunities to run away with the contest, Ohio State came back each time. Drawn even at 64-apiece with about eight minutes remaining, the Buckeyes went on a 12-6 run to open an advantage they would never lose.
Ultimately, the ’Cats lost after Ohio State, up 84-81, intentionally fouled Martinelli with 19 seconds remaining. The southpaw missed the first free throw, and NU conceded a two-score deficit moments after with the shot clock off.
“We’re really struggling on the defensive end of the floor, keeping the ball out of paint, whether it be the drive, whether it be the post up, whether it be ball screen actions — we’re just having a hard time right now,” Collins said. “We need to get a reset.”
Collins said the ’Cats have failed to force opponents to deviate from their primary offensive plans, offering little resistance. On Saturday, the Buckeyes spaced the floor well and attacked the paint, forcing the ’Cats to rotate, and they took advantage of the mismatches.
The 13th-year coach added that he has been pleased with his team’s offensive capabilities, as NU has notched at least 70 points in every contest, but he knows they have work to do on the other end of the floor.
“This is a doomsday world, and I told the guys that very same thing — I said, ‘I’m going to walk into the media, everybody’s going to jump off the boat, and (we’ve) got to stay in the boat, and (we’ve) got to rally around each other,’” Collins said.
Martinelli, who logged his 32 points on 10-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds, said the players need to accept accountability for their inadequate defense and that he wants the team to buy into righting the ship.
Martinelli pointed to how Pittsburgh and Ohio State battered NU during his freshman season, noting how rewarding the positive moments were afterward. He said he still recalls the practices following those defeats, and the intensity with which players hit the court.
“You don’t get any glory from just constantly winning in life, whatever it is — you get glory from getting your face shoved in the mud, and you getting up and pushing,” Martinelli said. “We have to come together and get out of the mud together.”
Sophomore guard Angelo Ciaravino — who scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists — echoed Martinelli’s sentiment, adding the team has not always fully bought into what the coaches have asked of the players.
“That’s fully on us, just to execute what our coaches are telling us or giving us the answers to the test every single game, as they say,” Ciaravino said. “We just have to go out there and just execute and listen to exactly what they say every single year.”
With finals and a handy stretch of non-conference contests coming up, Collins said the upcoming week is vital. He and the coaching staff plan on hitting the drawing board with more time to review film from the team’s six consecutive high-major matchups.
The ’Cats’ next chance to workshop their problems in-game is on Dec. 13 against Jackson State.
“I’m not going to jump off the deep end, but that being said, there is going to be a real sense of urgency,” Collins said. “(We’ve) got to get things right and really go into the holidays and try to get some positive momentum as we get back into conference play in January.”
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